I woke up this morning to the odd sound of silence...after almost 2 days of heavy rain, and 30 hours of straight pouring rain, it seems as if the Tropical Storm Agatha has finally passed over.
It got a little worried when I woke up Saturday morning to get ready for a weekend trip with my language school to Santiago Atitlan, and it was still raining. Granted, it is rainy season, but normally it´s afternoon rain...not nonstop. So I got up early, ate breakfast, and told my host family that I didnt think it was a good idea to go and they agreed. By this time the radio reports were getting more troubling, and the rain was only getting more intense. Landslides on the highways were preventing travel, and there was some flooding taking place throughout the department/state. All day the family and I were huddled around the TV trying to keep track on new developments. People were beginning to be evacuated out of their homes, and in some places 5 minutes away, people had over a meter of water inside shops and houses, and needed small boats to get out.
Luckily, my family lives on a residential hillside, near a hill called Baul, and we were pretty safe. There were a few leaks here and there, but nothing in comparison to what could have been the problems had I stayed with my old host family, which was right next to the school and in a bit of a dip where I´m sure tons of water has collected, or did collect last night.
While the reports said that Agatha was going to be here until Tuesday, I woke up to sun and birds! Other places are still experiencing rain and problems with water and electricity, but it seems to have passed over Xela for now!
So I´m feeling quite grateful right now, and happy that I had such an awesome family to spend the few hours of slight worry and panic with.
One more week in Xela and then I´ll be heading up to the mountain school. Hopefully everything will dry up in the next little while!!
May 30, 2010
May 25, 2010
GUITAR!
I forgot to mention that I bought a guitar and have been plucking away. It was only about 40 dollars with a bag and tuner. Huzzah!
(Yes, this was important enough to post another blog entry)
(Yes, this was important enough to post another blog entry)
A few changes
This week is starting off a little better!!
I changed families, which is awesome. I don´t know if I mentioned, but I requested the family that one of my friends, Andras, lived with before he left for the mountain school. The family is really awesome and is comprised of a set of grandparents (Gladys and Fausto) two daughters in their 30s (Tahina and Susi, but Susi is gone during the week for work as a nurse in another town), Nereida who is 7 and is Susi´s daughter. There is also a dog, Pulga. I have my room on the top of the house, with my own bathroom which is nice. The family is pretty much vegetarian as well..they eat meat once in a while, today was the first time I saw them eat chicken, actually. And I since I told them I`d rather not eat eggs, Ive been fairly vegan the past couple days, which I can tell my body is thankful for!
I also changed my school schedule. I´ll be staying this week and next week in Xela, then heading up to the mountain school for two weeks. Afterwards I will be taking a week off and going on a 6 DAY HIKE to a place called Todos Santos in the department of Huehuetenango. I signed up for the hike today with Quetzaltrekkers. So that will be from June 22-28th. It sounds like its going to be a great way to explore the western area of the country...if any of you want to check out the itinerary for the trip, here´s the link: http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/guatnebaj.html
Then after the trek, I´ll be spending one more week in Xela studying at PLQ, then I have two weeks where I don´t have any schools booked. I was supposed to head to Coban but the school isn´t running for that week and they cancelled on me...I also didn´t realize that to get to Coban, I have to head back east to Guatemala City, before heading north, which is frustrating. So, there´s the option to spending a week doing Spanish school at La Cooperativa in San Pedro again, and then heading to a different school in Coban. Then afterward, I will be at a school in San Jose, in the northern department of Peten. I was thinking of spending nearly a week near Rio Dulce, but I am thinking a weekend there will be enough. Then perhaps I will head back to San Pedro, or possibly do a week of Spanish school in Antigua to end off my trip (which pretty much means getting a little partying/celebrating in before I head home).
Decisions, decisions!!!
Also, I found a place with Skype, so I´ll be calling home soon!
And, I found natural peanut butter. This has been a good day!
