daughteire

Another post. Lots going on in San Pedro. Naturally I’ll start with the part I don’t remember. I decided to hike Volcan San Pedro last Saturday, so I paid for a guide (necessary on many hikes in Guatemala--mainly for personal safety reasons). Joining me were Jodi, one cool Kiwi, two lovely Brits, Hazel and Phil, and our guide, Antonio. We started plodding up the mountain around 9 am on a hot, humid day. That’s up as in straight up, not a switchback to be found. An incline more aptly labeled merciless than merely steep. Around 4,600 feet later, we apparently made it to the top. Or so claim my stalwart hiking mates. I really couldn’t say. See, I’ve blocked out the entire thing. And I’m all the happier for it. Now, from what I hear, we ... read more

I'm in San Pedro la Laguna! I arrived Sunday, and I'm finally starting to become accustomed to life here. Apologies for any typos, etc., you might find below--I'm typing fast and furious in a super-crowded Internet cafe. Some tidbits about the last few days ... After a 3.5-hour layover in Atlanta, I boarded my flight to Guatemala City and had the great fortune of sitting a row ahead of siblings, age 9 and 10, who screamed and cursed (seriously) and hit each other virtually nonstop throughout the duration of the 3+ hour flight. The kids’ mother sat beside them and did such a good job of ignoring them that the flight attendant lectured her twice, thereby prompting the mother to spend her remaining child-ignoring airplane hours crafting a handwritten letter of complaint to Delta. While this ... read more

The Lake District On Monday morning (3/17--St. Paddy’s Day), we left BA and flew to Bariloche. We considered taking the bus from BA to Bariloche, but the ride is 24 hours long, which was a little much for us. All in all, we spent 1.5 days in San Martín, 1 day driving from San Martín to Bariloche, and 2.5 days in Bariloche. As with BA, we would have liked to have stayed longer in San Martín and Bariloche. Much, much longer. The topography of the Argentinean Lake District bears some similarity to that of Colorado. The biggest difference is the incredible number of lakes in this area of Argentina and the international flavor of the area’s heart and soul, Bariloche, a backpacker’s haven. San Martín and Bariloche are quite different. San Martín is quaint if you ... read more