Samuq Champey

Hola!

It´s nearing the end of week three here in Guate--the end is, sadly, in sight. I´ve been so busy since I last wrote that I´ve hardly had time to check the email...let alone update the blog. But that leaves me with all sorts of things to tell you about; I´ll go chronilogically.

Thursday-Sunday: Samuq Champey, La Cueva Maria, y Carros Rotos

The drive from Xela to Samuq Champey-a national park here in Guate-is twelve hours of lush vistas and curvey volcanic hills. The ups and downs had my stomach in a lurch, but by the time our engine failed us about and hour and a half outside of Coban (the last major city before the park) it was getting dark and my nausea was subsiding. We huddled, all sixteen of us, by the side of the highway as the sun set on the verdant countryside. Unlike most of the day, the rain had stopped and it was clear enough for us to enjoy the fading light of day as cars and trucks passed us with a friendly--perhaps mocking?--honk or whistle.

Shortly after dusk, we were able to flag a large tour bus which welcomed us with open arms. We waddled on board with our backpacks and bottles of agua pura--our high-end Nikons and Canons are what really set us apart as Gringos--and proceded to find a place to squat on the floor of the bus. It was dark by now, and a movie was showing about the civil war in El Salvador. Goodbye Xela tour van and driver, Hello open road!

Around 9:30pm we arrived at our hotel--a nice gringo-oriented place with a decent (though highly overpriced) menu, clean beds and hot water. 11 hours, two meals, and a new rental vehicle later we were on our way to Samuq Champey.

The last 11km of our journey was naught but winding switchbacks on gravel and mud. There were sweeping hillsides on eitherside of us (more like cliffs really, the sort you wouldn´t want to vere off of lest you want to meet your maker...) with huge blankets of fog in between each ridge. We passed coffee groves, banana and plantain trees, the occassional coconut palm, and loads of corn patches (I think they were too steap to qualify as fields) along the way.

When we arrived in the Park the weather was hot and 110% humid. It was lunchtime, but we were late. No time for lunch! But not to worry...it would only be a friendly 6+ hours until dinner, and we had the park to explore!

First we went to see the river, a natural wonder which has carved its way through miles of limestone to form pristine pools in concentric curves of built-up mineral deposites. The water floows down from one to another, ending in the most lovely gentle waterfall. It then flows on to its final destination...the Atlantic...a long and winding way further east.

The clear water pools are full of little minnows, and the grasses which grow on the mineral deposit edges of the water are filled with crabs. Though I never saw the real things, I did overhear the distressed cries of a man who seemed to have found them...pinching his feet that is. :o)

We followed the wooden boardwalk all the way back to the start of the pools, to where the water has carved out a huge overhang/hollow under and into which it gushes and surges before flowing more gently into the pools downstream. We sat hear for a time and took it in.

Not long later, though, we were on our way again, this time up the cliffs along a trail of steps. Up and up and up...hundreds, then a thousand, and still more steps...until we reached an overlook at the very top of the gorge. It was incredible! If Morning Glory Pool of Yellowstone and Ramsey Cascades of the Smokies had a kid, this view would be it.

After a much appreciated down-hill climb, we were literally soaked through with sweat and the pools were just too inviting. We dropped off our cameras and various items of clothing with a student and went for a swim!

The rest of the day was spent lounging about and exchanging travel stories as we waited for a dinner and lights-out (the place was so remote the electricity was generator-only, and only for a few hours a day, immediately after dark).

The next day we were up early and grateful for the sun, since our bathing suits and swim trunks had failed to dry over night due to humitity. But not to worry, we were going swimming...in a cave!

La Cueva Maria (Maria Cave) is a privately owned place just by the National Park, Semuq Champey. We took a boat to the entrance, or rather, the base of the waterfalls which drained out of the cave into the river below. A guide, one-candle-per-person and some more uphill steps (curses!) later we were trekking through the dark as bats fluttered out behind us. Only the dim glow of candles gave us light--flashlights, it seemed, were taboo in that sacred Mayan space.

For 2k we trekked into the dark, through pools many meters deep, under subterranean waterfalls, and through "the toilet"--a hole in the rock through which water gushes its way from one large passage into another. Our guide spared us passing through it in the beginning, but the on our exit we weren´t so lucky. I think he thought it funny; most of us would have preferred the original route--it didn´t involve scraped knees and water-filled ears. But we persevered.

The rest of our time in the Park was spent, once again, lounging and exchanging stories. It seemed the many teachers in our group--so that´s what they do on their summer vacations!--had lots to talk about. I drifted in and out of their chatting...too much on my mind with my mom.

The next day, Sunday, we headed out for Xela. It was only 930am and we´d not yet cleared the gravel road before our truck stopped. Brakes rattling a disturbing amount. All dismounted the back of the pickup and waited, once again, for a different vehicle to rescue us from our stranded state. This time it was another pickup, red with bars drilled, tied and duct-taped to it so that its inhabitants ( and more of them!) could stand while traversing the gravel switchbacks. horray!

In Lanquin, a little town just before the main (read paved) road, we met up with our original tour van (all repaired) and were on our way.... Only fog (thick as I´ve ever seen), constant rain, and 12 hours of road separated us from our homebase of Xela.

A weekend well-spent!

Missing you all!!!

An ongoing saga...

I learned yesterday, post-blogging, that choco fruta also comes in choco coco (aka chocolate dipped, frozen coconut). Enough said. But for those who dwell on details...

My favorite flavor of Graeter´s ice cream is choconut chip. It´s heaven on earth. To have found choco cocos here in Xela is like stumbling into my own little paradise AND a home away from home, at least for as long as it lasts.

