Home safe and sound

Deep in thought about the Mayan ruins of Tikal "Hmmm....Mayans...."

Mom and I returned to the States late last night after a long day of traveling. We spent the last 4 days in Guatemala in the northern region at the Tikal National Park, which is the largest of the ancient Mayan ruins. The ruins are set in the middle of the jungle and were pretty impressive. We woke at 4:30 AM the first day to take a sunrise tour of the ruins, saw many different birds and monkeys and watched the sunrise from the top of one of the temples. It was extremely hot so we spent most of the day at the pool, then returned to the park for dusk. We stayed at one of the 3 hotels in the national park, so we were able to hear many of the animals at night and in the early morning, but it also meant only 4 hours of electricty and ltos of bugs. An adventure more for mom, as I was used to roughing it by then.

Overall, Guatemala was a great experiene. It has an amazing amount of geographic diversity for such a small country and an equally amazing history. Their civil war (which more or less equates to a US backed ruling of the Guatemalan army that engaged in repression, discrimination and genocide of the Mayan people) ended only 12 years ago and much of the country lives in poverty. About 60% are illiterate and live in extreme poverty, which when you see the living conditions and futures of the children is pretty depressing. An extremely

interesting country and adventure. As for my Spanish skills.....I am definitely a Beginner, but I speak enough to get around traveling and hold basic conversations with people. It may not always be pretty, but I function well enough I guess. Hope to keep the skills up!

Mom, looking like the savvy traveler she is. Check out the new backpack....

Me at the airport in Flores. it's about 95 degrees in the airport and a had a stomach bug. Good times....

Mas Guate fotos....

More pics of the great local things here. The chicken bus and the man on the top, whose job it is to put and retrieve bags from the top. Often while the bus is in motion....
Below, the tuk-tuks that zoom around the city. Mom loves those....


Typical Mayan dress for men. In most parts of the country, men don't wear the typcial dress anymore but women and girls still do.

Lake Atitlan

Mom and I spent the past 6 days at Lake Atitlan, which is Guatemala's top tourist attraction. The lake is surround by 3 volcanos and is absolutely beautiful. We went to a local market in the town of Solola to give Mom a taste of the market scene in Guat. THe men in Solola were the typcial Myan dress, which is not too common in Guat. anymore. We spent 5 days at a fantastic hote, Casa Del Mundo, just relaxing, swimming in the lake, eating delicious food, and took day trips to the surround villages. We celebrated Mother's Day with a day of pampering at a local eco hotel. Not too bad! Weare back in Antigua for 3 days, then will head to Tikal.

Above, Mom at the market in Solola with a back ground of live chickens...

The hotel at Lake Atitlan, Mom and I doing what we do best - chillin by the water, swimming, reading and playing Cribbage.

Traveling with the madre

Pics of the Spanish colonial architecture in Antigua

I met up with my mom early Monday morning in Guatemala City and we headed to the city of Antigua, about 45 minutes southwest of the capital. Gringos either love or hate Antigua because it is very European feeling with Spanish colonial atmosphere and architecture, is full of gringos and ex pats, clean, safe, and mysteriously lacks stray dogs or unsightly things. Plus it has great restuarants and coffee. It does not feel like Guatemala and after 2 months in this country, I loved Antigua! We took a historic walking tour of the city on Tuesday, then had lunch at a beautiful colonial hotel and museum with Alexandria, a girl I met at school in Xela and her mother, who is also visiting her here. On Wednesday, we took a tour to climb Volcan Pacaya, which is a constantly active volcano about 1 1/2 hours from Antigua. We hiked about 1 1/2 hours to the top of the lava fields where we got within about 10 feet of the lava. We were even able to roast marshmellows up there! We had a fantastic lunch of fresh veggie sandwhiches -the guide even made fresh guacemole up there! It was a great experience with beautiful views of the vocano. Mom handled it like a champ, even with a few bumps and bruises.