I changed families, which is awesome. I don´t know if I mentioned, but I requested the family that one of my friends, Andras, lived with before he left for the mountain school. The family is really awesome and is comprised of a set of grandparents (Gladys and Fausto) two daughters in their 30s (Tahina and Susi, but Susi is gone during the week for work as a nurse in another town), Nereida who is 7 and is Susi´s daughter. There is also a dog, Pulga. I have my room on the top of the house, with my own bathroom which is nice. The family is pretty much vegetarian as well..they eat meat once in a while, today was the first time I saw them eat chicken, actually. And I since I told them I`d rather not eat eggs, Ive been fairly vegan the past couple days, which I can tell my body is thankful for!
I also changed my school schedule. I´ll be staying this week and next week in Xela, then heading up to the mountain school for two weeks. Afterwards I will be taking a week off and going on a 6 DAY HIKE to a place called Todos Santos in the department of Huehuetenango. I signed up for the hike today with Quetzaltrekkers. So that will be from June 22-28th. It sounds like its going to be a great way to explore the western area of the country...if any of you want to check out the itinerary for the trip, here´s the link: http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/guatnebaj.html
Then after the trek, I´ll be spending one more week in Xela studying at PLQ, then I have two weeks where I don´t have any schools booked. I was supposed to head to Coban but the school isn´t running for that week and they cancelled on me...I also didn´t realize that to get to Coban, I have to head back east to Guatemala City, before heading north, which is frustrating. So, there´s the option to spending a week doing Spanish school at La Cooperativa in San Pedro again, and then heading to a different school in Coban. Then afterward, I will be at a school in San Jose, in the northern department of Peten. I was thinking of spending nearly a week near Rio Dulce, but I am thinking a weekend there will be enough. Then perhaps I will head back to San Pedro, or possibly do a week of Spanish school in Antigua to end off my trip (which pretty much means getting a little partying/celebrating in before I head home).
Decisions, decisions!!!
Also, I found a place with Skype, so I´ll be calling home soon!
And, I found natural peanut butter. This has been a good day!
May 23, 2010
Not all I expected..
So here´s an end to my first week in Xela. For a variety of reasons, it wasn´t really a great one. Perhaps I had too high of expectations, or my experience in San Pedro was too good in comparison. In part it may be that I´m not really enjoying being in a city. My host family wasn´t all that great either, and my teacher this week wasn´t too impressive. But, I´m changing teachers (they rotate every week) and I´m switching families today as well. The family was a couple, and a friend of theirs who was renting a room in their place...it was literally right next to the school, but it was just a weird dynamic, and there were a few odd things, like the husband told me on Friday night to be back home by 10 for his peace of mind (he didnt feel that a 21 year old girl should be out that late), and their cousins were trying to make me read their religious literature... My teacher was the oldest at the school, seemed bored most of the time, and was up to go to the bathroom or get coffee every 10 minutes, haha. It was amusing but not so conducive to learning Spanish. There are also a whole lot more students at this school, and I´ve found myself speaking more English than Spanish... The activities here are all translated too, which is slightly frustrating, and really leaves me wishing for more immersion. I know the experience is what you make of it, but I think that if rural Guatemala is calling my name, I might as well go where I feel I´ll be learning the most Spanish...
I have done some neat things at the school...they have weekly soccer games with the teachers which was a blast, and yesterday we climbed up to Chicabal, a crater-lake on top of a volcano that is used for many Mam-Mayan rituals. We also went to some hotsprings at Chicovix, but they were a little old..just tubs you´d fill up in private rooms, haha
So, I´m currently in the process of re-vamping my itinerary. I plan to go back to study in San Pedro, because I feel I made a lot of progress there. But in the meantime, I do need to see other parts of Guatemala. There are a few schools I had booked for later in the trip, but since I´m leaving Xela 2 weeks early, I´ll have to see what spots they have open.
But I´ll be here in Xela another week, then heading up to the Escuela de las Montañas for two weeks...after that, I have no idea..
Also, I plan on calling a bunch of family and friends, but for some reason I can´t find any internet cafes here which have Skype and a headset that works
I have done some neat things at the school...they have weekly soccer games with the teachers which was a blast, and yesterday we climbed up to Chicabal, a crater-lake on top of a volcano that is used for many Mam-Mayan rituals. We also went to some hotsprings at Chicovix, but they were a little old..just tubs you´d fill up in private rooms, haha
So, I´m currently in the process of re-vamping my itinerary. I plan to go back to study in San Pedro, because I feel I made a lot of progress there. But in the meantime, I do need to see other parts of Guatemala. There are a few schools I had booked for later in the trip, but since I´m leaving Xela 2 weeks early, I´ll have to see what spots they have open.
