Sun, Sand, and Scuba!

We just got back from a fabulous week on the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras.

We've got lots to share, but for now the pictures will have to do the talking. Check them out HERE.

We'll have a nice long recap of our week on the Caribbean island learning how to scuba dive with our friends, Jack and Jen, either tomorrow or some time next week when we're back in the States.

Finally...the pictures!

Beth spent all last night uploading the majority of our Guatemala pictures to our Picasa page. She's still working on captions, but for now, you can at least see more of what we've been seeing. Hope you enjoy them!

Holiday Feast/Gearing Up for Break

Yesterday afternoon a lot of staff members got together at a teacher's apartment for a big holiday feast. Since most everyone was off traveling on Thanksgiving, no big dinner was ever thrown. So, this one made up for that and I guess counted towards Christmas and any other religious holidays members might be celebrating (Festivus, perhaps?).

We brought a big bowl of stuffing as well as eight or so baked cloves of garlic and some crackers. We thoroughly stuffed ourselves on appetizers, main dishes, and dessert. It was fun hanging out with everyone and watching the football games on TV. Due to our over-eating, we tapped out at 3 to head home and ease our distended stomachs with some stretching out on the couches.

We're down to the last week before break. My workload has tapered off since I will be unable to do any more work after Friday. Now I'm just trying to finish up projects that are still in progress. Beth and I are eager for the weekend as we'll be flying out early Saturday morning to Honduras for a week of scuba diving/certification on the island of Roatan. We'll return to Guatemala City on Saturday, the 15th, and have all of Sunday to pack up for our flight back to the States on Monday morning.

We can't wait to see all of you, and we'll be home soon!

Thanksgiving Weekend at Santiago Atitlán

The day after Thanksgiving, Beth and I went to the lake-side town of Santiago Atitlán along with another couple from school, Audrey and Tony. We had reservations at another small and beautiful hotel called Posada Santiago, which was recommended by our neighbors, Matt and Amy (they always have great recommendations!). We stayed through Sunday morning and had a great time taking in the sites of the town, shopping, relaxing at the hotel, and taking 400+ photos! Santiago is now high on our list of places to see if you come to visit. In fact, we've already reserved a cottage at the hotel for two nights the week Beth's parents come to visit over Easter.

Friday, November 23
Tony and Audrey picked us up at 9 a.m. and we made the slow voyage out of the city (it takes a while to get out of the city limits--typically 30 minutes or more) and onto the highway. We decided to take the same route we took the weekend before on our trip to Panajachel with Jennifer in order to bypass all that construction on the main highway. Once again it proved to be a good choice as we were treated to great scenery. The only downside was that we got stopped a few times for road construction, got stuck behind a couple giant, lumbering trucks shipping freshly cut sugar cane, and we went through a number of small towns that have speed bumps along the road, making for a slower average speed. In all, though, it only took a little more than three hours to get to Santiago. A few times we had to stop and ask for directions, but everyone we spoke to was very helpful and friendly. Beth and I are pretty confident we can make this trip ourselves now that we've done it twice.

Nearing Santiago, you can tell it's a pretty large city, whereas most towns along the lake are very small. We learned that the town has 40,000 residents, which definitely makes it a city, although it still feels pretty small (there must be lots of dwellings outside of the main part we never saw). Santiago has a very interesting history concerning the residents' struggle with the military presence during the civil war, but I won't go into that here. (A quick search turned up this article, which I haven't read completely, but looks like a good account.)

It's a very hilly city and there are a good number of multi-storied buildings, which isn't very common. The most striking and charming aspect of the town are its people. The majority of people are still wearing their traditional Mayan clothing and speaking their native language. Best of all, they were by far the most friendly group of people we've encountered. Everywhere we went we were greeted with smiling 'Good morning/afternoon/evening's from adults and boisterous 'hola!'s from the children. We felt very welcome in their town and safe everywhere we walked.

Our hotel was just outside of the city (it was only a short walk away) and was comprised of a main check-in/dining hall/hang-out spot (complete with friendly lap cat!), and a few cottages and individual rooms, as well as a large conference room, which we ended up sleeping in. It was all constructed of the local volcanic rock and the landscaping was unbelievable--just loads and loads of gorgeous plants and flowers we'd never seen before. You could spend hours walking the grounds just looking at it all. There was also a swimming pool and a hot tub which was perched up to look out onto the lake and Volcan San Marcos. It was an upscale place, though still only cost us $40 a night.