This morning, we took a shuttle to the town of Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala largest tourist atraction. We walked to a nature reserve in the morning, then had lunch at a cafe overlooking the lake. Tomorrow we will visit a local market near the lake, then take a lancha to the small town of Jabalito and our hotel for the next few nights. So far, Bar and I are doing great together and she is practicing her new daily Spanish words with gusto.

On the left, Bar enjoying the mallows roasted by her loving daughter. And the beautiful duo trying not to fall in the lava....

Finca Tatin

I spent the past 3 days at hotel Finca Tatin, which is set in the jungle along the Rio Dulce river. The hotel has a fantastic location, great river for swimming, a Mayan sauna, kayaking, a few walking trails, good traveler company, great food and tons of hammocks. However, because it is in the jungle, there were tons of giant spiders, flying cockroaches, scorpians ands other bugs that scare me. We slept under mosquito netting on the beds, but I was still paranoid all night. As soon as we arrived, I heard stories of people who were stung by scorpians and found giant spiders in their beds. I got a bit more comfortable showering with the spiders, although I did a full bed and bathroom check every morning and night.

We arrived on Wednesday after taking a lancha boat 20 min. up the river to Finca Tatin, then spent the afternoon swimming in the river and lounging in the hammocks. We had a fantastic group dinner at 7pm, the food is probably the best I had in Guatemala and there was a delicious parsley-oil mix for the tortillas that I loved. After dinner, we took an evening jungle walk to the caves nearby, which basically meant we walked and looked for spiders and bugs in the dark. Not my thing, but it was a bit of ´exposure therapy´ for the creepy bugs.
On Thursday, we kayaked with 3 other people to a Biotopo about 2 hours away. The scenery is beautiful along the river with great birdwatching and people watching. At the Biotopo, we stopped at a small Mayan village and restaurant for lunch and to rest our sore arms. The woman and her children in the restuarnat were very nice and hospitable, the kids are in the pic below and are adorable! As we set out for the trip back to Finca Tatin, the wind had changed and we were fighting strong wind and the current home for 3 hours of paddling. It was exhausting, and we stopped at some hot springs along the way to re energize and rest our arms. The rest of the day was spent swimming, using the Mayan sauna, eating a fantastic dinner and playing cards with others. I spent Friday morning relaxing and reading in the hammock by the river for 4 hours - that may be a record for me! My arms were exhausted and there was great people watching, as the locals canoe and fish near the Finca. The place was wonderful, but after 3 nights of paranoa about the bugs, I was ready to move on. I am spending tonight in the town of Rio Dulce, then off to Guatemala City tomorrow to meet my mom for my last 2 weeks of travel. The time here has flown by, as all travels do....

On the left, doing what I do best - sleeping and hammocking! Below, Lisa and I before the exhausting trip back. Frankie, in the background, is the picture perfect sight of relaxation.....

How cute are these kids?!?! Me, not so cute at 7 am in my bed. No bugs though!!!

Pics

Finally got around to adding a few pics, but decided I need to take more. There are so many interesting people and sights in Livingston but it is not too cool to run around taking photos of everyone....
Below is our hotel, Casa Rosada which is right on the mouth of the Rio Dulce river. We are in little wooden bungalows, very cozy. Me drinking my AM coffee in the palapa, looking a little rough and sleepy. And covered in bug bites....




Above is a pic of Semuc Champey, the natural limestone pools that form a bridge over a river near Coban. And Lisa and I in the lancha boat on the way to Livingston after 11 hours of bus riding for me. Good times!

