Today proved to be less exciting than yesterday, but you can't always hit a homerun.
We first headed 1.5 hours north to Chisec, a homely little town back in the steaming, humid lowlands near the Petén. From there, we hopped in the back of a pickup for the 11km ride down a rough, rocky road out to Lagunas de Sepalau. These lagoons are well off the beaten tourist path and run by a local community tourism initiative. One thing is for sure, community-run tourism enterprises don't run as well as the classy, touristy ones.
We arrived to find a guy with a large belt buckle and 30 inch machete sitting in a wooden hut. He was so excited to see a visitor he almost couldn't control himself. Before we left, two things had to happen. First, he had to radio to the village to let them know he was leaving his post. Second, we had to pay. Both proved to be interesting.
The radio, provided by USAID, was very nice and looked totally out of place in this wooden hut. We spent about 15 minutes plugging in various wires in various locations until it finally powered up and started to work. Another 15 minutes passed while we waited for a response from the village.
Then it was time to pay. Extranjeros pay twice way nacionales pay, and he asked us which one we were. It seems pretty clear that we're not Guatemalans, but we started to explain. We were born in the US, but we're working in Xela for two months. And we speak Spanish. Next thing we knew, he charged us for being nacionales. I would hereby like the report that for the first time in my life a Guatemalan actually believed that I was Guatemalan. Yay for saving four bucks!
Oh, but then there was no change. In the end, we caught a ride back into town with a tilapia farmer from the community of Sepalau, and he agreed to bring back our entrance fee to the poor guide with the machete. The guide seemed fine with the plan, but honestly I have no clue if the money ever made it back to him.
The lagoons themselves are waaaaay better in pictures than they were in real life. In person, they were hot and dirty, and they definitely did not beckon for a swim (screw you, guidebook). We were glad to leave Sepalau as soon as we could.
We spent the afternoon exploring the Candelaria Caves, a huge and elaborate cave system between Chisec and Raxruja. They were not terribly ornamental inside, but each cavern was huge, with ceilings easily 30 meters high. And there were nine natural windows which allowed sunlight to filter in from the jungle above. All in all, a cool experience.
Early tomorrow we leave for Lanquín, where we will visit Semuc Champey. It is rumored to be the best thing to do in Guatemala. Then Sunday we head back to Xela.
P.S. Happy 4th of July. I ate an empanada to celebrate...
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