I don´t know why, but everytime in the past 3 weeks that I attempted to write a post, I got too lazy and couldnt do it! Alas, since Livingston I haven´t updated, and now I am in Mexico City Airport waiting for my flight back to Vancouver....
So a quick recap, yeah? After Livingston I took the boat back to Rio Dulce and I caught a first class bus to Flores, which was lovely, and still cheap. I wasn´t too excited about Flores, considering it`s sort of an isolated tourist island, apart from the city of Santa Elena which is just across the bridge. I got stuck in Flores longer than I should have...after I visited Tikal, I spent most of my time meandering around and lazing in Los Amigos hostel, playing Jenga and Rummy tournaments to 5000! And documentary watching, while eating some awesome vegetarian food. Also, it was just so ridiculously hot in Peten, worse than Livingston (it was 85% humidity when I visited Tikal!), and though you could swim in Lake Peten Itza, it was pretty warm itself, and not that refreshing..so it ended up being a cycle of it being to hot to do anything and thus not being motivated to leave, and so I repeated this for 4 days or so... haha
As for Tikal, it was nice, though I shouldnt have gone on a tour. But I did make a good friend, Duncan from Scotland, with whom I had some awesome political conversations with, and debated affirmative action, and learned about UK government. The ruins were ok, nothing will ever top my experience at Palenque in Mexico!
After Flores, I caught a bus to Antigua, and spent a night or two there. That weekend was the celebrations for the city, so there was a parade on Sunday and some chess tournaments in the square and live music. What was really neat about that visit was how I felt like I knew over half the people in the hostel...people I had met from different parts of Guatemala seemed to all have congregated at the same time in the same hostel, and on top of that, I knew the staff, so it really felt comfortable and it was great to catch up with all of them!
I finally returned to San Pedro for my last two weeks of Spanish school, and by chance got the same teacher that I had before. Delia and I had a great time, and I got really close with her. She helped me out a lot those weeks, and she invited me over as well to practice making tortillas and we cooked a vegan meal with a Guatemalan twist! The school was full again, a lot of students! I stayed at a hostel, at Yo Mamas Casa again, but this time got a private room for cheap, since I stayed for an extended period of time.
I kept myself really busy and was really motivated to get the most I could out of the last while I had left in San Pedro. So after 4 hours of Spanish class, I started helping Luis, one of the teachers at La Cooperativa, with English classes at Basico, which is sort of like middle school in Guatemala. The kids were really cool, much easier than helping out with primary school children. And it was neat have the contrast of learning Spanish and then teaching English. Luis sort of let me lead the class with very little guidance, which was kind of scary at first, but the class was really respectful most of the time, and they helped correct my Spanish as well, haha
Then after teaching English every morning, I started taking mayan weaving classes for about 2 hours everyday- I started making a scarf, that was a little larger than normal, and ended up taking me over 4 days... around 11 or 12 hours in total. It was a lot of work. But it was cool using a backstrap loom and really being able to appreciate good quality work - because mine definitely has a lot of flaws, but still is functional of course! Hanging out with Maria and her family was nice as well ...she must have been about 60 or so, and her cousin who was about 9, her name was Ana, was a hoot, always coming to bug me - she was a witty one!
Then after weaving classes I would go to the gym, do something slightly active! Then I would usually make dinner at the hostel and hang out with Lorna and Anna, Pedro and Adrian and Magnus (if any of you read this, I miss you already!). During the weekend, I went to Panajachel with a friend Claire, who, on our way back from buying souvenirs for friends and family, proceeded to help drive the boat back to San Pedro. What a nut!
On my last night in San Pedro, some friends from the hostal and the school came out with me for dinner at an Asian/Guatemalan restaurant, Ventana Blue, before we went to Buddha Bar for a few drinks. I went home pretty early though, to finish packing and get a good nights rest! It was really hard to leave, but I did it! I will definitely be going back there, I could live there.. haha
Then I was in Antigua, had a few more adventures with Cait, made some more friends who will be coming to Vancouver! I´ve been meeting quite a few people on my travels that will be passing through or living there, and I`m really excited to see them all again, on my own turf this time
So thats about it! Now I am, as I said, in Mexico City Airport, trying to pass the time. I will be catching a Greyhound to Kelowna on Wednesday, where my dad will be picking me up, and we will be back to Grand Forks on Thursday! So soon!
I miss you all, and thank you for reading! See you soon!
Jul 18, 2010
Livingston...the Caribbean coast of Guatemala
I arrived on the Caribbean coast yesterday morning after spending two nights on the Rio Dulce, a river leading out to the Caribbean ocean and the only-reachable-by-boat Garifuna town of Livingston. The Garifuna population is a black community here in Livingston that resembles the Belizean and Caribbean island culture. Its quite different after spending so much time in Mayan-majority areas of south and western areas of Guatemala. There is still a Mayan and ladino population here, so its quite a mix and kind of neat to be honest.
Nonetheless I haven't done anything too strenuous today - Ive been trying to stay very still in an effort not to drown in my own sweat (a beautiful idea, I know) haha. I am dying here...I am excited to get Peten and Tikal over with in the next couple days and get back to the beautiful lake that allows me to walk around in pants and a long sleeved shirt in the evening, but still get a tan if I want to go kayaking before the rain starts in the afternoon. So, all in all, this is probably what has helped me reach my current travelling weight...trying not to move...haha
Although! I did walk aobut 2 hours yesterday with a group of Irish girls and a guy from England who I met in Casa Iguana, the hostel that I am staying at right now here in Livingston. I unknowingly accompanied them into town, I wanted to buy a watch..and once we got to the water they told me they were heading to Siete Altares - a lesser version of the Semuc Champey pools...smaller and less brilliant but lovely to swim in after that walk.
