Flores
Flores was meant to be a quick stop off on the way to Belize however the old town and some tummy trouble turned it in to a two night stay. There's some nice places to eat and drink and the lake makes a great place to explore; So it wasn't all bad!
The shuttle was uncomfortable, badly organised and also pretty late leaving. However in this area there aren't many other options other than Collectivos between the main towns all the way to Flores. We met a few people who had done this from Flores to Coban so it is entirely possible and probably cheaper, though it is a little more involved.
We got up at 5am to make sure we had to time to pack up our things then our tent, have breakfast and make it on to the 6am pickup to Lanquin. It was pretty muddy where we had put up the tent and it was still pretty wet so we just put the tent away ready for drying out when we got to Flores. We had time for a bit of yogurt and granola before we were called to jump into the back of the pick-up for forty minutes of the "dodge the low hanging branches" game. It was fun for the first fifteen minutes but soon our muscles were aching from holding on for dear life!
When we got to Lanquin we waited around for fifteen minutes and I showed my ticket to random people in the hope of finding out which bus we needed to get on. Soon we were told to get back in the pick-up because our shuttle was else where. We jumped in and flew at break-neck speed to the other side of town where we quickly transferred to another bus. From there we were brought straight back to where we had just been and told to get on the bus we'd been standing next to for fifteen minutes and which was now full of people... classic.
When we got on the mini-bus we were worried we were both going to have to take the fold down seats that take up the middle aisle when the bus is very full. Luckily a girl wasn't feeling well and asked to be moved to nearest the door so we happily took some prime seats at the front - though still with limited leg room. We sat on the bus for another fifteen minutes as slowly the bus got hotter and hotter. There seemed to be an argument between some of the other passengers going on outside and they were refusing to get on which in the end delayed us for at least half an hour. In the end they were put back on a pick-up so they could go and be angry elsewhere. Then, we were off.
The journey after that was okay but very, very long. In the end our total travel time was topping ten hours and our bums again we unhappy about it. We stopped for lunch for about forty minutes and had a couple of toilet stops but other than that it was just straight driving. The only other thing of note that happened was the crossing of a river about an hour outside Flores where the road stopped and everyone needs to use a chain driven ferry. Clearly they haven't thought to build a bridge yet!
Eventually we pulled in to Saint Elena which is the city that encompasses the town of Flores. We picked up one of the reps from the shuttles tour company who gave a speech about how to get to Tikal and how cheap he could get the trip to be. We also all got cash out at this point as apparently the Flores ATMs often run out - however this could have also been a ploy to get us to spend the cash on his tour. Eventually the shuttle made it to Flores and it was a fifty metre walk to Hotel Yaxha. Where we were delighted to have our first hot shower in a while.
We showered and then headed straight out to catch the end of the sunset and grab some food. Kate had found a place that did Italian food called Terrazzo, which would be perfect for our stomachs that were still a little bit on the funny side. The plan was to get up early and head to Tikal in the morning so we had an early night and made use of the wifi at the hotel.
Day 1
In the morning we ended up going very slowly as Kate was feeling a bit off again. We managed to make it to "Cool Beans" which is a very nice restaurant at the far end of Flores overlooking the lake. I got the pancakes which came with an incredible mango jam. Afterwards we had a quick walk round Flores (it really only takes twenty minutes or so!) and explored a few of the cobbled streets.
When we got back to the hotel Kate found she was feeling worse and didn't need another two or so hours getting to Tikal followed by a night camping (which was the plan). We decided we'd check back in to the hotel and rest up for the day. Unfortunately the room we'd had the night before was taken however they had a room for 220Q which was larger and had a balcony. We took it and I spent the rest of the day catching up on the blog while Kate rested.
By the evening she was feeling better so we had a drink at the Sky Lounge which has a happy hour from 5-7pm for sunset and we watched the sun go down as the people of Flores came out to swim in the lake which seemed to be a very popular past time for the locals. On the way back we stopped off at Cool Beans again to see what their Sundaes were like - they were ok for 15Q!
Day 2
We headed to Cool Beans again to get a few more pancakes. We were worried they wouldn't have the mango jam again but appears to be their speciality which is great. After breakfast we headed back to the hotel to grab our bags and head over to the bus terminal to get to Tikal. We grabbed a tuk tuk (which was very tight on space with all our bags) for 10Q to the bus station in St Elena as it's a little too far to walk.
We spoke to a guy at the bus station who showed us to a desk selling tickets to Tikal. At first we thought we were being ripped off but later on when all the locals piled on we felt much better. It was 50Q each!
 |
| The edge of Flores and the lake |
Getting There
The journey to Flores from Lanquin is another uncomfortable one. It took us about 10 hours on various forms of transport. We got a pick-up from Utopia for 25Q each (45mins), and then it was 150Q each for shuttle from Lanquin to Flores. We had purchased the transfer while in Coban from our hostel using the company Coban Travels.The shuttle was uncomfortable, badly organised and also pretty late leaving. However in this area there aren't many other options other than Collectivos between the main towns all the way to Flores. We met a few people who had done this from Flores to Coban so it is entirely possible and probably cheaper, though it is a little more involved.
