Beautiful Semuc Champey!

Along the Guatemalan travel trail, fellow backpackers gaulk about the marvelous places they’ve been in this vibrant Central American country. A handful of places keep playing

up like a broken record, and Semuc Champey is one of them. A natural phenomenon of aquamarine pools that, through years of erosion, rests on a limestone ledge hollowed out underneath by a raging river.
Part of Semuc Champey’s appeal is the journey there. It is isolated and the effort it takes to get there weeds out the traveler from the tourist, requiring a very uncomfortable ride from any direction down the rocky mountain road to the town of Lanquin. Once you arrive here you then have to arrange for a ride to Semuc Champey to claim natures reward.

Hitchhiking with the little Guatemalan girls!

We had the option of either staying in Lanquin or Semuc Champey. We chose Lanquin at this sweet hostel perched up on a hill surrounded by tall mountains and valleys..called Zephyr Lodge. A near 360 degree panoramic view of the landscape is available as you sit in one of the many swinging hammoks around the hostel. We actually ended up staying 3 nights longer than originally planned since it was such good vibes. (and we got the 4th night free! 5th day is Happy Hour all day!) It was a brilliant place to conveless as Chels and I were both getting over our stomachs introduction to Guatemala.

Amazing View!

Best shower ever!!

The hostel was great but just a small part of the overall experience. The feature presentation is Semuc Champey. It’s natural beauty transcends the cultural barriers as people from all parts of the world explore the jewel like pools. We feel, and other travelers have agreed, Semuc gives visitors an energy boost. You leave there with a pep in your step for the rest of that day. Maybe it’s the visual beauty, or maybe the pools have some magical healing properties; either way it was one hell of a place to celebrate the transition from my 25th to 26th trip around the sun!

Brad relaxing in the pools!

Bob Marley rock

San Ignacio  is a popular tourist destination within central Belize close to the Guatemalan border, most famous for the cave explorations, jungle treks and waterfall gazing.  We took the local bus from Belize City which stops for anyone along the way and then a collectivo from San

Ignacio to Bullet Tree. Â Our instructions from Aiden, CouchSurfing host, was to exit at the market, get some food then make the 400 yard dash down the dirt road to his property.

Palapa

As we rolled up to the barbed-wire gate of this property we began to wonder if we were in the right place, but we followed his very thorough directions to a T.  As it turns out we were in the right place.  A gorgeous and secluded four acre estate lush with Jamaican lime and orange trees.  It was green everywhere we looked and blending into the grounds were two cabanas and a Palapa (thatched roofed hut) at the center.  The land backed right into the Macal river.  There was a dock which just by standing on it you felt at ease, but we couldn’t get too comfortable because busy in the trees above iguanas rustled; and at any point if they felt threatened, could drop.  If that wasn’t entertaining enough, a rope swing hung from a nearby tree.

Crazy Orange Iguanas!!

Chels on the rope swing

The property was amazing, but even cooler was the slew of other CouchSurfers staying at his place.  Most with tents, some in hammocks.  There was no electricity so every night we had to build a fire and eat by candle light.  Even though it was just a short walk to the grocery store, we felt isolated and loved it.  Knowing we could just fall back to Aiden’s place and tune out.  Instead of spending the evenings browsing the internet or watching television we got to know one another, swapping stories from the road laughing and genuinely enjoying each others company.

Men!

For Christmas Day, our plan was to have a big breakfast and then dinner. After Aiden showed us the ropes of how to get his wood-fire stove going, we were all able to contribute in some way.  Some people preparing food; some stoking fires; some cooking and others doing dishes, forging a well oiled machine when it came time to eat.  We had found our little community and it was the next best thing to a family we could have hoped for the holiday.

Massive Fruit Salad on Christmas Morning

We ended up staying five nights and got to experience a few places around San Ignacio that were off the beaten tourist trail. Aiden’s neighbor Marcus, who was also a CouchSurfer took us around in his shaky four wheel drive through the back roads to a couple of beautiful waterfalls. He also let us borrow some of his inner tubes and we all (dogs included) had a lazy float down the river.

Double Back-flips

Lazy river tour

The only negatives were battling the pesky biting ants that left me swollen and itchy for a few days.  Also I did have a brief encounter with Chechem poisonwood which, thanks to a baking soda/water mixture that Chelsea spread all over me and Benedryl, went away after one very uncomfortable night.  It’s all part of the experience and we’re lucky to look back and laugh! Â

Thank goodness for baking soda

Beautiful views!

They don’t call it Big Island for nothing so we rented a car to allow for absolute mobility.  Normally this is something we wouldn’t do but the public transportation, although free, doesn’t allow large bags on board and only services a few main areas on the island.  We spent our first day exploring the far reaches of the island, starting on the west side near Kona and driving all the way up to the north west point, through the mountains and down to the east end in Hilo. 

We had been told, and read that Hilo was a slice of the preserved Hawaiian lifestyle, sheltered from mass tourism and blessed with natural beauty.  I’m not qualified to judge on the first rumor about Hilo, but the second one was spot on.  Lush rainforest and vibrant greens lacing the sheer cliffs that spit out waterfalls!