But I´ll be here in Xela another week, then heading up to the Escuela de las Montañas for two weeks...after that, I have no idea..
Also, I plan on calling a bunch of family and friends, but for some reason I can´t find any internet cafes here which have Skype and a headset that works
May 15, 2010
An end to lakeside livin`
My last day in San Pedro! I`m a little misty-eyed in realization that my hours here are numbered, but I am happy that I seem to be avoiding the onset of the rainy afternoons - its been ridiculously good weather here since I arrived (the evidence of which are my peelin shoulders.. gross)
I met some great people at La Cooperative Spanish School...the teachers and students. There is actually one student from Cooperativa who seems to have planned a similar itinerary as me...we`re both heading to Xela tomorrow, and will be starting classes Monday morning at Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Español (PLQE). I guess we`re both suckers for the social justice centred schools, haha
My family has been great. The girls have really taking a liking to me, and have told me they dont want me to leave! Last night the three of us (Ana who is 7 and Evelin who is 9) played some card games...I began to teach them Go Fish, but they already knew it...in translation though of course...Va a pescar!
I`ll be taking a shuttle tomorrow morning at 8´30am, and the bus ride is near three hours. I`ll be staying in a hotel or hostel my first night, then moving in with my family on Monday if all goes as planned.
I met some great people at La Cooperative Spanish School...the teachers and students. There is actually one student from Cooperativa who seems to have planned a similar itinerary as me...we`re both heading to Xela tomorrow, and will be starting classes Monday morning at Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Español (PLQE). I guess we`re both suckers for the social justice centred schools, haha
My family has been great. The girls have really taking a liking to me, and have told me they dont want me to leave! Last night the three of us (Ana who is 7 and Evelin who is 9) played some card games...I began to teach them Go Fish, but they already knew it...in translation though of course...Va a pescar!
I`ll be taking a shuttle tomorrow morning at 8´30am, and the bus ride is near three hours. I`ll be staying in a hotel or hostel my first night, then moving in with my family on Monday if all goes as planned.
May 12, 2010
History lessons
I am really enjoying staying with my family. I can already tell that my Spanish is getting better, having to speak in Spanish from the moment I wake up, to the minute I go to sleep. I´ve started writing in my journal in Spanish as well, and am currently reading El Principito, the Little Prince in translation!
Yesterday, a classmate, named Lauren, and I went across the lake to Panajachel to check out the market and by some gifts for her family and friends, since she is heading back to DC on Sunday. It was a weird vibe...there´s a huge high rise hotel near the water, and palm trees that didn´t seem indigenous to the area. It felt like it was trying to be a resort, which is not an impression I have gotten from any other areas of Lake Atitlan so far. But we eventually found the market, I don´t know how it happened but I ended up with three scarves in four minutes. I kept being offered lower prices by everyone coming up to me and it was a big blur. I learned my lesson and kept my cool, haha. I got a nice skirt and a purse, which is nice because I feel kind of out of place wearing pants all the time when all the local women are in their traditional dress, and always in skirts.
We got back from Panajachel just in time to catch a movie at our Spanish school. It was an Antonia Bandaras film, that was in English, but dubbed over in Spanish, with English subtitles for us, haha. It was still pretty interesting, a story about the desaparecidos in Argentina...leaving most of us in a heavy mood afterwards..
This morning was pretty heavy for me as well... Wilson (my spanish teacher) and I spent the first two hours of the four hour school day talking about the political history of Guatemala, and San Pedro in particular. I have been trying to read about the history, but it gets very complicated very fast, and I find myself lost amidst the acronyms and names of political leaders. The changeover seems to have taken place far too often to keep it all straight...
