GUATEMALA
As with any trip abroad there are things that differ from home and that is why we travel. We seek to be disoriented, touched, we seek to go beyond our limits and find those nuggets that will awaken the person who sleeps deep within us.
It is this cultural shock that I came to seek and for once I was served!
Guatemala is a mountainous country truly rocked by Maya culture and traditions. And luckily, it is still preserved from mass tourism: authenticity guaranteed.
Welcome to
GUATEMALA
I had heard about the security conditions in Guatemala which were said to be worrying. Drug trafficking and extortion are apparently common and mainly affect Guatemalans. Tourists would be confronted with common law crime: robberies and armed robberies, day and night. To be honest with you, I've always felt safe, Guatemalans have been loving and really caring... Maybe it's a matter of luck, but in any case the atmosphere was not good. all oppressive!
As soon as I set foot on Guatemalan soil, I was able to become aware very quickly of the country's deep roots. It is incredible to still observe so many people in traditional dress; all these different colors and patterns really helped make this trip unforgettable. We dive into another culture, with centuries-old textile traditions, a magnificent Mayan heritage!
TIKAL
The country is populated by Mayan temples, the most impressive in my opinion: Tikal. A true Mayan city hidden in the middle of the jungle and hiding vestiges dating from the 7th century BC to the 9th century. At its height, it extended over 160km2. And it was only in the 1950s that an American university began serious research and restoration work there.
Today we only visit a tenth of what this powerful city was. The rest is still buried under the jungle. We can admire the canopy and local wildlife from Temple IV like coatis foraging or spider monkeys jumping from tree to tree.
Little anegdote: the filmmaker george lucas used Tikal as a set in his first film Star Wars, thehe ruins serving as a backdrop to the rebel base of yavin.
ACATENANGO VOLCANO
I was talking to you earlier about pushing our limits and well, I think it was here in Guatemala that I was able to experience this: climbing the Acatenango volcano!
Duration: 2 days 1 night
Distance: 15.3km
Level: difficult
Elevation: 1726m
Maximum altitude: 3976 m
I am a hiker but a novice in this field, indeed hiking on volcanoes is always the most difficult given the often particularly steep ascent and the often slippery volcanic soils. So I particularly tasted it but what pleasure, pride and delight once done, the game is worth the candle, really! The landscapes offered by this climb are unique...
LIVINGTON
Among the most unusual towns in Guatemala other than Antigua was Livingston. Livingston is very emblematic in the country's belonging to the Caribbean. African and Caribbean traditions coexist there, tinged with Mayan colours.
Thus, in addition to Spanish, Garifuna is spoken there, a mixture of African, Amerindian, Creole, English and French languages as well as the Mayan language Qe'kchí. The only way to get there is by river, rather atypical but above all ensuring moments of plenitude because almost no car drives there.
