EL ORIENTE AND IZABAL - Guatemala - page 409

FourblocksfromtheparkontheroadheadingouttoLanquínandrightonthelakeshore,
Posada Valle Verde (tel. [phone], www.posadalasmarias.com ) has rooms housed in
large, wooden A-frame cabins, including dorm beds ($4), shared-bath doubles ($10), and
doubles with private bathroom ($20). The restaurant/bar serves Guatemalan and interna-
tional dishes. Trips to the Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge can be arranged through the
hotel, which is under the same ownership as the Posada Las Marías in Lanquín.
Food
Chaabil (west end of 3a Calle, tel. [phone] or 5544-1066, all meals daily, lunch and
dinner $4-9) means “good” in Q'eqchi' and the food here lives up to its name with family
recipes specializing in seafood served in a pleasant thatched-roof dining room with quaint
handmade wooden furniture and right on the lake. On the plaza, Café Portal (5a Avenida
2-65, tel. [phone], 6:30 A.M.-10 P.M. daily) and Restaurante Hugo's (tel. [phone],
all meals daily) serve a wide range of Guatemalan and international dishes, including ve-
getarian dishes and fast-food munchies such as burgers and sandwiches.
Information and Services
Banrural(3aCalleand6aAvenida)canexchangecashdollarsandcashtravelerschecks.In
addition to the tourism information office on the central plaza, some folks at Hugo's Res-
taurant (Hugo Fajardo) and Hotel Vista al Lago (Oscar Paz) can answer your questions on
local attractions and getting around.
Getting There
There are buses from Río Dulce to El Estor leaving every 90 minutes or so from the north
end of the bridge. The buses leave hourly from El Estor for the return trip 6 A.M.-4 P.M.
The dirt road continues west from here to Panzós, Tucurú, and Tactic, just south of Cobán,
though it is not recommended because it's notorious for highway holdups. Check on the
situation if you choose this route by inquiring at Hugo's Restaurant. If driving your own
vehicle, you'll need a 4WD for this road.
A better option for getting to Las Verapaces is to take a truck leaving the town's central
plaza at 9 A.M. daily for the village of Cahabón ($2, five hours). From there, you can take
a pickup or bus to Lanquín, all the while being careful not to get stranded in Cahabón be-
cause it's not the safest place after dark. Coming back east to El Estor though here, the bus
leaves at 4 A.M., so unless there's a later bus running at the time of your visit it would be
ill-advised totakethisroute,asyou'dhavetospendthenightinCahabón.You'llalsoneed
4WD on this road if you've got your own set of wheels.
A direct bus leaves for Guatemala City daily at 1 A.M., taking six hours and costing $7.
The same bus leaves Guatemala City's bus terminal at 10 A.M.