This morning, Wilson brought in a narrative overview of the 1996 Peace Accords,in Spanish of course, and I got up the courage to ask him if he wouldn´t mind telling me what he knew or remembered about the civil war and its consequences. The stories are pretty dark. Families were split along political lines...for example, his own uncle was kidnapped by the guerillas, after being monitored by his cousin in the early 70s. Each family became known for either supporting or opposing the guerrillas, and eventually, families which had members taken by the guerillas formed a group and asked for the governments help. Guerrilla-supporting families were rounded up, and eventually the capturing and imprisonment of these people diminished the violence in the area. I was given some more details, but I really would rather not recall them. After 1976, when the war and violence was continually subsiding, guerilla supporters either were threatened, or willingly left, most to the coastal areas of the country, splitting many towns along political histories. Apparently, not many guerrilla supporters remain in San Pedro. Less than 6 years ago, one family, of which the grandfather is known to have been an active member, had a terrible incident, in which the grandson was hung, by a couple of young men who sought reparations against the grandfather. It was very hard to hear...harder to keep myself composed during the storeis, and Wilson, as well, was having a hard time staying calm..
It is crazy walking around the town and remembering that everyone over 30 here has a vivid memory of the war and violence...even my host family, its...incredible...
Yesterday, a classmate, named Lauren, and I went across the lake to Panajachel to check out the market and by some gifts for her family and friends, since she is heading back to DC on Sunday. It was a weird vibe...there´s a huge high rise hotel near the water, and palm trees that didn´t seem indigenous to the area. It felt like it was trying to be a resort, which is not an impression I have gotten from any other areas of Lake Atitlan so far. But we eventually found the market, I don´t know how it happened but I ended up with three scarves in four minutes. I kept being offered lower prices by everyone coming up to me and it was a big blur. I learned my lesson and kept my cool, haha. I got a nice skirt and a purse, which is nice because I feel kind of out of place wearing pants all the time when all the local women are in their traditional dress, and always in skirts.
We got back from Panajachel just in time to catch a movie at our Spanish school. It was an Antonia Bandaras film, that was in English, but dubbed over in Spanish, with English subtitles for us, haha. It was still pretty interesting, a story about the desaparecidos in Argentina...leaving most of us in a heavy mood afterwards..
This morning was pretty heavy for me as well... Wilson (my spanish teacher) and I spent the first two hours of the four hour school day talking about the political history of Guatemala, and San Pedro in particular. I have been trying to read about the history, but it gets very complicated very fast, and I find myself lost amidst the acronyms and names of political leaders. The changeover seems to have taken place far too often to keep it all straight...
This morning, Wilson brought in a narrative overview of the 1996 Peace Accords,in Spanish of course, and I got up the courage to ask him if he wouldn´t mind telling me what he knew or remembered about the civil war and its consequences. The stories are pretty dark. Families were split along political lines...for example, his own uncle was kidnapped by the guerillas, after being monitored by his cousin in the early 70s. Each family became known for either supporting or opposing the guerrillas, and eventually, families which had members taken by the guerillas formed a group and asked for the governments help. Guerrilla-supporting families were rounded up, and eventually the capturing and imprisonment of these people diminished the violence in the area. I was given some more details, but I really would rather not recall them. After 1976, when the war and violence was continually subsiding, guerilla supporters either were threatened, or willingly left, most to the coastal areas of the country, splitting many towns along political histories. Apparently, not many guerrilla supporters remain in San Pedro. Less than 6 years ago, one family, of which the grandfather is known to have been an active member, had a terrible incident, in which the grandson was hung, by a couple of young men who sought reparations against the grandfather. It was very hard to hear...harder to keep myself composed during the storeis, and Wilson, as well, was having a hard time staying calm..
It is crazy walking around the town and remembering that everyone over 30 here has a vivid memory of the war and violence...even my host family, its...incredible...
May 10, 2010
Feliz Dia de Mama!
What a crazy weekend! On Saturday my school took a bunch of us kayaking on Lake Atitlan which was beautiful, but it got hot pretty early, so even though we headed out at around 9 i was already sweating when we had been out for about an hour. A good workout but I got burned a couple days ago so I couldn't stay out that long anyway. I wasn't really planning for the sweltering heat since I pretty much packed for the cold weather in Xela, and i was under the impression that we would be farther into the rainy season once I got here...
I finally am on my own here though! I know I always was travelling alone, but having friends around that I met from Antigua the whole time kept me busy and in good company the whole time. The Englishmen, Dan and Josh left yesterday with some girls they knew from home to go check out Semuc Champey. I constantly have been meeting people though which is awesome, and all the people from my school are great!
