Guatemala 2013

To travel on try to find a quick bus to the correct destination
-it's most fun when you hardly speak Spanish and are the only tourist around!

First stop: Chichicastenango, a colourful province capital,
with sometimes awfully smoky air, and a famous busy market


All kinds of nicely woven blankets	A market hall mainly for fruits and vegetable

Antigua Guatemala: Most scenic city surrounded by several volcanoes, here Volcano Fuego


One of many preserved ruins in Antigua, remains of its past as Guatemala's capital before the destruction by earthquakes		on the road - the road: the Panamericana, going from the USA down to South America (but by far not everywhere as broad and modern as here)

The beautiful Lago Atitlan near Antigua - surrounded by different, similarly impressing volcanoes		Hard rainfalls during the last months took there toll: flooded buildings near the once-been lake shore

The Lago Atitlan during sunset		In case of emergencies like volcano eruptions: don't panic!

The saints hopefully will guard over you -for their good will decorate them with some nice cloth of yours		Other guards on watch (in this case awaiting Guatemala's president arriving for the opening of a cultural center)

-> Livingston


Church in beautiful landscape on the roadside near Antigua	a Mayan decorative statue -with the nickname of 'Batman' ;o)

Traveling towards Livingston on the Gulf coast.. A little Tuc-Tuc race	Then: stuck in a traffic jam, trucks and cars stalled for kilometers! Some take the waiting easy..

We try the same..	..watching bananas turn from green to yellow

Finally we reach the place of the traffic jam cause	A terrible accident which had cost 7 lives


After 6 hours delay on the road we reach Livingston: Beautiful hotel area in a beautiful bay	At the poolside you are visited by flirtative Lizards

In the trees around the pool as well as in the harbour: lots of Pelicans, Herons and other birds	the area around the town is covered with dense jungle

Indian settlements along the coast in small bays or river mouths	Black and White

scenic beaches (though not entirely clean)

-> Tikal


Welcome to the Tikal National Park! Everyone is greeted by a different animal, this one sat above my door	there were also more friendly companions in the compound

The crown of a huge Mayan sacred Ceiba tree	The great Mayan site: View over one of Tikal's main places

One of the major temples (in a haze of smoke from a local ceremony)	The tops of the main temples peeking through the jungle roof

More jungle animal companions: This time not a spider, but a Spider Monkey	These pyramid steps are really slippery again.. arrrgh!

A Strangler Fig tree: it closes itself around another, originally bigger one and over the years embraces it to death (and then it will look like the tree on the Chacchoben picture on the Mexico page)	Tikal bids us farewell with a heavy rain shower


One more Maya site: Yaxha; there is one thing that is allowed here ;o)	beautiful view over country and river from the top of the main pyramid (which itself was not overly exciting after having been to Tikal)