A Gem in the Rough

One of the roughest rides of our Guatemalan trip came from a day visit to Semuc Champey.  It's an unusual land feature with lagoons created by a river that plunges into the Earth.  It's a bit of real life fantasy. One could imagine being in the movie Avatar on the planet Pandora.  But getting there would prove to be a real challenge.

I didn't remember it being so difficult to visit.  In fact, I wasn't alone.  Several other people had been to Semuc Champey 6 years previous as I had been.  We had a smooth ride on a paved road, but on this trip, it was a crowded and rocky ride.  To make matters worse, we had the ugliest kind of tourists.....the obnoxious ones!  So on this trip, I went to a happy space in my head and blocked the annoying chatter out.  Once we arrived at our destination, we again left the tour group and hiked alone into the park.

Chestnut-headed Oropendula

It was great.  We were alone and the critters were out in full force.  For some reason, I was super thirsty on this day and drank all of my water from my pack!  We were half way up a very muddy trail that was rather dangerous and slippery when I ran out! Anxiety attack!  But to get the first shot for this post, we had to climb nearly a mile up! There was no going back.  The railings were sketchy as was our footing.  In these situations, walking sticks will not work very well.  You need both hands to maneuver the poorly maintained areas.  It was hot, muggy and overcast.  And birding was a real challenge on this day!

It's tricky doing photography while birding and walking. Perhaps it was the reason why I wasn't paying attention to my water consumption.  As soon as the water went in; it was sweat out!  But on the Mirador(Look Out) trail, we observed 50 Oropendulas fly up into the canopy of a tree.  Their brilliant yellows were incredible as they fluidly glided from one tree to the next.  It looked like there were acrobats all around us.

Along the way, brilliantly colored creatures crossed our paths.

Royal Flycatcher

And new birds!  Several yellowish birds caught my attention as they gathered twigs for nesting.  What in the world were they?  One female.  The other male.

Yellow-throated Euphonia(female)

It took me forever to get several decent shots of these Euphonias.  I had crossed a rickety bridge that had holes through the wooden boards.  Below, the raging green river roared as I hobbled across the firmer beams.  On the shore of the Cahabon River, the Euphonias flitted in such a fast manner that I almost missed them.  Almost.  Something caught the corner of my eye as a tiny bird flew into a tiny nest that looked like it was part of the tree. I stood still and waited for them to come out and I'm glad I did.

Yellow-throated Euphonia(male)

It is overwhelming to see so many new birds.  I studied them.  I really did, but there were too many to remember.  So I made mental notes and just observed them until I could ID them later on. I would write my observations in my notebook.  When we arrived back to our place at night, I would sit and ID these birds before I slept.

Swallow-tailed Kite

I walked near the edge of this river as it plummeted into the Earth below.  It was extremely dangerous.  I wondered if anyone had slipped and met their fates in this dark powerful black hole.  While the river was swallowed into nothingness, hundreds of swifts flew in and out of the caverns below.  I had to ID these birds as they were not ones I had seen before.  I slowly neared the edge and morbidly thought about what death would be like in the great massive abyss below. There are miles of undiscovered wet caves that still hold ancient Mayan secrets.  Once I had my ID shot, I quickly left the area. 

One foot in front of the other.  Always slowly and never quickly.....that's when mistakes happen.

I couldn't believe how many swifts we had seen.  Here is the shot that allowed me to ID them.  I magnified it and was able to determine that we were witnessing White-collared Swifts in the hundreds!

White-collared Swift

The worst part about exploration is the thought of returning back home after an exhausting hike.  People say we should find the little joys amid the chaos.  We did.

After our extreme hike, we relaxed in the lagoons.  Thankfully I wore my water shoes to maneuver around the slippery rocks.  I submerged myself into the water and washed the dirt and sweat off of my body as did my friend.  A Black Phoebe reminded me to keep an eye out for the children of the forest.  They wait until the tourists are in the waters and then run and steal their items on shore.  So Lynda kept watch while I swam.  And vice versa.

We were alone in this paradise.  My friend was shocked by the tiny brown fish that nibbled around her feet.  They swarm the legs and for free, clean all the dead skin off of your body whether you want it or not:) It oddly feels good:)

Our ride back would prove to be a nightmare.  The driver, greedy for money, took another group back to town.  We were stuck for two hours in the rain as we waited for this guy to come back.  The ugly tourists got uglier and more annoying.  On the ride from hell, we would have to stand back to back or front to back like sardines in a truck.  Thankfully, my camera was in a water proof  bag.  At one point, our truck didn't make it up the hill and we all had to get out so that the truck could speed up to the top of the hill. Guatemala is not Costa Rica:)

Guatemala is certainly a challenge for many people. It's always work to get to and from the destinations.  But the views were incredible.  And what was that thing I wrote about previously?  Oh yeah....finding the joy amid the chaos.  As I stood in the back of the truck with my whole body aching, I was reminded why we were there.  Several Common Pauraques flew around us. And I ended my evening with another lifebird.  However, it made think.  How much else will I have to endure to find those rare lifebirds?  So many people think that birding is sitting by feeders with your binoculars eating sandwiches.  For me, that is birding on a break.  But the real action happens out in the field and much of it is not easy.  Nothing is ever easy, but the payoffs are awesome.  Over 100 different kinds of birds can be found in this biologically diverse area.

Jesus Christ lizard

While our day wasn't full of many birds, many were lifebirds. And that was a day well spent:)  Plus it was a good workout;)  More to come.....