After waiting over an hour for someone to come back to their boat to give us a ride back to Livingston (none of us wanted to walk back haha) I went back to the hostel for dinner, which was amazing! Vegetable kebabs, mashed potatoes, corn and some stuffing...I was about to sit down when I heard my name being yelled from the other side of the patio...it was people I had met at Yo Mamas Casa in San Pedro. Mor and Gal (some hilarious Israeli girls), Igor (an Australian who is sailing his way through his travelling days, and is probably the best candidate for a pirate out of anyone Ive met so far), his sister Nina, her Italian roomate Francesco, and Ritchie, their friend from Guatemala City. They had all met up in Rio Dulce, docked the boat half way down the river in Texan Bay and taken a dingy with a motor here to Livingston. So after eating we went to go find them a room at another hotel with the help of Rusty, the owner of Casa Iguana, since the hostal was completely full. We then ran to a comedor to find them some food - ran, because it was pouring. We were completely soaked afterwards, and walked down to the beach to find a non-existant reggae bar but spent some time dancing at another beach-discoteca.
But, now to account for the trip before Livingston...
After my last post, I grabbed something to eat and literally returned to Zephyr just as Mike was loading up the tubes in the truck. I had enough time to just throw my bag in my room and grab my bathing suit and we were on our way. Tyler was our "guide" which was ridiculous because..well..who needs a guide to go tubing? But then I realized that we were again dealing with some inexperienced people..there were two English girls who came with..one of which, after literally one minute in the water was stuck in a tangle of tree branches, haha
So, Tyler had to call out "left" or "right" for dodging obstacles in the middle of the river, but a couple of people also didnt quite get the concept of paddling...
We stopped in a little cove and had a drink..and were off on our way again. It was another feeling of normality in a strange place. I was so comfortable and I couldve just been tubing at home..but wait, I'm in the middle of Guatemala. A really bizarre feeling!
That night I went to bed pretty early before dinner - I was starting to feel a bit sick. Tyler came to wake me up when my dinner was ready but I felt like vomitting everywhere so I graciously declined. I woke up later...around 1am...where I had the wonderful chance to hang out groggily with the late night drinkers, which I ate what was left of my pizza...someone had nabbed two pieces in my sleep. I'll blame the bar shots, haha
The next morning I packed my things and made my shuttle wait about half an hour while Tyler helped me put new music on my ipod...at the hostel you can get music switched over for a fee...but no one did it for me, though they had my list and iPod in the safe for two days... Then I was off on a pick up truck to Rio Dulce. We got there around 1pm and then I caught a 1 hour boat to Finca Tatin, a hotel in the river, up a tributary about 20 minutes from Livingston and 45 minutes from the Rio Dulce town. It was nice, though I still wasn't feeling the greatest - still a little nauseous and gross. I went to sleep once I got settled in, got up for dinner, couldnt finish, went to bed again and woke up the next morning feeling a little better.
I actually got Finca Tatin recommended to me by the woman who owns the Travel Bug, a travel store in Kitsilano, back in Vancouver. It was pretty nice, set in a really lush property, witha beautiful hangout area and spot right on the river. There were a lot of mosquitos, though, and the crowd there was a bit older or couples. Electricity ran for 4 hours each night, but that really wasnt an issue. BUT! I saw a ridiculously huge spider and almost had a heart attack. I knocked the mirror in the bathroom and grabbed it before it could fall. After I grabbed it I felt something on the back and turned it around and this gross, big, brown, hairy thing jumped into the sink. It was the size of my hand and made my heart stop for a second. I backed out of the bathroom trying to think of something else while I got to safety...
That day I went kayaking - thats the only way to get around, and all of the tiendas, the stores, are accessible by boat only. So they all look like docks, and fit into the houses that dot the strip along the water. There are a lot of people from Guatemala City that have huge houses here and big water toys (boats and jet skis..). Anyway, I kayaked over to Agua Caliente, where there are some hotsprings that flow into the river. I ate there as well - tried some tapado, which is a typical Garifuna dish that consists of an entire fish, shrim and a whole crab inside a coconut milk based soup. It's one of those things that almost every tourist is encouraged to try when they come to Livingston and the Rio Dulce....
So after a couple nights at Finca Tatin, I came here to Livingston by boat and checked into the Iguana..and the rest of my days have already been explained haha.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Flores, which is in the north of Guatemala, in the departemento of Peten. I will probably spend the night in El Remate and go to the famous mayan ruins of Tikal the morning after. I met an Israeli guy here who said he bribed a guard and spent the night IN the ruins. I don't know if I have the nerve or guts to do it. Im sure I'd wake up from some crazy dreams...if I could get to sleep of course...
Nonetheless I haven't done anything too strenuous today - Ive been trying to stay very still in an effort not to drown in my own sweat (a beautiful idea, I know) haha. I am dying here...I am excited to get Peten and Tikal over with in the next couple days and get back to the beautiful lake that allows me to walk around in pants and a long sleeved shirt in the evening, but still get a tan if I want to go kayaking before the rain starts in the afternoon. So, all in all, this is probably what has helped me reach my current travelling weight...trying not to move...haha
Although! I did walk aobut 2 hours yesterday with a group of Irish girls and a guy from England who I met in Casa Iguana, the hostel that I am staying at right now here in Livingston. I unknowingly accompanied them into town, I wanted to buy a watch..and once we got to the water they told me they were heading to Siete Altares - a lesser version of the Semuc Champey pools...smaller and less brilliant but lovely to swim in after that walk.
