Part 4 Rio Dulce jungle cruise, caves, Livingston, and the Q'eqchi'

Getting a good night's rest isn't included in the type of traveling we have been doing through Central America. Like my mom always says, "You can sleep when you're dead." To be able to reach your next destination you must allow yourself the appropriate amount of time since things can be rather spread apart across the landscape. Our morning was once again an early riser-5:00 a.m. We had to be up bright eyed and bushy tailed at this hour because we were sharing a rented vehicle with Ben and Nancy to take us to Rio Dulce. Four passengers, a driver, and all our overly stuffed luggage/backpacks were piled into a Rav4 for the trip that normally takes five hours. Our driver, Sergio, had other ideas about how long this trek should take and was able to cut it down to three and a half. At times it felt as if my cheeks were being pulled back by the ludicrous speeds he would reach. I wouldn't doubt it if on some of the sharp turns (which had no guardrails) we were on two wheels instead of four. All in all it was a pretty exciting road trip. We had reached the dock that would take us up the Rio Dulce to Livingston with time to spare. The Rio Dulce is a wide river that flows from Lake Izabal, Guatemala's largest lake, into the Caribbean Sea. It is located on the small piece of coast that Guatemala has between Belize and Honduras. The river is known for its marine wildlife such as manatees and crocodiles. Hot springs are commonly found along the river's edge gushing from underground currents that flow through the jungle rocks. Faith and I didn't know much about the Rio Dulce and Livingston except for the minor role it has in our Let's Go! Travel Book. Nancy, who was showing Ben all of her favorite places in Latin America, highly recommended it and we enjoyed their company so much we decided to follow along. We originally planned to simply stay a night or two in this area and then continue on to Copan, Honduras and possibly Antigua, Guatemala on our way back home to San Cristobal. These plans dramatically changed once we sat our butts in the boat that took us on an epic jungle cruise up the Rio Dulce. Our boat was launched at 9:30 a.m. and took us through mangroves that had majestic cranes sunning themselves in the branches, we passed thatched roof huts on stilts where the owners could be seen traveling or fishing out of their hollowed out canoes. Livingston can only be reached via a boat ride up the Rio Dulce and the villages that we past along the way are far more remote than anywhere we have been thus far. The sense of an older way of life was everywhere as we spent the next hour and a half passing by tall cliff walls covered in vines and effervescently green plantlife. Pelicans and other aquatic birds flew beside us as if they were racing us.

We made a couple stops along the route and one of them had a small riverside bar/restaurant and a cave that could be explored for 15 Quetzales (just under $2 US) each. Do you think we could pass something like this up? Of course not, so we met our local guide and he handed us flashlights. Three other travelers and us hiked into the jungle where the cave mouth opened inviting us in. The opening to the cave couldn't have been larger than six feet in heighth and four feet in width. We expected to simply view a hole in the ground and come back, that wasn't the case, we were going to get our Quetzales worth.

The guide took us into the cave, the natural light faded behind us, we went down a wood ladder and made a 180 degree turn into the caverns below the Earth's surface. We continued through the pitch black passageways naturally formed by rushing water and the temperature and humidity began rising due to the hot springs nearby. The guide pointed out interesting rock formations as he proceeded to take us further into this subterranean world. The ground was muddy, our boots stuck to the wet floor, and we noticed our guide was barefoot, probably for good reason. We squeezed through narrow cracks until we reached an area large enough to stand upright. Bats huddled in dark corners and squeaked expressing their annoyance with our intrusion. We had walked over ten minutes and I asked how far these cave paths continue, to which our guide said about forty minutes. We took some pictures, let the claustrophobic panic come and pass, and then retraced our steps back to the dock where we found Ben and Nancy casually drinking out of coconuts. Onwards and towards we went until we passed a Spanish fort on the delta where the Rio Dulce dumps into the Caribbean. We were beginning to think that Disneyland's Adventureland had been strongly influenced by what we were surrounded by. The Spanish fort was built sometime around the 1600's to fend off pirates (of the Caribbean) because they often used the Rio Dulce as a hiding place to await ships coming from Europe which they would plunder for all their booty and dabloons. Livingston, with its atypical name compared to those such as Huehuetenango, Chisec, and Sayaxche which come from Mayan languages, received it's name from the American jurist and politician Edward Livingston who wrote the Livingston Codes which were used as the basis for the laws of the liberal government of the United Provinces of Central America in the early 19th century. The population of Livingston is somewhere around 10,000 and is composed of people of the Garifuna culture, Maya, and ladinos. The Garifuna are descendants from the slaves that were brought into the islands of the Caribbean. Their culture blended with that of San Vicente island and they make up 75% of the inhabitants of Livingston. The language they speak is a mixture predominantly of French, Spanish, and English. It was very interesting to hear and see so many different people and languages all in such a small place.

As we disembarked from our boat onto the Livingston dock we were met by several Garifuna teenage boys who offered to assist in our hotel finding. We walked with Ben and Nancy to their hotel, and the boys followed. They pointed out a few interesting things along the way-crocodiles in a concrete enclosure, a large iguana resting on a palm tree all while recommending the hotel they must work for. We wanted to check out the hotels we had read about in our travel book and they insisted on accompanying us. We walked up and down Livingston's one major street that is lined with shops, restaurants, travel agencies, and small outdoor vendors. Along the edge of the street on both sides are gutter type trenches where the liquids of these buildings are deposited. Certain areas the flow must have been blocked because they were releasing unpleasant odors. This and the presence of garbage around the main part of town was evidence of how hard it is to manage waste in such an isolated place.

