Getting To Flores
Departing my hostel in Guatemala City at the early hour of 4:00a.m, I quickly arrived at the airport, made my way through an EXTREMELY slow security line(literally didn’t move for 20 min), and into the smallest airport terminal I have ever seen in my life. The room was literally composed of 2 gates and a bathroom. An hour later, I boarded the plane, which to my surprise was a normal sized Airbus plane, instead of the smaller, less comfortable bush plane that I had in mind. Few minutes passed, and the engines began to stir for takeoff as the sweet old Guatemalan lady made the sign of the cross and said a prayer for our safe travels.
During the brief flight(45 min), us passengers were granted some of the most incredible views I have ever seen on a flight. A golden glow of the sun not yet risen cast light upon incredible clouds that blanketed the mountains and dormant volcanoes below us, with only their peaks being visible through the fluff. Mid-way through the flight, this glowing sensation surmounted, as the sun finally became visible creeping its way past the horizon.
Once I landed in Flores(smallest airport I’ve seen), I made my way across the tarmac, breezed through security, and exited the building to a horde of taxi and Tuk-Tuk drivers that were bombarding people with offers for rides. Rather than granting them the pleasure of an overpriced commute, I asked around and found the general direction towards Flores, and set onward.
Walking Around Flores
Making my way through the still dormant out-skirts of Flores, I passed by colorful local shops and businesses, men sweeping the streets with palm branches, empty lots full of chickens, and military members bearing shotguns. About a half an hour later, I finally made it to the bridge to the island of Flores.
The sun gleamed beautifully off of the clear blue water of lake Peten Itza as I passed by a gliding turtle and several stoic Garza Blanca birds on its coastline. Walking the perimeter of the island, I soaked in the beautifully colored buildings, stunning plants, and views of the lake. Stumbling upon my hostel, I ditched my bag, and went to the center of the island, where there was a stunning church, and a park with basketball courts.
Breakfast on the Island
Fortunately for my starving stomach, I wandered into a little restaurant overlooking the lake that had just opened. I had a coffee and a “plato tipico” that consisted of scrambled eggs, black beans, fried plantains, fresh tortillas, queso, and sour cream. Scarfing the food down like a dog deprived of food for a week, I paid the 35Q tab(~$4.50) and headed on to my next destination, the caves of Actun Kan.
Walking to Actun Kan
Since I had time to kill, I decided on walking roughly 2 miles to the entrance of the caves, and got a taste of the local flavor. The further from the island I ventured, the less and less tourists I came across, until after about a mile, I didn’t come across any. Another thing I noticed the further I went, was that it started to look more and more impoverished. Eventually, I turned onto a dirt road, and saw nothing but tiny shacks that simultaneously looked abandoned, and obviously still inhabited.
Finally reaching the entrance to Actun Kan park, I did not see anyone on site, so I decided to try and find the cave entrance myself. Finding the cave entrance, I turned on my phone flashlight and took a few steps into the cave before realizing it wouldn’t grant me even 5 feet of visibility. After exiting the cave, feeling defeated that I had walked all this way for nothing, a cute young chica came out of the garden nearby and offered me assistance.
She explained to me that the two options were either to venture into the caves alone, or wait 2 hours for the guide to show up, and being that the former was a fraction of the cost at 35Q(~$4.50) I opted for going in solo. After being equipped with a helmet and headlamp, I partially sarcastically told the girl “If I’m not back in 2 hours, come find me”, and regressed to the cave entrance.
Alone in the Caves
As I took my first steps into the mouth of the cave and was engulfed in its eerie silence, I began having second thoughts about my decision to venture into its bowels alone. A few moments later, as I turned to see that no natural light was penetrating my current position in the cave, I concluded that I was past the point of no return, and might as well just send it.
The mysticism grew as I perused the many passages and corridors within the cave. Hearing something at my feet, I glanced down to see an ancient looking bug scurrying about. Moments later, I found a small crevice in the cave wall with an arrow pointing into it. Just as I gained the courage to crawl through the crack, several bats came flying out, just inches from my face, and I took it as a sign not to continue that route.
Pushing onward, I gazed upon the stalactites and other mineral formations, as well as the hundreds of handprints found throughout the cave. I couldn’t help but ponder if a few of them were from several hundred, or even thousand years in the past, but the several tags of peoples names and stupid symbols told me otherwise(don’t tag things please). The deeper into the cave I progressed, the more damp and misty it became.
As I approached the sign for the point numbered 30, I remembered the girl at the entrance telling me I should not venture beyond that point, and heeding to her advice, began making my way back through the cave. On the way out, I crouched my way through several smaller passages that I didn’t have the courage to do before, and also came across a crazy looking spider-like bug, that I later learned was an amblypygi(aka whip spiders), and several centipedes.
Back Above Ground
Exiting the cave, I was blinded by the light of day. I returned my gear to the cute girl working the ticket booth, and told her about the spooky, yet madly interesting nature of my experience to which she laughed at my broken spanish explanations of animals I saw. She then asked if I was walking back to the island, and after responding yes, she kindly offered me a ride back into town when she got off work, which I graciously accepted.
Ten minutes later, she called me over to what I assumed would be one of the several cars in the parking lot, but as I grew closer I saw that she in fact had a motorscooter. Gesturing for me to hop on the back, I did as told, and we were off to Flores.
Moto Ride Back
As we passed through the outskirts of town, I received several confused looks from the locals who were likely thinking, “what the hell is this gringo doing with that girl”. The girl, Andrea, and I talked the whole way back about the differences in our countries, our birthdays, and several other random topics, before she dropped me off on the island. We then bid each other farewell, and my cave adventure officially came to an end.
Dinner/Wrapping up the Day
Several hours of wandering the island later, I began looking for a place for dinner, and happened upon the cheapest food I found in my whole time on the island(possibly even Guatemala), called Tacos Los Peces. I got a tostada, burrito, taco, and sangria drink for a total of 23Q(~$2.94), and it was all delicious. Eating whilst at the basketball courts in the island’s center, I spectated one the most intense games of basketball I’ve seen. The locals scrapped with each other for the ball as they blasted Snoop Dogg, Niki Minaj, and other rap artists from the states, which I found oddly amusing.
When the game ended, I made my way back to my hostel, grabbing a couple of Gallo beers(Guatemala’s favorite beer) and sat on my hostel’s roof, recollecting the eventful day behind me. Shortly after, I crawled onto my bunk bed, trying not to wake my roommates, and quickly fell asleep.