N E X T J O U R N E Y . O R G

My next stop, Sayaxché, is the kind of place that challenges the very notion of  vacation. Have you ever seen the movie Le Salaire de La Peur? It is known in English as The Wages of Fear, and it tells the story of four Europeans stuck in a Central American hellhole. These men are so desperate to get away that they accept to drive two trucks full of explosives over an obstacle laden road for a ticket back home. Le Salaire de La Peur is a great film, with much to say about post-colonialism, the pointlessness of life, and what it means to be a man. How ironic, then, that people like myself, jaded with convenience and comfort, pay to make the journey in reverse and experience the bliss of mosquitoes, scary food, no hot water and inquisitive villagers. Sayaxché is one of those places at the edge of the world: you can't go any further.	Waiting to cross the river
	The gimmick and the glory of Sayaxché is that there is no bridge there. All traffic between Flores and the Southwest of the country has to cross the Rio de la Pasion either on small launches, or on a platform-ferry. Travelers leave one bus on one side, cross the river on a launch, and catch another bus on the other side. Trucks and cars use the platform-ferry. No matter what, you can't whizz by Sayaxché. You have to stop and probably spend a few Quetzales too
Foggy dawn	Sunset crossing on the platform-ferry
	Sayaxché is quite lively, but not one bit geared toward visitors. The best hotel in town is a fleabag, and in order to follow the safety rule (eat where everyone else is eating), you end up dining on street food - and hoping for the best. Why visit Sayaxché then? Because the Rio de la Pasion is gorgeous and it leads to the spectacular Laguna Petexbatun and to a few scattered Maya ruins. The ruins near Sayaxché (Aguateca and El Ceibal) are not as large or impressive as Tikal, but they are more remote, and there is a wonderful Indiana Jones feel in reaching them. I chose to visit Aguateca because it is on top of an impressive cliff, and protected from invaders thanks to a fantastic geological fissure (La Grieta).
Aguateca guide, with machete	The Aguateca cliff
The fabulous Grieta	La Grieta. Once at the top, your guide will throw in a pebble and it will hit bottom many seconds later. There are ramifications of the Grieta throughout: don't step away for a quick tinkle - you might never be heard from again.
The Aguateca site	Thousands once lived here
Pristine Laguna Petexbatun	Rio de la Pasion - It takes about one and a half hour to reach the Aguateca site from Sayaxché. Bargain hard with boatmen: they are very tough.

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