We had a full load going to Lanquin, Jolanda, Ari and Bart, all from Holland and all ready to get out of the cramped car. The first third of road to Lanquin was paved and rather good for driving. After that the road started to change from good to bad to worse. More than a couple of times our car was bottomed completely out and we more or less ‘bicycled’ ol’ Duro (Ol’ toughy) on two wheels to get some tight spots. After Mirador when our guide called us Duro (In Spanish meaning having endurance and tough) we decided our car had earned the name. A narrow, windy zigzagged route through the mountains; around every corner it seemed were men with machetes and women with stacks of wood strapped to their backs. At one point we decide to break and at least take a group photo of the epic excursion. Lucky us, we had four Germans following close behind, who were glad to take a photo for us.

Two couples, one from Germany and the other from Switzerland. A Volkswagen van shipped from Germany along with a Land Cruiser retrofitted with beefed up suspension, exhaust, fuel tank, 200 gallon water tank and sleeper canopy welded to the frame; the ultimate off road travel utility vehicle. If only we had more time and money!!!

We finally made it to Lanquin and found ourselves turned around again due to no signs, roads without names and one way streets (though it doesn’t matter in CA if you drive down them the wrong way) We dodged a few passed out drunks in the middle of the street and found the alley way leading to the paradise hostel owned by another Dutchmen, called Zephyr, located on the hill.
The next day we were already off to the caves for some “Cave exploring” at Semuc Champey, so we booked a guide who gave us a candle and match and we hiked for hours. No, a little more than that, though we did get a candle and a guide. There were about 20 of us from Israel to Slovenia, a mixed breed of folks with mixed conceptions on what the trip was going to entail. Really it was awesome, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling and an eerie ancient feeling from the ancient Mayan past. Mike would say “a site to behold if one could ever behold something like I am beholding” and Derek would say “a mythical landscape, if this place were a movie it would be the wizard of ozz” so there you have it. If this doesn’t make any sense at all just wait for the pics to be uploaded.


After the caves we hiked to pools of water that cascaded from one pool to another down the side of the mountain. We were able to relax and swim and play in them cliff diving, bathing, and enjoying nature. A really beautiful spot, we were glad that we went.


We were also able to swing on a huge rope swing out into the middle of the river. The swing probably launched us out 20 feet in the air some people belly flopping, others quite gracefully landed in the water.