Livingston

After a marathon travel day on Sunday, I met up with my friend Lisa in Guatemala City, took a bus to Puerto Barrios and a lancha boat to Livingston. Livingston is on the eastern side of Guatemala and is populated by the black Garifuna population and some Mayans. It is very tropical and Caribbean, a very different feeling than the rest of Guatemala. And it is hot and humid! We are staying in a very nice hotel right on the Rio Dulce river, which offers a great breeze and an escape from the heat. The hotel has a dock with a palapa at the end, complete with a hammock- my favorite! Yesterday we walked to Siete Alteres, a series of waterfalls and natural pools good for swimming in the rainy season. Since it is not yet the rainy season, they were less than impressive but great for cooling off.It was a 1 1/2 hour walk each way along the beach, which was great for the breeze but it was still very hot. The beach is not really swimable, as it is pretty dirty with trash and mostly used for commercial fishing. The walk was a great way to see the local people and culture though. Tomorrow we head for Finca Tatin, which is a hotel in the jungle along the Rio Dulce river. It is pretty much isolated from everywhere else, and like Livingston, only accesible by boat. I have picture,s but off course this computer is not cooperating, so maybe when I get back to civilization next week.......

Solo Trip

Day 1
I left Xela early on Wednesday morning via a private shuttle thru a tour agency to Coban. Instead of a minibus, we were in a Toyota 4Runner, which I later found out that we definitely needed. There were only 4 other people, a Guatemalan mom and son and a girl from Australia. The trip to Coban took 8 hours, including a swim break at a river due to a road closure. The road that was being worked on is pretty much just a narrow path of dirt and rocks that winds up the side of a mountain. We were between the mountain and a very steep drop off and to add to the fun, we had to pass construction trucks carrying loads of rocks. It was the most terrifying 15 minutes of my life - I just held on to the ¨oh shit¨ handle and kept my eyes closed. We finally made it to Coban, then immediately took a public minibus another 3 hours ot the town of Lanquin. The trip was mostly unpaved, so it was another 3 hours of bumps, dust, wind, and heat. But I made it! The hotel I wanted was full, so at 8 pm I was trecking on the only road in town with my big backpack searching for a place. Luckily the only other hostal in town had a bed. After 11 hours of bumpy roads, I was exhausted.

Day2
Thursday I took an early minibus from Lanquin to Semuc Champay, which is a remote area known for its natural swimming pools and beauty. The minibus was only 1/2 hour, but it also circled the town plaze for 1/2 hour calling for more passengers and loaded huge baskets of fruit on the top of the bus. I was the only gringo on the bus and 3 Mayan girls stared at me the entire trip. By the time I made it to Semuc, I was hot, dusty and tired of being stared at. I stayed at Las Marias, which is only a 15 min. walk from Semuc, so I spent the afternoon swimming at Semuc and hiking the grounds. Semuc Champey is part of a river, but the river flows under the earth and somehow formed a series of shallow pools that are perfect for swimming and relaxing. It is absolutely beautiful and the best way to escape the heat and humidity. After Semuc I went back to Las Marias, met some fellow backpackers and had dinner, which is served together at 7 pm. it´s a great way to chat and meet people and be insprired for more travel adventure. The electricity went out at 8:45, so it was early to bed!

Day 3
I woke early and took a cave tour with 6 other people from the hotel. We waded, climbed, and swam through the caves using only candles for light and led by a Mayan guy who looked to be about 16. It took about an hour to reach the further point, where we sat in the dark because our guide told us the bats would come if we blew out our candles. Of course no bats came and we just scared oursleves sitting in the dark. Guatemala is prone to small earthquakes ( I have felt 3 since I came) and the occasional ´ Big One´ and that is all I could think about sitting in the dark under the earth in Guatemala. We finally started back out of the cave and our candles were down to little nubs, so we were ready to get out. We ended the tour by floating down th river to the hotel. A great our for 35Q, about $4. It as a great experience and very different, but I think I am done exploring caves. I went back to Semuc in the afternoon with Courtney and Samara, two girls from the hostal, for another afternoon of swimming and escape from the hear. Dinner was another big communal affair and electricy off at 9 pm, so no late nights for us.

Day 4
6 of us from the hotel took a shuttle from Semuc Champay back to Coban. I am staying in Coban for the day/night and will catch a 5 am bus to Guatemala City tomorrow. There is not much to do in Coban, especially on a Saturday but it is good to rest and take a hot shower! Another long day of bus rides (11 hours) tomorrow, but hopefully tomorrow night will be spent in Livingston on the Carribean coast.

