My sister is visiting from Canada and we thought we'd take a trip to see the nearest Mayan ruins, which are just outside Tecpán. I've blogged about them before but this trip was a bit different. We didn't rent a fancy private shuttle. We took chicken buses!
For those travelers wanting just the details on how to get from Panajachel to Iximché ruins in Tecpán, here they are! (Prices are per person)
1. Chicken bus from Pana to Sololá Q3
2. Chicken bus from Sololá to Los Encuentros Q2.50
3. Chicken bus from Los Encuentros to Tecpán Q7.50 to Q10. (We were charged one price on the way there and a different price on the way back.)
4. Tuc-tuc from the highway into the Tecpán Plaza Central Q3
5. Tuc-tuc from Plaza Central out to ruins -- this was when it helped that I was prepared. The tuc-tuc driver asked for Q25 a person. NO WAY! I had read in another blog that it should be Q10 per person, so I paid them Q20 for both of us. On the way back from the ruins to Tecpán central square, we took a collectivo (shared minibus) for only Q3 a person. Much better deal!
Getting from Pana to Iximché should have only taken about 2 hours. It took us 4 hours! See pictures below for the reason. 😁
The ruins cost Q50 for foreigners to enter. There is no extra cost for the museum. They are open 9am to 4pm, I believe.
The ruins are not very big and can be seen in an hour. If you hire a guide, the tour is about 45 minutes.
All good days start with a good breakfast!
Can't forget the coffee! Cafe Loco, Panajachel, Guatemala
Just when we were getting on our way -- PARADE! We were stuck in Sololá for about an hour.
For some silly reason, the people of Sololá decided it would be fun to have a costume parade in the middle of the main street for an hour. Not sure why. It was kinda weird. We watched a bit of kooky dancing people, ate some yummy coconut with lime and pepitas, and my sister read her book.
A few chicken buses and tuc-tucs later, we were in downtown Tecpán. A bustling city! We snapped a few pics of the church (we went inside later that day), and then found a cute little restaurant to have some BBQ lunch.
The beautiful church in Tecpán. So amazing inside! High carved wood ceilings and intricate wooden altar thingies with paintings. No pictures cuz it felt disrespectful. Well worth a visit if you're ever in Tecpán.
Huge coniferous tree outside the church. Any ideas what it is?
Veggie Spaghetti Soup!
Our lunch was only Q35, or about $6 Canadian or $4.50 American. It was super yummy.
Super delish and colourful churrasco (BBQ) lunch.
The ruins are quite a ways out of town. As mentioned above, the tuc-tuc tried to charge us a LOT more than they should have. I'm not sure how you would find the collectivo (shared minibus) from the city to the ruins, but on the way back, it let us off near the central park by a bakery. It had "ruinas" written on the window. I think if you asked anyone in the square, or perhaps the policia, they would point you in the right direction.
Iximché ruins are quite spacious.
My sister contemplating some ruins.
We didn't hire a guide this time, although English-speaking guides are available for an extra cost.
I tried to recite all the info that they told us last time!
A beautiful place. Simple ruins, nothing too fancy.
That tall tree was FULL of indentations, and almost every one had an acorn stored in it! We saw three woodpeckers making the holes, but we didn't see who was filling them with nuts!
Way at the back of the ruins is the working Mayan altar. It is very mystical.
Offerings to the gods, both Catholic and Mayan.
My sister playing tourist. 😄
Smoke thru the trees at the altar.
Last time I was here, we didn't go in the museum. We went in this time and I have to say it was quite informative and fascinating!
A diarama of how the ruins looked before they were ruins!
Some of the museum displays.
DUDE! There were some fascinating items found at the ruins when they were excavated.
I didn't take pictures of them all cuz I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone!
This is as we were waiting for our chicken bus from the highway near Tecpán, heading towards Los Encuentros.
I took this so that anyone planning a trip can recognize the turnoff to Tecpán. The driver called it super-something. Maybe super-salas? Not sure.
The sun was heading down fast as we got our series of wild chicken bus rides to get back home to Pana. We had to make one last fun stop though. The Xmas tree in the central square of Sololá was too awesome to pass up!
Our last chicken bus from Sololá down home was packed. My sister surfed in the aisle like a pro!
It was a long and fun-filled day. I must remind everyone that is traveling in Guatemala and really anywhere -- it's great to plan; it's even better to be flexible. Life can sometime throw parades in your way. Enjoy! 😊
This sounds wonderful! What an adventure. Something I think I would def love! Thanks for sharing! Tell your sister we are missing her back in Canada!
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