A phrase that we´ve all heard throughout life, often relating to less material things, less money, showing less skin, etc. But less information when travelling, I wasn´t sure about that until this weekend when I set off for Semuc Champey with 4 friends I´ve met along the way.
We did something a little different this past weekend and didn´t book our trip through the school. Instead we booked through a local travel agency. The trip was half the price and we´d run into some others that had gone through the same agency and had a good time. The difference was, through the school we knew exactly what we were getting and we were always given a detailed itinerary. Through the agency, the only things we knew were to show up at 1:50 on Friday afternoon and request to stay in the hotel by Semuc Champey the second night. From 1:50 on, adventure was just around the corner and I never knew what was happening until it was happening.
For example:
I had no idea the five of us were going to be dropped in the middle of nowhere in the mountains near Lanquin where we were left at a rustic cabin by ourselves for the night.
I had no idea that we were going to encounter a gargantuan spider in one of the rooms and a 3-4 inch scorpian on the wall in the other of the said, rustic cabin. Thankfully, neither were in my room and we had an experienced scorpian-killer on hand (nod to Kristin). However, it was enough to make me pull my bed from the wall and make a conscious effort to sleep with my mouth closed for the night.
I had no idea that the following morning I´d be piling onto a motorbike, Guatemalan-style, sandwiched between the driver and Kristin with my backpack strapped to the front of the driver´s chest. Did I mention we were on a dirt road....
Okay, I have to admit, I did know that we´d be riding in the back of a caged 4x4 to get to Semuc Champey. What I didn´t know was that we would randomly pick-up locals along the way and I´d get pistol whipped in the face by a low hanging branch and have my sunglasses, that I didn´t even realize had flown off my face, returned to me by a local in the back. I also didn´t know that we´d be driving through some of the most beautiful parts of Guatemala on such a beautiful day... amazing!
I didn´t know that when they said we were going for a hike, it would be one of the steepest and most slippery hikes I´d done and I´d be sweating like crazy by the top.
I didn´t know that when the guide said we were going to go explore some more of the natural pools of Semuc Champey, we´d have to jump off a rock to get to them.
I certainly didn´t know that exploring the caves at Semuc Champey would mean holding a candle while we walk and swim through the freezing cold water, climb up/down sketch rope ladders, crawl through waterfalls holding a rope with water pounding on us, slide down a rock into a pool of water below, etc. etc. (By the way, this cave exploring never would have flown in the US without harnesses and helmets).
I didn´t know that we´d wake up Sunday morning at 4:30am and wait by the side of the road for an hour for our ride that never came.
Here´s the thing, I didn´t know much on the trip and I wouldn´t have had it any other way. Had I known what some of the activities entailed, I probably would have been more hesistant to do them or would have booked the ´safer´trip through the school. Had I booked through the school, I never would have stayed in a cool hostel at the entrance to Samuc Champey (amazing place by the way) where we met and played cards with people from all over the world. I would have missed out on the adventure of not knowing what would happen next, which looking back, made the trip. I would have also missed out on the comraderie that comes with going through this experience with others who are in the same boat. You don´t know what´s going on, you´re a little scared at times and you´re definitely outside of your comfort zone, but you survive. This past weekend is what travel is all about!
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