Faith and I met several hotel owners and peaked into the rooms they offered. We are not picky about where we stay, but we definitely prefer places that seem clean and safe. After a few options we came upon Casa Rosada. We opened a cute wood fence and noticed the nicely manicured plants and flowers. One of the happiest little Latin grandmas hummed a tune as she showed us the cabanas they offer. Inside the bamboo huts were simple accommodations-two beds with mosquito nets, a mirror, and a night stand. The furniture in the rooms were exotic and rustic and had a Gilligan's Island feel to them. The bathroom and showers are shared with the other six neighboring huts at Casa Rosada. We loved the energy here and immediately booked the cabana. Casa Rosada runs their business in a unique fashion. They allow their guests to freely open the refrigerator and take the sodas, beers, and waters inside. There is a binder where your name is on a piece of paper and you are to mark down everything you have helped yourself to. You don't even consider cheating this system because it is so refreshing to see such trust being given to you.

Casa Rosada is a five minute walk away from the busy main street of Livingston and has a beautiful view of the Rio Dulce and all the jungle and mountains on the other side of the river. They have a long dock that goes out into the river that has a palapa at the end with hammocks where you can swing over the water and watch the birds and boats go by. You can reach the point of ultra relaxation here. They have a canoe you can rent, they have grass to sit on, sand to dig your toes into, and a restaurant that cooks amazing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.



We wanted to experience Livingston culture while there and were recommended a small restaurant that served the traditional dish of Tapado. Tapado is a soup made from coconut milk broth chock-full of plantains and locally caught seafood-crab, calamari, fish, shrimp, scallops, etc. I am not much of a seafood eater, but I loved it and even ordered it again another night at Casa Rosada. The seafood is still in its natural form and you have to do all the work to get the meat, makes you appreciate it more having to earn the bites.

We slept the best we had on this entire trip under mosquito nets that were draped over us. The next morning we heard about some local sites and decided to walk along the beach to find them. Along the way we met a Garifuna man named Polo Martinez. According to Polo he is a local celebrity and has traveled the world playing reggae. We chatted for a while with him and he gave us his perspective on the Garifuna lifestyle and socio-economic issues facing his people. He offered to take us through the Garifuna community and we met families along the walk and even entered a home where an elderly woman who was bedridden due to a recent hurricane welcomed us in. We were honored to have been given this experience and wanted to know more about the Garifuna. Polo mentioned that he runs a feeding program for the less fortunate Garifuna in Livingston. We offered our help in the kitchen or wherever we could get involved, but he told us the people might be alarmed by outsiders so we donated a small amount of money to his cause instead. We then leisurely walked along the beach admiring the seashells, canoes, birds and the never ending ocean before us. It was a beautifully warm day and we loved the contrast of landscape where the jungle meets the beach. Much of this brought back pleasant childhood memories of when I lived in Puerto Rico with my family for two and a half years.

Back at Casa Rosada we were looking over things to do while in Livingston and they had a guided jungle hike by the local Q'eqchi' Maya which included food and other activities. We signed up and were met the next morning by Avelardo and Humberto, two Q'eqchi' Maya in their twenties dressed in clothes that looked too nice for a jungle hike. We started off going further away from the busy part of Livingston where the road changed from paved to dirt. We chatted with our new friends about how old they were, where they live, and the planned hike. We passed homes and a group of men forcing a noncompliant ox out of a boat and into a truckbed. The dirt road that we were on is the only road to and from our guides' village of Plan Grande Quehueche. According to our guides their small community of around 350 individuals began when five families decided to relocate from Coban to the Livingston area about 60 years ago. Since then the descendants of those five families combined with other Q'eqchi' now make up the 60 families who reside in the Livingston area. The Q'eqchi Maya are one of over 30 Maya groups present in Guatemala and can be found in regions such as Coban and Peten.

We turned off the main road and headed into farmland owned by some of their fellow community members. We became increasingly interested in the lifestyle of the Q'eqchi and began asking questions about their agricultural methods and land use. Avelardo and Humberto were very open and candid with their answers and really helped to paint us a picture of how life is in the rural areas surrounding Livingston. During our hike they pointed out plants that they use for different medicines, plants for basket making, edible plants, the crops being harvested, and names and descriptions of plants we were curious about. For being so young we were impressed by the abundance of knowledge they had about their environment. They broke sturdy branches and gave them to us to use as walking sticks when they noticed our occasional slip. Faith and I enjoy the outdoors and hiking, but this was nothing like we had done before. These trails were only recognizable to our guides and the terrain was rather treacherous at times. We let these virtual strangers get us lost in the jungle and let them guide us blindly into the unknown. At one junction of the trail Faith almost jumped out of her Chaco's when we saw a snake on the ground that had to have been over six feet long. Luckily the snake was dead, but Faith wasn't taking any chances and kept her distance from it anyways. We were on the trail for over four hours when we finally came upon their village. We knew we were getting close when we started hearing and seeing the pigs run freely on the trails we were on. Fences were built up around their milpas (corn fields) to keep these loose pigs from eating their crops. The Q'eqchi' build houses on a large scale and we passed several colossal wood slat structures with thatched roofs. We were shown the path to their restaurant which had been decorated with live ginger plants lining the walkway.

Before we could rest our feet our new friends had something they wanted to show us. They took us past the restaurant kitchen and into the jungle once again. We stopped when we reached a hole in the ground no bigger than three feet in diameter. We were handed lit candles and were told to follow them into this portal into what lay beneath the surface. This cave was even smaller than the one we had gone into during our jungle cruise and were forced to crawl on our hands and knees at times to keep from bumping our heads against the top of the cave. Hot melted candle wax dripped onto our hands while we spelunked and the dim firelight cast nefarious shadows across the cave walls. We went further than we were comfortable with, but Faith was a good sport even after having to walk inches past the largest cave spider to have ever lived.

