Guatemala means “the place of many trees”, a name give by Tlaxcaltecan soliders who occupied this area during the Spanish Conquest. I love that it’s such a literal translation of the lush ora that covers this land. From where we are in the highlands to the lowlands near the Carribean, this country is covered in green, even when the ground is brown with the dry season. This week, we ventured into all those trees in our backyard.
El Pilar is a natural sanctuary with mountain springs and and a long, windy path through the forest. From avocado trees to coffee plants, massive agave plants to palm trees, a dozen variety of banana trees and oaks, it looked like Jurassic Park. Normally, this area is buzzing with hummingbirds but they’re not around this season.
Starting at the pools from natural springs, we lazily meandered through the trees with new friends showing us the way. One massive tree was growing down a side of a cliff, its roots exposed and gripping onto boulders and anything else along the way. We’ve seen a few of these but none this large and it was a sight to behold. And then the lazy path starting going (what felt like) straight vertical. Up and up we all climbed, while River free domestic shipping on orders $150 or more ran back in forth ensuring everyone was still breathing. Scaling the steep mountain under the heavy forest cover, we eventually popped out at the top, rewarding us with a breath taking view of the valley below and the mountains that surround it.
