Derrumbe!
7/10/09
1. Derrumbe does not mean "bumpy".
2. Driving through Guatemala City without a map is inadvisable.
While these truths may seem obvious, we enjoyed a fascinating, if a bit stressful, day of driving through Guatemala. Heading west out of Coban, we decided to take the lesser traveled route across the mountain ranges to Huehuetenango. Though this road seems like short stretch on the map, we had read that it was actually over 450 km of high mountain roads, affording fantastic vistas of the surrounding countryside. Turning off toward San Cristobal, the road started to deteriorate a bit and on the far side of town turned into a bumpy, rivuleted road. We sought the advice of a few people in town who gave us directions, confirmed the correct route and said the road was "derrumbe". Assuming this meant a bumpy, poor road like the one we were on, we continued up the hill out of town. Soon however, we realized the true meaning of derrumbe.
Scenic Views
Danger - Falling rocks - Road closed
Landslide!
The original road cut into the mountainside had fallen with the better part of the slope. An alternative road was being devised that passed down into the valley, and presumably up the other side. We traveled down a portion of the road, but when we came to thick muddy curves, decided against possibly getting stuck and turned around. Later when we spoke with a construction worker we were thankful for this decision as he said it was at least two hours through the road construction and even longer if the trucks were working.
The newly cut road
The last straw
Trucks building and clearing the new valley road
With our proposed route effectively blocked, we had to change our plans. Consulting with a mechanic near the road to Salama, we found that our second possible route was also a very poor and sometimes impassable road. He recommended a third route, which would take us directly through Guatemala City. Not exactly our plan, but onward and upward! We rolled into the city at 2pm on a Friday afternoon, into the thick of traffic, with no city map. As I stated before, inadvisable. After a long "scenic route" around the city, we purchased a map and with the help of many friendly Guatemala City residents, made it onto the road out of town. Phew!
1. Derrumbe does not mean "bumpy".
2. Driving through Guatemala City without a map is inadvisable.
While these truths may seem obvious, we enjoyed a fascinating, if a bit stressful, day of driving through Guatemala. Heading west out of Coban, we decided to take the lesser traveled route across the mountain ranges to Huehuetenango. Though this road seems like short stretch on the map, we had read that it was actually over 450 km of high mountain roads, affording fantastic vistas of the surrounding countryside. Turning off toward San Cristobal, the road started to deteriorate a bit and on the far side of town turned into a bumpy, rivuleted road. We sought the advice of a few people in town who gave us directions, confirmed the correct route and said the road was "derrumbe". Assuming this meant a bumpy, poor road like the one we were on, we continued up the hill out of town. Soon however, we realized the true meaning of derrumbe.
Scenic Views
Danger - Falling rocks - Road closed
Landslide!
The original road cut into the mountainside had fallen with the better part of the slope. An alternative road was being devised that passed down into the valley, and presumably up the other side. We traveled down a portion of the road, but when we came to thick muddy curves, decided against possibly getting stuck and turned around. Later when we spoke with a construction worker we were thankful for this decision as he said it was at least two hours through the road construction and even longer if the trucks were working.
The newly cut road
The last straw
Trucks building and clearing the new valley road
With our proposed route effectively blocked, we had to change our plans. Consulting with a mechanic near the road to Salama, we found that our second possible route was also a very poor and sometimes impassable road. He recommended a third route, which would take us directly through Guatemala City. Not exactly our plan, but onward and upward! We rolled into the city at 2pm on a Friday afternoon, into the thick of traffic, with no city map. As I stated before, inadvisable. After a long "scenic route" around the city, we purchased a map and with the help of many friendly Guatemala City residents, made it onto the road out of town. Phew!
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