High Adventure in Coban

DAY 1 
Our trip to Coban.  The temple is closed this week and next for maintenance, so we packed up a bag and took some snacks and water to share. Our tour guide was Sister Viveros and her son Fausto. There were two other couples, all of us temple missionaries were Elder and Sister Olson and Elder and Sister Pitcher. We left about 8:30 Monday morning. It took longer than we thought it would. I should have been a four hour drive, but we were packed in the 10 passenger car for forever,
it seemed. We stopped and went to Biotopo del Quetzal, which is sponsored by a University.We hiked the short trail there and saw many beautiful trees, flowers, waterfalls and other beautiful things. Then we stopped of at a restaurant and I ordered soup.The road have these big speed bumps that we had to come to an almost complete stop in order to cross them. There are no street signs to let you know where you are, so we had to stop and ask how to get to the next place on the trip.

We then left for the place we were going to spend the night. This is where we got onto a four-wheel drive dirt and rock road. We were on this road for about 20 km. It had been rainy so we had to drive slowly so we would not slide off the road. The road had many switch backs and it was very steep. The road was narrow, so when another vehicle came the opposite direction either they or us had to pull over to left them or us pass. At one point, there was a big truck that didn't have a load on it, and had no traction to go up the steep road, so the drivers of the other vehicles all got together and were able to get that truck on up the road. We finally made it to Lanquin, where we were going to spend the night.

Elder Pitcher is in the hammock with his wife beside him. The Olsons and then bubs. This is where we spent the first night in a place called Lanquin which is by Cabon.

Our room was called the Bat room.

We had arrived too late to eat in the restaurant, so Sister Viviros made us some sandwiches to eat. We accompanied that with some of the snacks we had brought with us.

No soon did we get into our rooms when the power went out. The manager brought us a candle each. We were sharing the room with some friendly cockroaches.

The next morning these next few pictures is what it looked like. The river was running fast because of all the rain we have been having.

The next few pictures are what our rooms looked like and what some of the buildings were.

because there was  no power the shower was cold and it was by the light of an Ipad.

DAY 2

the roof over the actual roof

a shower and toilet room for those who are tubing down the river to clean up

our neighbors accomodations Our roof was the same as theirs

This is where we had breakfast and later when we returned from the morning activity we had lunch.

a BBQ by where we ate

notice the river right behind it.

 

There were swings in the eating area

We left in this truck driven by a someone else. Sister Viveros and Blair rode in the front seat. Sister Pitcher and Sister Olson and I road in the cab seats. Standing up in the back were Elder Pitcher, Elder Olson, Fausto Viveros, Cristain Chavez (our guide when we got there), a cute little girl and several other people.

We went to Semuc Champey on a 4-wheel drive road about 9 km away.

Semuc Champey is a place where the wather comes though the ground and into a big waterfall. Down the river there is a swimming hole where some of our group went swimming.

As we drove over the bridge of the river, Cristain Chavez jumps into the fast river and swims to the side where we picked him up. and went around the corner.

We then hiked again. And hiked and hiked.

the hiking path

 

 

 

Here we are at the swimming hole.

The water that goes into the rock and then out of the rock and down the river. Its really coming fast.

 

A SIDE NOTE: while some of our group was swimming, our guide, Cristian Chavez, wanted to take some pictures for me. I was showing him the pictures he took and then showed him some other pictures on my camara. Some of the pictures were of the Guatemala City Temple. Cristian said, "I want to work there". I asked him if he was a member of our church. He said no. So I asked if he wanted to learn about our church. He said yes. So he gave us his comtact information which we are putting into the right hands.

We then went back to the place where we stayed the night before and ate lunch.

The out house or the throne

 

Then we left for the next adventure.

DAY 3

We arrived at Little Viejo where we slept for the night. We did have power at this place and we did have spiders also. It rained all night until about 4:00 am. At 4:10 we were greeted by the coca doodle doo of a rooster. I got up and tried to take its picture, but it was still too dark. He kept crowing until Elder Olson got up and tried to chase him away with a rock. The rooster did not go away. I went out to try to get his picture again. It was still quite dark. This is when another guest of the hotel was out side looking around. He pointed out the snake. A boa constrictor.

  

He is just above the white thing there and he has something in his tummy because it is bulging right there. The boa did move to the top of the shed. The other guest showed me the picture he took of that. The boa was about 8 feet long.

I did get a picture of the rooster and some of the other wild life and some of the coconut trees, banana trees and other plants. It was like waking up on the farm.

Mr. Rooster

the Peacock

Mother hen with a chick

Coconuts

Bananas

this is what these rooms looked like

We ate and left for the Caves. These caves are called La Puenta al Mundo. They are in Mayan country. We got there and again hiked and hiked and hiked. Here are some pictures of the big cave we went into.

a place where water is dripping through from the top of the mountain. You can see the roots of the trees and stuff hanging down into the cave.

The river that runs through the cave. If you were to go tubing down this river you would go through the cave at this point. The river was too fast and high on this day so tubing was not permitted.

This big hole was created because of an earthquake in 1912. You can see the rock and earth from the roof of the cave now in an opening of the cave.  Our guide said if you watch you can see a monkey or two in the trees.

Another view of the opening in the cave made by the earthquake.

A true stalgtite or is it a stalgmite.

A bit of information about Guatemala.  The agriculture is sugar cane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom, cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens. We saw lots of corn and other things they have planted in terraces on the hills and mountains. They do all the work by hand. No big farm equipment. The languages spoken are Spanish, Que chi, Cak chiquel, Ke Kchi Mam, Garifuna and Xinca. The caves are in an area where almost everyone speaks Que chi. Our guide could speak Spanish.

These are our guides little sisters. They did not speak any Spanish.

The literacy rate here in Guatemala is 71%