Ever since hiking 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail in August, I’ve felt the desire for long walks. After eating a big Thanksgiving meal, I was ready for an epic walk.

The day was overcast, with the occasional drizzle of rain. The temperature was in the mid to upper 60s. Perfect. 

After the rush of breakfast service, guest check-outs, and shuttle departures, Martin and I grabbed a daypack and said adios to the others at El Muro.

We headed for Utopia.

Utopia is another hostal with whom El Muro partners for a few things. We’ve met several people who work at Utopia, dozens of guests en route to Utopia, and heard so many things about this hostal that we decided to hike the seven or so miles to see it for ourselves. 

The gravel road was steep. The rain from the previous days made the road muddy and slick. We took our time, stopping to enjoy the view.

The road was lined with coffee, cardamom, and mandarine oranges.

You would think that getting a good cup of coffee in Guatemala would be easy, but I have a hunch that most of the coffee grown here is for export only. If there is fresh, local coffee, I have yet to find it. 

We met a group of kids who loved to touch my hair and wanted to wear my jacket. We showed them the photos on our camera and they showed us where to find the cardamom pods on the plant, which had been hiding from us up to that point. 

The owner of El Muro had told us that the turkeys in Guatemala love to chat. If you say something – anything – to them, they will respond. Of course, when we encountered a couple turkeys, we had to try it!

 

Utopia is even more rural than El Muro. 

It has a neat set up with plenty of sleeping space and delicious vegetarian food. It also has a lot of cacao plants and offers a chocolate tour for its guests. I enjoyed visiting Utopia, but I was thankful that El Muro is at least in a town with a market and a few restaurants. If I’m going stir crazy at El Muro, I can’t imagine how I’d feel at Utopia.

On the way back from Utopia, a young Guatemalan man was out running along the road. This is the first time I have seen any local exercising. He stopped and introduced himself and asked if we had any water to spare. I was elated that I was able to understand what he asked! 

Exercise does wonders for my mood.

When we arrived back at El Muro, we had hiked for nearly 6 hours and walked about 14 miles. I had blisters on my toes and mud all over my shoes. I was blissfully happy.