Plan Grande is a community made up of individuals who sustain themselves through agriculture. We learned how families lend helping hands to one another and are repaid when they are in need of assistance. The land that the original five families accumulated has since been distributed between their descendants, each receiving the appropriate amount of land needed to sustain their families. If the family is to grow and require additional farm land, other families lend pieces of their property under the condition of receiving a portion of the harvest. The community has leadership positions such as presidents and secretaries whose terms last two years. At the end of each term the cabinet gets together and decides on who in the community will be the next to take the seat and the individual is surprised with their new role. If anyone doesn't fulfill their duties appropriately the community comes together and gives advice and ideas to better assist the person. We asked about crime amongst their community to which they replied they rarely have incidents. The community is so small in size that everyone is aware of each others' business and this transparency is a strong deterrent to act up. Since everything seems to be communal and shared we wondered how the restaurant and cabanas available are set up. According to Avelardo and Humberto twenty families from the community combined their efforts to build this restaurant and cabanas with the hopes to create tourism. The other families opted to not be involved, but from what we understood they are given chances to essentially "buy in" if they would like to. The lodging here within the jungle has been given the name Hotel Flor de la Montaña (Flower of the Mountain Hotel). The cabanas available can house up to twelve guests at a time in large wooden buildings with comfortable beds with mosquito nets and a shared bathroom. Included in our tour was lunch which was served in a kitchen where the women made the tortillas by hand. The table was set with fine dining place settings of the fork, knife, spoon and napkin. We had heard that the Q'eqchi' have been involved in a project where free schooling is provided for those willing to dedicate two years of working within the tourism industry that the organization has also put together. The youth receive free education and then learn practical skills such as restaurant work, hotel work, artisan craftmaking, and tour guiding. The organization's name is Ak' Tenamit and can be seen here at http://www.aktenamit.org/. All of these skills were evident by the level of service these young men were providing. We saw that they were going to eat their food at a table by themselves and invited them to share our table. Our half day excursion was almost over, but Faith and I felt like we hadn't gotten enough of this magical place we had just discovered. We asked about the lodging, pricing, and transportation back into town. Plan Grande is highly structured and organized. The community shares two vehicles and operate them on a set schedule. Every hour one of the two vehicles returns to the community and offers rides into town to anyone who would like to go for the cost of 10 Quetzales. Along the way any of the community members can hop on if they would like to ride into town as well. Faith was beside herself seeing this level of organization, she loves that kind of stuff, and I wanted to know more about them in general.

So, needless to say, we extended our stay in Livingston and set up another guided tour for the following day, but this time we would be spending the night in their village. We walked through their community, passed their plaza, church, meeting house, and small general store to get to the dirt road where the next vehicle would take us back to Casa Rosada. Had we known all this was available we would have stayed that night too, but we had left our backpacks back in town. The next morning Avelardo and Humberto greeted us and we boarded the truck bed and began riding through town. When we got far enough down the beach we got out, left our bags with them and began walking along the beach. We collected seashells that look like beautiful sunsets. We were headed for the Siete Altares (Seven Altars), a series of natural water pools you can swim in. The lower pools were shallow since there hadn't been a good rain in a while, but the main pool was delightfully deep and cold too. We excitedly changed into our bathing attires (Faith has a whole new concept of privacy now) and set our stuff aside. There was no one there to bother us, but nature wanted to intervene- jumbo disgruntled black ants were livid with our being there and showed us how mad at us they were by stinging us between the toes. Honestly, mosquito bites are nothing when compared to these ant stings, I would rank them up there with bee stings. After the swim we hiked through the jungle on different trails than the day before back to Plan Grande. Our packs had been nicely stowed in the cabana we would be staying the night. We had lunch with our friends and it seems the word had gotten out that there were extranjeros (foreigners) that were going to be staying within the village. Small children shyly peaked between the cracks in the doors and giggled and looked away as we smiled and greeted them. We learned of a community meeting being held, so we rested in our rooms and enjoyed the rainforest noises, sights, and smells until dinner time. We ate tortillas made by hand, chicken that was probably killed that day, and fresh lemon grass they had just cut. As we were finishing up dinner people from the community started showing up and introducing themselves to us. We were the only visitors, but the entire community came out to welcome us. Part of their welcoming involves a traditional Mayan ceremony where flowers and candles are placed in a circle on the floor. Each candle was a different color and so were the flowers which were shaped into a cross inside a circle. Each candle represented a cardinal direction and were the four colors of the corn (red, white, yellow, black). There was also a blue candle representing the sky and a green candle for the earth. Four women in their typical dress held incense burners and walked around the circle, went outside, and repeated this three times.

One of the traditional instruments in Guatemala is the marimba, a xylophone type instrument that is hit with mallets and can be played by three individuals at the same time. Once the welcoming ceremony was through the party began! Marimba tunes were jammed by three Q'eqchi' men and the women got up to dance. After a short while Faith and I were both invited to dance by members of the community and we had a great time.




As the night wound down we thanked everyone for a lovely evening and bid them a good night. We couldn't believe we had just experienced all of this and felt like more people should know of this magical place. The next morning we had breakfast with Avelardo and Humberto and spoke with them about how they advertise and promote their business and hotel. It seems they only have two ads in two hotels in Livingston, one being Casa Rosada. We explained to them how special our time had been with them and that we would love to be able to contribute to the promotion of their jungle resort which we have begun through this blog.





Our trip was coming to an end and we had to get back home by the first of January because we were going to be hosting a guest back in San Cristobal. Faith and I exchanged information with Avelardo and Humberto and told them, "We don't want to leave here as tourists, we want to leave here as friends." We waited for the next vehicle to come by, sat by the general store, and then noticed a white eagle flying overhead. A beautiful ending to such a spectacular time.





We left Livingston with a very special feeling and we know this will not be the only time we will be there. I personally am interested in incorporating their lifestyle, being highly sustainable, and their ecological tourism into my future anthropological research. The people we met, the paradise they live in, and all the factors influencing their lives is highly fascinating.





We began our reverse jungle cruise tour and stopped at the same bar/restaurant as we had before where we went caving. This time I noticed the owners had dug out canoes and asked if I could take one for a spin. He helped me in, put a block of wood to keep my butt from getting wet, and set me off with a paddle. The canoe propelled easily, but was equally as easy to tip from side to side. It was a cherry on top type of experience to our unforgettable time in Livingston. Now all we had to do was get clear across Guatemala and into the middle of Chiapas by the next day.

