Chill out on the river
Trip Start
Sep 23, 2010
1
325
366
Trip End
Jul 13, 2012
Where I stayed
Hotel Backpackers
Rio Dulce, Izabal, Guatemala
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
It started off quite roomie as it was a medium size bus but man can they cram people on. It got so crowded that I had a woman near enough sitting on my lap! Four hours later we arrived at a busy little place and only managed to find our stop when we happened to ask where we were. Rio Dulce town is on the River Isabel and is separated by a huge bridge and as you can guess the hotel we were looking for was on the other side. So we started walking over but the bridge went on and on and it was rather windy, so luckily for us a Tuk Tuk stopped to pick us up and took us to the hotel for QTZ$10 (just under a pound). Once checked in we had a wander back over the bridge (as the main town is on that side) taking in the view of the nearby mountains and river running off into the distance. Hot from the heat of the day we stopped for a milkshake in one of our favorite Guatemalan ice creamery's called Sarita. Then we had a walk up and down the main street checking out the restaurants and shops, getting asked if we wanted this and that. Around 4pm, we headed back and had a rest in our room for an hour or so and were woken up with a knock on the door as the staff wanted to put a shower curtain up for us. Later we walked back over the bridge to find a restaurant for dinner and had a chicken chow mein by the river. After dinner we walked back, showered then watched the film Night at the Museum 2 and then tried to get some sleep over the noise of the lorries crossing the bridge using their exhaust brakes.
Thurs 29th Mar.
Had a lie-in until 9am and had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then had a bit of a planning session. Around lunchtime we walked back over the bridge to have a better look and get a few bits in the local supermarket and book our bus to Antigua. Supplies and tickets bought, we had an ice cream and then walked back over the bridge to the hotel. Later in the afternoon we had a refreshing dip in the river which was surprisingly warm and sat and chatted with a couple of girls that had also done the same. When the sun was just setting, we headed back to the room, showered and then had lasagne in the restaurant. After dinner we went back to the room to pack and relax for the evening, watching a couple of episodes of Ice Road Truckers, then hoped we could get some sleep over the noise of the birthday party going on in the restaurant.
Fri 30th Mar.
Up early around 7am, had breakfast, checked out of the room and then walked to the police station to catch the bus this side of the bridge. We had arranged at the bus station to be picked up this side so we didn't have to carry our bags over the bridge, but we were unsure if they would stop or not. Around 8.20am the bus arrived and we settled in for the 6hr ride to Guatemala City where we then transfered to a smaller bus to Antigua.
