It is mid-October now, the nadir of winter in San Mateo. Outside it's chilly. Inside, it's glacial. I've learned to appreciate many things this year: butter, fixed prices and most recently, indoor heating. Houses here aren't even insulated. For most families, this isn't a problem because they cook on wood fire stoves. These keep their kitchens relatively warm; indeed, most Mateanos spend the winter quite cozily huddled around the horizontal hearth. But our house has a gas stove. This, even when lit at 300'C and with the door ajar, keeps our house as comfortable as barrack [View Full Entry]

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So leaving Coban, a medium sized town, for the north and more rural part of Guatemala took me to places where most tourists whizz past on the highway without stopping, kinda like Bakersfield, or Compton. It took me to the town of Chisec for a bus change and then to the town of Raxruyjah (Ray-roo-haah). Being in two towns with absolutely no tourist appeal, let alone tourists, and no interesting indigenous Mayan practices or dress, I had an opportunity to ask the question that was on my mind coming down here: What is third world poverty like? First of all, [View Full Entry]

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So I'm going to write three blogs at once, just because thematically it makes mor sense and you'll get to see more pics. Plus, I'm tired and would much rather sit at a computer than get on a bus. Although, I pretty much have to. So Sunday I got up, ate, davenned, packed, and caught the boat to Panajachel, where I wrote my last blog entry. I then took a *Bus to Solela *Bus to Las Encuentras *Mini-bus to Chichicastenago *Mini-bus to El Quiche *Mini-bus Sacapulos Ah, travel the cheap way. I like the local flavor so much I'm willing [View Full Entry]

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Rio Negro is located in the northern part of the municipio of Rabinal, on the border with Alta Verapaz. This community was especially hard-hit by the violence of the 1980s through which it lost over half of its original inhabitants. One of the five massacres that affected the community took place on March 13, 1982. Monday morning, I left for Rio Negro with a group of survivors and human rights workers to commemorate the anniversary of the massacre through a series of ceremonies and an all-night vigil. Before you read any further, I have to warn you that I will be [View Full Entry]

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As I sit here writing this, a storm is brewing outside... After a hot and sunny day, the sky is black with clouds, the air dusty from the strong winds and the booming thunder is threatening us with rain. I rushed to bring in my still-wet, finally clean, clothes, that are now hanging a little everywhere in my living-room, but it still hasn’t started to rain. When it does start, it looks like it’ll pour. Maybe it’ll bring a little relief from the heat. I know that a few months ago I was complaining about the cold in Xela and I [View Full Entry]

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Since the last time I wrote, I spent about two weeks travelling with my parents and my aunt Irene, then went back to Xela for a few days, then came and settled in Rabinal, where I’ve been since, apart from the weekend or two in Antigua/Guate. Travelling with my family was great. It was good to see faces from home (even though I see Ben and Jackie regularly), and it was equally as great to be doing some more ‘comfortable’ and leisurely travelling for a bit. We spent the first 3 or 4 days on Lago Atitlan near Jabailito in a [View Full Entry]

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I’ve been here in Rabinal since last Wednesday and I have yet to find more long-term living arrangements in this village of about 10,000. So I am staying at one of the two ‘hotels’ here, where I have three - um, make that two - roommates (that I know of). Let me explain... Rabinal, located in the department of Baja Verapaz, at about 1,500 meters lower than Xela, has a much warmer climate than the mountains of Quetzaltenango. This warmer climate means at least one thing: more ‘wildlife’ in the form of insects. Last night, I discovered I was sharing my [View Full Entry]

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The New Year symbolizes a new beginning, a time to start anew, thus the resolutions, ambitions and wishes. However, probably a legacy of ‘school year’, January 1st has mostly felt as the middle of the year, the only new beginning being the approaching winter semester. This year however, the New Year was announcing a new beginning, my leaving the comforts of Xela and moving to Rabinal. I spent New Year’s Eve at Casa Internacional with some of our close friends as well as their good friends and acquaintances. At midnight we were on the patio and roof watching the firework [View Full Entry]

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So I arrived in Lanquin after two long bus rides (one bumpy as hell) and made it to this place called El Retiro. It´s a lodge with bungalows and dormitories for travellers just outside of Lanquin on the side of a crystal clear river. The reason I came here was to visit Semuc Champey which is a series of natural pools and waterfalls that you can swim in. There are also tons of hiking trails around the area with lots of different flowers and wildlife I have never seen before (there was this one spot that had so many bright orange [View Full Entry]

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Caving in Semuc Chempey with nothing but a little flame to guide us We left Lanquin somewhere around 9h00am and got to the little hostal Santa Maria (the only one in Semuc Chempey) around 10h30. We could have just toured the pools till somewhere around two and taken the shuttle back to El Retiro, but we had been told that the Santa Maria offered a caving tour at 3h00pm that was not to be missed. Chris loves caving even more than I do, so we couldn't pass this up. We walked the fifteen minutes to national parc they've put up to [View Full Entry]

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