Ten hours and one car accident later

On this Hallows Eve, I spent it in transport to Lanquin in order to see the wonderful Semuc Champey. My previous day in Antigua was boring, so I’ll spare you the details. Instead I’ll get started on the grand adventures of travel to Lanquin.

My typically reliable and wonderful travel agency, Chisubin, was closed yesterday. Therefore I had to find alternative transportation which involved a travel agency called Onvista. Now there is nothing wrong with Onvista, however I will say that the drive to Lanquin was absolutely a gong show.

It started off alright with being relatively on time. Even better I was sharing a bus with some fellow Canadians and two Australians. All of which were incredibly friendly. The ride passed relatively easily, until we hit Guatemala City. Where our bus t-boned another bus at 10km/hr. Luckily no one was hurt and that the man who was driving the other car was an easy going guy (at least from what I could tell). We waited an hour for what I assume where insurance representatives. In the mean time I enjoyed the beauty of the funeral parlor next door and people watched. All in all, not too shabby.

However, once we started up again (with albeit a more cautious driver) we made another two stops in Guatemala City. The first to get two large packages from this random store, the other for a quick stop for tourists with small bladders. All in all it took us an agonizing ten hours to reach Lanquin (when they said it would take seven). By the time I arrived I was hot, sweaty, exhausted, and hungry. Definitely not in the mood for the Halloween Party planned. Equally important my only outfit was a disgruntled tourist. No one wanted to see that.

On the way down to dinner a man hiding in the bushes jumped out. In true form, my response was to say “Ola” and keep walking. I was actually impressed in the restaurant how many people dressed up for the festivities. The Canadian girls I traveled with went as a cat and the living dead. Other costumes included a pirate, a skeleton, a snorkeler, the scream, and other inventive ones that I forget now. I did enjoy the vegetarian buffet for 45Q and was definitely a happy camper after the fact.

I had a relatively early evening and spent about half an hour listening to the crickets and river flowing. Not too shabby after the day I had.