Where we Stayed
We stayed at the Hotel Yaxha. We ended up staying in a double private en-suite for one night at 175Q and then a triple private en-suite, with a balcony for 220Q. The rooms were clean with okay wifi, and the service was good.Food and Drink
- Cool Beans - a really nice restaurant and bar. The breakfast is especially good, the pancakes with mango jam is highly recommended.
- Terrazzo - If you're looking for some pasta in Flores this is the place to come.
- Sky Bar - As the name suggests Sky Bar has great views of the lake and between 5-7 they also have a happy hour. We also got food here which was good.
Journal
Getting ThereWe got up at 5am to make sure we had to time to pack up our things then our tent, have breakfast and make it on to the 6am pickup to Lanquin. It was pretty muddy where we had put up the tent and it was still pretty wet so we just put the tent away ready for drying out when we got to Flores. We had time for a bit of yogurt and granola before we were called to jump into the back of the pick-up for forty minutes of the "dodge the low hanging branches" game. It was fun for the first fifteen minutes but soon our muscles were aching from holding on for dear life!
When we got to Lanquin we waited around for fifteen minutes and I showed my ticket to random people in the hope of finding out which bus we needed to get on. Soon we were told to get back in the pick-up because our shuttle was else where. We jumped in and flew at break-neck speed to the other side of town where we quickly transferred to another bus. From there we were brought straight back to where we had just been and told to get on the bus we'd been standing next to for fifteen minutes and which was now full of people... classic.
When we got on the mini-bus we were worried we were both going to have to take the fold down seats that take up the middle aisle when the bus is very full. Luckily a girl wasn't feeling well and asked to be moved to nearest the door so we happily took some prime seats at the front - though still with limited leg room. We sat on the bus for another fifteen minutes as slowly the bus got hotter and hotter. There seemed to be an argument between some of the other passengers going on outside and they were refusing to get on which in the end delayed us for at least half an hour. In the end they were put back on a pick-up so they could go and be angry elsewhere. Then, we were off.
The journey after that was okay but very, very long. In the end our total travel time was topping ten hours and our bums again we unhappy about it. We stopped for lunch for about forty minutes and had a couple of toilet stops but other than that it was just straight driving. The only other thing of note that happened was the crossing of a river about an hour outside Flores where the road stopped and everyone needs to use a chain driven ferry. Clearly they haven't thought to build a bridge yet!
Eventually we pulled in to Saint Elena which is the city that encompasses the town of Flores. We picked up one of the reps from the shuttles tour company who gave a speech about how to get to Tikal and how cheap he could get the trip to be. We also all got cash out at this point as apparently the Flores ATMs often run out - however this could have also been a ploy to get us to spend the cash on his tour. Eventually the shuttle made it to Flores and it was a fifty metre walk to Hotel Yaxha. Where we were delighted to have our first hot shower in a while.
We showered and then headed straight out to catch the end of the sunset and grab some food. Kate had found a place that did Italian food called Terrazzo, which would be perfect for our stomachs that were still a little bit on the funny side. The plan was to get up early and head to Tikal in the morning so we had an early night and made use of the wifi at the hotel.
Day 1
In the morning we ended up going very slowly as Kate was feeling a bit off again. We managed to make it to "Cool Beans" which is a very nice restaurant at the far end of Flores overlooking the lake. I got the pancakes which came with an incredible mango jam. Afterwards we had a quick walk round Flores (it really only takes twenty minutes or so!) and explored a few of the cobbled streets.
 |
| Breakfast at Cool Beans - try the mango jam! |
When we got back to the hotel Kate found she was feeling worse and didn't need another two or so hours getting to Tikal followed by a night camping (which was the plan). We decided we'd check back in to the hotel and rest up for the day. Unfortunately the room we'd had the night before was taken however they had a room for 220Q which was larger and had a balcony. We took it and I spent the rest of the day catching up on the blog while Kate rested.
By the evening she was feeling better so we had a drink at the Sky Lounge which has a happy hour from 5-7pm for sunset and we watched the sun go down as the people of Flores came out to swim in the lake which seemed to be a very popular past time for the locals. On the way back we stopped off at Cool Beans again to see what their Sundaes were like - they were ok for 15Q!
Day 2
We headed to Cool Beans again to get a few more pancakes. We were worried they wouldn't have the mango jam again but appears to be their speciality which is great. After breakfast we headed back to the hotel to grab our bags and head over to the bus terminal to get to Tikal. We grabbed a tuk tuk (which was very tight on space with all our bags) for 10Q to the bus station in St Elena as it's a little too far to walk.
We spoke to a guy at the bus station who showed us to a desk selling tickets to Tikal. At first we thought we were being ripped off but later on when all the locals piled on we felt much better. It was 50Q each!
Comments
Post a Comment