Panajachel

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SOooo... In Xela, aka Quetzaltenango, we went to a big kind of Happy Birthday Pueblo fiesta...where i was convienintly pickpocketed. The most frustrating part of it all is how paranoid i am about stuff like that. Through the whole place i had my hands in my pockets...accept for Once when we walked through this tight pass of people! As soon as we passed it i put my hands back in only to have a lonely pocket! Since we have finished our information gather with Guatemalensis, and this morning after accidentally sleeping in an extra 30 min we walked to the bus terminal, as they call the one street, calle 7, which is filled with buses. We were quickly swarmed with people asking us where we were going, offering places in every direction. All of this was exactly what we expected as i was told all about it from Marvin, my teacher at the school. Of course these buses wouldnt go in three directions...they were just hoping to catch our ear with the right place and have us on their bus, no matter where we really wanted to go. Instead i just responded with a question...where they were going. It all worked out and we actually found a Direct bus to Pana, which was not expected. We were told this would be uncommon and more likely to find one to a sort of inbetween hub. Our bags were quickly secured to the top and we were on our way. This bus soon became and actual chicken bus...a guy had little chicks in a bag, curping the whole way. One short breakdown and two hours later, the expected amount of time, we arrived in busy tourist and hippie filled Pana. We found a small clean hotel, although we do have plans to change hotels tomorrow to a nice one at less than a dollar more. Tommorrow we will find another chicken bus to Chichicastenango for their huge sunday market. And back to Pana for the night. Well spend monday climbing a volcano or something across this beautiful lake that is surrounded by three magnificent volcanoes. It is easy to see why so many people get stuck here when they come here, the scenery is amazing. After seeing more of the lake and the volcanoes we plan to move on to Antigua where we will find a group to take us up to Pacaya Volcano which has been in its current eurupting state since 1975, or something. It is supposedly one of those sights to see...and i would love to see a volcano errupt...so those are in the plans. From Antigua well go to Guatemala City , where we flew into to catch a bus to cobán. Cobán is famous for seeing Quetzals the national bird..but it for us will be a half way point to Tikal and the incredible ruins there. Of course those are only tenative plans as of now. The school was super helpful from actual routes to take, and vocab to use with the bus drivers, to how not to get caught on the wrong bus, and how to recognize that we are where we want to be when it is not the last stop on the bus. Im very glad to have gone there first and am not a little more at ease about where to go though no less leary of the dangers and liars that can get you into traveling trouble.

Bilma and Jorge were a blast, the family we stayed with. Today i watched in horror as Brasil, Jorges favorite team, and the favorite lost! Argh... But that is another fun point. When the games come on around here, everything stops. The streets are practically clear and every resturant with a tv is filled. Even little shop front and street carts are equiped with some way to get the game. Its so neat how life just stops for soccer here, and no one is excluded from that! Hmmm...thats all for now... im sure you noticed my apostrophe doesnt work. Anyway, thats all i have for now. Hope all is well at home.

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