Due to an error on the part of the guy who booked our reservation, we ended up staying in the 1,200 square-foot conference room, which wasn't a bad deal at all. It featured large windows, so it was nice and bright, and we had five beds to choose from, two bathrooms with showers, and a kitchen.

The entire top floor was ours!

After we dropped off our bags, we headed back to the dining hall for lunch. We were all extremely impressed with our meals (I had a smoked turkey sandwich, which they smoked the meat on site) and only continued to be so with each meal following. The dining hall was large and spacious, completely constructed of the dark gray volcanic rock, giving it a very sturdy and old world look. It also featured lots of local art, from paintings to textiles, all of which was for sale.

Immediately after lunch we had an appointment with a local woman who gave us a walking tour of the town. She is the ex-wife of a man who came from the U.S. in the early '80s and was adopted into the Mayan culture and made a shaman. It's a very interesting story and I had actually read half of his book when we first arrived in Guatemala (it's called "Secrets of the Talking Jaguar" by Martin Prechtel). She spoke fluent English and gave us lots of interesting history and info on the city.

She first led us to a home where some 400-year-old religious statues were currently residing. These statues are painted annually and are rotated monthly to different homes of people who are deemed worthy by the 13th Brotherhood, a religious leadership group in the city. The home is open to all residents, and people frequently come by to make offerings and say prayers for various reasons. Typically an offering is either money or clothing you've sewn for the statues. If you were to open a new business, you would have to come by and make an offering, and I believe a priest would lead a small ceremony. I think they are also used when blessing babies.

Most interesting of all is the city's main religion--a hybrid religion of Catholicism and Mayan. Our next stop on the tour was to a 500-year-old Catholic church, which was built on the ruins of a Mayan temple. The Spanish who conquered the region forced the indigenous people to tear down their temple and build a church on the site. They left the original steps, however, leading up to the church. There are 19 exactly, which is significant (I believe) because there are 19 months in the Mayan calendar.


This hybrid religion is very common throughout Guatemala. Going into the church was quite an interesting experience. It looked very much like a Catholic church, however, all the statues were garishly decorated and all the wood carvings featured both Christian and Mayan elements.




We also toured the former room of a famous priest to the city. He was an American, but fully adopted into the local culture because he was so respectful of the Mayan beliefs and traditions. Sadly, he was murdered during the civil war. His death sparked rebellion amongst the residents to the local military presence, driving them out, and lead other villages to follow suit. Again, there's lots more to read here and I'd encourage you to if you have the time. It was strange being in the priest's room as that was where he was killed. You could see a spot in the floor where a bullet had hit, as well as his blood on the wall, which was now protected behind glass.

Also in his room was the most odd and cartoony-looking crucifix I have ever seen. I guess the priest had it made this way because he believed Jesus reflected the Mayans in that the people's hands, feet, and heart grew large with so much labor. I really liked it.


Afterwards, we went to another small dwelling, though this time to the Mayan god, Maximón. This is a very interesting deity in that people offer him tobacco, money, and clothing to honor their requests. During Holy Week he is ceremoniously carried to his own special room on the grounds of the large church I mentioned earlier. Each day, though, he is brought down from his bedroom, which sits atop the room he rests in during the day, so people can come by and worship to him. The room is dark and candle-lit, and incense burn so heavily it's hard to stay in there for long. Along one wall, there is a casket-like glass enclosure, featuring a statue of Jesus that is also dressed in outlandish clothing. Adoring the casket are Christmas lights and an odd and annoying device plays Christmas carols, which sound like they're coming from an early and basic cell phone. Strange. But interesting!

Mayan God Maximón

We then went to our guide's home to meet her mother and father, who were hard at work weaving textiles. They had some very impressive weavings and we ended up buying a woven Mayan calendar for ourselves for a Christmas present. The parents were very friendly and we got to watch the mother work a traditional back-strap loom.

Workin' the loom

I guess she's not a fan of this one...

After the tour we headed back to the hotel to relax and watch the sun set and the Mayan men finish up their fishing. Later we had another wonderful meal in the dining hall and then followed it up with a final relaxation in the hot tub. This was a lot of fun because we could really soak up the night view due to the full moon.


