Detour Worth Making: “Agua Caliente,” The World’s Only Hot Waterfall

by Willy Volk on

Believe it or not, Guatemala is home to the world’s only hot waterfall. Known as “Agua Caliente,” the steaming waters from a thermal spring bubbling into the Rio Dulce pour over the falls into a cool pond below. Surrounded by foliage and ancient pocked rocks, Agua Caliente looks like a scene from a coming-of-age movie.

As if the anomaly of standing in cool waters as hot waters pour over you weren’t enough, visitors can creep behind the falls and find just enough room for a natural sauna, letting you steam from the shoulders up while staying cool down below. Como se dice, “Ahhhhh…”?

Located on the extreme northwest tip of Lake Izabal — Guatemala’s largest lake — Agua Caliente is relatively easy to reach, by car, bus, or boat. Moreover, it may be among the most picturesque destinations in the world, as this photo by Justin.Slammer proves.

George W. Bush’s Visit to Guatemala Causes a Mayan Stir

by Jamie Rhein on

George W. Bush and Laura are in Guatemala checking out various sites there—some government, some agriculture and some tourist related.

Next week, Bush is heading to Guatemala’s archeological site, Iximche, the once capital of the Mayan kingdom Kaqchiqueles before the Spanish showed up and did a number on it in 1524. The Mayan descendents are not too pleased that Bush is coming and plan to have a Mayan priest hold a purification ceremony of the site after he leaves. I bet, though, there will be a spike in visitors now that the site is in the news.

If you want to visit the site yourself one of these days, check out Ecotourism and Adventure Specialists’ website. The company operates a variety of tours. Some of them include Mayan ruins. This is a good place to find out what interests you and what’s available. When I did a search on Iximche, a lot of what I found was articles about Bush ‘s visit. Here is an interesting blog post by Kambiz Kamrani that I found on Archeology.net. Kamrani writes a bit about this convergence of ritual and politics. The photo is from the post and is of a Mayan purification ceremony.

The Amazing world of Francis Ford Coppola

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s rare that a real live person can be described as a destination.

And yet, this is how the Miami Herald describes film director Francis Ford Coppola.

Films can be journeys unto themselves, of course, but it is Coppola’s non-cinematic ventures which are the focus of the Herald’s “destination” piece.

Coppola, like Walt Disney before him, has used profits from Hollywood to create real-world escapes. Coppola’s investments have been far different than Disney’s, however, focusing on amusements that are more mature than cartoons and roller coasters.

Winery
Coppola’s Rubicon Estate in Napa, California rests on a few hundred acres of prime grapevines which have produced a number of award winning wines for the famed director. Tours of the estate start at $20 for a historical tour and $45 for a tour of the wine facilities (tastings included). Also located on the grounds is the Centennial Museum. The museum contains artifacts from the original owner of the estate, Gustave Niebaum, as well as movie memorabilia from Coppola’s films, including all five of his Oscars. It will soon be moving to another location, however.

Restaurants
A restaurant owned by Francis Ford Coppola really needs no introduction. It’s not too hard to guess that anything with his name on it is going to include fantastic wine and great Italian food. If you happen to be in the San Francisco area, be sure to stop by Rubicon, Café Zoetrope, or Café Ross Bianco (in Palo Alto).

Resorts
Disney had Disneyland and Coppola has Blancaneaux Lodge in the jungles of Belize, Turtle Inn on the southern coast of Belize, and La Lancha in Guatemala near the Tikal region. Travelers can drool over all three locations at the following website.

I don’t know about you, but I sure think it must be great to be Francis Ford Coppola. Can’t I just be him for one day? Please?

Megan Lyles Travel Writer

by Adrienne Wilson on

When really good travel blogs manage to remain secret to me, I get bummed wishing someone had called me sooner to say, “Hey, Adrienne you need to peep this right now!” No personal calls were ever received which leads me to wonder how many folks even know about the travel writing goodness of Megan Lyles? It really makes no huge difference that I didn’t follow Megan and her fiancé/photographer, Michael Simon, while they were blogging on the road. It just means I have a ton of catching up to do.

Back in the summer of 2005 Megan and Michael took off on a one-year long bus trip from Manhattan to the tip of South America. The trip has since been wrapped up and Megan and Michael are back in Manhattan, but the site is still up and there for your viewing pleasure. And I do mean it is a pleasure to check out. I read through some of the Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay stops not wanting to stop, but catching up is going to take a while. Before I departed I clicked on just one more plug while they were in North Carolina attending the Vans Warped tour. All I can say is Megan, where ever you are – I can totally relate.

Photo of the Day (11/9/06)

by Neil Woodburn on

There is nothing more hilarious while traveling than to run across a local wearing a random t-shirt he probably received as a gift from some tourist, yet has no idea what the English writing actually means.

I just love the way this photo by Jen Hamilon captures this rugged Guatemalan who, as his shirt suggests, is far more than just another cowboy on the range.