Part 3 Christmas in Flores, Guatemala; Tikal and camping in the jungle

So we bid farewell to our jungle hut cabana in the Lacandon community of Lacanja and began our trek towards Guatemala. The journey out of Mexico and into the northern region of Guatemala takes you up the Usumacinta River on a boat to a non-descript bank on the river shore that you would pass if you didn't know it was there. We few international travelers walked up the muddy embankment and passed local women as they did their laundry by hand on the rocks in the river. Young girls carried water in jugs on their heads back to their homes. We had a "layover" here which consisted of us basically standing around a small general goods store with thatched roof houses surrounding it and a parking lot. Local Guatemalans have made a business out of exchanging pesos and other currency for the Guatemalan Quetzal here. Once the buses that were going to take us further arrived we strapped our luggage to the roof of these dilapidated vehicles. We decided that we were in a sacred place, because this seems to be where Greyhound buses have come to die. Our bus' windows would rattle open from the bumps in the dirt road, the axles would squeak, the chairs would wobble, and the whole thing vibrated and made noises every kilometer we traveled. We tested the stamina of our glutes for about three hours on this painfully rough dirt road. We did make a couple pleasant stops- one to spot out a crocodile in a pond we were passing, and another to see a six-foot boa constrictor cross the road. Some of us got out and took pictures of the snake which had to be thicker than my bicep. Soon after the road became a paved one and we passed papaya plantations, milpas, and other forms of agriculture along the way. We were traveling with San Juan Travel and they man the buses with a representative who will inform you of all the tour options they offer once at your destination, which was Flores, Guatemala. Flores is a beautiful city on an island within a lake, Lake Peten. There is a bridge that connects the mainland to the island and the island has a very quaint European streets feel. Tuk Tuk's (little red three wheeled mini taxis) are the main form of transportation here. The lake is surrounded by pristine jungle with little isolated villages spotted along the waterfront. San Juan Travel has a monopoly in Flores and even takes the entire bus to hotels for the travelers to check out. This seems very convenient, but it is also to ensure that they know where you are staying so they can sell you a tour package for the next day. We ended up choosing the Hotel Lacandona. Our room was on the third floor, two beds, ceiling fan, electric heated shower, patio with chairs and an amazing view of the lake. We booked the room, paid the 120 Quetzales ($15 US) for it and arranged for our tour of Tikal the next morning.


"Take the sunrise tour" is all we had been hearing from the people who have talked about Tikal tours so we purchased a package from San Juan Travel, of course. We arranged for them to pick us up at 4:30 a.m. and take us to the Tikal ruins. The package included hotel pickup, an english tour guide, and hotel return. We were planning on camping near the Tikal ruins the next night (Christmas Eve) and were told we could use our return trip the next day.


4:30 a.m. is a pretty disgusting time of day especially after having sat in buses for hours the day before, but we were very excited about our day's plans. We were picked up, had our luggage strapped to the roof again, and drove to the Tikal ruins. We were then dropped off, had some coffee and were introduced to Luis Oliveros, our tour guide. Luis is a local legend. His father was a tour guide in Tikal and he grew up selling sodas to tourists. He learned his English by hanging around those tourists and all the archaeologists who came to do work on the sites. He now gives the most amazing tours of Tikal and you can truly sense his passion and connection to the ruins. He is also well known for his appearance on the reality show Survivor- Guatemala season. The sunrise tour is somewhat falsely advertised. The name makes it sound as if you will be on temple watching the sun come up over the horizon illuminating the vast rain forest canopy. Instead it is just the earliest tour of Tikal available, the sun comes up as you group together for the tour. We aren't complaining simply informing. We were not upset about the timing because we were present during the most active hour for the local wildlife. Tikal is not just a ruin site. Tikal is also an ecological preserve that protects the animals that live in the jungles surrounding the ruins. Tikal is about the size of Disneyland and hasn't been completely excavated or uncovered. You hike on thin trails through the jungle for over twenty minutes at time before coming upon a giant temple. It truly is that magnificently lush and full of plant life. Aside from the beautiful flora the fauna were out scrambling looking for breakfast. We came upon groups of coatimundis, ocellated turkeys, agoutis, spotted beautiful birds in the branches, spider monkeys, and even woke up a family of howler monkeys. Luis Oliveros is much more than just a tour guide. He is an expert on the living organisms within Tikal. He knew how to coax the coatimundis to get closer, pointed out the alpha males, explained which trees certain birds preferred and the most impressive was his howler monkey call. He clapped and grunted rapidly which set off a cacophony in our portion of the jungle. He stirred up those howler monkeys and got them to belt out some of the most primal screams I have ever heard. From my prior schooling in Biological Anthropology I learned that howler monkeys are different than their spider monkey neighbors, they have been pushed into the niche of eating unripened fruit and leaves which has lead them to evolve a chamber stomach system to help them ferment these greens. This requires a substantial amount of bodily function, reducing their ability to be quick and agile. To distinguish themselves and their territory they defend it audibly and have also evolved a bone in their chest cavity that resonates creating the beastly howl they are famous for. The screams of a howler monkey can be heard over a kilometer away.


We listened to Luis' wisdom and knowledge as we climbed up temple faces, housing structures, and ritual sites. The main temples of Tikal are being preserved, but can still be climbed through elaborate wooden staircase that have been built to reach the top portion of each temple. We were able to view the rain forest from a totally different perspective. We could see green tree tops as far as your eyes could see with a few temple tops piercing through and making their presence known above the canopy. Luis explained the reason of the positioning of each of these temples, the rulers they commemorate, and the interpretations of the history left in stone. It was an ethereal experience which we cannot fully describe with words. As we have been saying this whole time- you must feel it for yourself to understand.