Saturday, November 24
Beth and I got up around 7 and each had a cup of coffee in the dining hall before joining Audrey at 8 for a half hour of Yoga she led. I have never done it before, and it was fun stretching and breaking a bit of a sweat to wake up. After we all cleaned up, we met up for breakfast around 9. Then we walked back into town for some sight-seeing and shopping. Along the way into town, the road sits high above the lake and you can see down at the shore a number of women hard at work washing their family's clothes, beating and scrubbing them against flat rocks and rinsing them in the water.

The shopping was a lot of fun. I'm really starting to appreciate the artistry involved in the weavings here. We got to see lots and lots of beautiful pieces and were treated to tons of photo opportunities as the people went about their day. I even got to try on the traditional pants and belt men wear. Beth and I picked up a few more items (Christmas presents) and finished up by mid-afternoon.

Striped pants that fall mid-calf and accompanied with a woven belt are worn by nearly all the men in town. Shirts are typically collared and button up and most likely store-bought. Cowboy hats and usually sandals or leather shoes complete the look. These pants feature embroidery of Mayan images that almost look like hieroglyphics.

And the real deal!

When we got back to the hotel, another group from school had joined us, and we all spent the afternoon at the pool, chatting, reading, swimming, and sunbathing. We ordered some appetizers to tide us over 'til dinner since we skipped lunch.

That night the eight of us had dinner together and I think everyone was more than pleased with their meal. I can't say enough good things about the food here! After dinner we hit the hot tub once more and then Beth and I played a game of Scrabble in our room before going to sleep.

Sunday, November 25
Sunday morning we were all up pretty early to enjoy the sunrise and get an early start on the day. After breakfast we went back into town as it was a market day and thus even more to see. We picked up some produce, snapped a hundred more pictures, and headed back by 10. We got on the road by 10:30 and made it home in three hours.

Santiago Atitlán offers a lot in one spot: culture, natural beauty, history, and friendly people. We'll be returning soon and definitely taking any of you who come to visit!

Note: You can see more pictures from this weekend on our Picasa page!

Quick trip to Pana for Christmas Shopping

Saturday Beth and I went to Panajachel (town on Lake Atitlán) with Jennifer (principal of early elementary) to do some Christmas shopping. We took the normal route there and got stuck in some construction traffic. Thankfully we didn't arrive any earlier, as we would have sat at a standstill for a lot longer. Apparently the road crew shuts down traffic from noon to 2:30! So you just have to wait the entire time before they allow traffic through. All the while big chicken buses and other aggressive drivers speed ahead in the left lane to crowd the front of line (same thing happens on the other side), creating a big traffic jam that takes a while to filter through once the road reopens. The crew also periodically shuts down the road for half hour increments throughout the morning and afternoon, making it a headache to get through no matter what time of day.

Normally it takes two-and-a-half to three hours to get to Pana, but it took us five (that's including a lunch break). We got to town around 4 and got straight to shopping for fear stores would be closing by 6. Luckily for us there was some sort of festival going on that night and places were staying open later.

We got quite a bit done that afternoon and made it to our hotel, Posada Los Encuentros, by 8 or so that night. Beth found this place online and it turned out to be a great find. It was off the main road, so it was nice and quiet (although you can't escape the ever-howling packs of feral dogs).

On Sunday we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed back out for some more shopping. We wrapped up by 11 and then headed back a different route. This route was a little longer, but much more scenic. It actually ended up taking just three hours, so it wasn't much different time-wise to the regular route, but we were treated to some spectacular views of the lake and volcanoes. It was a gorgeous day, so we stopped along the way and took some pictures and this video. I'm always amazed by how incredibly large the volcanoes are and how beautiful the lake is. You really have to see it in person!

Scuba Diving in Honduras...Coming Soon!

Beth and I just finalized plans for our first week of Christmas vacation before we come home to the U.S. We will be spending it on the Caribbean island or Roatan, which is off of Honduras and home to the second largest natural reef in the world, making it a big destination spot for scuba divers.

We'll be staying at this lovely looking place. And to further entice us, there's actually a craft brewery on the island! www.roatanbrewery.com I didn't think there were any in Central America.

Neither of us have ever scuba dived before, so we will be spending the week getting certified and doing dives towards that certification. There will also be another couple from school joining us which will be fun. I really hope to see a whale shark!


As if we weren't excited enough about coming home for break, now we have this to look forward to as well!

A First: Good Beer in Guate!