Rainbow Falls

Our couchsurfers lived 20 minutes south of Hilo in a beautiful hidden paradise with more fruit trees that you could ever imagine! George and Bobbie were incredibly gracious and inspiring and such a great experience to stay with! We had lovely meals together everyday and they offered us amazing advice on where to go and what to see!

Fairytale Garden at George and Bobbies!

We checked out a few waterfalls as typical tourists, so they didn’t quite measure up to our Maui experience…although they were massive and of course still beautiful! George has told us about some tide pools and hot springs which was cool and different to see.

Akaka Falls!

The most memorable thing of course though was the volcano! The night before, we walked down to the black beach because we heard the lava had started to flow…and we saw it!! It was exciting but we were SOOO far away. After about 15 minutes of attempting to get closer and carefully walking over old lava fields, we turned around and thought we would try our luck next time!

Old Lava

On our last day we headed for the National Park which is where both volcanoes are located.  As I’m sure is the case most days, half the Volcanoes National Park was closed down due to toxic sulfurs in the air, but we were still able to check out the MASSIVE lava tube that ran through the park. It was crazy to think the lava had carved out this tunnel through the way it flowed….very cool!

Lava Tube

We waited around until it was dark to see the glow of the lava underneath the crater…The color was like no other either of us had seen before, a neon orange glow diffused by the plumes of steam that floated out of the crater.   Apparently only 2 weeks later lava was crazy flowing down the water, creating new additions to the island!

LAVA!

Big Island is so large that you could spend weeks exploring the many great places or waiting for lava to take over.  But, since we were limited in time we did our best and feel confident that we made the most of our stay.  Thanks to George and Bobbie for making our stay there awesome! 

Arriving in HAWAII!!!

Our first stop was Maui the second largest in size and population. The island offers such a diverse landscape that within an hour you could go from sunny, dry desert to lush tropical rainforest in under an hour. We had lots to explore on Maui and couldn’t wait to get back­­­­_­ into living the island lifestyle again!

After a long couple hour waiting for the right bus, we finally made our way to the always sunny Lahaina, on the west side of Maui, where our couchsurfer Sarah awaited us! We all meshed immediately and made plans for a hike the next morning to go fruit-picking in the mountains, so after a home-made carrot juice, we were on our way with Odin, Sarahs big sweetheart dog to scour for as many guavas and Liliquoy (passionfruit) that we could get our hands on! We totalled about 50 in all, and shared with whoever would accept! Definitely something I loved about Maui…. It was all about living off the land, respecting the land, and sharing the joy!

Guavas galore!

Brad and I went exploring through the little tourist town when we stumbled upon the most amazing tree we’ve ever seen! They’re called Banyan trees, and their branches extend out and then drop to the ground to plant new roots….with look like new trees that have MORE branches that make more trees! And they’re all connected to this one “mother tree”… It was just unbelievably beautiful!

Banyan Tree!

Eventually Brad pulled me away and we made our way to the beach for sunset! It was beautiful as we watched a dog play fetch with a coconut, and kayakers passing in front of the picturesque mountains of Lanai.

Sunset in Lahaina!

Next stop…Paia, the alternative hippie town on the road to Hana… sometimes sunny sometimes rainy! We had a bit of trouble on the bus…future note to all backpackers heading for Hawaii… they don’t allow bags on the public busses! (this can also depend on the drivers mood and available space)BOO… we were pretty annoyed that they basically make all tourists rent a car or take a taxi! Luckily couchsurfers are BADASS and our new one in Paia, Kevin, came to collect us!

Sunset in Paia!

Lucky for us our hosts were not only cool people, but excellent tour guides, with an itinerary that was just our speed. Our first day we visited the Iao Needle, which is a lush mountain range offering swimming holes and exciting views.Â

Amazing view!

The next day was even better. We headed out towards the road to Hana and somewhere near Huiku we pulled off on this small dirt road and found our trail. Down we climbed until we reach the first of many swimming holes and were greeted by a beautiful family of three who were soaking up the sun where it usually doesn’t shine!Â

Right away I spotted some hanging vines and had the urge to swing. I gave it a hard tug and a test run before making my swing across the water. “Get up higher” said Chelsea, and I willingly obliged and as I did no sooner did my butt meet the hard rocks of the river. Nothing a

little laughter didn’t cure.Â

Vine swinging!

On we went only to emerge to a beautiful waterfall and oasis, straight out of a movie! Green rainforest all around,

turquoise blue water…and nobody else around! We all jumped in….I needed a little push cus it was sooo cold! BUT SO worth it! The little waterfalls coming from the rock were warm too so major plus! We all found ourselves sitting in silence, some meditating, really taking in the

beauty around us! We didnt want to leave!

Tranquility!

All we ended up doing was hiking to ANOTHER beautiful waterfall. This hike was harder and through heavy forest with lots of bushwhacking, but again, we arrived in isolation! This one was taller and provided a nice little rock to jump off of!

Brad backflipping!

Our time in Maui was truly unique and wouldn’t have been the same without our adventurous earth-loving couchsurfers! We left with a new love for all the local fruits , the lush green mountains, and of course the Aloha spirit! Definitely could live in Maui Not too sad though, becaue next stop … the Big Island!