Our tour ended in the Grand Plaza where the most picturesque and famous temples of Tikal are. We wanted to be able to spend more time inside the park, but had to get camp set up so we left to build camp. Once our tent was nicely set up under a thick palm we returned to the park for our own personal tour as the sun set. Back at camp we cooked Christmas Eve dinner with our backpacking stove, miniature cook set, all using filtered local tap water. We have a sophisticated filtration system which begins by filtering out the harmful elements in the water, then we use Ultraviolet light to kill all the living organisms and parasites. We dined on mac n' cheese with tuna and broccoli cheddar soup. In the middle of the night Faith needed to use the restroom, but only felt comfortable if I accompanied her. After some grumbles I opened the tent flap and stood outside to wait for her. Well, it seems we had placed our tent on either the home or trail of some very disagreeable fire ants. I had barely woken up and now I was jumping up and down because my feet felt as if they had spontaneously combusted. I jumped back into the tent, but then noticed that these ants knew no boundaries, they had began infiltrating our inner sanctum. We had to then start flinging these ants out the flap before they got the chance to sting us. We learned our lesson about underestimating the jungle, don't know what exactly we could do to prevent this from happening next time, but we now know that taking late night pee runs can be very tricky.

Our Christmas morning this year was unlike any either of us have ever had before. Waking up in a tent in a rain forest offers a myriad of sounds and smells unlike any previous Christmas' we remember as kids. We unzipped our flap, took in a deep breath of warm tropical air and couldn't stop smiling thinking about where we were and how this trip has been so far. As we were tearing down camp and stuffing all our goodies into our packs a colorful toucan with a green and yellow bill hung in the palm above us picking at the berries. It was time for us to have breakfast ourselves so we headed over to the Jaguar Inn restaurant and had a nice meal.

We took the first return bus back to Flores and booked a room at the Hotel Lacandona for the night. Looking out our balcony at the lake we saw kids jumping off a nearby dock, sounded like a pretty good idea to us so we quickly changed into our swimwear and joined them. We splashed in the cool clean lake water for a little while before we had lunch at a restaurant called Villa del Chef. Two German brothers started this restaurant and offer great ambiance accompanied by traditional Guatemalan cuisine including a fish they spear hunt nightly that is only endemic to Lake Peten. They are also humanitarians and have started a playground building project for the local schools. Our day wasn't all warm weather and good times though. We needed to get in touch with our families to wish them Happy Holidays, but finding a decent internet cafe on an island in the middle of a lake on Christmas proved to be a problem. We fought with computers that had Skype capabilities but the speakers didn't work, computers that had a USB port for our MagicJack but no Skype capabilities. We ran around town popping into every open internet shop until we found a hotel that offered a computer that wasn't built in the late 80's.

Christmas 2010 will forever be a special memory for us and we hope you were entertained by how unconventional it all was. We enjoyed our time in the Peten Region of Guatemala and spontaneously formulated the next portion of our journey- sharing a rented car and driver with our friends Ben and Nancy and going to Livingston which is a city on a river where it meets the Caribbean Sea.

Part 2 Ruins of Yaxchilan and Bonampak; Lacandon Jungle and Lacanja

Where do we begin? We have been so busy filling our days with activities and traveling that we haven't had the time to write in over a week. And what an amazing time it has been, I apologize ahead of time for how long this entry is going to be and the amount of detail I will probably be going into. We write for many reasons- update friends and family on our adventures, share cultural knowledge and experiences, and record our memories for future reminiscing. Don't worry though, there's no way we can talk about what we have been up to and it be boring, so here we go......

Part 2 of our adventure:

We stayed at El Panchan for four nights and really appreciated the hospitality given by the family who operate the many little enterprises. We spent a lot of our time hanging around Don Mucho's restaurant and Chely's juice bar. We met Don Moises, the creator of El Panchan, who took flat cattle ground and began transforming it into a jungle paradise around 50 years ago. Don Moises was also the first tour guide at Palenque and has been involved with much of the excavation process and also has a famous archaeologist, Alfonso Morales, in the family. As his jungle grew so did his family. There are many cabanas in El Panchan and they have been split amongst Don Moises' children who run them independently each with their own restaurant/bar.

We stayed at El Panchan for the lunar eclipse and we spent a good portion of the night chatting with a woman named Carol who runs an organization out of El Panchan called the Maya Exploration Center. She is specializing in the archaeo-astronomy of Palenque and how the structures correlate with equinoxes and the movement of the stars and planets in the night sky. Fascinating woman and her work is equally as interesting.

As the winter solstice sun rose over the horizon Faith and I were well on our way to the next leg of our trip: the ruins of Yaxchilan, Bonampak, and the Lacandon jungle.

We packed all our belongings into the backpacks we were going to be living out of for the next ten days and set off for Yaxchilan. We rode in a van full of sleepy travelers and then took a beautiful boat ride down the Usumacinta River which is a natural border between Mexico and Guatemala. We stomped all over the Yaxchilan site and walked in the pitch black hallways of the temples. There were bats in some of the hallways and they would fly towards you to find a better place to hang upside down as you walked underneath them. Faith and I explored the ruins alone and found a passageway that didn't seem to be as traveled and were rushed by a passing tour guide who pointed out a snake that was hiding in a crevice right above our heads in the dark corridor. He later mentioned that it was venomous and that we had really been in serious danger. We felt very fortunate to have met Kayum Yuk Ma'ash, an elderly Lacandon man who occasionally sells Lacandon wares at El Panchan, who sold Faith a seed necklace (made of platanillo, canastillo and maya kum) that supposedly gives energy and protects you from snakes.

The ruins are rather isolated due to its remoteness, only being accessible by boat, and the wildlife there is more abundant than at other ruins. We saw howler monkeys lazily lounging on branches in the trees and spider monkeys leaped from tree to tree using their long arms and prehensile tails.

