I'm not too sure what the topic of this post shall be, but how about random Guatemalan Goodies !
First up, this is land of the best corn tortillas. Usually woman are hand making these all day, patting them into round three inches, cooked over a wood fire and ready for sale by 3 PM.
Second, food stalls. Cheap and tasty...I have a strong stomach and try to sample a few things....have you ever seen a trash can full of tostadas before ?
Third, great sunsets. Traveling is great because time is slow and you enjoy each sunset fully (or sunrise which I did on occasion.) Sunsets in the jungle, sunsets over lakes....paradise ! When is the last time you enjoyed the sunset away from home ? When was the last time you took the time to even watch a sunset from your own home? How many more sunsets do you think you have left in your lifetime ? No one knows, so enjoy them all.
Fourth, new friends................from all over the world.
nice lady from Israel, she asked what Obama is up to, as over there they here about him every day in the news
Jose, I stayed at his guesthouse and had a blast hanging out with a local and learning about average life in Guatemala
i met this guy on the streets in Belize, he was so fascinating and taught me some history of Belize, and told me me owned the Hilton in town ?!?!? huh
Fifth, WATER ! What a treat after living in the desert, right !?!?
my spanish student school visit to one of the oldest churches in central america !
To me, travelling is more than just a vacation. It is more than just removing myself from the daily USA life to relax. I travel to learn. To learn about the world, other people, other ecological and social environments. Also, as a solo traveler, I learn alot about myself. I have time to reflect on my own life on long shuttle and bus rides. I can try new things to decide what changes I need to make in my life path. It´s a time to challenge myself and expand my mind.
a home visit to try some fruit wine and watch how they make textiles
For these reasons, I chose to study Spanish for one week at a great school called Pop Wuj . I took some time to research exactly the type of school I was looking for and what they did for the local community, as well as providing extra activities after classes. Pop Wuj is a nonprofit cooperative that was started by teachers in 1992. They provide a medical clinic a few times a week where medical Spanish speakers can work hands on with the local people.
Also, they assist with environmental projects such as replanting trees, building safe, fuel efficient stoves for rural families and a scholarship program for local Gutaemalan children, among other things as well.
my spanish teacher, Ana, and our completed stove we helped build !
I had classes daily for about four hours, one on one, and also stayed with a local family as a home stay! What a great experience to immerse myself. The family was very nice and although the language barrier was difficult, it forced me to practice and learn new words. The mother and daughter would help cook meals and I was provided with three meals a day. I have never ate so many tortillas in one week ! Every meal, I had at least two, sometimes three, as all the tortitllas are handmade with corn and taste way better than anything we have in America.
I was in a larger city known as Xela or officially as Quetzaltenago. I´m not used to big city life. The noise, the pollution, the trash, the cars, the trucks, but eventually I did get used to it, but missed my small town of Moab even more.
my host family !!!
city life !
I attended a movie night, walked through the market with my teacher, had a group dinner with over 30 students (where I also had to give my thank you speech in Spanish to get my certificate), helped build a cement stove with other students for a rural family, attended a premiere of an independent, eye opening film called Ixcanul spoken in their native language and went on a village visit with other students.
I could write so much more about this one week experience, as it has been a highlight of my trip thus far !
Lago de Atitlan is claimed to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Well, after seeing it with my own two eyes, I would probably agree ! It is surrounded by volcanoes, steep hillsides, and traditional Mayan villages. It´s about three hours from Guatemala City and is a bit of a tourist stop.
I spent four days in the village of San Pedro La Laguna, as I have a friend who has often spent his winter months living here! I spent many of my days relaxing, people watching, walking around, and taking a boat to visit other villages across the lake. Each village along the lake has a different vibe-feeling-and character, so that was very interesting.
i visited a traditional weaving, womens cooperative textile shop
I randomly joined a Facebook group in hopes to meet other travelers in the area and the next day I got a message from an old friend, Sarah. Sarah had told me she was now teaching young students in a nearby town and invited me to hike Volcan San Pedro with her and her friends. Sarah and I met in 2011 when I had placed an ad through Craigslist to find a road trip partner to share the ride and gas money from Alaska back to the states!! I have not seen her since 2011 and have not kept in touch, until this past Saturday! Wow! Small world !