After waiting over an hour for someone to come back to their boat to give us a ride back to Livingston (none of us wanted to walk back haha) I went back to the hostel for dinner, which was amazing! Vegetable kebabs, mashed potatoes, corn and some stuffing...I was about to sit down when I heard my name being yelled from the other side of the patio...it was people I had met at Yo Mamas Casa in San Pedro. Mor and Gal (some hilarious Israeli girls), Igor (an Australian who is sailing his way through his travelling days, and is probably the best candidate for a pirate out of anyone Ive met so far), his sister Nina, her Italian roomate Francesco, and Ritchie, their friend from Guatemala City. They had all met up in Rio Dulce, docked the boat half way down the river in Texan Bay and taken a dingy with a motor here to Livingston. So after eating we went to go find them a room at another hotel with the help of Rusty, the owner of Casa Iguana, since the hostal was completely full. We then ran to a comedor to find them some food - ran, because it was pouring. We were completely soaked afterwards, and walked down to the beach to find a non-existant reggae bar but spent some time dancing at another beach-discoteca.
But, now to account for the trip before Livingston...
After my last post, I grabbed something to eat and literally returned to Zephyr just as Mike was loading up the tubes in the truck. I had enough time to just throw my bag in my room and grab my bathing suit and we were on our way. Tyler was our "guide" which was ridiculous because..well..who needs a guide to go tubing? But then I realized that we were again dealing with some inexperienced people..there were two English girls who came with..one of which, after literally one minute in the water was stuck in a tangle of tree branches, haha
So, Tyler had to call out "left" or "right" for dodging obstacles in the middle of the river, but a couple of people also didnt quite get the concept of paddling...
We stopped in a little cove and had a drink..and were off on our way again. It was another feeling of normality in a strange place. I was so comfortable and I couldve just been tubing at home..but wait, I'm in the middle of Guatemala. A really bizarre feeling!
That night I went to bed pretty early before dinner - I was starting to feel a bit sick. Tyler came to wake me up when my dinner was ready but I felt like vomitting everywhere so I graciously declined. I woke up later...around 1am...where I had the wonderful chance to hang out groggily with the late night drinkers, which I ate what was left of my pizza...someone had nabbed two pieces in my sleep. I'll blame the bar shots, haha
The next morning I packed my things and made my shuttle wait about half an hour while Tyler helped me put new music on my ipod...at the hostel you can get music switched over for a fee...but no one did it for me, though they had my list and iPod in the safe for two days... Then I was off on a pick up truck to Rio Dulce. We got there around 1pm and then I caught a 1 hour boat to Finca Tatin, a hotel in the river, up a tributary about 20 minutes from Livingston and 45 minutes from the Rio Dulce town. It was nice, though I still wasn't feeling the greatest - still a little nauseous and gross. I went to sleep once I got settled in, got up for dinner, couldnt finish, went to bed again and woke up the next morning feeling a little better.
I actually got Finca Tatin recommended to me by the woman who owns the Travel Bug, a travel store in Kitsilano, back in Vancouver. It was pretty nice, set in a really lush property, witha beautiful hangout area and spot right on the river. There were a lot of mosquitos, though, and the crowd there was a bit older or couples. Electricity ran for 4 hours each night, but that really wasnt an issue. BUT! I saw a ridiculously huge spider and almost had a heart attack. I knocked the mirror in the bathroom and grabbed it before it could fall. After I grabbed it I felt something on the back and turned it around and this gross, big, brown, hairy thing jumped into the sink. It was the size of my hand and made my heart stop for a second. I backed out of the bathroom trying to think of something else while I got to safety...
That day I went kayaking - thats the only way to get around, and all of the tiendas, the stores, are accessible by boat only. So they all look like docks, and fit into the houses that dot the strip along the water. There are a lot of people from Guatemala City that have huge houses here and big water toys (boats and jet skis..). Anyway, I kayaked over to Agua Caliente, where there are some hotsprings that flow into the river. I ate there as well - tried some tapado, which is a typical Garifuna dish that consists of an entire fish, shrim and a whole crab inside a coconut milk based soup. It's one of those things that almost every tourist is encouraged to try when they come to Livingston and the Rio Dulce....
So after a couple nights at Finca Tatin, I came here to Livingston by boat and checked into the Iguana..and the rest of my days have already been explained haha.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Flores, which is in the north of Guatemala, in the departemento of Peten. I will probably spend the night in El Remate and go to the famous mayan ruins of Tikal the morning after. I met an Israeli guy here who said he bribed a guard and spent the night IN the ruins. I don't know if I have the nerve or guts to do it. Im sure I'd wake up from some crazy dreams...if I could get to sleep of course...
Jul 14, 2010
Semuc, Semuc
The day of my last post, I actually went straight to the office, phoned the other hostel and packed my stuff. Thankfully they had a bed. I tried to be slightly discreet about calling at first (I had heard that there is some tension between the hostels) but just said I was meeting a friend at the other... I talked to Tyler, one of the workers at Zephyr and he told me they were all just about to leave, but if I wanted to watch the final of the world cup, I could meet them at a bar down in town, just grab a tuk tuk there. That restaurant was filled to capacity, with people stading outside and looking through the windows. I think it may have been the biggest TV used in Lanquin for the final, so everyone wanted in on it. A lot of happy Spaniards in that bar, but with so many people cheering for Holland, there were definitely some sour faces that afternoon haha
When I got to the hostel and everyone came back, it turned out that a bunch of people that I met in San Pedro were also staying there. I love meeting up along the way - it feels like you have family! Today, all those lovely Isrealies left, but theres some great people around still and as always, tis the traveling life to part...
I went to bed quite early the past couple days, save last night... but after doing school again last week i got into the habit of a 6oclock wake up and putting myself to bed by 930. But I suppose as always I go in waves with my schedule
My second day at the hostel I went on the Semuc Champey tour. We did the caves first which was nuts! The water is so high inside because of the rain they´ve had here, and some of the waterfalls inside were just crazy. Our guide, Otto, was amazing though, and we went pretty far inside. We only had candles to light our way, I couldn´t believe that mine held up the entire way. And considering my height, and my one handed doggy paddle, I´d say I did pretty well on that leg of the tour.