After Yaxchilan we were driven to the Bonampak site where the most famous of all Mayan paintings are. The paintings at Bonampak were discovered around 50 years ago and redefined the Maya as the world knew them. Before Bonampak the Maya had been depicted as peaceful astronomers. The murals at Bonampak depict the Maya in a much different manner. There are individuals depicted as being tortured, killed, and enslaved. The royal elite are shown to be pampered and ruling with severe disdain over their captives. A fuller image of the Maya had been created once these murals were discovered and we felt lucky to be able to walk in the three large rooms with these images painted on every inch of the wall.

Near Bonampak is the Lacandon Maya village of Lacanja. It is about a twenty-five minute drive deeper into the jungle on a single dirt road. We stayed in the Lacanja village for the next two nights. We were taken to Lacanja by Martin who is Kayum's nephew and he showed us to our lovely humble cabana near a murmuring jungle stream. Our room was made of wood slats with thatched roof of palm fronds. There was a mosquito net on the windows and between us and the roof. We also had a small patio area with a hammock where Faith and I hung out and watched the birds hunt insects and chickens herd their baby chicks nearby. Dinner was served in their kitchen and was prepared by Martin's wife- quesadillas, beans and rice. After dinner we decided to make some friends with the other visitors and ended up playing two rounds of UNO with a family from Mexico City. We had an exhausting day so we retired for the night soon after around 9:00 p.m., very early for us.

Next morning we woke up, had a cold shower, and ate breakfast again in the kitchen. We then were introduced to Chan Kin Pequeno Sol who would be our guide for the next six hours as we hiked through the Lacandon Jungle. We then set off for the hike, walked through the Lacandon community, saw houses, abarrotes stands, a church, and other cabanas used for tourism. The cleared areas of land were significantly hotter than when we entered the dense jungle. The sun became blocked by all the thick vegetation of ceibas, mahoganies, cedars, and the parasitic vines that suffocate trees and use their trunks for support among other plants. The trail was relatively flat and there were bridges constructed over the streams we crossed. Steps had been carved out of the jungle floor to aid us when there was any steep grade to escalate. We were taken to beautiful trees, streams, cascades, termite nests where Faith and I both ate live termites (tasted minty), were given explanations of which plants were used medicinally or for practical uses such as for roofs, paint, firewood, etc.

We then began going up and up and up and when we reached the peak of our climb there was the top of an ancient Maya temple. We were told that the ruins within this area of the jungle are estimated to be just as large as Bonampak, but remain covered because of the destruction caused by excavation and they value the intact jungle over the discovery of the complete site. We visited two separate temple tops which had their remaining portions buried in dirt with plants and their roots growing on top of them. We were extremely honored to be able to visit these ruins especially knowing how few people have ever been to them since they had been originally abandoned and reclaimed by the jungle. The air was humid and we were perspiring quite profusely, so when we were given the opportunity to splash around in the cascades that flow freely through the jungle we didn't hesitate to get wet. I being adventurous to a fault climbed on any rock or area I could to experience every piece of this natural waterpark. Our Lacandon guide patiently waited as we got our fill of what is essentially a playground in his backyard. Once content we started back on the trail to the community of Lacanja. We loved every minute of this hike and recommend anyone who has that itch for adventure to go and experience this for themselves.

We returned, had dinner and made friends with some travelers who had just arrived for the night- Ben and Nancy. A delightful couple from Colorado, a tenured English professor and his super adventurous wife who plays anthropologist in her free time. We had no idea how much this friendship would blossom, but you will see because we spent about the next week traveling with them far into Guatemala to places we hadn't even planned on going to. That night ended early because of all the hiking and we had to pack up our packs for the next step on our path- Guatemala.

Tropical Christmas

We wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays!!!

Part 1 of our Most Excellent Adventure- Welcome to the Jungle!!

Salutations everyone! We wanted to give a brief update on our activities. We are currently in Palenque at an internet cafe in the city. We got here on Friday with a tour that took us from San Cristobal to the cascading waterfalls of Agua Azul, it was beautiful and you could hike along the stream and see multiple cascades coming out of the jungle. The water is turquoise in color and appears to be super clean. As we stepped out of our tour van we could already sense the difference in climate. We have been used to cold mornings with crisp air and the need to wear jackets. Here with all the lush vegetation, hanging vines, and howler monkeys you need to rock sandals and a t-shirt all day long. Our clothes started to stick to us because of the humidity here, but it is well worth it. Even the air here has some sort of electric quality that draws you into intrigue.

After Agua Azul we were packed back into the tour van and headed to Misol Ha, which is a solo waterfall that must have a drop of over 75 feet into a pool of water. We were able to walk behind the waterfall and cling to a rock path to see the beautiful, backside of water!!! Then there was a cave with a waterfall inside of it, we splashed around using my handy dandy waterproof cellphone with a light (thanks dad!) and were able to see the hidden rock waterfall, it was all very Goonies.

So, our day was not over yet, we now loaded up together and were taken to the gates of the Palenque ruins. Once there we found a tour guide that gave tours in English. We split a 600 peso tour with an Englishman from Cheshire, and two couples from Israel. And we were off! We climbed stairs, went into dark tombs, noticed hieroglyphs, learned about Lord Pakal and the Red Queen. It was fascinating, but something even more fascinating was the argument that much of the history told here is untrue. Our guide seemed to make it his quest to disprove the commonly held theories of who the rulers were, how their family structures were set up, etc. He was quite the interesting man- he loved pointing out elements to the ruins that he has deciphered to reflect ancient cultures such as Chinese, Egyptian, Indian, and Middle Eastern. All in all it was a fun experience even if we weren't shown the information that is most commonly believed.

So, there we were. We had spent all day hiking, rock scrambling, caving, posing for pictures and now we just wanted to relax, but have I told you about El Panchan? You don't go to El Panchan to relax, you go to El Panchan for the experience! We paid for our private room and were shown to our quarters. It was down a small path through the jungle, we passed the main restaurant and small structures along the way tucked away in thick parts of the jungle. Our home for the last few days is a majestic mushroom shaped building. It is cylindrical and as you open the front door there is a spiral staircase with a round hole cut out of the floor of the second level. The bathroom is downstairs which consists of a toilet room, and a shower room. Upstairs has a bed, a desk, an area for clothes and the sink with a mirror. There are no shades in this place, the windows arent glass, they are all screens. The roof of our hut away from home is thatched paja giving our home a bowl-cut type hairdoo. It really reminds us of the McDonalds playgrounds from our childhood that had the hamburger jail. We have over a 180 degree panoramic view of the jungle from our second story bungalow. It definitely adds to the magic you can feel here.

