3rd day in Lanquin - Trekking to Semuc-Champay again!

During my long day in Lanquin hiding from the rain, some of the other people at El Retiro told me about something that I had missed in Semuc – some really adventurous grotas (caves) that sounded really fun. So the day after I got up early, shook off the hangover (I was REALLY bad at that drinking game!), and set off again. I don’t know what the locals thought about the strange Swede that came walking by their villages AGAIN, but at least they got some business that day – my poor head needed massive amounts of Agua Pura (drinking water)!

And the caves really were worth the trip! We started by swimming into the caves, carrying only candles, and then it just got better. We spent something like two hours climbing ropes, diving, walking past waterfalls, swimming against, and drifting with, currents, and generally just having a LOT of fun! The guide we went with was not very security conscious, and maybe even a bit crazy, but it all added to the experience!

Unfortunately the camera was fogging up in the cave due to the cold water, so here’s a picture of my two companions when we were tubing down the river afterwards instead.

I also picked up a companion (left in the picture above) in Semuc; Brendan Kellogg is an artist/artisan (among other things he makes furniture) from Manhattan, and we had a great hike “home” to Lanquin – it’s amazing how much easier it is to hike when you have someone really nice to talk to! I lured Brendan back with me with the promise of all the great girls at El Retiro (well, he was more their age, so I thought I could be generous and give them away :-)), and he seemed happy enough when we got there, even though he seemed to spend most of his time with me, Don Pedro, and the other guys.