Guatemala, Round Two: Birthdays, Bugs, and the River of Pasion

By Cpt CLRogerson, World Traveler and Salty Sailor
clrogerson.travel

Three years after my first trip to Guatemala, I went back.

May of 1996. I was 23 years old, newly married, and spending both my birthday and my first anniversary in the jungle. Romantic? Sort of. Memorable? Absolutely. This time we weren’t just building a dormitory, we were building a full-blown church in the small but growing town of Sayaxché, deep in the Petén region.

To get there, we took the kind of road that doesn’t show up on maps. Just packed red dirt and jungle on both sides, the occasional washed-out bridge, and the kind of ride that leaves you wondering if your spine will ever be the same.

And then there was the ferry.

Crossing the River of Pasion

It’s called El Río de la Pasión—The River of Passion. Sounds romantic, right? Let me paint you a picture.

A rusty slab of metal floating on empty oil drums, connected by ropes to both banks, powered by something that might’ve been a car engine in a past life. Just kidding, that was not our ferry but it seemed like it at the time. Our ferry was a bit like a barge, driven by two men sitting in turrets on the downstream side using outboards to push us across the river. Our truck drove onto it and was joined by several “big rigs”. as the last one loaded up the ferry man said something to one of the other drivers and my driver chuckled. Then one of the big trucks started racing towards the other end of the ferry where he slammed on his brakes and yanked the ferry free of the bank! I quietly started running through every prayer I knew, plus a few I made up on the spot.

Of course we made it, but that river crossing is burned into my memory—not because of the fear (though there was some), but because it felt like we were truly entering another world. And we were.

Ruins and Revelations

On my 23rd birthday, we took a break from construction and headed upriver in a narrow, motorized canoe. We passed birds, fishermen, and dense jungle until we pulled up to the smallest dock I’ve ever seen. Calling it a dock might be generous. It was more like a suggestion.

From there, we hiked into the jungle to explore Ceibal—a lesser-known Mayan ruin that had only recently been discovered. Archeologists were actively working there, brush cleared just enough to reveal intricate stelae and crumbling temples still half-swallowed by trees. It felt like walking into a secret.

I remember standing there, surrounded by ancient stones and thick jungle silence, thinking: How did I get here?

And I meant that in the best possible way.

A Jungle Birthday Party (and a Surprise Ingredient)

When we got back to Sayaxché that evening, I wasn’t expecting much. Maybe a shared Coke and a “Feliz cumpleaños.” What I got instead was something I’ll never forget.

The townspeople—folks we barely knew—had set up a full birthday party for me. A couple dozen people, a table covered in food, a new friend playing his beat up guitar, and right in the middle: a cake.

I thought it was a chocolate chip cake.

It was not.

As I leaned in for a closer look, one of the “chocolate chips” jumped.

That was the day I ate my first bug on purpose. A cricket cake. Apparently, they’re a delicacy in some regions but here they are just a nuisance they live with. Crunchy. Earthy. A little unsettling. But after a full day in the jungle and that boat ride, what’s one more adventure?

Why I Went Back

You might wonder why someone would return to the same country twice in three years when the whole world is out there waiting.

The answer’s simple: Guatemala had more to show me.

On my first trip, I got the spark. On the second, I felt the pull—not just to travel, but to go deeper. To see places most travelers skip. To say yes to the sketchy ferry and the mystery cake. To connect with people in a real way.

That trip didn’t just give me stories. It gave me perspective, gratitude, and a reminder that the best birthdays don’t always come with streamers and restaurant reservations. Sometimes, they come with ruins, jungle hikes, a cricket in the frosting and new friends.

And you know what?

That’s my kind of party.

CL

About Cpt CLRogerson
From bus stop dad to border-crossing nomad, Cpt CLRogerson is a licensed captain and full-time travel consultant helping others escape the ordinary and live a life anchored in adventure. Thirty-five countries in and counting.

🎉 Ready to celebrate your next chapter with something epic?
Tap that Join the Crew button and let’s start planning your escape.l7

…