It was a five mile hike and it was hot, sweaty, and very steep to the top of the volcano. Over 9,000 ft elevation but by then we were in the clouds and caught views of other nearby volcanoes (including Volcan Fuego which is currently active and was spewing smoke!). My calf muscles hurt for five days after this hike, but was well worth it !
Although I am not much of a beach person, how could I not visit at least one beach in Central America during the dead of Winter. About two and a half hours South of Antigua, are the black volcanic sand beaches found along the small town of Monterrico. This place is a hot spot on the weekends for local families from larger cities to play in the Pacific Ocean.
A tropical feel, with humidity, heat, and sun scorching at me all day gave me all more the reason to play in the ocean and let the waves overcome me with delight. A booked a cheap room in a dormitory style room at http://hotel-el-delfin.com/ for only about $5.50 a night! I hardly spent any time in the room, as I was mostly outside, doing well, nothing really, and it was great ! Beers on the beach, shrimp tacos, book reading, naps, etc...
my dorm room with mosquito nets
I visited a turtle conservation center that had numerous other unique animals such as crocodiles and huge iguanas. The turtles come up on the beach to lay their eggs some times of the year and at times they allow visitors to release the baby turtles back to the ocean.
I booked a 530 AM mangrove and bird watching tour through the nature reserve and although I was not excited to wake up that early, it was well worth it. One man used a large stick to paddle my canoe, which I was the only one on, and we drifted into the mangroves to see the sun rise and watch the birds. I was really sleepy and felt like it was a dream...........I proceeded other normal beach activities for one more day and then headed back to Antiuga for the next adventure.
When I look back at some of my favorite travel memories, riding a bike in a new place is at the top of the list. What a thrill to get some exercise, fresh air, and enjoy the views while covering new territory. I booked a trip through Old town outfitters located in Antigua, Guatemala.
A sweet couple from New york was also on my trip and we biked over 15 miles visiting villages, churches, markets, and textile shops. We even had a tour of a macadamia nut factory that is part of a sustainable, local, organic experiment called valhalla sustainable development.
After our ride, our group and our guide enjoyed a fabolous traditional meal at a local restaurant where we all got to indulge in the dish called Pepián. One of my favorite dishes I have tried so far as it one of the oldest dishes due to the fusion of the Spanish and mayan cultures and is a stew but almost tastes like a curry !
Geology ! Ah...what a feast for the eyes here with the town of Antigua being surrounded by three volcanoes. Guatemala sits at the confluence of three tectonic plates and has 30 volcanoes ! Three of them are active and include Volcan Pucaya and Volcano Fuego which can be seen from town !
I decided to take a hiking tour up to one of them. When traveling, there are multiple tour companies and guides wanting your business. I knew I didn`t need much assistance to hike up there, but booked a tour with a hostel. It was a fairly large group with some college girls from Florida and nobody really had any idea what was going on, but there were still lots of laughs!
A short but steep 5 km hike brought us up to the clouds and lava fields. We literally could feel the heat steaming from the ground ! Our guide brought marshmallows, dug a little pit, and just like that in a few minutes, oozing marshmallows !
We also visited The Lava Store at the volcano, which is a small, locally run shop that produces jewelry and art made with lava ! Proceeds benefit the local communities that have been destroyed in the past by the volcanoes.
A new year. A new day. A new country for me to explore ! This January brought me to Guatemala in Central America. I arrived only four days ago and am just starting to comprehend it all. How the whole daily life for myself, can be transformed overnight.
I arrived in Guatemala City at 10:30 pm and had the easiest arrival ever. There were no lines and the easiest, fastest entry through customs and immigration. I only imagine this is easy at this time of night. I booked Hostal Los Lagos and they had a reliable taxi waiting for me at the airport. The very first time I had my name on a little sign! How exciting.
The hostal was super close to the airport and I was super tired. I awoke and forgot where I was but had a great breakfast of bread, eggs, beans, and coffee awaiting for me at the hostel. All I remember was how strange it was for it to be so warm at night, as I had just left Utah where the high has been in the 30 degrees. In the morning, I got a ride to the airport where I hopped a shuttle to the historic town of Antigua. More later !! I´m having too much fun to write more !
First up, this is land of the best corn tortillas. Usually woman are hand making these all day, patting them into round three inches, cooked over a wood fire and ready for sale by 3 PM. 
