Semuq Champey

Last weekend, a large group from Celas Maya, my language school, made the trek to Semuq Champey, said by many to be the most pristine spot in Guatemala. Located in the rainforest of the eastern lowlands, Semuq is a natural wonder, consisting of a river that cascades into a dark abyss and continues underground for nearly a mile. Above the river (which is not traversable at this point--sorry diehard rafters) lies a "land bridge" covered with natural shallow, sun-warmed pools. At the end of this bridge, the water falls down to the river below, which emerges from underground.

I hope that makes sense to you, dear reader. The picture above and to

the right is of the "bridge." The river is surging underneath the pools. The picture to the right is of the river befo

re it goes below, and to the left is a shot of Bec

ky, Billie and myself where the river is devoured by the darkness.

But let's start from the beginning of our trip. Between Xela (my home city here in Guate) and Semuq lay a near 12 hour bus ride. Our group of around 19 (including bus driver and guide, Phil) left on Thursday, January 21, at 11:00 A.M. We arrived at a hotel near Coban, still 3 hours from Semuq, around 7:00 P.M. that night. We rose early Friday morning and made it to our hotel near Semuq by 1:00 P.M.

The hotel, one of 2 within an hour of Semuq, was comprised of 5 or 6 cabañas that housed 6 people each. The property is situated right on the river, a 10 minute walk from the entrance to the natural park home to Semuq. This picture is a view of the river from the hotel, complete with swing and paraphernalia from the previous night's festivities.

We didn't waste much time when we got to the hotel, leaving immediately for the park. Our guide, Phil, took us on a tour, first to the pools (seen above), and then to the mirador, a deck with a spectacular view. It was from there that I took the shot of the pools from above.

We spent the rest of the day in the pools, jumping off little waterfalls, relaxing in the shallows (see photo below), and letting minnows eat the dead skin cells off our hands and feet. Afterwards, we all headed back to

the hotel for dinner, drinks and song. The meal is served to all hotel clients at once. There's no other option for food! Your choices are "vegetarian" or "meat."

Sounds risky, but in fact the food was delicious. After our meal, we got to know the other hotel patrons and wound up around a fire by the river, singing songs late into the night.

The next morning, we hit up the "other" natural wonder of Semuq: the caves. There are reportedly two main caves. One that is large and cavernous, another that is smaller and follows a subterranean river. We took the river.

This was probably my favorite part of the trip. We traversed the cave, usually about 10-15 feet wide, by candlelight. Much of the time was spent wading or swimming through water (candle in one hand, paddling with the other). We encountered numerous obstacles, most notably a 15 foot waterfall we climbed up via rope. At another point in the cave, we climbed up a small wall and jumped into a dark pool below. As I was in the front of the group, I was usually the guinea pig for these endeavors.

At the end of our trek (about an hour into the cave), we stopped in a large cavern and blew out all our candles. Enveloping ourselves in complete darkness.

Cool feeling. We then made our way out of the cave, and took tubes down the river back to our hotel. But before we did this, we jumped into the river via rope swing, some of us shooting over 20 feet into the air before plummeting to the wet conclusion of our flight.

Geno and I were the only two of our group who returned to Semuq in the afternoon. Most people didn't feel like paying the 50 quetzales ($6.00) to gain entry, but Geno and I thought the price was more than worth it for such a beautiful spot, especially after such a long trek to get there.

We ended up not paying anyway, we just flashed our tickets from the day before and got in for free. For nearly 6 hours, we explored more of Semuc Champey (check Geno climbing above!), received more spa treatments (compliments of the minnows), enjoyed some select beverages, and conversed with other tourists from all over the world.

As the sun was about to set, we met an English, Canadien, and French trio, Adrian, Conrad,

and Robin. Who are currently studying in Veracruz, Mexico. The three were on their way to El Salvador when Conrad's bag was stolen. Passport included. While he's waiting for the British embassy to get him a new ID, they're staying in Guate.

The five of us decided to catch the last rays of light from the Mirador, and were rewarded with some gorgeous views. Also on the Mirador were a family from Guatemala City. I took some pictures for them, and the father of the family offered me free Jujitsu classes in return (whenever I make it to Guate, that is).

From the Mirador, the five of us returned to our friends' hostel (across the river from ours) for some drinks. Meanwhile, darkness had fallen, and our group sent a search party into the park calling out our names, fearing bad things. While they were there, however, Geno and I returned to our hotel in time for dinner. What a mess life without cell phones is!

The search party returned, all was made right, we filled our stomachs with food and drink, and returned once again to the fire. We left around 8:30 the next morning the same way we came, in the bed of a pickup, and rolled into Xela around 12 hours later.

Semuq was a great and needed getaway. Now I'm back in Xela reminiscing about days in the sun, with the minnows at my feet, Gallo (Guatemalan beer) in hand. I think I'll go back sometime.