The caves took about an hour, and then there was a rope swing of sorts to jump in the river. I am a baby and didn´t go, haha, I don´t think I´ll ever be inclined to throw myself into the air voluntarily...
After, we went tubing, but because the river is so high right now, it literally took less than 5 minutes to get back down to the office. That little taste though, made me miss the Granby and Kettle Rivers at home. Zephyr organizes tubing trips every day in the afternoon, but the water really isnt that nice right now. But if there are enough people today, I might go...
Once we got out, we walked over to the Semuc Champey entrance, grabbed some lunch from a stand, and then walked up to el mirador, or the lookout point. It was a fantastic view, but somehow, after seeing it so many times in everyone´s Guatemala photos, I wasn´t as impressed as I should have been. It felt like a bit of dejavu to be honest... It´s a popular photo shot. Eitehr way, you´re looking over the crystal blue pools and can see the mountains all around. Hopefully I´ll get around to posting those photos soon...
After hiking back down, we went swimming, for just over an hour. There was a point where we were following the guide, and he was taking us somewhere to jump off. Literally, it was only two meters up, and I tried about 5 times to jump but couldnt get my legs to push me off, haha, so I climbed down and jumped into the water from only about 3 feet up. I´m improving I think? haha
The pickup truckride back was wet...it started to rain just as we got in the back, and after the hour trip back to Zephyr I was soaked. But it was still a beautiul ride!
I was so bagged after that - we had started the day at 830 and come back at around 5. I was out by 930 - and slept for about 12 hours haha.
Yesterday I refused to do anything. And it was lovely. A hammock, some good music from the bar, and a view with good friends was amazing. I walked into town some time later with a friend, Andrea, who I met and grabbed some chocobananos and chocopinas, bought some shorts and took a look around the town. Lanquin is pretty small but its worth a stroll
The other night I asked a local woman if she could sew a shirt for me - i found a nice thin plaid shirt thats perfect for this weather, in a second hand, ropa americana store, but it was definitely intended to be a dress. She came back with the shirt cut at the length I wanted, but with the sides flared and quite a bit longer than the rest. It looked kind of odd, but then I realized that how they wear their guipils here - whereas the blouses in and around Lake Atititlan are tucked into the skirts and tied with a fabric belt, the women here wear a white tanktop and a thin, see through overshirt thats this odd shape... so naturally she thought thats how I would want a shirt cut. Now I have a blouse in their style, which is a pretty neat souvenir I think!
Tomorrow I plan to take a pickup to Livingston, starting at 730 in the morning. It should take about 5 hours.. hopefully it doesnt rain till I get there!
When I got to the hostel and everyone came back, it turned out that a bunch of people that I met in San Pedro were also staying there. I love meeting up along the way - it feels like you have family! Today, all those lovely Isrealies left, but theres some great people around still and as always, tis the traveling life to part...
I went to bed quite early the past couple days, save last night... but after doing school again last week i got into the habit of a 6oclock wake up and putting myself to bed by 930. But I suppose as always I go in waves with my schedule
My second day at the hostel I went on the Semuc Champey tour. We did the caves first which was nuts! The water is so high inside because of the rain they´ve had here, and some of the waterfalls inside were just crazy. Our guide, Otto, was amazing though, and we went pretty far inside. We only had candles to light our way, I couldn´t believe that mine held up the entire way. And considering my height, and my one handed doggy paddle, I´d say I did pretty well on that leg of the tour.
The caves took about an hour, and then there was a rope swing of sorts to jump in the river. I am a baby and didn´t go, haha, I don´t think I´ll ever be inclined to throw myself into the air voluntarily...
After, we went tubing, but because the river is so high right now, it literally took less than 5 minutes to get back down to the office. That little taste though, made me miss the Granby and Kettle Rivers at home. Zephyr organizes tubing trips every day in the afternoon, but the water really isnt that nice right now. But if there are enough people today, I might go...
Once we got out, we walked over to the Semuc Champey entrance, grabbed some lunch from a stand, and then walked up to el mirador, or the lookout point. It was a fantastic view, but somehow, after seeing it so many times in everyone´s Guatemala photos, I wasn´t as impressed as I should have been. It felt like a bit of dejavu to be honest... It´s a popular photo shot. Eitehr way, you´re looking over the crystal blue pools and can see the mountains all around. Hopefully I´ll get around to posting those photos soon...
After hiking back down, we went swimming, for just over an hour. There was a point where we were following the guide, and he was taking us somewhere to jump off. Literally, it was only two meters up, and I tried about 5 times to jump but couldnt get my legs to push me off, haha, so I climbed down and jumped into the water from only about 3 feet up. I´m improving I think? haha
The pickup truckride back was wet...it started to rain just as we got in the back, and after the hour trip back to Zephyr I was soaked. But it was still a beautiul ride!
I was so bagged after that - we had started the day at 830 and come back at around 5. I was out by 930 - and slept for about 12 hours haha.
Yesterday I refused to do anything. And it was lovely. A hammock, some good music from the bar, and a view with good friends was amazing. I walked into town some time later with a friend, Andrea, who I met and grabbed some chocobananos and chocopinas, bought some shorts and took a look around the town. Lanquin is pretty small but its worth a stroll
The other night I asked a local woman if she could sew a shirt for me - i found a nice thin plaid shirt thats perfect for this weather, in a second hand, ropa americana store, but it was definitely intended to be a dress. She came back with the shirt cut at the length I wanted, but with the sides flared and quite a bit longer than the rest. It looked kind of odd, but then I realized that how they wear their guipils here - whereas the blouses in and around Lake Atititlan are tucked into the skirts and tied with a fabric belt, the women here wear a white tanktop and a thin, see through overshirt thats this odd shape... so naturally she thought thats how I would want a shirt cut. Now I have a blouse in their style, which is a pretty neat souvenir I think!