A good friend of ours, Adam, recently sent us a fantastic care package in the form of delicious American beers. For those of you who know us well, you know Beth and I (me especially) really enjoy a good, craft beer, particularly a pale ale or IPA. We got spoiled living in Lawrence with Free State Brewing Co., in addition to the town having a good selection of beers. So, since living in Guatemala, we've really missed full-bodied and flavorful beer. There are maybe six Guatemalan types of beer, but all are extremely watered down and flavorless, like Bud Light (sorry to any fans of Bud Light...but it's true!).

Adam sent us three we requested and tossed in an additional to surprise us. Sadly, the surprise addition broke in transit. : ( All of the bottles were 22 ounces. The three that made it were all from the Great Divide Brewing Co., one of my all-time favorite breweries. We received an imperial IPA, an imperial stout, and a barley wine, all of which are extremely aromatic and flavorful.

We opened up the imperial IPA, which the brewery has named, Hercules Double IPA, two Fridays ago. As soon as I popped the top, we could smell the strong and inviting aroma of hops. (Hops are used to add bitterness and aroma to beer, as well as work as a preservative.) Hoppiness is the biggest component of this style of beer and it gives it a citrus/pine/floral flavor. Yum!

We savored our shared beer (11 oz. each) for more than an hour. It was soooo good!




Beth's not a fan of dark beers, so I will be splitting the imperial stout with Randy. But we will be sharing the barley wine at some point before coming home for Christmas break. We're just waiting for the perfect night or until we can't hold out any longer!

Sight-seeing in Zona Uno

Tuesday morning I was taken on a tour of Zona Uno (Zone 1) of the city with the school's director's husband, Jacob, as well as Randy and Jen (the other two 'trailing spouses' that are new this year). Up 'til then, I had been somewhat intimidated by Zone 1 since it can be dangerous and is definitely not a place you should be after dark. However, it's the oldest part of the city and there are some really beautiful buildings to see, including the Palacio Nacional. As well, you really get a sense of the people and city with so much going on there during the day.

Jacob first took us to a gigantic Chinese import shop. It was a really nice place with tons and tons of Chinese goods, from fresh produce to drums of soy sauce, hand-carved furniture to lucky waving cats, to saki and swords. We had fun browsing the aisles and seeing such uncommon items. I bought some cans of cocount milk since it was half the price I had been paying at the grocery store, as well as some chili garlic sauce (sometimes called rooster sauce).

Next we went to a tiny, nearly-hidden Arab import shop. The entrance to the store was just a door between two stores on a busy street that led to staircase and up to a small open room. Once again we enjoyed browsing the uncommon goods. There I bought some apricot paste (you just cut it up and eat it; it's very tasty!) and figs.

We then headed to the big market, which is located just behind the main square where the national palace is located. You could spend a lot of time in the market, perusing the hundreds of stalls which sell all kinds of things. We've been to a few markets before and this one seemed to be about the same, just bigger. Beth and I will probably pick up some Christmas gifts there. Here I bought a small bag of delicious macadamia nuts, a pound of GIANT blackberries for less than $1 (!), and some strange fruit I've never tasted before (can't remember what it's called, but it looks like a small apricot). We will probably take everyone who comes to visit us there as it's a neat experience.

Last we went to a restaurant that served typical Guatemalan food. It was a fairly upscale restaurant for the zone it was in. There was even a live marimba band playing, which added to the ambiance. I had some sort of vegetable soup, steak with mushrooms, refried beans, guacamole, and tortillas. It was very good.

Now that I've gotten to see a lot more of Zone 1 and understand its layout a little better it's not so intimidating. It was a fun outing and very nice of Jacob to take us around like that.

4-Day Weekend on the Rio Dulce

(NOTE: the text is all here, but I plan to add some video soon!)

Beth had Thursday and Friday (Nov. 1 & 2) off from school because of Day of the Dead and also because of the weekend's presidential elections. With that extra time, we were able to travel farther from the city and up to the northeast where the country hits the Gulf of Honduras/Caribbean Ocean and near the border of Belize to stay at a hotel along the Rio Dulce (connects with 'L. Izabel' on the map below).


We started our trip early Thursday morning, waking up at 5 a.m. in order to get a cab and make it downtown to the bus station in time for our 6:30 a.m. departure. We booked a first class bus through a company called Li Tegua, and we were more than pleased. The bus was brand new, the seats were comfortable, it never got hot, it never broke down, and it left on time, which is a rarity in this country. It was also cheap, about $8/person per way. The only downside to the bus was that it stopped five or six times to let people off at various points, but it really didn't slow us down too much. Last, the worst part about the bus--though it's funny--was that they played movies during the trip with the sound blasting out for everyone to hear. Thankfully I brought my MP3 player and book and could avoid the strange and campy Spanish movies from the 1960s! Yes, the 1960s. I'm not sure why they were playing such old movies.

