Stanley: The sea, the sky, the mountains, and the land.

Hola! So…today is my day to write the travel blog. You ask what we did today? Well... let me tell ya: we left beautiful Livingston at 9am and got on the boat for another hour ride to Puerto Barrios. On the way to the port, a few dolphins came to greet the awesome Canadians. When we got to the port, Marcos was already waiting there for us to board our “mobile home”: NanaExpress. Our goal today is to leave from the Caribbean Sea to the heart of Guatemala: Guatemala City. After 7 hours of travelling with a few stops in between for washroom breaks, lunch, and a short visit to an archeology site to see some bones and dinosaurs. We made it to Guatemala City safe and sound and that was all we did. Isn’t that great!

If this is all I have to say about our incredible Guatemala trip, I would be remiss! We have spent so much time on this white, comfortable, and less-one-year-old bus, NanaExpress, for the last 10 days. She has explored 60% of Guatemala with us and thanks to Marcos; we always arrived at our destinations safely. Today is our last long travel day with NanaExpress before we go to the airport. I decided to share the view of Guatemala from NanaExpress!

Guatemala offers almost everything that adventurers will love. Just a few examples; take a hike on the volcano in Antigua, explore the beautiful jungle and the mind-blowing Mayan temples, listen to the howler monkeys waking up the jungle on top of a Mayan temple, discover the Caribbean community with stunning sunsets, and a ride on the motorboat to uncover the beautiful tropical rivers within the massive rainforest.

When we left Guatemala City on the first day, it was a cloudy and moderately windy day. One hour after we left the city, the sky cleared up with beautiful sunshine and surrounded by dozens of brown mountains. While we drove into Antigua, 5,900 feet above sea level, we could see an enormous volcano behind the city. The coffee trees were so small like green soldiers standing around the volcano protecting it.

 

Tikal was definitely one of the most breathtaking places in the world. The jungle was full of Mayan mysteries, and tropical animals. In the evening, you will find fireflies beaming on the ground like a reflection of the stars shining in the night sky.

On the coast of the Caribbean Sea, you can definitely feel the experience of the famous movie, Pirates of the Caribbean! There is the smell of the sea, the palm trees, the people, and the navy fortress that stops pirates coming into the river.

Guatemala has been a fantastic adventure, which I shared with some great travel companions who became good friends. All of the people we have met and who have inspired us have definitely given us a different perspective on our lives and have taught us to appreciate more of what we have when we returned!

Stanley Wu is a fourth year Tourism Management student.