I was lucky enough to have visited El Panchan last year with my dad, it was a great bonding experience and I just had to share it with Faith. We had dinner at their largest restaurant, Don Muchos, where from 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. they have live music. After 11:00 there is a fire dancing and drum show. El Panchan is a very unique place full of very unique individuals. People who could be classified as Hippies, sell their handmade jewelry and are some of the fire dancers. The makeup of the crowd here varies greatly from couples and solo people in their twenties sightseeing Latin America to lifetime hippies, to later in life adventurers. I might even be sitting across from anthropologists who I have read articles by, its amazing to say the least. We are making friends here and enjoying trying to understand how this place functions, because we still can't fully explain it and don't think we ever will be able to. You'll just have to enjoy the pictures and try and make your way down here sometime in your life. I promise you that if you ever do, it will change you.

We have arrived at a very special time too. Tonight at 1:30 a.m. ET there will be a full lunar eclipse that will continue until 5:00 a.m. ET. It is unusually important because tomorrow is also the Winter Solstice. These two occurrences on the same day hasn't happened in over 600 years. It is very exciting to be in a place that pays so much attention to these natural phenomenons throughout time. The Mayans followed the celestial processions of the stars and planets and for us to be able to experience such a significant celestial occurrence in a region where people were aware of universal mechanics without the aid of modern technology will be humbling.

December in Chiapas

It feels like we haven't written in a while. Maybe we have been too busy eating green mangoes sold street-side covered in lime, salt, and chili powder. Or possibly it could have been all the festivities running rampant through town this last week. Let's catch you up on the happenings.

Since we last wrote we hiked a local mountain named Huitepec. Huitepec comes from the Nahuatl language and means "land of the hummingbirds". Huitepec has two other peaks it shares the skyline with which the local Tzotziles have called Oxyoquet for generations. Oxyoquet is the name they give to the three stone fire pit they have customarily cooked over. Also when the sun sets it descends behind these three peaks and the sky ignites into beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows giving the metaphor a visible quality.

The hike was steep with wood steps placed into the damp fertile soil. The mountain is classified as a cloud forest environment and everything in our vicinity was slightly damp. We walked past green moss covered rocks and oak trees that supported orchids in their branches far above our heads. Like little bushes these epiphytes rely on the oak, which is why orchids and other similar plants are another addition to the harm caused by deforestation. We spent a few hours alone on this beautiful mountain and highly recommend it to anyone who would like to get a feel for the surrounding flora.
We have also been lucky enough to witness the preparation for one of Latin America's most important holidays. Two blocks from our apartment is the Temple of Guadalupe. Our faithful fans will remember us mentioning the importance of this church, but we will reiterate for anyone who might have forgotten. The story of Latin America's virgin queen begins with an indigenous man named Juan Diego who had a vision of a woman much like the Virgin Mary of Catholic belief, but this vision was of an indigenous woman who shared all the traits of the Virgin Mary. Juan Diego became the first indigenous person of the New World to become a saint. Guadalupe is now the iconic image for most Catholic believers and temples/churches erected in her honor are sites for pilgrimages. Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th, the believed day of the original sighting by Saint Juan Diego. Nearby communities prepare for their celebrations for months and fund raise in many ways- one we encountered was a group of small children holding up a rope on a main road in and out of town. They stop passing cars and hold out a collection plate with hopes to earn extra money to contribute to their festivities. We also were approached through our window at our last apartment in October. The week prior to December 12th vendors began assembling their shops in rows up and down the street on the way to the Guadalupe Temple. Candy, fruit, empanadas, taquitos, trinkets, and ice cream are some of the products offered. Carnival games such as target shooting, marble rolling, ring toss, peso toss and others add to the excitement. Carnival rides and large stages were built to entertain the families and guests. Almost every day for a week before December 12th fireworks could be heard all day and night, even at 5:00 a.m. Not just a few firecrackers either, we're talking about jumbo sized bottle rockets with about a 3 foot stick that helps guide the rocket into the air about 200 feet. We don't know how well the fund raising for this celebration has gone, but the amount of fireworks it seems they earned a pretty peso. Cloudless mid afternoons cracked and crashed as loud as thunderstorms for extended periods of time. It was alarming at first, but we kind of miss it now that it's over. People's devotion to Guadalupe was shown on a daily basis in the form of parades. Every day there seemed to be a different group showing reverence to Guadalupe, our favorite had to have been the "taxistas" which were all the taxi drivers with balloons tied to their cars, pictures of Guadalupe mounted on their hoods, honking all the way past our apartment to the Temple of Guadalupe.

There are also groups of individuals of all ages called Antorchas that travel from far away villages, even as far as the neighboring state of Oaxaca, on foot to the Temple of Guadalupe. Some of the travelers are barefoot and their clothing has been tattered from the journey. They carry with them a burning torch and call out sayings giving respect to Guadalupe. We witnessed a group of Antorchas entering the Temple of Guadalupe on their knees and proceeded to make their way to the altar in that fashion.

The beauty of this holiday is that is not restricted to unfettered reverence to their virgin queen, but it is a great time to meet with friends, listen to music, dance, and have fun. We rode carnival rides, played carnival games, watched live bands, street marimba players, and filled ourselves with empanadas, churros, and taquitos having a great time. We also noticed that all the children were dressed as miniature representatives for each region's indigenous culture. Little girls held their mother's hands as they strolled while wearing brightly colored floral patterns with colors of green, blue, and purple from Zinacantan. Little boys were dressed in other typical male garb of local groups and most even had a moustache painted on their face. It was a very lively time and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Since then we have still been involved with the local organizations working on projects involving permaculture. We have also been enjoying the city more and more. We are making good friends around town and Faith is always commenting on her new experience. For instance, the other night around midnight she said, "Shh! Can't you hear that? There's two roosters out there cock-a-doodle-doo-ing each other." Good times.

