Maximon presiding over a ceremonyOur delightful guide, Hugo, took us to the inner Chichicastenango market where the local Mayans were trading fresh produce. He identified the different Mayan groups based upon the patterns in their colorful woven costumes. The market has everything anyone might need, from toiletries to piles of chicken heads. Fortunately, Hugo greatly assisted in the bargaining process for us. With my limited Spanish, I barely could comprehend a few words and certainly not at rapid speaking pace. We left two stalls only to have the proprietors run down the street to find us, with not only a new price, but the object wrapped and ready to go. I happened on an antique carved wooden skeleton, both creepy and lovely. We were fortunate to witness a Mayan ritual on the steps of the Catholic church. A man swung a small bucket of incense over the fire and several Mayan priests walked through the crowd. Suddenly, I felt the earth undulate beneath my feet and others noticed a display of beaded jewelry swaying. Hugo informed us that earthquakes are common at the start of rainy season. What we felt was a 6.1 earthquake with an epicenter located 17 kilometers below Lake Atitlan.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
