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Published: February 9th 2007
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¡No, quiero dinero! Wish this country could figure out the money situation and fill up the ATMs!
Left Antigua last week and took a few days to check out Xela- Guatemala's second city. At first I thought they meant it was just the second largest city in the country, but after chatting with my teacher this morning, I realized that there really are only 2 official cities here- the rest are merely pueblos (towns). Wow.
Xela was not too impressive for me- but I don't think that I experienced it the right way. Xela is a city that you go to study Spanish and experience complete immersion because there are so few toursists there- and there is a reason for that. It is not a pretty city and there is little to do besides study or work if you are a Guatemalteco. I went with the intention to climb the volcanoes in the surrounding area- but since I showed up in the middle of the week, it was a no-go since I was the only wanting to go up (you needed at least 4). Oh well- this is one of the perils of being a solo traveler.
But,
there are some natural hot springs just out of town so I decided that I would bike up to the springs, get some exercise in the meantime and spend the day enjoying the scenery up in the highlands. I rented this shady looking bike from the local book store and was assured that the ride was tough but safe for a woman to do alone. After a bit of haggling, I managed to get a helmet (no one here wears helmets EVER) and a map up to the springs. As I started to make my way through the cobblestones streets on this hard frame bike, the doubts started to enter my mind as to whether I should even be doing this. Add to that, the stares by every single person on the street. Was it the helmet? To say the least, I wasn't feeling too safe- being alone and on a bike with the worst brakes you can imagine. Needless to say, I wound up following my gut and returning the bike. (Dad, aren't you proud?)
After taking the shuttle up to the springs and seeing just how "tough" the ride would have been- I was happy with my
Fuentes Georginas
Warm natural hot springs spa near Xela. Baths are surrounded my lush green ferns and forest along with a restaurant next to the largest pool. Nice. decision.
After leaving Xela- I hightailed it to Lago Atitlan. Stayed at Casa del Mundo for one night and wish it could have been for a whole week. What an amazing place- thank you for the recommendation, Alex! Anyone who visits this lake should spend at least one night here. Although the $28 USD room seemed expensive after playing less than $5 USD a night everywhere else in Guatemala- it was a worthwhile splurge- the pictures say it all.
Now, I have settled into San Pedro a small town on Lago Atitlan- the most beautiful lake in the world (according to Aldous Huxley). Every day I think it gets a little better here and I am happy that I have decided to stay longer on the lake. Just like the guidebooks warned, when you get to San Pedro, you won´t want to leave. There are plenty of ex-pats, gringos, and hippies here and the town is quite laid back. I love the alley ways that you use to walk to the schools, restaurants, and bars. And, at first the smell of the raw coffee was quite obnoxious, but by now I am used to it.
The first
thing about San Pedro is the women selling the bread EVERYWHERE. "¿Quieres pan? Pan de banana, pan de piña, pan de chocolaté" Every 5 minutes, all day long, even in the bars at night. As though, maybe, yes, now, I have changed my mind and I suddenly want to buy some of your bread even though I turned you down the last 13 times you asked.
With nothing much to do besides speak/study spanish, ward off the women selling pan, and look for the next breakfast spot... the latest activity is looking for money since all the ATMs are out of it! One of our theories: the new money they have recently printed doesn´t fit in the ATM machines- so the guatemalans are cutting the bills down and it is just taking some time?
Staying here with another family and loving it just as much as my first family in Antigua. The ENTIRE family lives in the house- Gloria and Ezequiel (Cheque) are the parents. Cheque's parents live there too. His dad, Dominique is 84 and blind. We have great chats when I get home from school. Gloria and Ezequiel have 4 children- 2 live the house with
Hostal Don Diego
My dorm room in Xela for 2 nights where I managed to be lucky enough to meet some bed bugs... Grrrr I hear that if you are planning to stay in Xela short term you should check out Casa Argentina's instead. Information came too late for me, but I'll pass it along to you. them- Dominique is 13 and just so adorable. Jacobed and her husband Juan live there too. Add to this 4 students like me in the house. Then, during the dinners there is always someone stopping by to eat with us: Edgar the lawyer, Luis, Gloria's brother with his son, Luis Jr. And then there is Liliana, one of the other daughters with her daughter Gloria. Cheque Jr. is Gloria's sister's son- he is about 2 years old and a little terror, but he blows me lots of kisses to make up for it. I had to draw out an Arbol de la Familia (Family Tree) the other night at dinner with the family to keep everyone straight!
The home stay is a great experience- I get to try new foods every day- the food here is even better than in Antigua. They cook all day long, making tortillas on the open fire from morning to night. Today for lunch we had breaded vegetables, beans, tortillas, cucumber and cabbage salad, and yummy papas. Lots of carbs, but delish! And crazy salty- right up my alley.
Also, back in Spanish classes here at San Pedro Spanish School- which I highly
Casa del Mundo
This is the view from hotel room at the most magical hotel in Guatemala- on Lago Atitlan...really beats the dorms back in Xela! recommend. I have a great teacher- Manuala and the setting couldn't be more fabulous, right on the lake under a little hut. Incredibly relaxing. The routine is 4 hours of one-on-one spanish lessons in the morning, then lunch with the family, then off for some studying or reading in the afternoons. I can get through almost the whole newspaper now but of course still need my dictionary. The novel written for 12 year olds is coming along too. At night- if I can, watching a movie in Spanish is good- saw Amores Perros last night at one of the hotels- but the slang was too much- had to cheat and read subtitles.
For now, sticking around in San Pedro through the weekend and begin my trip on Tuesday to Nicaragua to meet up with Saskia and her family.
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por Pirata
Buenos noches, mi amiga! Soy tengo mi sister, Lisa! Que chilero! Yo no parlais espanol, but I like that you're giving Lisa puppy hugs. Muchos gracias!