Towards Totonicapan: Stop En-route in Cuatro Caminos

After our visit to Solola and the breath taking Lake Atitlan and its surroundings, we are again on our way back to the Pan American Highway via Los Encuentros, which is the intersection we pass a few days ago on our way from Chichicastenango to Solola.

Westward from Los Encuentros the Pan American Highway twists and turns ever higher into the mountains, bringing still more dramatic scenery and cooler temperatures. It reaches its highest point, 3670m, after Nahuala, one of the 22 Solola's municipalities, around 42km from Los Encuentros.

Approximately 17km further, we will arrive to Cuatro Caminos (Four Roads). We will identify the place by the many parked chicken buses.

Let me tell you, chicken buses are just part of what makes the Guatemalan countryside so picturesque.

The buses are generally old school buses, privately owned and decorated according to the owner / driver's taste, not to mention the name of his current girlfriend.

They run between towns, often crammed full of people, farm goods and yes, chickens! 

Cuatro Caminos per se, is not anything one can call a beautiful place but I think stretching the legs will be a good excuse to make a short stop, to take a look of what is going on, and if you are like me, always looking for some treat, you could be delighted with the most flavorful fruit-based pastes you have ever tried. My favorites: quince, peach, guava, and manzanilla (C. pubescens).

And now from Cuatro Caminos, there are only 12km between us and our next destination: Totonicapan.