Tomorrow I plan to take a pickup to Livingston, starting at 730 in the morning. It should take about 5 hours.. hopefully it doesnt rain till I get there!
Jul 11, 2010
In the sweaty heart of Guatemala
After a 14 hour shuttle bus ride, I arrived in Lanquin last night. Our shuttle was pretty lucky because we were able to make reservations at one of our pit stops. I got one of the last beds in this hostel called El Retiro. Its ridiculously huge, and I actually might switch to a newer hostel called Zephyr Lodge...people have told me its really relaxing, more low key. I actually have come down with a cold, and having this many people around is sort of overwhelming. But we`ll see. If I get up the energy to get into town or ask someone where I can find the lodge, I`ll switch over today. Though I do fear that my lack of energy will keep me right where I am, haha
It is so ridiculously hot here. Like I may have mentioned in a previous post, I didn´t really bring any shorts to Guatemala, since I was prepared to spend most of my time in Xela, and of course its the rainy season. I was also advised to dress quite conservatively, which I have definitely appreciated - since most women outside of the city dress in their typical traje. So right now I just have a wrap around skirt that I bought in Panajachel. I hope it will suffice...
Being around this many tourists is just nuts. Again, Lanquin is a big tourist hot spot, and a lot of people who have just gotten to Guatemala or are passing through make sure to get here, so this is also adding to that atmosphere that makes it seem like Antigua moved just a little further north.
I am not sure how many nights I will end up spending here. Enough to do the tours - there are cave tours and tubing and waterfall exploring. But next I will head to Livingston on the Carribbean coast. And after I will try fit in a couple nights at Finca Tatin on the Rio Dulce. Hopefully I make it to Peten in time to start school next Monday.. If not, I may cancel, visit the sights near Tikal in a couple days and try to get back to San Pedro and start school again a little earlier than expected.
I feel a lot different seeing all these tourist attractions after being here so long. Also, talking to so many travellers who are just passing through, maybe spending 10 days in Guatemala at most, is crazy...even after two months here I feel like I barely have seen the country. Its a shame that so many people pass through it so quickly..
It is so ridiculously hot here. Like I may have mentioned in a previous post, I didn´t really bring any shorts to Guatemala, since I was prepared to spend most of my time in Xela, and of course its the rainy season. I was also advised to dress quite conservatively, which I have definitely appreciated - since most women outside of the city dress in their typical traje. So right now I just have a wrap around skirt that I bought in Panajachel. I hope it will suffice...
Being around this many tourists is just nuts. Again, Lanquin is a big tourist hot spot, and a lot of people who have just gotten to Guatemala or are passing through make sure to get here, so this is also adding to that atmosphere that makes it seem like Antigua moved just a little further north.
I am not sure how many nights I will end up spending here. Enough to do the tours - there are cave tours and tubing and waterfall exploring. But next I will head to Livingston on the Carribbean coast. And after I will try fit in a couple nights at Finca Tatin on the Rio Dulce. Hopefully I make it to Peten in time to start school next Monday.. If not, I may cancel, visit the sights near Tikal in a couple days and try to get back to San Pedro and start school again a little earlier than expected.
I feel a lot different seeing all these tourist attractions after being here so long. Also, talking to so many travellers who are just passing through, maybe spending 10 days in Guatemala at most, is crazy...even after two months here I feel like I barely have seen the country. Its a shame that so many people pass through it so quickly..
Jul 9, 2010
Let´s stay in Guatemala
I just finished another week of Spanish school. It was kind of hard getting back into the swing of doing 4 hours a day, but somehow I managed to get myself out of bed and keep myself talking for the whole morning.
I actually got an amazing teacher - her name is Delia and we have had some great conversations. We talked about mayan medicine and cosmology, funerals and religion. I actually shared some Doukhobor history and customs with her, and she was pretty interested. Its always great having that exchange across cutlures, you really gain a new respect for what you take for granted as your own past and family traditions.
Delia also got me to look up my nahual..which is my mayan cosmological sign. I went to the local museum and after our tour the woman helped me figure out my mayan dates - they take into consideration your date of birth, then figure out your day of conception, and then calculate your future. I am not sure of the process, but they have descriptions and characteristics that go along with each one. I was concieved on Ichquik (sp?), born on 13 K´at and my future is 8 Ee. It was interesting, and there were definitely some aspects that were spot on. With all three, Delia is convinced that I am in a special position to direct cities politically, and particularly to be an intermediary with the divine... she seemed slightly disappointed when she remembered that I had explained myself as an atheist, haha, but maybe the mayan cosmological forces have something else in mind...
We also discussed women´s issues here in San Pedro, which was quite heartwrenching but hopeful at the same time. She has been involved in trying to get some women´s groups together here in the area, but the pressure against the women by their husbands and the lack of support by the Evangelical and Catholic Churches has been challenging..
It was the Feria here this past week...the patron saint festivities. I only caught the tail-end of it, and got to attend part of the procession with Delia where we drank a traditional corn-blended cocoa drink that they only serve at this festival. There were bombas (louuud firecrackers) going off constantly, and at night they had performances and dances, one of which was a Columbian band with scantily clad dancing girls...it was quite a shock to the community I think, they´re actually quite conservative, and it was defintely a popular topic the next day amongst the teachers and students at La Cooperativa...
Ive been staying at the hilariously named Yo Mama´s Casa hostel here in San Pedro. Even though I am only staying in a dorm bed, its nice to have that independence of coming and goign when I please, and cooking my own food or going out when I want. I will be having a family homestay when I get to San Jose in Peten. It´ll actually be nice to have one more family experience before I come home, and I don´t know the area at all either there, so a family will be a good intro to the small lake-side town!
I went kayaking today, which was lovely..I had intent to do it all week...but alas, Friday came and only this afternoon did I get myself in the water. I went with a friend for only about an hour, just before the rain started falling again...
