teco/teca: March 2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

LAVA!

Here are a couple quick clips we took of some flowing lava from our recent hike up Volcan Pacaya. (Sorry for the low quality; we forgot to change to a higher setting on our camera!)

There are a number of really great videos of Pacaya posted by other people on Youtube, so if you're interested, check 'em out!

Also, you can check out Jean Ah's pictures from our hike that day here.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Guatemala's Natural Waterpark: Semuc Champey

By now, Beth and I have visited most of the places in Guatemala we've wanted to. However, one place remained on the list longer than it should have, and we finally made it there two weekends ago. Semuc Champey is a beautiful, natural wonder waterpark out in the middle of no where (just outside of Lanquin, which is a long, rugged ride from Coban).

After staying the night in the wonderful Casa D'Acuña in Coban, we boarded a shuttle early Saturday morning and made the long drive to the park. We arrived midday and immediately got into the pools to cool off and enjoy swimming in the clear and vibrant aqua water. After some initial lounging in the water, our guide took us on an exciting and fun tour down the pools, which included jumping off some high ledges into deep waters, climbding down a rope ladder next to a waterfall, entering a heavily dripping cave to admire the space and rushing waters below, and finally to descending a large, sloping rock to jump off into rushing waters at the end! Fun, exciting, and dangerous!? You bet! Only in Guatemala, as we say...

After our tour through the pools, we went on a nearly straight up-hill hike to a mirador, or, lookout point, to admire the natural formation from above. It was incredible to see it from this height.

Following the hike, we cooled off again with more swimming, then had a late lunch, and swam a bit more before leaving the area. But our day wasn't over yet...

From Semuc, we drove a short distance to one of four giant caves in the area. This cave was unique in that it was incredibly spacious, with open areas that reached 40' high or more in places. We entered at dusk and slowly made out way through the slippery and humid cave, stopping at various points for our guide to explain how the Mayans still use the space today, point out interestingly-shaped structures, or giant insects that look like a hybrids between a scorpion and a spider!

To conclude the tour, we trekked back to the mouth of the cave. By now, it was completely dark outside, and time for the bats to come out. Yes, the bats. Some 2 million of them!

So, we stood right near the opening and in the path of all the bats heading out to feast on insects! It was so amazing to see them streaming out and around us. I felt like Bruce Wayne becoming Batman as they streamed around me me. It was so amazing to be right in their way and never have one run in to me as they deftly echo-located out of the way. I loved it! Beth on the other hand was beginning to panic and not enjoying the experience whatsoever. The creepy insects put her on edge, but then having to sit in darkness (yes, they turned out the cave lights) while millions of bats flew around her was just too much. Thankfully we left just before she had a total nervous breakdown.

It was an incredibly full, fun, and memorable day. I doubt we'll go back before June since it's so far out of the way, but Beth and I both rank it as one of the highlights of our travels in Guatemala.

(Check out the video below to see the bats!)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Beth's Birthday: Sweet Twenty-Seven!

Well, I didn't think anything could top last year's birthday spent on the beach in El Salvador. But then again, I didn't think so many things would go so wonderfully well on my birthday, which is how all birthdays should go! Also, Happy Birthday to my twin brother, Tim Kenny!

The day started inherently wonderful because it was the last day of a 3-day weekend from school, so I got to sleep in and spend a relaxing morning at home. James made me breakfast, gave me flowers, and we had fresh pineapple and my favorite coffee-dipping cookies, champurradas.

Then I got two surprise visits from close friends, Charlotte (a teacher from school) and Patricia, our awesome Spanish tutor and friend! Charlotte gave me some great bracelets from Panajachel and Patricia brought me flowers, too!

James and I spent the next part of the day at the Zone 1 Market, one of my favorite places to go for shopping! James was very patient with me as I stopped at all of the stalls, wanting to spend my birthday money wisely. I purchased some new clothing and jewelery of course!

