We finally left Mexico and entered Guatemala on April 24. By this point in our trip through Africa, we had already had to stop at a US embassy so Jen could get extra pages added to her passport to accommodate all of the various stamps and visas we’d gotten. Canada didn’t even stamp our passports, and we’ve only been to three other countries – Belize, Mexico, and now Guatemala. It’s kind of disappointing in a way!
Leaving Lake Tziscao, we drove the short distance to Comitan, the last big town in Mexico before the Guatemalan border. We were hoping to find a supermarket to stock up on some stuff, not knowing what we’d be able to get in Guatemala. Do they have soy milk there?
Sunset on Lake Tziscao
At home we sort of snobbishly shun Wal-Mart, but when we saw the big, friendly blue and green sign on the outskirts of Comitán we were psyched! That meant we didn’t have to drive into the center of town and potentially spend all day hunting around in various stores getting everything we thought we needed.
In the parking lot we met Fortunado and Teo. They had a truck with Nevada plates and were living in a town outside of Comitán we chatted for awhile, and they generously invited us to camp in their yard.
Our shopping done, we followed them to their house, where we spent a fun evening sharing a fruit salad and chatting. Quinn loved their son’s remote control car and had a good time playing in the house.
Fortunado and Teo gave Quinn the remote control car as we were leaving their house the next morning. Amazing generosity from people whom we spent about 12 hours with!
The next morning we made one final stop at Wal-Mart, having heard rumors of people coming to Mexico from Guatemala to get stuff like toothpaste and mouthwash. Fully stocked up with dental hygiene supplies for at least 6 months, we headed for the Guatemalan border.
We arrived at the border at about noon. The Mexican side was super easy, especially since we didn’t have to complete any paperwork for our car, since we have a 10-year import permit.
The Guatemalan side took a little longer, but was still not a big deal. We’d heard stories of pushy border “helpers” who would try to get your documents and then extort money from you to get them back. There was none of that – even the money changers were polite and pretty chilled out.
We were on our way South again by about 2pm, but we had no idea where we were going to stay that night. While Mexico is fairly well stocked with campgrounds, Central America is less so. Our first “real” destination was Lake Atitlán, but that was too far to make in one day. On the recommendation of another traveler, we decided to make for a place called Fuentes Georginas, a hot spring outside of Quetzaltenango (known as “Xela” (shā-la)).
Fuentes Georginas hot springs are set at about 7000 feet in a cloud forest. The nights were cool, making a soak in the hot pools very welcome!
Guatemala feels less developed than Mexico. The cars are older and the busses are all fantastically decorated ex-American school busses careening along the roads at speeds I would not think they’d be capable of. Gone are the fancy “executive” class busses that ply the Mexican roads, and gone too is Wal-Mart. We’ll miss you.
Some things are familiar though. With Mexico’s state run oil company fully in charge of all aspects of the motor fuel supply chain, we haven’t seen anything but a Pemex station in 5 months. In Guatemala we saw the familiar Shell and Texaco logos for the first time since leaving California.
We arrived at the hot springs shortly before dark after negotiating a very narrow, winding road up a steep canyon. The camping consisted of a spot in the parking lot, but the hot springs made it worthwhile. After a long and stressful day, we enjoyed a good meal at the restaurant and a quick soak in the thermal pools before turning in. We decided that we liked it enough to warrant staying another night.
There was even a pool at the perfect kid temperature. Quinn looked like a raisin by the time we coaxed him out.
The steep hillsides around Xela are home to numerous vegetable farms.
After two nights at the hot springs, we left on Saturday morning bound for Lake Atitlán. We stopped first in Xela to buy a sim card for our phone, putting us back on the grid once again. After crossing some passes as high as 9000 feet, we descended via a very steep road to the lake at about 5000 feet. The lake is meant to be one of the most beautiful spots on earth, but for our first few days there things were pretty overcast and dreary looking. Still, we had a nice campsite on the lake, and spent some time looking around the area.
Our campsite on the lake by the pool
Some kids visited our campsite. The looked so cute I couldn’t resist giving them a Quetzal to take their photo.
Quinn and I went for a hike and arrived at – yep – the lake!
There’s a nice nature reserve close to our campground, and they have a small butterfly enclosure.