Tomorrow morning I head to Lanquin, which is near the famous tourist attraction Semuc Champey - there are caves and beautiful waterfalls - crystal clear blue from what Ive seen from pictures! So I will be catching a shuttle tomorrow morning at 8;30, having a 1 hour stop over in Antigua, and then arriving in Lanquin around 8... it´s going to be a long day...
A scary thought - I only have a month left in Guatemala! With the plan for the next couple weeks, it seems as if it will fly by..but I guess I´ll have to make the most of it. I will definitely be coming back here one day.
I actually got an amazing teacher - her name is Delia and we have had some great conversations. We talked about mayan medicine and cosmology, funerals and religion. I actually shared some Doukhobor history and customs with her, and she was pretty interested. Its always great having that exchange across cutlures, you really gain a new respect for what you take for granted as your own past and family traditions.
Delia also got me to look up my nahual..which is my mayan cosmological sign. I went to the local museum and after our tour the woman helped me figure out my mayan dates - they take into consideration your date of birth, then figure out your day of conception, and then calculate your future. I am not sure of the process, but they have descriptions and characteristics that go along with each one. I was concieved on Ichquik (sp?), born on 13 K´at and my future is 8 Ee. It was interesting, and there were definitely some aspects that were spot on. With all three, Delia is convinced that I am in a special position to direct cities politically, and particularly to be an intermediary with the divine... she seemed slightly disappointed when she remembered that I had explained myself as an atheist, haha, but maybe the mayan cosmological forces have something else in mind...
We also discussed women´s issues here in San Pedro, which was quite heartwrenching but hopeful at the same time. She has been involved in trying to get some women´s groups together here in the area, but the pressure against the women by their husbands and the lack of support by the Evangelical and Catholic Churches has been challenging..
It was the Feria here this past week...the patron saint festivities. I only caught the tail-end of it, and got to attend part of the procession with Delia where we drank a traditional corn-blended cocoa drink that they only serve at this festival. There were bombas (louuud firecrackers) going off constantly, and at night they had performances and dances, one of which was a Columbian band with scantily clad dancing girls...it was quite a shock to the community I think, they´re actually quite conservative, and it was defintely a popular topic the next day amongst the teachers and students at La Cooperativa...
Ive been staying at the hilariously named Yo Mama´s Casa hostel here in San Pedro. Even though I am only staying in a dorm bed, its nice to have that independence of coming and goign when I please, and cooking my own food or going out when I want. I will be having a family homestay when I get to San Jose in Peten. It´ll actually be nice to have one more family experience before I come home, and I don´t know the area at all either there, so a family will be a good intro to the small lake-side town!
I went kayaking today, which was lovely..I had intent to do it all week...but alas, Friday came and only this afternoon did I get myself in the water. I went with a friend for only about an hour, just before the rain started falling again...
Tomorrow morning I head to Lanquin, which is near the famous tourist attraction Semuc Champey - there are caves and beautiful waterfalls - crystal clear blue from what Ive seen from pictures! So I will be catching a shuttle tomorrow morning at 8;30, having a 1 hour stop over in Antigua, and then arriving in Lanquin around 8... it´s going to be a long day...
A scary thought - I only have a month left in Guatemala! With the plan for the next couple weeks, it seems as if it will fly by..but I guess I´ll have to make the most of it. I will definitely be coming back here one day.
Jul 3, 2010
After a while
Ive actually done quite a bit since my last post, so it`s inevitable that I´m going to leave something out, so this will be a broad overview..
So I did my trek, it was amazing. There is no way to describe what I was able to see. I was in awe at the diversity in the landscape and the isolated villages I saw, most of which are only accessible by foot. It`s hard to imagine living like that but I am glad that I caught a glimpse of what most people may never see. I`ve posted some photos on facebook, but only until about half way through the trip - I don´t know why but it has been taking forever to upload photos.
I left Xela after a day, with some hard goodbyes to my school there, where I met some amazing teachers and some great friends. It may not have been my favourite school all around, but the staff provided a great community.
After Xela, while I was supposed to go to the finca, I changed my plans and decided to go to the coast another time, and maybe try some surfing. So many people have asked me why I didn´t go to El Salvador if I wanted to surf...and all I can say is that I have a feeling that with the rapid growth in tourism in Guatemala, well, I was very interested in seeing more of the coast before it gets really popular - I am not sure when that´ll all come to fruition, but it felt important... Yes, the surfing sucked, but I did try! And I did get somewhere with a longboard, despite the crazy storm waves..
So now I am in Antigua, staying a little longer than I anticipated, but I´ll be making my way to San Pedro La Laguna tomorrow, to start school again on Monday. Its been two weeks since my last class-which feels like forever after doing it for 7 weeks straight. But it gave me a chance to practice more outside of the classroom, and I have actually surprised myself at my progress..huzzah!
So I did my trek, it was amazing. There is no way to describe what I was able to see. I was in awe at the diversity in the landscape and the isolated villages I saw, most of which are only accessible by foot. It`s hard to imagine living like that but I am glad that I caught a glimpse of what most people may never see. I`ve posted some photos on facebook, but only until about half way through the trip - I don´t know why but it has been taking forever to upload photos.
I left Xela after a day, with some hard goodbyes to my school there, where I met some amazing teachers and some great friends. It may not have been my favourite school all around, but the staff provided a great community.
After Xela, while I was supposed to go to the finca, I changed my plans and decided to go to the coast another time, and maybe try some surfing. So many people have asked me why I didn´t go to El Salvador if I wanted to surf...and all I can say is that I have a feeling that with the rapid growth in tourism in Guatemala, well, I was very interested in seeing more of the coast before it gets really popular - I am not sure when that´ll all come to fruition, but it felt important... Yes, the surfing sucked, but I did try! And I did get somewhere with a longboard, despite the crazy storm waves..