We took our chances on some favorite typical Guatemalan food, tostadas (round, flat, fried tortillas topped with fresh guacamole, onions, and cheese) and huge portions of fresh mango, my new favorite fruit thanks to Erika!

Then we picked up the most amazing care package of all time from our best friends, Rob and Linden Mueller (the ones we spent the summer with who are living in Germany--lucky ducks!). They truly, truly have outdone themselves. I would have been happy with a card, but for our birthdays (James' is coming up soon --March 28), here is what we received all the way from Germany. Be prepared, and watch your jaw drop and your mouth water!

The King of all Care Packages included:

- It started with a hilarious letter written by Rob, including threats against any crooked customs agent who would dare to pilfer even a single pretzel

- A container of ready-to-bake German rolls, so we can re-live fresh German bread in the morning!

- A package of ready-to-bake German olive ciabatta bread

- A long, grainy ready-to-bake German baguette stang

- An entire liter of the local beer from our favorite brewery in Giessen, their hometown

- Almost a liter (a 750 mL container) of Nutella (the jar is about the size of my head)

- Two Kinder eggs (a molded white and milk chocolate egg with a toy in the middle)

- A package of Mozartkugeln, these delicious balls of marzipan coated in chocolate and hazelnut

- A Milka brand candy bar, Feuer flavored (chili and chocolate, I think) -- not to be confused with "Mein führer"

-A large PACK -- not just one, but a PACK! of Kinder Riegel (white and milk chocolate candy bars. Soooo delightful! Rob and I both love love love these! Thanks, Rob!)

-Two bags of delicious, butter, thin-sticked pretzels (Ja! brand)

-A POUND of cappuccino chocolate coffee mix to go with your coffee

-A Rittersport candy bar, Ramazzotti flavored (a liqueur of some type, I think)

- A butter stick-sized bar of pure marzipan (which I will be cutting up and dipping in melted dark chocolate, of course)

- A package of Nusseken, which I gather are chocolate German pastries, they look almost like baklava...

-A large PACK (again, not just one, but a whole stinking PACK!!) of Kinder Bueno candy bars, our absolute favorites!

Now, what made this care package so incredibly caring was not just the awesome, incredible, delicious, perfect, mouth-watering, long-lasting contents, but it was clear that lots of love and indeed great amounts of thought went into preparing and sending this to us. Rob and Linden clearly listened and remembered all of our favorite treats that we enjoyed while in Germany (and as you can see, the list is long!). They took the time to go out and buy it all, which was very, very generous to do, and then they took the effort of packing it in really well (a whole liter container of beer made it unscathed), and sending it in plenty of time for us to received it on my birthday!

We cannot thank Rob and Linden enough for their unending generosity and thoughtfulness to make our birthdays so SPECIAL! It is a care package we will be enjoying for months to come...if we can pace ourselves, that is! WOW! Thank you again, Marvelous Muellers! We love you both!

After coming down off of the sugar high from the care package goodies, we hosted a low-key Happy Hour out on our patio. Friends came over to relax before the start of the next work week, and it was a great time!

I got a great collage from our friends Mike and Wendy!

James bought a blank white human-shaped piñata from the Zone 1 market and decorated it in James Style, which is to say, somewhat disturbing and yet downright hilarious! He turned the blank canvas into the masterpiece known as "Stripper Cat."

Stripper Cat and her fancy tattoo

Only James, right?! It had all the details you'd expect, including a 'James' tattoo and a back tattoo of a butterfly. Ha! At the end of the night, James spun me around 27 dizzying times, and I whacked away at Stripper Cat until I tired. Then our friends had fun destroying her, too!

27 spins will make anyone's head hurt!

After the destruction, nothing was left but her boots

When our friends left, we headed over to a neighbor's house for a short visit and BBQ to end the night.

Thanks for the flowers, Kris!

What a great day! It was relaxing, full of lots of little and grand surprises, and fun as a birthday should be! Thanks to all who made it so fantastic!