After about four hours into the trip we stopped off at a rest point so we could stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. The place featured a full restaurant, ice cream shop, and an area just selling snack type items. At this point in the day it was only 10-something a.m., but that didn't stop the majority of Guatemalans on our bus from getting ice cream. Mmmm, mmm! Ice cream in the morning! Not for us though... We were wanting something caffeinated, but stayed content with our bottled water.

Finally, after about six hours we arrived in the port town of Puerto Barrios. From here you can take a boat to any number of places, including the Keyes of Belize, which is a spot we're planning on visiting at some point--possibly the week before we come home for Christmas. We were dropped off at the bus station and got directions to the docks to catch a boat to our next stop. We headed out with our gear on through the city and followed the directions as best we could, but we never felt like we were going the right way. We asked another person for directions and found out we had walked a few blocks too far from where we should have turned. So, we headed back and went the way she described. We were feeling like definite tourists with our backpacks laden, and befuddled looks on our faces and also feeling a little vulnerable. We were also sweating profusely because we had gone from the cool morning of Guatemala City (keep in mind its high elevation) to the sea level heat, plus we were still wearing our jeans as well and hiking boots. We asked for directions a third time and were about to head off again when a man pulled up in a tour/taxi van and asked if we needed a ride. He only wanted 20Q ($2.61), so we gladly obliged and were glad we did. We were only about a 10 or 15 minute-walk away, but we would have had go down a street that didn't look especially safe. So, that worked out fine.

Once at the dock we were immediately solicited by large Caribbean men to take us where we wanted to go. It was strange to see black people again as you just don't see many in the city (I've seen maybe two). It was also striking how much larger of people they are. The indigenous Guatemalans are pretty small, whereas these 'Guatemalans' are descendants of a wrecked slave ship and much larger in stature.

We paid about $5 extra to get on a boat and leave sooner with a small group rather than wait for the boat to fill up and get a cheaper price. Thankfully this boat was much more comfortable and open, unlike the one we took on our trip to San Marcos (which was maybe the most uncomfortable moment in all of my time here). We headed out and were greeted with a beautiful view of the gulf. The wind on our bodies felt so good after working up that sweat and we fully enjoyed the 30-minute trip, marveling at the various birds gliding about and occasionally swooping down into the water to catch fish along the way.

Next we arrived in Livingston, which is a very interesting sea-side town. This place feels like Jamaica, not Guatemala. I was really looking forward to seeing Livingston since it's such an anomaly. Once off the boat, we trekked up a steep, restaurant and shop-lined road that levels off for a bit to more restaurants and shops, and then slopes back down to the ocean. We meandered along this road looking at the wares of the local sellers and scoping out a place to eat. We were approached by a couple guys who directed us to restaurant, claiming we'd get two free mojitos, salad, and bread if we told the owner they directed us there. Lured by the possibility of authentic Indian curry this place claimed to have, we headed over. It was a small restaurant just off the ocean and run by a Mexican woman named Maria. She did in fact make Indian food as she lived in India for a number of years because her husband was Indian. We were both about to order some curry dishes, but then opted on splitting 'topado,' which is a soup-like local dish that has a coconut milk base, bananas, some veggies, a whole fish, two whole crabs, and a whole, giant shrimp. When I say 'whole,' I mean that the fish and shrimp haven't been cut up; you look right at their faces! It kinda sounds gross, but it was tas-ty! We really enjoyed it.

Enjoying our mojitos

While at the restaurant, we changed into more comfortable clothes and called the hotel to have them send a boat for us. Leaving Livingston at 4 for the boat, I was initially pleased with the town. However, when we came back through on Sunday to go home, it was crowded with people (partly due to people out to vote) and seemed to be packed with young guys trying to look tough. It had a less friendly, grittier edge to it than the quietness we experienced the first time. I'd say it's a good spot for lunch and then move on.

Some views of the main street in Livingston

After 10 hours of traveling, we were finally on our last--and by far the best--leg of the trip. It was just Beth, me, and the boat driver leaving Livingston via Lago Izla, and then onto the giant Rio Dulce, and finally onto the smaller, Rio Finca, where we would ultimately stop and stay at the Finca Tatin Hotel. The boat ride there was so enjoyable! It was fifteen minutes of natural beauty all around us. The lake was wide and flanked by steep, deeply forrested hills, with occasional white rock faces jutting out. The sun was also beginning to set, and it really lit up the greenery in a spectacular way. It was refreshing not to see any signs (you can't look anywhere without seeing Gallo Beer, Tigo (cell phone company), or the two presidential candidates plastered on a surface).