So now I am in Antigua, staying a little longer than I anticipated, but I´ll be making my way to San Pedro La Laguna tomorrow, to start school again on Monday. Its been two weeks since my last class-which feels like forever after doing it for 7 weeks straight. But it gave me a chance to practice more outside of the classroom, and I have actually surprised myself at my progress..huzzah!
Jun 22, 2010
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...
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...
Jun 21, 2010
Before the trek..
I don't have much time to write, I am literally at a McDonalds in Xela because I couldn't find another internet place open past 7, and had to buy something to get these 30 minutes.. sigh..
But! On a happier note, I start my trek tomorrow, from Nebaj to Todos Santos which is in the department of Quiche. Its in the northish-west region of Guatemala. I mentioned it in another post, and am pretty sure that I posted the link. There are 4 of us giong, with two guides. Im pretty excited but need to get packed tonight because everything gets started around 7 tomorrow.
I spent this last weekend at the coast, in a place called Tilapa, near the border of Mexico. It was beautiful, and being near the ocean finally was great. I've never been on a Pacific Coast beach and been the only one in the water, on the beach, and the only white person in the area as well. There is only one place to stay, and one restaurant there, and its very small, located on a peninsula and you can only get there by boat as well. The people there earn their livings by fishing in the mangroves, in the ocean, and selling their pigs, which run around the peninsula freely with their piglets. I took a tour of the mangrove which was beautiful as well. I don't have time to upload photos, but I might get around to that next week once I get back to Xela for another day!
The mountain school was great. I felt a lot more integrated into Guatemalan life there, despite living in the school house. I made friends with a lot of the workers and local people and it was great to be able to converse with them and learn more about their work. I ended up tagging along with my friend Lauren-who is from England and doing her masters' thesis on nutrition and health in rural Guatemala-and attended a health day where height and weight were taken, to measure levels of malnutrition. And I also sat in on an interview with women from the Nuevo San Jose health group. My host mom is the president, so I had helped set it up. It was great to hear how they're organizing themselves and trying to provide access to healthcare as best they can in an isolated area.
..
On a different subject, I ended up cancelling my last week of classes here in Xela, and am instead going to spend a week volunteering at Finca La Florida. Its a finca ( a farm more or less) that was started by a group of campesino families, who occupied an abandoned finca in the 90s after the peace accords were signed. Basically in the Peace Accords there is a part which stipulates that organized groups can obtain land from the government to work on their own. Of course it wasnt that easy. Its a long story but eventually after quite a few years, they got the debt waved on the land and they now own it communally and sell free trade coffee, bananas and honey to keep the place going. They also give tours as a eco-tourism project. So I'll be staying there for a week and helping from 8 to 1 each day, harvesting bananas since it isnt coffee season.
Anywho, that's it for now! Hopefully I make it through the trek, haha
I'll be back in Xela on Sunday afternoon
But! On a happier note, I start my trek tomorrow, from Nebaj to Todos Santos which is in the department of Quiche. Its in the northish-west region of Guatemala. I mentioned it in another post, and am pretty sure that I posted the link. There are 4 of us giong, with two guides. Im pretty excited but need to get packed tonight because everything gets started around 7 tomorrow.
I spent this last weekend at the coast, in a place called Tilapa, near the border of Mexico. It was beautiful, and being near the ocean finally was great. I've never been on a Pacific Coast beach and been the only one in the water, on the beach, and the only white person in the area as well. There is only one place to stay, and one restaurant there, and its very small, located on a peninsula and you can only get there by boat as well. The people there earn their livings by fishing in the mangroves, in the ocean, and selling their pigs, which run around the peninsula freely with their piglets. I took a tour of the mangrove which was beautiful as well. I don't have time to upload photos, but I might get around to that next week once I get back to Xela for another day!
The mountain school was great. I felt a lot more integrated into Guatemalan life there, despite living in the school house. I made friends with a lot of the workers and local people and it was great to be able to converse with them and learn more about their work. I ended up tagging along with my friend Lauren-who is from England and doing her masters' thesis on nutrition and health in rural Guatemala-and attended a health day where height and weight were taken, to measure levels of malnutrition. And I also sat in on an interview with women from the Nuevo San Jose health group. My host mom is the president, so I had helped set it up. It was great to hear how they're organizing themselves and trying to provide access to healthcare as best they can in an isolated area.
..
On a different subject, I ended up cancelling my last week of classes here in Xela, and am instead going to spend a week volunteering at Finca La Florida. Its a finca ( a farm more or less) that was started by a group of campesino families, who occupied an abandoned finca in the 90s after the peace accords were signed. Basically in the Peace Accords there is a part which stipulates that organized groups can obtain land from the government to work on their own. Of course it wasnt that easy. Its a long story but eventually after quite a few years, they got the debt waved on the land and they now own it communally and sell free trade coffee, bananas and honey to keep the place going. They also give tours as a eco-tourism project. So I'll be staying there for a week and helping from 8 to 1 each day, harvesting bananas since it isnt coffee season.
Anywho, that's it for now! Hopefully I make it through the trek, haha
I'll be back in Xela on Sunday afternoon
Jun 13, 2010
So I'm in Colomba right now, my first time into town in a week, to use internet and just get out for a bit.
Escuela de las Montañas, where I have been studying for the past week, and will continue for another, is quite different from the others so far. We live in the school house and it sort of reminds me of summer camp (which I never actually had the chance to experience, but I am guessing that its sort of the same?). There is enough space for 14 students, with shared rooms, a kitched, patio with hammocks and a veautiful garden. Its pretty lush, feels like we are in the middle of the jungle, and study outside in huts, sort of like I did in San Pedro. We don´t live with the families for a variety of reasons...the poverty here is pretty stark, and there isn´t enough room for us to live with them. But we do go to families for each of our meals.
