El Retiro and Semuc Champey

I´ve been out of internet range recently, enjoying some of the most beautiful parts of Guatemala. On Sunday, I left Tikal to go to Lanquin and stay at what´s correctly referred to as a "backpacker´s paradise" called El Retiro. The photo shows the cute little cabins located on the river, hammocks everywhere, great cheap vegetarian food and good people. On Monday I went on a tour to Semuc Champey, one of the most famous tourist desinations in Guate, a natural land bridge of sorts made by a huge river that goes underground and forms absolutely beautiful emerald green pools for swimming. We hiked to the summit to get a great view of the pools below. It was cloudy that day but still gorgeous. After that we explored the craziest caves I´ve ever seen. I remember going to the Polar Caves when I was a kid, where there are rules, and guard rails, and electric lights to show you where to go. Not in Guatemala. We went in our bathing suits and swam through the (freezing cold) river, holding our candles in the air as we went, at times climbing rope ladders, scurrying behind a waterfall, and once jumping what seemed like a huge distance into the pool of water below (I was informed that the jump was only a meter and a half, but it was my first rock jump and I was scared to death). We couldn´t take cameras in obviously, but it was one of the coolest things I´ve done so far. After all that exertion, it was perfect to cruise down the river in an inner tube and return to El Retiro for some carrot soup and other yummy treats. Definitely one of the best things I´ve seen so far, though I was a bit anxious to get off the gringo trail after that and see more of typical Guatemala ....