Nature!

We were greeted by a nearly secluded and unassuming dock when we arrived at Finca Tatin. I was immediately excited when I saw the rope swing. Just off the main deck there was another deck that had two hammocks already calling our names. As you enter the hotel, you walk over a long boardwalk which leads you through the mangroves. Below you can always hear and see miniature crabs scuttling about.

Dock/entry

Boardwalk leading to the check-in and common area

Rope swing!

BBQ area just off of the dock

Hand-carved kayak, which the locals all use, just outside our place

The check-in/common area was really neat. It was big and completely open with just a thatched roof, numerous hammocks, couches, board games (including Scrabble!), books, music, ping pong, and best of all, three friendly cats! It was a great place to spend r&r time, and that we did!

Common area

The funky ping pong table, painted by a previous guest

From the common area, leading up to the dining area

We had a river-front bungalow which was right next to the dock and consisted of two beds with mosquito netting and a bathroom with shower. It was very basic and reminded me of the time spent in the log cabin my dad built. Being in the jungle you couldn't be too surprised to see bugs in your room, however, it was still unsettling to us both--especially Beth--when we'd see spiders the size of the palm of my hand hanging out in the rafters right before bed. We made thorough checks of our sheets, pillow cases, and mosquito netting for spiders, beetles, scorpions, and other creepy crawlies before getting in each night. And then we fastidiously tucked the netting under our mattress before finally going to sleep.

Our bungalow, "Mariposa" (butterfuly)

Having been up early that first day, I was spent by bedtime and actually slept great that night. Beth on the other hand did not sleep so well. She lay curled up in ball, terrified at all the strange night sounds and barely slept. The next night I actually had a hard time sleeping with all the odd noises (at times it sounded like people were walking around our bungalow, but it was probably either just the dog or these large river rodents we spotted later on). Beth was smart enough to use ear plugs that she thought to bring along and it made all the difference for her. So, the last night we were there, we both slept great, completely oblivious to the noises of nature. Oddly enough, I slept nearly 10 hours each night we were there! It was nice.

By now this place probably sounds scary, and in ways it kinda was, but the natural beauty of it all was really amazing and it was great being able to laze around most of the day and do whatever we wanted.

We weren't too lazy, though. Both Friday and Saturday afternoon we got out for a nature excursion. Friday we followed a path from Finca Tatin through the jungle over to some NGO project site where we met a local Mayan who served as our guide for a walking tour. Trekking through the jungle and seeing the absolutely HUGE palm fronds (easily 30-50' long), lush vegetation, and hearing the strange sounds of exotic birds ranks as one of my favorite moments in Guatemala so far.

The guide showing us a giant termites nest

Our guide took us to a Mayan village, which was really interesting to see. We even got to go into someone's home (very basic housing) to see their hand-crafted jewelry.

Lots of animals roamed the village, including turkeys!

The neatest part about the tour was going into a cave. We were content just looking at it from a distance, but we ultimately decided to descend the rickety ladder and hike on large boulders and into the darkness. At this point, another guide had joined us, so both guides had candles going as we got farther into it. We were both feeling like we had seen plenty and ready to turn around when we reached a point you couldn't climb any further. But you could--*now this is the crazy part*--climb down a rope ladder and swim in a pool of water...in total darkness...in a cave! NO THANKS! We couldn't believe anyone would want to do that, but apparently some people do. I think if we had headlamps on, it might not have been so intimidating, but still...

(video of the cave coming here soon!)

For the next day's outing we went kayaking with Haans, a German volunteering at Finca Tatin in order to stay there for free for a few weeks. Haans guided us back up Rio Tatin, then onto Rio Dulce, and from there into a smaller river offshoot. This was also an amazing experience as we got to kayak right through the thickness of the jungle! At times the river became as narrow as four to five feet across and as shallow as just a couple feet. As well, parts became so overgrown with plants you'd have to either turn around and go another route or hack your way through with a machete. While kayaking in the jungle, Beth and I were both struck at how quiet it was. There were very few bird calls even. We felt very small in the vastness of it all.