When I read that we would be living near the communities of Fatima and Nuevo San Jose, I thought it would be a bit bigger. But Fatima is actually a single street, lined with 20 families, with communal land holdings. Nuevo San Jose is two streets with about 70 families I think. Each has a primary school and a health centre. The communities hold similar histories, of struggles against the coffee finca owners, which finally spiralled out of control after over a year of lack of pay, and deaths from malnutrition. Nuevo San Jose came here 17 years ago or so, and Fatima nearly 8 years ago.
There isnt any work here for the men, so they all catch buses to bigger city centres at 3 or 4 in the morning, and many times they dont find work, but have to pay for the fares there adn back. The school provides some work int he community, based with women, who recieve work by feeding studens on rotation. They don{t have much land, but Fatima grows a bit of coffee, though Im not sure how much they sell or where.
The computer here is pretty slow, and my friend Kira is waiting for me so I will update more later!
Escuela de las Montañas, where I have been studying for the past week, and will continue for another, is quite different from the others so far. We live in the school house and it sort of reminds me of summer camp (which I never actually had the chance to experience, but I am guessing that its sort of the same?). There is enough space for 14 students, with shared rooms, a kitched, patio with hammocks and a veautiful garden. Its pretty lush, feels like we are in the middle of the jungle, and study outside in huts, sort of like I did in San Pedro. We don´t live with the families for a variety of reasons...the poverty here is pretty stark, and there isn´t enough room for us to live with them. But we do go to families for each of our meals.
When I read that we would be living near the communities of Fatima and Nuevo San Jose, I thought it would be a bit bigger. But Fatima is actually a single street, lined with 20 families, with communal land holdings. Nuevo San Jose is two streets with about 70 families I think. Each has a primary school and a health centre. The communities hold similar histories, of struggles against the coffee finca owners, which finally spiralled out of control after over a year of lack of pay, and deaths from malnutrition. Nuevo San Jose came here 17 years ago or so, and Fatima nearly 8 years ago.
There isnt any work here for the men, so they all catch buses to bigger city centres at 3 or 4 in the morning, and many times they dont find work, but have to pay for the fares there adn back. The school provides some work int he community, based with women, who recieve work by feeding studens on rotation. They don{t have much land, but Fatima grows a bit of coffee, though Im not sure how much they sell or where.
The computer here is pretty slow, and my friend Kira is waiting for me so I will update more later!
Jun 5, 2010
Gettin out of the city
This is my last day in Xela for two weeks. I´ll be heading up to Escuela de las Montañas which is the sister school of PLQ here in the city. There are only 10 students up there at any point, and instead of living with a family, you live in the school house and then walk to the neighbouring communities at meal times to eat with campesino families.
Yesterday I was feeling a little sad that I would be leaving the city, and perhaps be bored with heading to the mountains for so long. But today I realized that its time for a change, and I know I´m going to appreciate the tranquilitiy a lot, more than I know right now. I feel like Ive been too lazy to take advantage of what the city has going on lately anyway.
I am actually having my first bout of homesickness, I think. I really am getting excited to go back to Vancouver and get 4th year underway. Oh well, if anything, its nice to have something to look forward to!
Earlier this week, the school had a clean up organized, to help people whos houses were flooded. My group of 5 people spent about 4 hours cleaning only two rooms of a host family´s house. The mud and damage was ridiculous. The school also brought food and water to them, which was a big help. I know it wasn´t all that much, but it was nice being able to help out a little bit where we could. A lot of people whos houses were damaged on the street we were working on were only renting so many houses have sort of been abandoned for now.
On a bit of a random note, Ive really enjoyed playing soccer here with the school. Students and teachers and workers of the school play. Its been getting pretty competitive, but ridiculously fun! Thats probably what I´m going to miss most when Im away. But I´ll be back for a week in about a month so I´ll be waiting until then...apparently the mountain school has a feild and a ball up there...so hopefully I can get people motivated enough to get some games giong in between the rain.
I keep meaning to put pictures up, but everytime I head in to do internet stuff, I forget my card reader...so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow morning? Keep fingers crossed!
Miss you all, and hopefully I´ll get a chance to update from the mountains, if not, don´t be worried if you don´t hear from me for two weeks, haha
Much love,
Kalyeena
Yesterday I was feeling a little sad that I would be leaving the city, and perhaps be bored with heading to the mountains for so long. But today I realized that its time for a change, and I know I´m going to appreciate the tranquilitiy a lot, more than I know right now. I feel like Ive been too lazy to take advantage of what the city has going on lately anyway.
I am actually having my first bout of homesickness, I think. I really am getting excited to go back to Vancouver and get 4th year underway. Oh well, if anything, its nice to have something to look forward to!
Earlier this week, the school had a clean up organized, to help people whos houses were flooded. My group of 5 people spent about 4 hours cleaning only two rooms of a host family´s house. The mud and damage was ridiculous. The school also brought food and water to them, which was a big help. I know it wasn´t all that much, but it was nice being able to help out a little bit where we could. A lot of people whos houses were damaged on the street we were working on were only renting so many houses have sort of been abandoned for now.
On a bit of a random note, Ive really enjoyed playing soccer here with the school. Students and teachers and workers of the school play. Its been getting pretty competitive, but ridiculously fun! Thats probably what I´m going to miss most when Im away. But I´ll be back for a week in about a month so I´ll be waiting until then...apparently the mountain school has a feild and a ball up there...so hopefully I can get people motivated enough to get some games giong in between the rain.
I keep meaning to put pictures up, but everytime I head in to do internet stuff, I forget my card reader...so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow morning? Keep fingers crossed!
Miss you all, and hopefully I´ll get a chance to update from the mountains, if not, don´t be worried if you don´t hear from me for two weeks, haha
Much love,
Kalyeena
May 30, 2010
Tropical Storms
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!!
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 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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