Nebaj

I did not anticipate having internet during this trek, but alas, we are staying our first night at a restaurant/hostel called Popi's thats run as a non for profit, supporting Mayan Hope which works to help children with special needs in the region. The hostel is run by an ex-pat named Don who has been living here in Guatemala for 25 years. He got contracted to install cable here from a Belize company and just never left...

The day started early. I woke up around 5:30 without my alarm (I have actually been getting up pretty early the past couple weeks) and packed my bag for the trip. Then headed down to the Quetzaltrekker office, which is also in Casa Argentina where I spent the last two nights, to have some banana pancakes and fruit for breakfast. We walked to the Minerva bus terminal and took a chicken bus through Chichicastenango and then switched at Quiche into a microbus. That was about another 2 hours, and we finally arrived in Nebaj around 3pm. I was pretty beat, but walked around the market here a bit...and when I came back, I got to witness some pig castrations...4 in fact..which was really crazy to watch. I didn't know that castrating pigs meant they gain more weight faster...the things I learn in Guatemala...

Later, much much later, we had an awesome dinner of salad, pesto pasta and pie and ice cream....but! the craziest thing is how Don makes his ice cream..out of soy...and duck eggs! It was delicious. I never would have thought that those two things would go together...

So in total, on this trip, there are two guides from Quetzaltrekkers (Darah and Ryan) and three other girls: Sarah from Germany, Joanna from Oregon, and Sharron from Ireland. A good group! I am excited to spend these next 5 days with them!

Tomorrow we get up at 7, have pancake breakfast, watch the first half of the world cup game (England vs US) and get walking out of town. We stop at a cheese farm tomorrow, eat lunch at a stream, and end the day in a village where we get to try out a temescal, which is a mayan sauna. Very excited!

I also got an email from PLQ, my school in Xela, this evening. The coordinator wanted to let me know that apparently there are some problems at Finca La Florida right now, as some campesinos have gone to occupy the finca. Im not sure of the details, but I am very touched that they thought to let me know. I stopped by at the school yesterday and talked to Carlos, the director, and told him of my plans, and he got someone to email me. So, if Finca La Florida doesn't happen, I might head to the coast and go on a surf trip..we'll have to see

Day one of the trek is over! Not that we did any trekking today, but a 5 hour bus ride should count for something! 5 more days to go...