Holy Week!
Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying the beginning of Spring! Even though here there are really only two distinct seasons, we have had lots of transitional excitement this past week for Semana Santa! Schools were closed after Friday the 22nd until Monday April 1st. Many people did not have to work so finally my coworkers and friends had no excuse but to take part in the Anna tourist week in Alta Verapaz! (Although many of them were also visiting these destinations for the first time too so it was not just all about me...) But basically this post can serve as a 'what to do with a week in Cobán when you have no responsibilities' type blog;)
P.S. fair warning it is lengthy... perdón
Domingo de Ramas
Sunday was the start of the festivities for Semana Santa. The day before, I spent with my coworker and her boyfriend and they invited me to their church to help make alfombras! We spread sawdust out on the floor so there was a smooth thin layer then using larger stencils we added in dyed sawdust to make beautiful patterns. They looked so pretty by the end (even though on my first contribution I accidentally made the leaf red...). It was cool to take part in the process of getting ready and you could certainly feel the anticipation in the air.
Making alfombras the night before!
On Sunday went out to see the alfombras in the streets. There were many people out and lots of yummy food. It was cool to walk on the same streets I walk on everyday but to see them in a completely different way. They were closed to traffic, full of people, and lots of spots to buy food!
After we had reached Parque San Marcos, we joined the crowd to wait as you could see the light of the procession approaching. Everyone grew quiet as the music of the band got louder. It moved slowly past with a gentle side to side lull of the people underneath carrying it side to side. Some people pushed against the procession directing it as it made the turn and other used long poles to push up the cables so it could fit under without getting tangled up in a mess of wires. It is an impressive act to watch and you can feel the reverence in the air as it goes by.
The following day officially began that vacation feeling. It was Monday but I didn't have to work so I took the day to do some laundry and relax. I ended up eating ice cream in the park and reading. I think subconsciously I knew there was excitement to come and it was a much needed chill day.
Las Grutas del Rey Marcos/Tactic
And I was right... The next day my coworker/neighbor and I embarked on an exciting adventure! Normally he has to work so he doesn't have much free time, but now he was finally free so we could aprovechar these empty days. We left early around 7am and hopped on a bus to Talpetate, the big market! I had only gone a bus once before in Cobán because I don't really need to for my daily activities and because I don't really know where the stops are and which bus goes where... So even riding on the bus was new and exciting! I had also never been to Talpetate before which is a hugeee market and has a bus terminal there.
From there we took another bus to Chamelco, a nearby town I also had never visited! Even though it is only one town over it has a different feel. For instance, they have tuktuk there which are little vehicles for quick transport. In Cobán, tuktuk is not permitted since they are fairly dangerous with many cars and motorcycles on the roads. It was cool to see the world of Chamelco though. We walked through a market to another bus terminal and hopped on our last ride that brought us to the entrance of the Las Grutas del Rey Marcos.
The next day, I went to go on my normal run routine with my other friend, and one of our friends from the city joined us as he was home for Holy Week. It was fun to run with another person and to catch up and talk. Not to mention, he brought the right attitude when we finished and said, "how should we restore these calories?" From the we travelled back towards Tactic where we ate at this beautiful restaurant/farm called the Granja. I hadn't eaten such a delicious breakfast in a while with frijoles, platanos, huevos, y tortillas. It was so yummy and I was so full! Then as we were leaving, our friend insisted that we all ride a horse! (another experience I don't remember having done before...) Before we would dissuade him, he had already bought the tickets and before we knew it, we were enjoying a pleasant ride with la Fortuna around the farm!
That evening my friend also invited me to his brother's house San Cristobal on Lago Petencito. It was so beautiful! We drove through the neighboring towns and I got to see some more parque centrales. Then the lake was so nice. We sat on the pier watching as the sun set behind the clouds, we saw many little frogs too and ate some delicious mango.
Then that Thursday morning, our big adventure began! I'd been hearing about Semuc since before I had even come to Cobán. It is an iconic tourist destination with these beautiful pools formed over the Cahabón River. We drove early in the morning, not sure how the traffic would be and in search of sunshine as it was raining in Cobán. We made it to Lanquin around 9am and ate our DIY breakfast of sandwiches, bananas, peanut butter, and of course coffee in a bag!
We then continued onto Semuc Champey itself. It was quite the journey driving up and people tried to convince us to park lower down but we carried on to the top. There were many things for sale on the way and it got pricier the further up, but we had packed well so we avoided having to buy things. We we got in, first thing we did was hike to the mirador. It is a short but rigorous walk to the top. Then you wait in line for a turn at the mirador for a picture. Waiting in line was fun though because we met some other people and saw a family of monkeys!!
We climbed down and swam around in the pools which were so lovely. The water felt fresh but not cold and I think the rain kept away some people. After swimming a bit, we went to go eat the pollo granjero we had packed and various fruits we had carried up the mirador and down. Even though it was tiring, biting into a fresh juicy watermelon made it worth it. After that, I thought we'd just explore more and enjoy the nature. But to my surprise, as I followed the group I saw we were leaving Semuc! We crossed the river on a bridge and reached another place advertising caves. I was curious and intrigued after my first cave experience in Chamelco but this was totally different. We entered with candles to see and before we knew it we were in deep water swimming through the cave. We climbed up ropes and rocks and reached these pools all the way to the end. It was magical. Probably it was one of the coolest things I have experienced.
Maybe an hour later making it out of the caves, the guide we were with continued down a path for us to go tubing. We followed along the river but eventually he told us to put down the tubes and keep walking. I wasn't sure why but I was too busy taking in the beauty around us to care. We came to this beautiful waterfall and he said whoever wanted to jump could follow him. We got up to this rock which felt veryy high but before the fear could set in I went for the jump! We than tubed down the river and journeyed home. Overall an amazing day and highly recommended!
Tubing time- moments before hitting some rocks...
Then Friday, was a big day for procesiones. Starting around 9am the Virgen Mary and Jesus met outside my favorite coffee shop and then carried on to the Cathedral. I had seen many alfombras out that morning too as they had brought the procession down the Calvario steps. There were many people out and it was a day full of excitement in Cobán up until midnight when they brought the procosions back inside marking the crucifixion of Jesus.
The next day was a lovely cherry on top! I was expecting Semana Santa to wind down at that point. Saturday there were no processions. However, my friends and I had one last plan for a feast. We went shopping that morning and then a couple of us headed to one friend's house to prepare pesto! I was very happy to make pesto because I have not had since coming here and it is one of my favorite foods. Also I must admit I have been missing my time in the kitchen a bit so it was a good pick me up. From there we drove to a friend of a friend's pool house down the road from Salchicha. It was beautiful, the whole drive, the location, everything, I loved it! We ate the food there once we arrived and then practiced our volleyball skills in the pool... (sadly we could not keep the ball up for more than 30 passes but we had fun). Then we went to the palce of the week, take a guess...
Another cave! This one too was so different from the others. It was very muddy and had sharper rocks and bats! But overall it was very cool and I really enjoyed it. Caves might become my new thing...
On Sunday, we soaked up the final feelings of vacation with a morning run and trip to breakfast before everyone returned to life as we knew it. Then right as I was about to go to sleep my friend invited me out for one last atol, the perfect end to a perfect week. Overall, it was an amazing way to spend Semana Santa and I loved every moment of time spent in these beautiful places with amazing people. I have lots of appreciation and am happy to share this very long winded account with all of you! Perhaps it will inspire your next trip to Alta Verapaz! Hasta luego y ahora...
Back to work...:)
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