Pictures to come, i fogot my camera in the hotel....

Final Semana

The past few days have been busy, busy, busy. On Thursday night, Andrea, Lisa and I went to salsa class, but I was paired with an older American guy who knew no salsa and kept running me into the wall. It was a very painful 40 minutes of dancing with the ¨abuelo" (grandfather) but Lisa finally helped me out and the last 20 minutes were salvaged with a decent partner. It made for a good memory and experience but not much help for my salsa skills. Friday was the last day of school (yay!) and we celebrated by cooking dinner in our hotel, Casa Dona Mercedes, for 3 other people from school, then dancing at a local discoteca, La Rhumba. Quite a few Guatemaltecos and gringos from salsa classes go there, so we had lots of company and a good time dancing.

Saturday a group of us from school took a tour to a coffee finca about an 1 1/2 from Xela, close to the Western coast, which is prime coffee growing land. Santa Anita is a cooperative coffee finca, meaning that it is owned and operated by 32 families, not one owner like many fincas. Coffee fincas are basically coffee plantations that are owned by the wealthy Guatemalans or fereign companies but worked by poor Mayans who are exploited and live in pretty horrible conditions. Coffee fincas and land rights were big issues during the civil war and continue to be a big issvery controvesial within the country now. Santa Anita was bought after the end of the civil war 12 years ago by the group of 32 families, who were ex gurilla fighters. About 120 people live on the finca and harvest the coffee and bananas. It is extremely labor intensive but not very profitable, and the finca is not able to pay back the government loan, which has an interest rate of 12%, plus penalty interest. Bananas sell for Q40, about $6, per 100 lbs! It also takes about 100 lbs of picked coffee bean in cherry form to make only 10 lbs of roasted coffee, which is how consumers purchase the beans.

Once we arrived, a guide from the finca took us on a hike around the land and explained the coffee harvesting and production process. It was pretty warm and humid, so we were all ready for lunch and shade after a few hours. After lunch, a man from the finca gave us a talk on the history of the finca and his involvement with the civil war. It was an extremely interesting and informative trip, especially for a mass coffee drinker like myself.

The group from school with a great chicken bus background, and a kid from the coffee finca collecting wood for the family.

In the evening, Stephen, Lisa and I went to a futbol game, the Xela Superchivos vs. a team from Guatemala City. I guess a superchiva is some kind of ram, not totally sure, but saee the pic below. There are riot police present at the soccer games, plus the opposing teams fans are kept in a seperate caged off area in the stadium to minimize the crazyness I guess. I yelled right along with people even though I wasn´t sure what I was saying. I asked the people in front of me for some help, and they happily assisted this gringo in shouting obsenities at the team from Guat. City. Although the Superchivas lost , the game was a great experience and a good chance to people watch.

Wednesday I leave Xela to head to Coban and visit the caves of Lanquin and water of Semuc Champey for a few days before meeting a friend for a week in Livingston and Rio Dulce area.

Termino con la escuela

Mi maestro Oscar en la escuela - Adios y muchos gracias!

After looking at my friend Lisa´s blog about her trip here, I decided my blog is woefully under detailed and photographed. Lisa will be my travel partner in 2 weeks for the Livingston/Rio Dulce area of Guatemala. She is a lot of fun, but we also eat way too much together. I have developed a nasty avocado, bean and chip habit, a Cheeto and popcorn addiction and a love for a Menonite-run bakery here that makes the best cookies! In general, the food here is not memorable, especially the tortillas which are much smaller, thicker and less tasty than Mexican tortillas. No es bueno.

Today I finished my 6 weeks of school! I have a pretty good base of Spanish, but it still takes me a lot of thinking to say what I want to say properly. Poco a poco..... On Wednesday the schoolwe went on a field trip to the Copavic glass factory . It was amazing to watch the guys at work creating glasses, vases, etc. but equally amazing was the complete lack of safety equipment - goggles, gloves, etc. Pics to come eventually.....

