Quebrada Chiallí

When we got up today, it rained and we were not too motivated to do a long stretch as originally planned. So we started slowly with a great coffee of the Coban region. In the hostel, we chatted with Jorge, who works there. He told us about his village Tactic which is located 30km South of Covan and what to do there. Furthermore, he invited us to stay at his house. So of course, we couldn't say no to the invitation. On top, he took all our luggage in his car, so riding felt almost like flying.
First, we went to the central square. There was a stage and music and it was packed with people waiting for something. When we asked what was going on, they told us that the local government had changed and everyone was eager to see the new mayor. We didn't want to wait for the guy for another 2-3 hours, so instead rode up a short but incredibly steep hill to the church of Cristo de Chi-Ixim. Jorge had told us that today was a special religious festival again that they celebrated at that church. And yes, we saw people doing religious burning ceremonies. Apart from the ceremonies, it looked more like a street food festival with lots of food stalls. So we decided to try some small local dishes as an appetizer.
Because next, we wanted to go to a food corner shop in the market. Jorge knew the ladies running it and had raved about the food. And indeed, for about 1.5€ each, we received a plate of rice, vegetables, salad, beef broth and a glass of water and it was yummy!
Our last activity for the day was Chamche, a mix of a small zoo (they even had a Bengal Tigre) and natural swimming pools. The water was freezing cold but refreshing. We spent the rest of the afternoon at this place reading and watching animals.
At 5, the place closed and it started to rain. We rushed into the city center again to buy some dinner. Then we went to a restaurant to have a beer while waiting for Jorge to finish work at the hostel. Unfortunately, there was a lot of work, so he didn't get home u til 10pm. Luckily, his sister was home at 8:30pm, so we could at least get into the house, cook some dinner and chat for a while. When Jorge got home, we were really tired, so didn't have much time for a longer chat. But we were very lucky to stay with this great and hospitable family.Read more