Sayaxche Trip

Headed into the jungle once again for a look at some Maya ruins. Our trip to Sayaxache was only the first leg. We then booked launchas for 2 seperate river trips to Aquateca and Ciebal.

Eleven Gringos hit the Peten in search of adventure.

Sometimes when traveling in Central America you don't get TV in your room. You don't get HOT water in your bathroom, even if it is private and sometimes there is only ONE restaurant in town worth eating in!

That town is Sayaxche. So what does Sayaxche have? It has a ferry that connects it to the highway. This ferry is powered by outboard motors. If an 18 wheeler is on board it's job is to drive on fast and stop quickly just at the other end to free the barge from the land and get things started. Then as the barge is crossing the river it backs up so the the front end isn't too heavy in the front to land on the other side.

So...when your hotel has a balcony and the Tienda across the street has beer and liquor and soft drinks you can spend hours watching life. The ferry crossings and rating the truck drivers ability to "push" the ferry off. Some guys are pros...one quick stop and their off! Others took 2 - 4 times. There there are the motorcycle riders who don't want to pay the ferry fee and lift and cajole their bikes into launcha taxis for the trip across. Apparently the taxis charge less. The kids fishing and then the man bathing in the river and being ever so modest. Clothes being washed and beat on rocks. The turkeys (not the gringos) walking up the road, the barge like launchas being loaded with maize. They will travel to inland Mexico totally by river from Guatemala.

We may not have had hot water or TV, but we had the best show in town. The locals were friendly, the food was good and the beer was COLD. What more could you ask for????