Moving in with my family yesterday was a big step too, I think. The mother's name is Dina and she works in the home and volunteers with the Catholic church here, taking charge of the singing groups from children to adults. I haven't met my homestay dad yet, because he leaves to work as a teacher in a town a little further away, called Santa Lucia and has to leave at 5 in the morning. The children are adorable! The 7 year old is named Ana, the 9 year old is Embilin, and the 13 year old is Marvin. Theyre all so nice and the youngest has started following me around already. Its great talking to kids, they keep the vocabulary simple, haha. And they are really used to having students around, theyve been hosting students for over 8 years. So I have meals with the family, except in the morning when we all have meals separately, leaving the house at different times.
I started class in the mornings which is kind of hard to get used to. I have 4 hours from 8 to 12, so ill be needing a little more coffee I think, haha
But today was a little out of the ordinary. Mother's Day is a pretty big deal here, and I was woken up to fireworks and music outside of my house at 3 in the morning. Then there were celebrations all day, and my teacher and I spent half our lesson at an elementary school where all the kids were putting on performances for all the mothers who were in attendance. I went and bought a gift for my host mother...a yard and a bit of nice fabric for a blouse or something. Wilson, my teacher, suggested it and i think she appreciated it!
Im excited to see more family interaction and integrate a little more with them! theyre ridiculously nice and are willing to correct my Spanish, haha. but they said that my spanish is pretty good already so i know i can only get better from here!
I finally am on my own here though! I know I always was travelling alone, but having friends around that I met from Antigua the whole time kept me busy and in good company the whole time. The Englishmen, Dan and Josh left yesterday with some girls they knew from home to go check out Semuc Champey. I constantly have been meeting people though which is awesome, and all the people from my school are great!
Moving in with my family yesterday was a big step too, I think. The mother's name is Dina and she works in the home and volunteers with the Catholic church here, taking charge of the singing groups from children to adults. I haven't met my homestay dad yet, because he leaves to work as a teacher in a town a little further away, called Santa Lucia and has to leave at 5 in the morning. The children are adorable! The 7 year old is named Ana, the 9 year old is Embilin, and the 13 year old is Marvin. Theyre all so nice and the youngest has started following me around already. Its great talking to kids, they keep the vocabulary simple, haha. And they are really used to having students around, theyve been hosting students for over 8 years. So I have meals with the family, except in the morning when we all have meals separately, leaving the house at different times.
I started class in the mornings which is kind of hard to get used to. I have 4 hours from 8 to 12, so ill be needing a little more coffee I think, haha
But today was a little out of the ordinary. Mother's Day is a pretty big deal here, and I was woken up to fireworks and music outside of my house at 3 in the morning. Then there were celebrations all day, and my teacher and I spent half our lesson at an elementary school where all the kids were putting on performances for all the mothers who were in attendance. I went and bought a gift for my host mother...a yard and a bit of nice fabric for a blouse or something. Wilson, my teacher, suggested it and i think she appreciated it!
Im excited to see more family interaction and integrate a little more with them! theyre ridiculously nice and are willing to correct my Spanish, haha. but they said that my spanish is pretty good already so i know i can only get better from here!
May 5, 2010
San Pedro
Alright, well my plans to write nearly everyday seem to be quashed from the very start, but to be honest it´s been fantastic staying away from computers and internet, considering how I´m chained to them throughout my school year...I much more enjoy doing things than writing about them, haha
So on Sunday I caught a 3-hour shuttle from Antigua to San Pedro La Laguna with 2 guys from London who were also staying at the Black Cat Hostel. It was a beautiful drive coming down from the mountains and into Lake Atitlan, I tried to grab some photos but it was pretty difficult when we were moving. We are staying at Hotel Pinoccios, and throughout the past couple of days most of the people we partied with at Black Cat showed up as well, so it´s been a fun week so far.