Pic of me at Fuentas Georginas, the natural hotsprings close to Xela from last weekend. And the above pic was from the hike the weekend before. The man and his son were herding the animals up the hill - the same hill that had the gringos breathing heavy was no match for this guy. Or the animals.

After the stove project, we took the villagers swimming. The 4 gringos with our snacks - me, Andrea from Switzerland, Lisa, and Kathy, who is half of the great Canadian couple of Dave and Kathy. They were in the hotel with Lisa and I and were great company and guides around Xela.

Final week

This week is my 6th and last week in school and in Xela. My Spanish is still very basic, but I need a break from school and am getting anxious to travel the country. I have heard that it is wise to take a break from school after about 6 weeks and once you travel you realize two things - 1. you know more Spanish than you think you do, and 2. there is a lot you don´t know and will likely not know for a long time! I am hoping for more of option 1, but 2 is much more likely. I plan to travel a week by myself, then meet up with Lisa, a friend I met in school, for another week before I meet my mom in early May.
It is bittersweat to leave Xela, as I have a good routine going here and enjoy the people I have met. A group of us visited the natural hotsprings, Fuentas Georginas, over the weekend for some R&R in hot water, then took a short hike to a vista point over the city yesterday. I have also been taking advantage of the great live music and cafe scene here, especially for trova music which is very popular here. The Guatemaltecos I have met have been very friendly and patient with my limited Spanish, and I look forward to traveling and meeting more people.
This week also marks the half way point in my trip, mas o menos. It has gone by so fast, but life in the US seems like such a long time ago. It is amazing how quickly one can adapt to a completely different lifestyle, especially with the language barrier, extreme poverty, and cultural differences.
Lots of plans to come for the week, including a big futbol game between rivals of Xela and Guatemala City on Sat. Good pics to come, I hope!

El fin de semana

This past weekend was very busy but enjoyable. On Saturday a group of volunteers from Xela traveled to a small Mayan village about an hour from here to build stoves. The stoves provide the families in the village with a means of ventilated cooking and saves firewood and therefore money. We started the first step of stove building which basically involves cement and cinder blocks, the pic is me with the finished masterpiece. After building, we took a group of 40 people from the village to a bathhouse/swimming pool. Apparently, some Guatemalans travel to these places weekly or so to wash the entire family, as they don't have access to water in their villages. We were certainly the only gringos there and it was an interesting experience. The hot water was great in a counry of warm showers and a morning of dirt, cement and hard work.

It was also my first experience using a bano that is a toilet but doesn't flush. You have to put water down the toilet with bucket, which I didn't understand until a Mayan woman demonstrated this to me. Banos here are always an adventure!

On Sunday a group of us from school took a hike to Laguana de Chicabal, a crater lake near Xela. The hike was beautiful but a bit strange as we hiked along a rode and through a village for an hour prior to the entrance of the park. Meanwhile, other groups were driving by in pick up trucks, so we are pretty sure our tourg roup just dropped us off at the bottom of the hill because the vans couldn't make it up. Another adventure!

Salsa machine!

I have been salsa dancing three times this week and although I am still bad, I decided I am improving poco a poco. On Wednesday night, my friend Kate and I went out dancing at a local salsa bar. There were mostly Guatemaltecos there and I felt very awkward with my gringo dancing skills. Plus, I couldn't understand anything that was said to me and just kept asking "Como?, "como?" But they were really nice and patiently taught me a few more moves. This weekend is busy with a volunteer project to build a stove in a rural Mayan village, then hiking to a crater lake on Sunday. I have been eating tons of avacados and mangos, which are muy barato here. At the market, I get 3 avacados for about .75, likewise with mangos.
No complaints here.....

Fuentas Georginas

On Saturday, I took a trip to Fuentas Georginas, the natural hot springs close to here, with an American girl I met. The trip requires a chicken bus and a negotation with a pick up truck for a ride up the hill or a hike to the hot springs.The hot springs are set in the side of a volcano and are surrounded by lush greenery and agriculture. They are really beautiful, but better yet very hot and relaxing. There were mostly Guatemaltecos at the hot springs and not a lot of grigos which very nice. Unfortuntely, the pics did not turn out well, due either to the fog or sulfer from the springs.

