Guatemala - Quetzaltenango

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We crossed at La Mesilla at around midday and then caught the "Chicken Bus" to Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela). The Chicken Buses are old ex-US school buses which have been painted crazy colours and are now driven by crazy drivers. It is noisy, crowded, bumpy, and can be a bit frightening due to the rediculous driving. Luckily they are usually adorned with religious artefacts so we know that God is on our side and we won't be harmed ( ;-) ). There are several theories as to why they are called Chicken Buses: because people often carry all sorts of things such as chickens and other livestock; and because people are crammed in to them like chicken in cages (at least three people to a two person seat). Both seem appropriate. It sounds terrible but it is actually extremely entertaining and worth the pain. It is also the way local people travel and it seems a better way of experiencing the country then the tourist shuttle buses which provide a more direct, comfortable, but more expensive ride.

Quetzaltenango (Xela)

We arrived later than expected in Xela so it was dark for the last hour or two of the journey. We were slightly worried as it is generally advised not to travel in the dark in Guatemala. It was of course perfectly fine, especially because there was a pump-action shotgun armed security guard sat opposite us on the bus who also escorted us to take a taxi when we arrived. We later found out that Xela is actually pretty safe and there's not really any need for concern. However, all banks, some buses, and many other businesses have security guards armed with shotguns so there must be a significant armed robbery problem.

In Xela we met Angela, a university friend of Tina who is now working in social change in Xela. She was staying in accomadation provided for volunteers by a charity which helps people find volunteering work in Xela. We rented a room cheaply there for the rest of our stay along with a couple of other volunteers, Gabi and Abi. They were all really friendly and welcoming and we met a lot of their friends - both volunteer friends and locals. We had a couple of good nights out. We went to a salsa night with a performance of one of the members of Buena Vista Social Club and had a dance. My salsa is improving but I still need more practice! We also went to the leaving party of one of Angela's friends, Marvin, who was moving to Germany with his girlfriend.

We stayed in Xela for a week or so and most of my daytimes were taken up with intensive spanish classes of five hours a day. My head was hurting a lot by the time I returned home. It paid off though as I learnt a lot and my conversational ability moved up a notch. I also learnt about the history of Guatemala and the culture of Xela during the classes.

The locals prefer to refer to the city as Xela as it's a shortened version of the original Mayan name, Xelajo ("she lajuj noj" in full), which means town below 10 spirits. The mayans believed that the surrounding 10 volcanoes and mountains were each a spirit that protected the town. When the Spanish invaded they brought with them warriors from an allied Mexican tribe who named the town Quetzaltenango or "place of the bird people", on the basis that the local Mayan tribe wore headdresses that resembled a bird - the Quetzal. The local people in Xela therefore regard the Mexicans as traitors, hate to be compared to them, and prefer to call the city by its Mayan name.

Volcan Santa Maria

Our final night in Xela we decided to climb Santa Maria, the local volcano. We had originally arranged to join a full moon hike with a trekking company. You set off from Xela at around 12.30am and arrive at the summit in time for sunrise, with spectacular views accross Guatemala and of the nearby very active volcano, Santaguita, which you can see beltching out smoke and sometimes ash and lava. However, we decided to join some friends that Tina had made on another trek whilst I was learning Spanish. They were staying at the same place where the trekking company is based and had been briefed by them on the route etc. We decided to save the money and have our own adventure climbing it on our own. It is after all quite common for people to climb it without a guide, during the daytime at least.

Unfortunately, we missed a vital left turn half way up the volcano. Funnily enough it is difficult to see the markers in the dark! We ended up following the wrong path which took us to the opposite side of the volcano and then disappeared entirely. We were sure that we could pick up another path so we carried on pushing on upwards through the undergrowth. We spent hours hacking our way through dense scrub and trees which became more and more impenetrable to the point where we had to give up only several hundred meters from the summit and hours after sunrise!! We descended having only partially seen sunrise and the view from within the trees and after having walked for about 9 hours. It certainly was quite exciting and adventurous but we should have taken the tour and it was a lesson learnt. To rub it in we met the trekking group at the bottom who waxed lyrically about the beautiful views..... As you might guess, I don't recommend climbing Santa Maria in the dark without a guide....

That same day we took the chicken bus to San Pedro on the shore of Lake Atitlan....

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Photos

Graduating from spanish school
My teacher, Silvia, and I

Fuentes Georgina
the hot springs close to Xela.

The descend from Santa Maria
Me, Tina, and Hayley

Santa Maria
After 9 hours of trekking....