Senora Kirk

We caught a shuttle to Monterrico, a little town on the Pacific Coast, this morning. Unlike El Salvador and Costa Rica, Guatemala is not known for its beaches. They have black sand, due to the volcanic ash, and it can get very hot during the day- wearing sandles is definitely recommended! Also, the undertow of the ocean is extremely strong- there are warnings everywhere not to swim deep. Although there is not too much to the town of Monterrico, the hostels are great places to relax. Ours had many ocean-front spots, including their restaurant, lounge area, and hammock area. I have combined all of the days in Monterrico into one entry, because this part of the trip was for relaxing. Besides trying to conquer the Pacific, we ate lots of cerviche, took a tour of the ... read more

Today, we went to Antigua, the old capital city. To get there, we took a chicken bus. Chicken buses are old American school buses that are sold to Guatemala, fixed up, and painted crazy colors. You can take them almost everywhere, and it is definitely an experience. It was a shaky ride, with people stepped on every few miles to try to sell all kinds of things (candy, mints, toys). The first thing we did was hike Cerro de la Cruz for a beautiful view of the city. Luckily, it was market day in Antigua, so our next stop was to do some bartering! Cultural Note -In Guatemala, bartering is a given. You ask how much something costs, but the first price they tell you is always too high. You say a lower number and keep ... read more

This morning, I ordered my first "tipico," the typical breakfast in Guatemala. It consists of eggs, refried black beans, queso fresco, tortillas, and plantains- so delicious! Then, we hung around reading in the hammocks. Later on, we explored the town. I found a woman selling homemade Mayan clothing and bought a beautiful teal top. Cultural Notes -They say you can tell what region a Mayan woman is from based on her top. Since it is hot and humid in Lanquin, the women wear thiner, lace tops (over another shirt); in the cooler city, the cloth is thicker and made with multicolored patterns.... read more

Goodbye, Flores- hello, winding, mountain roads. Today, we took a nine hour bus trip on a shuttle to our next destination. Although the ride was scenic, it was quite bumpy. We encountered numerous speed bumps, as there are many villages interspersed throughout the mountains. Women climb the steep roads on a cliff with their market goods, and children play nearby, so speedbumps were placed all along the route for the villagers safety. I am glad they are all safe, but it sure made for a crazy ride. Our shuttle stopped in Coban for lunch at McDonalds. Of all places, I'm sure he thought, Ï bet these Americans would love some McDonalds!" I wasn't too happy, but it ended up being a great cultural learning opportunity. Right when we walked in, I saw a crowd of people ... read more

We woke up early this morning to go to Tikal, some of the largest Mayan ruins in the world. Tikal did not disappoint; it was amazing. I felt dwarfed next to the grandness of the temples. Standing there, you could just imagine life back when the Mayan empire thrived. We saw ritual sites as well as old rock carvings. There were also monkeys swinging around, and we are pretty sure we heard jaguars! However, the most incredible site was the view from Temple IV. That is one of the three temples visitors rae allowed to climb, and the view is unbeatable. On a side note, when we were up on top of Temple IV, a little girl, probably 4 years old, said to her family with her hands of her hips, "?Quien quiere hacer canopy?" (Who ... read more