We also went to the town of Zunil to look for San Simon, an 'evil' saint of sorts who is worshiped by the Mayans. He is placed in someone's home and dressed in Western clothes, complete with cigarettes and alcohol. People bring him their worries, ask for his blessing and offer gifts of rum, money and cigarettes. It was one of the most interesting sights I have even seen - rum is even poured down his throat and the cigarette is lit!
I moved into the hostel over the weekend and am really enjoying it. There are not many other residents (about 6 on two floors), but they are longer term residents and older, so it is ideal for studying and relaxing. The best part is that I am finally able to buy fruit at the mercado since I have the means to clean it and a kitchen to use. I have been feasting on mangos and avocados since I moved in.

I attend salsa lessons on Mon. night and am pretty horrible at it. But it is great exercise and a lot of fun, so I will keep going. There are a lot of really great cafes and activities in Xela to keep busy with and forget about school for a bit. My Spanish is growing poco a poco, but the more I learn the more I realize I don't know!

Mercado

Today our school took a field trip to a large market about an hour away in San Francisco de Alto and I rode the chicken bus for the first time! For short trips it isn't too bad, but it has been a while since I have been in a school bus and the seats are small! I would not want to spend more than a hour crammed in one. People sell fruit and food on the bus and there is energetic Spanish music playing. The market was very big and sold everything imaginable- food, fruit, vegetables, clothes, pirated music and movies, and my favorite - the live animals. Cows, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, sheep, etc. Yes, that pic is of me by the heads of some dead animal. Scary!!! I bought a coconut and the women sliced the top off, stuck a straw in it and it good to go - muy delicioso! There are many delicious fruits sold on all the streets - mango, watermelon, melon, etc.- and it is frusterating not to eat them. But not many tourists due for fear of getting ill. Other Guatemala tidbits: although Guatemala grows and exports great coffee, almost everyone drinks instant coffee because the good stuff is expensive and exported. Corn Flakes is pretty popular for breakfast, although it is usually served with warm milk, which I have decided I like better than cold milk.

Tomorrow Zuhil, the other student, leaves the house and I am moving into a hostel. I am also headed to the natural hot springs close to Xela for some R&R in much desired hot water.

Dos mas

2 more pics for now.... this is the view of the Parque Centro, which is basically the center of the city for everything except transportation. Muy importante! and two Mayan women during the processions.

The sickness

As with most travelers, I got the sickness on Sunday. I spent the entire night running to the bathroom, my stomach in great pain and not sleeping. I decided that throwing up in an outhouse-type bano in a strange country at 2 am is very lonely! Not sure what I have, but it may very well be ameabos. My friend from school went to the pharmacy for me and I am feeling much better today. Hopefully, the worse has past! I didn't go to school yesterday, just layed in bed with no TV or books, but thankfully had my Ipod to distract me. It was hard communicating with the family, but Zuhil, the other student at the house, was very helpful and great to have by my side!

More pics to follow, it took me about 1/2 hour to add these 2!

More Samana Santa....

Semena Santa reaches a high point today, with a holiday off from school and work, a procession in the morning, a re enactment in the afternoon, and the large procession in the evening, with 4 or 5 processions meeting in the Parque Centro. Rugs of colored sand with intricate designs were created on the streets last night, and the processions walk through them this morning. Much of the city meets in the Parque Centro for the evening processions, with people selling toys, food stands, and small rides for the children. It is a very solumn but festive atmosphere. I have pictures but don't know how to attach them on the computers here! Maybe next week.....
I took a salsa lesson on Mon. and really enjoyed it, but was pretty bad. I watch a lot of soccer with the family and am even able to comprehend the TV a bit. Tomorrow I hope to climb one of the volcanoes near the city.