We are also preparing for our epic adventure that will take us from our base here in San Cristobal to the ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak and into the Lacandon Jungle where we will be staying in the Lacanja village. We will then be crossing into Guatemala and Honduras, expect some great entries if we find internet cafes along the way.

Why build latrines?

While we've been here in Chiapas for the last sixty or so days it seems we have developed a hobby of latrine building. We are in the midst of a project we have created at Orquideas Moxviquil to build two types of latrines on their land. We've been asked by friends and family about our project and the reasons why we are doing it.

We came to San Cristobal to see what we can learn, do, and experience. We didn't want to limit ourselves to one or two things and have tried to get involved with as many worthwhile activities as we can. The main focus behind our interests and activities is to be able to develop skills and knowledge that can benefit ourselves and others to find a logical balance between nature and man.

We have since realized a major problem that has an easy solution. Waste management is an issue not discussed often and it's this lack of discussion that perpetuates the problem. When it comes to animal excrement, such as cow or chicken manure, there is value placed to the waste produced by these animals - to be used in agriculture. With proper care, which is minimal, this waste becomes something that produces.

Humans have handled their own excrement in very interesting and peculiar ways over time. At one point in time the western world believed dumping their feces and urine out onto their sidewalks would keep the flies out of their kitchens. This was obviously a mistake, and led to much illness. For centuries countries in Asia have collected the excrement produced by humans to be used in agriculture. This practice is still being done and goes by the name of "night soil". The main issue is that the pure and fresh feces is applied directly to the plants and can result in contamination.

What is being realized is that we, being animals, much like the chickens and cows produce manure and with the proper care the use of this material can become beneficial and not be seen as merely waste. Our planet is mostly water, but most of that water is salted. We have developed a system to rid ourselves of a valuable resource while flushing it down drains in water that is suitable for drinking. This water is then sent to be filtered and processed - usually treated with chemicals like chlorine. Not only human waste is placed in sewer systems, but medical waste and street drains add to the mixture. This creates hazardous material that must be removed and typically ends up in a land fill. We poop in our drinking water, mix it with hazardous material, then bury it - some landfills are lined to keep from contaminating the surrounding area, but many are not. So, this brings us to what we can do.

Composting is the allowing of microorganisms to break down organic material. These microorganisms are present in nature and don't need any coercing or purchasing. The only requirement is to have the proper environment to allow for them to flourish. This can be achieved by simply applying the proper balance of dry and wet material to a free standing pile where you can add organic material- fruits, vegetables, meats, coffee grounds, eggshells, dead pets, and even human excrement. Given enough time (a year is sufficient) the material produced is a nutrient rich soil that can be used for growing any sort of plant life. This is where the latrines come in.

Human excrement, when shed of it's taboo, can be a valuable resource to anyone who is concerned with how we can ensure that there will be a livelihood available for our children and our children's children. Latrines in the past have been similar to outhouses, a hole in the ground that eventually fills up, then it is covered over. This pollutes and wastes the manure that can be used. With technological advancement combined with cost-effectiveness composting latrines have been developed.

We are in the process of building two different types of composting latrines. The first is called a "tree bog" where a structure is built a meter above the ground, the area below is fenced in with chicken wire and hay. Urine and feces, along with the toilet paper, are deposited and collected below the structure. After every use a layer of sawdust is applied which soaks up moisture and prevents odor. Plants such as willows, and other plants with large appetites, are planted around the base. The sawdust allows for the composting process to take place, and the plants consume the waste directly with their root systems. This type of latrine requires no water, no pipes, no holes, and the waste never has to be dealt with. The surrounding plants should consume all the material deposited and typically never needs to be emptied.

The second type of composting latrine has a similar platform a meter high where the toilet is placed. Below the platform is two rectangular chambers. The toilet is placed over the first chamber where the fecal waste along with the toilet paper are deposited. The urine is caught in a separate area, there are ergonomic toilets with a partition, down into a tube that is either collected, or placed under the top layer of the surrounding dirt. Urine when diluted is also high in nutrients and can be used in agriculture. Sawdust is placed over each deposit and once the chamber fills it is sealed off and allowed to "rest" for a year to allow the composting process. During this time the second chamber is opened to be filled, essentially by the time the second chamber fills the first will be fully composted and can be removed for use in the garden. After a year the material that is removed doesn't even resemble human feces and is odorless. This type of latrine requires no water, no holes, and no pipes. There is maintenance required, but the resulting product is worth the minimal labor invested.

The purpose for these latrines at Orquideas Moxviquil is not only to function, but also to educate. These will be working demonstrations of alternative forms of waste management that can be useful to those who don't currently have plumbing, have inadequate waste management systems, or to anyone interested in reducing their impact on the planet's resources. We plan to have booklets, pamphlets, and brochures about these latrines to provide more information about them for anyone who is interested in possibly building these for themselves.

Combined with permaculture construction techniques, utilizing what's available, these latrines can be constructed for under $200 US. They are completely sanitary, odorless, don't attract flies, prevent animal life from intruding, and save a lot of water all while not creating waste to be buried and providing food for your plants which can turn back into food for you. Everything in nature runs in cycles and this way the cycle isn't being broken. We plan to bring this information with us home and put it to good use. It doesn't take a lot to make these or to find more information about it. YouTube has "how-to" videos about these and many other great things you can build within the same vein. The information is out there, you just have to look for it, educate yourself.

Remember, "We don't inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children" -Native American Proverb

Humanure Handbook- a guide to composting human waste.

Download it free at: http://humanurehandbook.com/contents.html