Since it was our first time kayaking, we didn't risk bringing our camera and possibly tipping over with it. So, we don't have any pictures of this portion of the trip. However, Haans got some amazing photos and he said he would email me some. Hopefully he will and I can post them for you all!

Saturday about a dozen new guests arrived, comprised of Americans, Dutch, Germans, and unknowns! We were feeling a little anti-social (and like our quiet space had been encroached upon) and didn't do a whole lot of mingling with them; we were just enjoying each other's company. So Saturday night we did enjoy chatting with them at dinner, but then did our thing afterwards (more cards and Scrabble). Sunday morning we had to leave Finca at 10:30 to get back to Livingston in time for lunch and to make our other connecting boat ride to Puerto Barrios for the bus home.

We were really excited to have that curry for lunch Sunday, but due to time constraints and not knowing exactly when a boat would leave, we had to settle for sandwiches to go. It turned out that we would have had time, but we couldn't chance it. So, that's something to look forward to next time!

There's not much to say about our ride home other than it was more than an hour faster somehow. We thought we were still an hour away when we reached the edge of the city. It was a nice surprise. Immediately we called a cab to meet us at the bus station, but the dispatcher said to call back in an hour since there was too much traffic due to the elections. This made me nervous as I didn't what we'd do to get home, and I didn't want us to get stuck in Zone 1 in the dark with all our stuff. To make matters worse, the bus station was closed when we arrived, so we would have been stuck out on the sidewalk. Luckily there were a number of cabbies anticipating our arrival and we were able to hop right into one and zip home. Once home it felt great to finally take a hot shower and fully wash off the deet bug spray that had been covering me for the last four days.

In all, it was another great trip and a lot of fun to see another part of the country. Guatemala is so diverse and has so much to offer for travelers. Other than my dad, we can't think of anyone else who might come visit that would enjoy Finca Tatin like we did. So, we probably won't return any time soon, however I think we'll go back at least once more before our time here is up.

Coming Up! For our Thanksgiving break we're planning another trip to Lago Atitlan, so expect another lengthy post in a few weeks. Sorry teco/teca has slowed down! I'll try and write more this month.

Santa Teresita Termal Baths

This weekend my friends Amy, Kari and I went to "Santa Teresita Balnearios Termales" which translates to a thermal bath spa! You can visit the webpage for more pictures and information. This was exciting on multiple accounts, including the excitement of my first time driving our car for any extended period of time...


We left early in the morning on Sunday, which was good because traffic is at low tide Sundays, particularly early on before church lets out. The spa was about 45 minutes outside of the city right on Lake Amatitlan, and next to Volcan Pacaya, as seen in this picture from the spa. According to a random website,

"Lake Amatitlan is located 17 miles south of Guatemala City. Along the northwestern shore is Amatitlan from where a road with a panoramic view stretches out to the southeast along the lake and close to the sides of Volcano Pacaya. The human history of the lake is one of the most ancient in the world. Archaeological remains that date back to 2000 B.C. have been found around the lake, and jade, bone, and clay artifacts have been retrieved from its depth. High population density, over-exploitation of natural resources, and the shortage of water have caused the degradation of Lake Amatitlan and its watershed."

Kari also added that the lake is incredibly polluted, and as recent as 5 years ago people were advised even not to put their feet in the water! Yikes! But I digress. Because the spa is close to both a lake and a volcano (yep, the same one we climbed, Volcán Pacaya!), the water is naturally heated and sulfuric, hence the beautiful spa.

When we arrived, we each bought "Uno de todo" which in choppy Spanish is One of Everything, please! This included use of all of the pools and facilities, an hour massage (best massage of my life! A combination of shiatsu, relaxation, and deep muscle massage! Terrific.), a 30 minute "Reflexologia" (foot massage) and a clay facial. It was SUCH a clean and nice facility, with professional workers...I left my watch in the massage room and they actually KEPT it for me (as in, it did not "disappear" into a worker's purse).


As the website indicates, there are 16 thermal pools and 32 hot steam baths. We didn't do the hot steam baths because the weather outside was so inviting, we didn't want to stay indoors any longer than we had to! We also did not get in any of the hot/warm pools because we were already so warm from lying out and reading it didn't sound fun. It is wonderful to live in a country where the weather holds at a stead 75 degrees! Now that the rainy season is winding down, each day stays relatively clear and perfect.