Semana santa

This week is Semana Santa in Guatemala, which is the important holy week before Easter. There are processions almost every day in the streets by the different churches and it's a very big deal here. I went to church on Sunday with my host family and of course understood close to nothing. On a school field trip on Fri, we went to McDonalds for breakfast. It's pretty much the same here as in the US, but it's been a while since i have had Mc.D. breakfast anyway. Micky D's is popular with the teenagers here, but is spendy by Guatemalan standards. I have been spending a good amount of time in the markets here, which are basically outdoor venues where people from the different Mayan villages in the highlands sell their goods. Lots of fruit, vegetables, meat, clothes, CD's, etc. They are pretty overwhelming but a great experience if you just go with it. I have bought some fruit in my broken Spanglish, but am still not ready to tackle taking the chicken buses or minibuses that go through the city. Guatemalans love their fireworks and set them off daily, often around 6 am. Fireworks, dogs and a rooster are my morning wake up call. Tonight I am off to Salsa class and tomorrow is a school field trip to the cemeteray. Pictures to come this week, I promise!

Almost done with my first week!

Hard to believe I have been here almost a week. So far I have learned enough Spanish to conversate in the present tense about basic things to speak with my host family and understand a good amount in return. I go to school until 1in the PM, then spend the afternoons/evenings doing my homework (yes, i get homework from my teacher!), studying, attempting to speak to people, and exploring the city. No real surprise, but Guatemala is in many ways similar to the non-touristy parts of Mexico. The sewage system here is not able to handle toilet paper, the shower in my house is heated by fire, and most homes don't have heat (and it gets freezing up here in the winter I have been told). The city has a mix of traditional Mayan people and the more westernized "Ladino" Guatemalans. There is a lot of American clothing - for example, on my walk to the internet cafe a girl was wearing a traditional Mayan skirt and an Abercromie sweatshirt. The city is set high in the hills, so it is surrounded by hills and a volcano, which I intend to climb in the upcoming weeks. So far, I have not received anything too bizarre to eat, although I did have a rice/milk drink at lunch. Lots of corn things (tortillas, tomales, etc.) but no beans yet. I haven't been sick, yet... Knock on wood.....

Mi Primera Dia

Hola!

Actually, I have no idea if my Spanish writing is correct, but that's why I am in Guat! I arrived in Xela yesterday (after an overnight from LA and 5 hour bus ride) and met my host family. In the house are the 2 parents, 2 sons (ages 16 & 22), 2 daughters (not sure how old, but in university (I think)), 3 perros (dogs) and 1 gato (cat). A busy house! I am adjusting to the ways of life here, especially the shower which is heated by fire, but does get muy caliente! The parents don't speak English, but the 16 yr old speaks fairly well, which is very helpful. The family is very nice and patient, and often host language students, but the langage barrier is tough. I have felt akward much of the time so far, but hope that feeling will pass as time goes on. I have an electronic dictionary, which they seem to find interesting (and maybe a bit strange because I am always typing words into it and bring it everywhere). The 16 yr old really likes it, especially the game section.
Today was my first day of school and went better than I expected. The 5 hours went by very fast and my brain didn't hurt much! My teacher is about my age and is learning English, so she is able to teach to my comprehension level (which is minimal).
I am exploring the city this afternoon and so far, so good. I am not sure about taking pictures here, but will try soon.

2 Days to Go!

I created this blog in an effort to track my trip and since I don't do MySpace or Facebook, I figure it's a good way to update people without writing mass emails. I hope to update it regularly and add pictures, although I will have to figure out how to do that. This bloggin thing is a bit beyond my computer abilities at times!
I leave in 2 days for my adventure and am excited, although a bit more nervous than I anticipated. I don't speak Spanish (yet!) but will be attending class daily and living with a host family, so I better learn something. Guatemala is supposedly a beautiful country, safe if you are smart, and a great place to learn some Spanish. I have my money belt (so the banditos don't get my money!), my Lonely Planet guidebook, and my electronic dictionary (thanks Mica!) - I'm all set. Vamanos!