WEEK SIX: BBQ, BEER & WISH YOU WERE HERE!

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Hello,

Well I guess it´s time for my weekly blog and it maybe a short one as this week there hasn´t been any scaling of mountains or visiting Mayan ruins as I returned to Xela to resume my Spanish studies (boo hiss boo). There has also been a distinct lack of photo taking so you will have to suffice with me painting pictures with my words!

So, returning to my Spanish, I feel like it is improving slightly although conversations pretty much consist of me throwing my bag of words at Spanish speakers in the vain hope they can conjugate the sentence for me. The litmus test will be when I get to Colombia, although my friend Lucy who has been studying Spanish for a year is finding it hard so I don´t like my chances. I think body language will be my greatest asset and you know that I can play a mean game of charades so maybe I´ll be okay.

It´s been very much a week of eating, drinking, dancing, overindulging and generally spending far too much money (relatively speaking!) so I think I need to reign it next week and be frugal. Tom and Joe, the English lads I met in Tikal, passed through Xela on Monday and Tuesday and I was the greatest host ever by taking them to a restaurant and a bar, both of which were closed. However we did manage to find a place that served amazing steak so I believe I am forgiven. Next day I went to watch a Spanish film with my new Aussie friends Wei-lien and Blake called "Maria, Lleno a Gracia" (something like that) which was fantastic although my shit Spanish reared it´s head again when I asked a lady at the restuarant "Quien Pelicula es en aqui" (who film is in here). Yes I said "who" instead of "which" and that was the funniest thing ever to the two ladies in the restaurant, to the point that our film was punctuated with their laughter and conversation about how can a person possibly get "Cual" and "Quien" mixed up. How the summer nights must fly by.

Wednesday night I went out for a few drinks and to check out the free Salsa lesson at the big club in Xela "La Parranda". When I say lesson, it consisted of an array of people who can Salsa like demons dancing like they should be on Strictly so rather than embarrass myself to the hilt I sat in the corner with my friends drinking beer. I like going out in Guatemala but sometimes it only serves to highlight my failings and limitations on the dance floor (and in life in generally!). Lexi and Charmaine (the Aussie girls I met in Tikal) came to Xela on the Thursday so I took them out to the best Indian restaurant in Guatemala which I think I may start to get a bit obsessed with as it serves it´s purpose of being a wonderful slice of home. If I can find a place that serves a crispy bacon sandwich with brown sauce in crusty white bread coupled with a black tea with COLD milk then I may just stay here for life! Anyway after our amazing Indian, and we are joined by Blake and Wei-lein, we went for some beers and the girls, as they are pretty little things, got cracked onto by an array of idiots, including one who was actually quite entertaining as it turns out, called Guess (we asked him his name, he said Guess, so he was Guess for the rest of the night. Real name was Jono, not as good as Guess). After the ticker-tape parade of morons had subsided (just to clarify they were traveller morons not locals as they locals here are as sweet as) we called it a night and I stumbled home drunk, again.

Again, another food treat for me when we had a BBQ at the school on Friday (photos on Facebook now but to be honest, photos of a BBQ aren´t going to win me any prizes for interest levels). Afterwards we went out drinking and dancing again (obviously), I felt inadequate again and then around 1ish had to run home pronto when my stomach grumblings went to Defcon 2, indicating something bad was about to happen. After a recce of the toilets in the club suggested that the lack of toilet paper and flush might make this not the best place to unleash some evil, I ran home as fast as my little sun burnt legs could carry me. I do hope that I have one week here where I am not ill but I don´t like my chances.

This weekend has been a lot of fun and a nice way to round of the week. Played football on Saturday and find myself again the worst player on the pitch but it was great exercise and my legs and sides are now crying out for someone to massage them. After football I went to watch Xela play in what was the equivalent of the 2nd leg of the FA Cup semi final. The atmosphere was amazing, think the Bernabeu in miniature and I really wish I had taken my camera but I suspect I won´t have returned home with it, what with 5000 people with potential nimble fingers. However Xela won on penalties, the crowd went absolutely nuts and I went home with a cacophony of car horns and fireworks ringing in my ears. Today, I have just got back visiting a place called Fuentes Georginas with Blake and Wei-lein, an area with natural hot springs which after my football exertions was utter bliss. In between laying in the hot springs and getting slowly boiled like shrimps, we ate French bread, Camembert, fruit and sardines whilst the blazing hot sunshine hit our backs. And I have the suddenly realization of how I am ever going to go back to work as this is pretty much as good as it gets.

So, this hasn´t been a short one at all and I apologize if the food shopping list has made you bored or hungry. And if anyone has the inclination to send a bacon sarnie to me in the post I would owe you my life. Message me and I will send you my address!

Hasta luego por ahora!
x

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