Blogs from Western Highlands, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 107

Return to Xela (Quetzaltenango), Guatemala for more studying....... read more

And so... I have now been studying Spanish at the school for 2 days, it is one-to-one tuition and I am probably improving a little bit as I go along, at least that´s what I tell myself when I am asleep. I´ve only booked a week in the school so far so we´ll see how it progresses. The teacher I have been allocated for the week is a good laugh - well, in Spanish anyway- she´s about 40-something, quite *fruity and dresses more like a Westerner with short skirts, lots of make-up and risque blouses. I probably will book another week afterall. * you can take ´fruity´ to mean whatever you want. The school put me with a ´family´ aswell, now I say ´family´ in the loosest sense of the term. When they said ´family´ I ... read more

Sadly our timing has meant that we are visiting the lake during the rainy season, so we are unable to see to the other side nor the full glory of the volcanos that surround it. It does mean that the lake and its surrounding hillsides look very eerie, almost like a movie set... We opted to stay in Panajechel, as our accommodation is around $2 a night!!! The cheapest so far - however, it does mean that we have had to use an outside toilet and neither of us has been brave enough to venture into the shower (three days later and we are starting to smell....). It has been a bit overwhelming staying here, as you are constantly approached to buy things - if they want me to buy anything else, they can carry my ... read more

Hola! A funny few days in Guatemala since I last wrote! And an interesting turn in events... read on! As I mentioned, I was heading onto Lake Atitlan, which Aldous Huxley famously described as the most beautiful lake in the world. Surrounded by steep volcanoes and allegedly over 300m deep, it's certainly pretty stunning, but for me, Titicaca in Peru will never be surpassed. Sorry, Guatemala fans, just the personal opinion of a jaded old traveller, and based more on a emotional than visual level. But still, very lovely indeed! To try and tap into the spirituality of the place I headed to San Marcos to check into Las Piramides, a new age meditation centre and retreat on the far side of the lake. Arriving at the dock by boat there are no roads visible, few ... read more

Tja mijn beroving in Guatemala, ik wist dat het een keer zou gebeuren alleen nog niet wanneer, nou afgelopen zondag is de ellende begonnen. Zaterdag ben ik samen met Sophie, een nederlandse griet die werkt voor een rechtenorganisatie, naar het meer gegaan. Aldaar wederom een heerlijk weekend gehad. Zondag hebben we in de middag de bus terug genomen. Uiteraard een chickenbus, echter deze bus zat enorm maar dan ook enorm vol. Op alle twe persoons bankjes zaten drie mensen en tevens stond het hele gangpad al vol, toen Sophie en ik er nog bij in moesten. Via de achterdeur werden we dan ook letterlijk naar binnen geduwd! Ik kon gewoon niet recht staan en moest mijn rugzak boven mijn hoofd houden. Vervolgens begon de buschauffeur ook nog als een gek te rijden. Echt het leek wel ... read more