In other news, I´m heading to Semuq Champey tomorrow. It´s supposed to be the most beautiful place in Guatemala according to locals. I´ll be MIA from the blog until next Monday or so, but when I come back I hope to have stories of lush forests and candle-lit cave swims. Stay tuned!

P.S. This is a photo of me, Tony, And Liv at Lake Atitlan, near the dock at San Marcos, the town we spent Saturday night in.

Chocofruta--yum!

Hi friends!

You all should know by now that I have an inordinate love of food. So I thought I´d take a moment to share with you the wonder of choco fruta (cho-ko froo-tah).

The general idea of this Central American delicacy is that you freeze fruit with a stick in it, and then dip it in melted chocolate (and nuts, if you like). Not so complicated, right? Indeed, you might have had a similar treat with chocolate dipped bananas. But don´t go so quickly!

1) The wonder of chocofruta as a student at Celas Maya is that the nearest vendor is literally across the street! I could be at the door to the family-run business in all of two steps. (It helps the streets are narrow.)

2) It costs 2.5Quetzales, about $.25, for a piece of chocolate-dipped loveliness! Cost effectiveness/joy= check plus plus!

3) And perhaps the best part of it all is that there is a far superior variety of chocofruta than our american chocolate-dipped bananas. Here in Guatemala you can indulge in refreshing choco pineapple, delightful choco papaya, lucious choco strawberries, and perhaps best of all --it needs no descriptors--choco mango! (Where have you been all my life?!) But if this exotic collection of delectible treats doesn´t suit your fancy, if what you´re looking for is a bit of home, then you can even go with the American classic...choco bananas.

¡Buen Provecho!

Week One: Guatemalan Highlands, School, and Class Trips

¡Hola de Guatemala!

Life here has been pretty good so far. My school, and especially my spanish teacher, excede all expectations. As crazy as it sounds (for those who ever knew me while studying a language other than English) I´m actually enjoying my studies here in Guate. Class is basically an ongoing conversation about my teacher and my´s cultures and families and experiences in life. Little by little my gramar improves with each passing comment on life. It´s quite therapeutic even...

This past weekend my school took a trip to El Lago Atitlan (ah-teet-LAHN), a big freshwater lake in the Guate Highlands. I had the great suprise of meeting up with my friend from BC, Olivia Amadon...the girl I lead a faith group with. She´s traveling around central america seeing the place with her friend Tony (also of BC) after they completed a semester in el salvador. It was the second time I´ve travelled like that with a friend....the other being my two weeks with Jess in India.

It was nice to be able to see a new...and beauteous!...place with someone I know. The lake was a cross between the entry scene with the helicopter in Jurasic park, filmed in hawaii, and lake cumberland in KY. There were lush forests and volcanic mountains, mountains a local mayan girl told me are sacred. "people bring offerings of chickens and vegetables..." Sweet! There is also a bit of gatlinburg (sp) in the place b/c all the little towns around the lake--and there are many--cater to tourists.

There are so SO many venders in the town of Santiago. With about 10,000 people--the majority of which speak an indigenous dialect that sounds much of "shsh"ing and gutteral stops--Santiago hosts a big craft market every thursday and Sunday. There are shops for wood carvings and handmade woven goods, jewelry and other goods. Every vender will tell you "my mother made this..." "I spend all week working on these..." But I´m pretty near certain that these are only the final stop on a road of middlemen from artisans. I wish I could buy directly so that I could ensure the producers actually received fair compensatino for their work. But I don´t see a way around this at present.

I spent two nights at the lake, one in Panajachel (pahn-nuh-HAH-chel) (pop. 15,000) and another in San Marcos (pop. 3000). Half the latter town was nothing but coffee groves and avocado trees with hotels thrown in the mix. Muddy paths predominated between the town center and the docks where boat-taxis dropped you off. Though there were roads between the cities, it was faster to take a boat across the lake. And I couldn´t have been happier--cool air and water vapor spashing your face while you watch lush mountains and small villages enter and pass out of view is a welcome change of pace.

I didn´t do much but sit quietly or talk with my friends through the afternoons and evenings. I did some fun reading and chatted with locals. The latter was interesting because it was always two people speaking in their 2nd languages...both making mistakes, both helping each other to understand. I think I enjoy that particular process.

So, besides passing a weekend in a touristy hotspot that is actually peaceful as can be, I´ve been hanging out in Xela (pronounced shay-luh) where I have spanish school. I live three blocks from school, in a neighborhood about four blocks from the city center. The roads are all cobblestone and the buildings colored in a rainbow of stuccoed hues. My own house is pale blue with a courtyard beyond the front door. The school has a courtyard too, with a garden in the center. Roses and canas are in bloom now. The patio around the courtyard has tables every few feet, at which sit teachers and students during the day. The kitchen in the school always has coffee, tea and hot water at the ready for sluggish students (and teachers!). Coffee break is at 10:30 am, after 2.5 hours of class. We get sweet bread and cookies along with caffein while we chat for thirty minutes or so. And after class...with time to race home for lunch....we have a daily activity--one day visiting natural volcanic saunas, hiking to hot springs in the forest, listening to a lecture by a women´s cooperative....basically, it´s all super well organized and as peaceful as could be hoped for in a place far from home.

The people of Guatemala, so far, have been the warmest of hosts. I´m grateful for their hospitality... a recurring theme of my international travels. With their respectful demeanor and quiet, kind words I am glad I chose to study hear.

Missing you all! ¡Con Abrazos!