I started Spanish class on Monday. I´m attending a school called La Cooperativa (Mom and Baba S - this is the school from the video I showed you)
, and I´m really enjoying it, and though 4 hours of class is kind of hard to get into, I´m definitely improving already. My teachers name is Wilson, and all the students study 1-on-1 in a beautiful garden under palapas. I am supposed to be doing a homestay, but since I have friends here for the week, I decided that i´ll just do a homestay during my second week and enjoy the company and get any partying out of my system before I try to integrate myself into the culture and spend time with a family.
Some of the conversations that Wilson and I got into yesterday were pretty heavy...he told me stories about mass killings during the civil war, and how many people were drowned and dumped in the middle of the Lake. We talked a bit about the corruption here in Guatemala, and his own life experiences and his family. He actually has studied to be an accountant for a bank, but here, he said a bank will say they´ll gladly hire you, but ask you to pay them a one time fee to hire them. Essentially this seems to keep only a certain amount and certian kind of people working in these positions - those from richer and more influential families, keeping the poor out.
So, even though I´m having a lot of fun right now with friends, going out a bit and enjoying the touristy part of San Pedro, I know its going to soon be time to face up to the reality of the part of the world where I´m staying.
Much love to you all,
Kalyeena
So on Sunday I caught a 3-hour shuttle from Antigua to San Pedro La Laguna with 2 guys from London who were also staying at the Black Cat Hostel. It was a beautiful drive coming down from the mountains and into Lake Atitlan, I tried to grab some photos but it was pretty difficult when we were moving. We are staying at Hotel Pinoccios, and throughout the past couple of days most of the people we partied with at Black Cat showed up as well, so it´s been a fun week so far.
I started Spanish class on Monday. I´m attending a school called La Cooperativa (Mom and Baba S - this is the school from the video I showed you)
, and I´m really enjoying it, and though 4 hours of class is kind of hard to get into, I´m definitely improving already. My teachers name is Wilson, and all the students study 1-on-1 in a beautiful garden under palapas. I am supposed to be doing a homestay, but since I have friends here for the week, I decided that i´ll just do a homestay during my second week and enjoy the company and get any partying out of my system before I try to integrate myself into the culture and spend time with a family.
Some of the conversations that Wilson and I got into yesterday were pretty heavy...he told me stories about mass killings during the civil war, and how many people were drowned and dumped in the middle of the Lake. We talked a bit about the corruption here in Guatemala, and his own life experiences and his family. He actually has studied to be an accountant for a bank, but here, he said a bank will say they´ll gladly hire you, but ask you to pay them a one time fee to hire them. Essentially this seems to keep only a certain amount and certian kind of people working in these positions - those from richer and more influential families, keeping the poor out.
So, even though I´m having a lot of fun right now with friends, going out a bit and enjoying the touristy part of San Pedro, I know its going to soon be time to face up to the reality of the part of the world where I´m staying.
Much love to you all,
Kalyeena
May 1, 2010
Day 2 (and recap of Day 1)
Alright! Well, I'm in Antigua for a second day, staying at the Black Cat Hostel - it's great! I'm definitely glad I reserved 2 nights here. It's completely full, and everyone's young and friendly and helped me celebrate my birthday!
But I'll start from the beginning...
I got to the aiport on time on Thursday morning, was very glad to not have drank too much at the Astoria the night before, haha. It was an 8 hour flight to Mexico City. Once I got there, I actually met a guy named Gabriel from Montreal who was heading to Guatemala on the same flight. He just finished his 2nd year in marketting and was off to do his annual trip to Central America to surf for 3 weeks. We got into Guatemala City around 11pm. For some reason, the two of us didn't have to get our bags checked when we got there - the officers litterally looked us up and down, shook their heads, amused, or at least in certainty that we were harmless, haha and just waved us through.
Gabriel was going to spend the night in the airport and go to El Salvador at 5am, but my hotel came to pick me up and he decided to head to Dos Lunas as well. Dos Lunas was fantastic - a full breakfast and really hilarious and friendly staff. The desk manager is from Denmark, and was really energetic and helpful. Really erratic, but great - I'm booked to spend a night there before I fly out in August.