Of course, lunch there was fantastic as well. We each ordered a "Smoothie Mora" (Blackberry!) and received dark purple smoothies that weighed as much as a Chipotle burrito. We were pretty sure they were made with blackberries and frozen yogurt. No one complained. While we worked on balancing tastiness and cold headaches, we ordered ceviche, which is sort of like a shrimp salsa: fresh tomatoes, onions, shrimp, and cilantro, topped with sliced avocado and doused in freshly squeezed lime juice. It was a perfect end to a perfect morning!

I cannot stress enough what a beautiful country we live in. Every single morning I get excited when I step out onto our balcony because it feels so wonderful. I keep waiting for it to get cold, and it just stays springtime. One day I will get around to posting pictures of the multitude of flowers that our campus has on it. It certainly doesn't feel like November is closing in.

Saturday's trip to the black sand beach & costume party

We got an early start Saturday morning as we were headed south to the Pacific coast with Kelly and her local friend, Roblanz, for a half day at the beach. Kelly picked us up around 7:15 and then we headed over to a zone of the city we'd never seen before to pick up Roblanz. He lived a way's away, so it took a while to get him and then to finally make our way to the highway.

Roblanz didn't speak any English, so Beth and I did our best to communicate with him in Spanish. Kelly had no trouble as she's pretty proficient with the language. Roblanz was nice enough to drive us as he knew his away out of the city and down to the coast. Surprisingly, the highway down there was really nice and new, so it made for a quick trip--just an hour and 40 minutes or so to get there. Along the way we enjoyed the radio's eclectic offerings of '80s music and reggaeton, as well as Roblanz's iPod, which also had some random '80s goodness (Bon Jovi, "pre-facelift era," as Beth would say) and of all things, Shaggy.

We paid to park our car and hang out in a mini water park next to the ocean. It was sort of like White Water in Branson as it had a few big--and fun!--water slides, wave pool, kids play area, changing areas, concession stands, tables/chairs, etc. This really worked out nicely as the ocean was much too powerful to safely swim in, so we could still enjoy some swimming in the big pool.

Me lounging in the wave pool

Not only did the ocean have the biggest waves Beth and I had ever seen, but it also had black sand! I guess it's black from the volcanic remnants. It was much softer than white sand, but also really hot! Back to the waves... These were monstrous! There was pier a few hundred feet away from us and I'd guess it was at least 25 feet up in the air, and at time the waves would be crashing in all the way up to the top of the pier! It was astounding. There was also significant pull and undertow at the shoreline. You could get in the water up to your ankles and let the big waves hit you, but it would be dangerous even to go out as far as the water level above your waist.



We all lay out on the beach for a couple hours and Beth and I both even fell asleep for a short time. It was mostly cloudy the whole day, but it was still plenty warm and relaxing. We bought a few slices of watermelon from a woman selling them and we also snacked on the lunch we brought with us.

While on the beach, we spotted a gigantic pig and two piglets! The big sow was using a palm tree to scratch itself over and over. Thankfully, it wasn't a menace! (Adam) It was so odd and funny to see them on the beach. We're not sure why there were there. It didn't look like anybody lived nearby and owned them.


Around 2 we started packing up to head home as we wanted to get back in time for the night's costume/surprise birthday party. It was the perfect time to leave as a storm was beginning to move in. The ride home was thankfully uneventful and safe. We were both a bit sunburned in spots and feeling pretty drained from all the sun when we got back.

***

That night a bunch of the staff was getting together in Zona Viva at the fun bar, Cheers (which I think I've mentioned before...great sports bar, owned by a Canadian), to throw a surprise birthday and costume party for a staff member named Campbell. With limited resources, we think we did pretty well with our costumes. It was a departure from our previous themes, but I have to give credit to Beth for the funny idea and execution. We went as our mini grocery store outside our apartment, Tiendita Mi Favorita.


Twenty+ people showed up and we had the whole back room to ourselves. We each paid a cover and then could have all the beverages we wanted. We were there about an hour before Campbell and his girlfriend, Sara (who organized it), showed up. It was a total surprise to him and a lot of fun to see his expression. There were two pool tables, so we ended up playing a lot of pool, as well as snacking on all the various goodies people brought, and chatting with everyone and marveling at certain costumes. We were there for probably four hours before calling it quits and heading home with our neighbors, Matt and Amy (who came in togas!). It was a great party and we were both happy not to break tradition and still put on a costume for Halloween (albeit a little early).

Matt and Amy as Greeks

Charlotte with her muchacha, Kris

Pimp Jamie and her 'employees'

Far East Reed