Our final stop in Guatemala was Coban, an area of national parks, caves and outdoorsy type activities. Made for a bit of a change from our days spent lazing on beaches. The highlight here was a visit to Semuc Champey - a series of amazing rock pools linked by a series of waterfalls and cliff jumps set in some amazing jungle surrounds. Exploring the pools involved a guided swim/jump/climb through the pools, which went from crazy to insane to suicidal. After each jump from a high cliff or slide down some crazy rock chute I'd stupidly say something like 'Well that must have been the hard bit,' following which the guide would point to something higher, steeper or craggier and gesture us all onward. It culminated at a spectacular waterfall which clearly couldn't be jumped, scaled or otherwise surpassed by a bunch of tourists in barefeet and swimwear. At which point the guide reached behind a rock and pulled out a rope ladder, which he proceeded to tie off around a rock midstream, throw over the edge, and climb on down through the waterfall itself. From there it descended into the surreal as we climbed into a huge cave system behind the waterfalls themselves, squeezing through tiny tiny holes to slide down pitch black rock chimneys and duck out of the way of displaced bats chasing an exit. All the while wondering how we were going to get back up. The end result was some amazing sights but of course no photos. Great fun tho :).
The pools at Semuc Champey
2 comments:
(oops, made a mess) I was saying: how did you get back?? in a strecher? :-) keep enjoying and try zopaipillas with mate in Chile! cheers
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