Anyways, Gabriel decided to reroute his trip to Antigua for a day, to come help me celebrate my birthday. So in the morning we caught a shuttle from Guatemala City to Antigua and got dropped off at Black Cat Hostel. We went and explored the city for a few hours. It's beautiful! A bit of a maze - a lot of the streets looked the same at first, same bright colours in a grid, but the colonial architecture of the churches and arches is really neat. We had our first Guatemalan meal, and then headed back right before the rain started, played some cards and met a bunch of Kiwis and Canadians to play Shithead with. I won, but I think the birthday luck was assisting me haha
The hostel managers announced my birthday and got me a shot, and half a birthday song haha. We went out to a bar afterwards, and went out on the terrace in time for some fireworks. I know they weren't for me but I pretended, and I got another birthday song! This is definitely been my best birthday ever. A good way to start off my 21st year for sure!
Day 2
Woke up this morning in time to say bye to Gabriel - he headed off to El Salvador in hopes of catching some of the good swell that was coming in. Had an awesome breakfast - the hostel includes it in the price of your stay...had a huge breakfast burrito with some tasty guacamole. An Irish friend I met, Ken, convinced me to head up to Pacaya on a tour this afternoon, so that's where I'll be heading in an hour and a half. There isn't any lava flowing right now, and I'll most likely get soaked in the rain, and it's the most typical tour that everyone seems to do on the Guatemala route...BUT it's only $8 and it'll be nice to get outside and be active. Exams left me no time to do anything but eat and sleep and work it seems..so I feel like a bit of a bump on a log, haha
Alright I've spent too much time on this computer now, but I'll post pictures soon - once I have a substantial amount to add.
So for the family: I'm safe and sound, and well taken care of. Miss you much!
Love to you all,
Kalyeena
But I'll start from the beginning...
I got to the aiport on time on Thursday morning, was very glad to not have drank too much at the Astoria the night before, haha. It was an 8 hour flight to Mexico City. Once I got there, I actually met a guy named Gabriel from Montreal who was heading to Guatemala on the same flight. He just finished his 2nd year in marketting and was off to do his annual trip to Central America to surf for 3 weeks. We got into Guatemala City around 11pm. For some reason, the two of us didn't have to get our bags checked when we got there - the officers litterally looked us up and down, shook their heads, amused, or at least in certainty that we were harmless, haha and just waved us through.
Gabriel was going to spend the night in the airport and go to El Salvador at 5am, but my hotel came to pick me up and he decided to head to Dos Lunas as well. Dos Lunas was fantastic - a full breakfast and really hilarious and friendly staff. The desk manager is from Denmark, and was really energetic and helpful. Really erratic, but great - I'm booked to spend a night there before I fly out in August.
Anyways, Gabriel decided to reroute his trip to Antigua for a day, to come help me celebrate my birthday. So in the morning we caught a shuttle from Guatemala City to Antigua and got dropped off at Black Cat Hostel. We went and explored the city for a few hours. It's beautiful! A bit of a maze - a lot of the streets looked the same at first, same bright colours in a grid, but the colonial architecture of the churches and arches is really neat. We had our first Guatemalan meal, and then headed back right before the rain started, played some cards and met a bunch of Kiwis and Canadians to play Shithead with. I won, but I think the birthday luck was assisting me haha
The hostel managers announced my birthday and got me a shot, and half a birthday song haha. We went out to a bar afterwards, and went out on the terrace in time for some fireworks. I know they weren't for me but I pretended, and I got another birthday song! This is definitely been my best birthday ever. A good way to start off my 21st year for sure!
Day 2
Woke up this morning in time to say bye to Gabriel - he headed off to El Salvador in hopes of catching some of the good swell that was coming in. Had an awesome breakfast - the hostel includes it in the price of your stay...had a huge breakfast burrito with some tasty guacamole. An Irish friend I met, Ken, convinced me to head up to Pacaya on a tour this afternoon, so that's where I'll be heading in an hour and a half. There isn't any lava flowing right now, and I'll most likely get soaked in the rain, and it's the most typical tour that everyone seems to do on the Guatemala route...BUT it's only $8 and it'll be nice to get outside and be active. Exams left me no time to do anything but eat and sleep and work it seems..so I feel like a bit of a bump on a log, haha
Alright I've spent too much time on this computer now, but I'll post pictures soon - once I have a substantial amount to add.
So for the family: I'm safe and sound, and well taken care of. Miss you much!
Love to you all,
Kalyeena
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