Coban, Guatemala

It took us a while to get to Coban from Poptun. We took one bus (this time an actual large bus) for a couple hours, and then transitioned to a minibus. On the minibus we slowly drove westward for 3 hours down a dirt road. We finally reached a little town in the middle of nowhere where we got on yet another bus. They definitely cram a lot of people onto these buses. There were three rows for passengers, and they managed to cram 20 people into the bus including the driver, plus a couple of guys were on top of the bus. They set up little seats in the tiny aisle of the van to make sure they get maximum capacity, and then cram you in. We finally arrived in a town of Fry where we stayed in a rundown little hotel room. We were able to find some delicious tacos from a local vender which was a plus. The next day we again got on a minibus filled with people for a 3 hour drive to Coban. The driver was flying around the mountain and recklessly passing other drivers. These two poor little kids ended up getting sick out the widow. Coban is a big city (in this area) and we found a little place to stay that's only 60 quetzales a night ($8). One major set back is a lack of hot water. While no place we have stayed in has had hot water, most places the water gets a little warm. Not here. I's freezing. It's 60 degrees outside and sprinkling, and I had to take a shower in ice cold water. It definitely was not pleasant!

Last night we walked around town, where people are selling their wares on the street and food carts are set up. After this we went to a circus, which was a lot of fun! My favorite were the tigers. They had 4 tigers in the ring with the trainer, and it made me a little nervous. In the US there are so many regulations for everything to ensure peoples safety (especially when so many people are so sue happy). Here though? I wasn't so sure...



Today we slept in, went out for a delicious & cheap breakfast and then explored some more. We climbed up a hill to visit a beautiful church and then went on a hike through the jungle, which was beautiful.