Muscovy Duck  2-lifebird

Black Vulture  2

Swallow-tailed Kite  1-lifebird

Common Black-Hawk (Common)  1

Common Pauraque  3-lifebird

White-collared Swift  300 -lifebird

Royal Flycatcher  1-lifebird

Black Phoebe  1

Clay-colored Thrush  3

Yellow-winged Tanager  1

Melodious Blackbird  8

Great-tailed Grackle  5

Chestnut-headed Oropendola  2-lifebird

Montezuma Oropendola  50

Yellow-throated Euphonia  2-lifebird

Semuc Champey

The Lagoons of Semuc Champey

A side trip into the northern interior of Guatemala lead us to this magical place of lagoons.  It's a system of pools that flow into caves below ground.  The trickiest part was getting there, but it was worth the effort.  We stopped in a village near Coban where only Mayan languages were spoken....talk about being in another world.  The city was located in a cold cloud forest and had a lot of charm.  We kept going until we arrived at Coban and then we hired a van that followed a road to the tiny rain forest community of Lanquin.  It was here that we took our day trip to these amazing lagoons and several uncharted caves.

Beautiful lagoons link together in this amazing hike out of Lanquin

Be careful entering this water as the rocks can be slippery.  Also look for the many brown fish swimming around nibbling on the hairs of your legs.  Some people actually jump from the trees into these pools.  I was a little bit leary about doing this.

Bring your swimming trunks and some water shoes

In the above pic, my sister is sitting at the edge of one of these pools.  It's absolutely gorgeous there and sparkles green like an emerald.....and just simply breathtaking.   The village of Lanquin is just as charming as the surrounding area.  I'll never forget the night at a small local restaurant having some chicken and salad.  It had rained and hundreds of fireflies came out in the night sky flashing their beautiful blue and green lights around us.  Also hanging out with us during dinner were several local toads catching themselves their own dinner. 

Don't get too close to this part of the river

Be careful along the edges of certain parts of this trail.  This river rages into the Earth through an underground cavern system.   One slip and you're dead.  I took this picture from a safe distance thanks to the zoom lense:)

Jump off a bridge into a river below

The hikes are great and will really blow your mind.  Today this bridge is used to get to one of the most interesting caves I've ever seen.  If you can't swim, this is not a recommended cave to take because inside you have to swim through deep parts to get to the inside waterfall....and it's dark....and there are bats:)  But is it cool:)  The cave is called the Kan Bah Cavern.  Wear water shoes on these hikes.  PS.  Please be careful going down that river during the monsoon season.  Everyone says the Coban River is a safe tubing experience but it can be dangerous. My little sister almost drowned here and we'll never forget that experience.  Several hours before we went on this "little" adventure, a person from Holland had the same experience and it was no laughing matter.  Also, a headlamp for this part is recommended especially at night when the critters come out.  An Emperor Scorpion came out and stung one of our buddies.....it was hiding in the bedsheets.  Needless to say, this was a memorable journey that will not be forgotten.  This is definitely for the experienced traveler.

Guatemala

San PedroThe Coban RiverSemuc ChampeyRio DulceTikal...notice the humidity risingLivingstonTikal

Divine design. Living in the desert is a wonderful thing, but sometimes I need to get my "green" on and leave for awhile.  Guatemala is the land of green...the color is everywhere.  This country is also one of the most colorful in the world with the Mayan Indians contributing to most of the design in this very special and spiritual place.  As a Spanish teacher, I travel to a lot of different countries every year. However, this year  I had to stay home due to a major home repair....air conditioning!!!  We needed a new unit...oh the cost:)  I find that the garden keeps my mind off of my would be travel for the summer.   There is next year and I look forward to planning another adventure.

These places inspire me with their unique designs and gardens.  The desert, while a hostile place for many tropicals, can have a variety of these beautiful plants amongst our native trees and bushes.  The key to growing tropical here is obviously proper watering, bright shade or a little shade, and protection from the winter nights.  Wind also can play a factor on such plants like the musa or banana plant.  This plant loves the sun...but hates the wind...and in Tucson, this plant can be tricky to grow.   With that said,  I have seen it done and done well.  Phoenix seems to have the better results....again water is an important factor for your tropicals.

This topic came up yesterday as I was outside talking to my neighbors and they asked me if I had any big trips planned for the summer and I had to say no. Well I am going to Wisconsin for a little over a week, but that's not a major trip...that's a family trip.:)  However, I will be going to the Milwaukee gardens and taking a lot of pics.  Apparently, they have a saguaro cactus in one of their domes....I'll be snapping pics for proof:)

I have had success with a variety of tropicals here, but with the property being so large, I've had to make sure that my natives were established first and that the tree canopies are there to protect their tender leaves from the hot summer sun.  Bird of paradise, philodendron, fatsia are some of the few that do well here with some afternoon shade. Cannas need light and do well in the sun.  Most of these guys can be planted in the ground, but do extremely well in containers.  I would recommend putting them in pots first to verify that they can handle the sun.  Sometimes I think they will burn and I plant them in too shady of an area and they don't do well....so experiment first.

Finally,  people ask me....what is the one plant that "popped" out at you in Guatemala?  There were a lot, but the one that I noticed was the castor plant along Lake Atitlan.  I have been experimenting with this plant this summer and have seen great results on the North Side of our building where it gets the right amount of sun.  I tried this tropical "weed" on the south side and it burned and in the courtyard where there is a lot of shade....and it needed more sun as it grew spindly from not enough light.  Again tricky, these tropicals are, but when in the right spot, they will add flare and beauty to your home and garden.  It's well worth the effort. Happy gardening!!