Thursday, February 18, 2010
fotos
uploaded some fotos to facebook and made the album public so it should be viewable by all. there are 114 to sift through. enjoy: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2201483&id=30119789&ref=mf
my eyelids are sunburned
from wandering in the warm sun on the side of a mountain to cold, snow, and flat. its a bitch what twelve hours travel time can do.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Who put that rock there?
After my last long post we headed to Semuc Champey and stayed at a hostel called Las Marias. We fell in love with the everything about the place. It is set in the rainforest and away from everything and anything. No stores to go to, no restaurants, just the winding dirt road down the mountain. Actually, our first night making to towards Semuc we had spent over 12 hours in transport and were being driven down a mountain in the rainforest in pitch black at about 930pm. It was straight out of a horror film and we were bracing ourselves for the part where we get raped. Not really... but it was freaking and dark and the cell phones dont work and there are no other cars and I just kept wondering what the protocol was when the van broke down. Actually, at one point we dropped off some people and the driver tried to turn the van around on this very thin - yes wider than any other part - dirt road. Well, while facing the edge of the cliff the tires got stuck. It was wet. And dark. And I am thinking the only way to unstick tires is to try and go forward and then back or else push. Neither of which was possible. Rachel and I realized it was just us who was scared when the two guys up front - the one driving and his friend - began cussing and nervously laughing in Spanish. Oh Shit. I have no idea how but the van unstuck after another shot at reverse. Quite the, erm, experience.
Anyway, there are three main boys who work at Las Marias as well as a couple girls in the kitchen and a manager. Everyone was so incredibly sweet, taking a genuine interest in all their guests. The boys were cute and fun and really enjoyable to be around. We were welcomed in like family and I felt like Rachel and I really took to them as they took to us. We basically spent our days sitting outside, making bracelets like mad, eating, and listening to music. Pure relaxation which was amazing following a week of hectic and weeks of constant moving. One day we did venture out of Las Marias and did the cave tour which would noooot fly in the States. We toured a cave, wading in water and holding candles as our only light. Then, at other points we were actually swimming without touching bottom and holding the candles up out of the water. We climbed and crawled and the most terrifying bit was when you had to squeeze between two rocks inside the cave with a waterfall coming between them and not knowing how far you were going to fall or exactly where because you couldnt see below you. Your face ends up in the water fall and you land in a deep pool of water and the seventeen-year-old guide who doesnt speak english yeling "swim, swim, swim!" as if there are sharks coming after you, however, I think he just didn't want you to frighten yourself more when the water crashing onto your face. It was a pretty one-of-a-kind tour. Afterward we got a good view from on the mountain above the caves, and tubed back to Las Marias. The guide came with us which is where I found out he was seventeen and did the tour three times a day everyday. He was a really nice kid named Carlos. We chatted the half hour float back to the hostel and he seemed to really want to learn some english but didnt even have a dictionary. I asked if there were some in the town a couple hours away and he said you could probably find some there but he didnt have permission to leave Semuc. When we got back to the hostel I told him to wait a second and I ran up to my room and back and gave him my pocket english-spanish dictionary. I can always buy a new one and I knew this would be a great thing for the kid to have.
We debated staying longer at Las Marias but left after our two planned nights. We went up to Tikal (staying in El Remate) and saw the Tikal ruins, and wandered in the rainforest. We saw monkeys in trees and I was quite satisfied. We met a young boy, fourteen, while walking down the dirt road one morning and he was playing with incense, which looked like leaves and such he was poking with a stick in a bowl. He began talking to us and I inquired about the incense. He said it was for good luck. He said Mondays are bad. Bad things always happen on Mondays. So he needed to burn the incense each Monday. We ran into this boy later on in the day and chatted for a bit again. It was interesting because after telling me about one of his traditions he immediately wanted to know what traditions we have in the States. We also talked about christmas. He explained how they celebrate holidays like that, and asked how we celebrate. Very curious boy.
Well, we returned to Las Marias. Who would have thunk it. We decided to stay for two more nights. The funny thing was we stopped for food when we were in the town closest to Las Marias (Coban) and happened to run into our newfound friend from Las Marias. Johnny said these were his two days off (He works 6am-10pm everyday of the week and gets two days off every 15 days). He was excited to see us, in disbelief that we were returning to Las Marias, and disappointed he wouldnt be there. Well, two nights turned in to six. We just couldnt leave the place. We saw crazy lizards and tarantulas and heard all sorts of animal noises at night. It was pretty awesome. Who would have thought cold showers would feel so good? No internet, no phones. It was amazing to be out of contact. And really, we never even minded the cold showers. I could stay there for months. It is pretty humid and actually feels quite nice. They also turned off the electricity each evening. Just a good feeling place to be. On the ride to Marias that second time I actually convinced most of the others in our shuttle that they should stay at Marias and not another hostel they were considering. I got seven of them to join and got commission at Marias! The manager gave us each the first night free. Then Johnny gave us the last night free as a thank you. By the way, in case you dont realize how inexpensive it is here, we were paying 35Q a night to sleep. That is, err, no more than $4 a night. :-) There is probably tons to add to Las Marias. I cannot write most of it. I cant remember it and its hard to convey how free and relaxing and welcoming it felt there. I will really miss the guys there. Since all Rach and I do is make bracelets, all the guys and chicas in the kitchen each have one I made. I have been giving them away for free - to little girls in vans I am in, families at the busstop, new friends... I initially thought to sell them for a few pennies but it feels so much better to just tell people they are free when the inquire how much after seeing me making them. The girls in the kitchen couldnt even speak Spanish. It threw me off sometimes because the guys could speak Spanish and Ka'chi (I think thats how you spell it...), it is a Mayan language. But the women could only speak Ka'chi. It felt funny when they spoke and I could not understand a thing! It was also interesting at Marias to see the women and young girls constantly walking up and down the dirt road carrying whatever they had made or were selling or whatever it was on their heads. There are a million things that make my life different from theirs. But sometimes it just stands out to me even more. Their lives consist of walking barefoot down this dirt road everyday and their houses are what at home we may call a shed. This isnt bad or sad or anything of the sort. Just completely different. And I really believe they may be much happier as a whole. But I could write a whole essay on that.
After Marias we headed to Antigua where we wandered the colonial cobblestone streets and spend an afternoon climbing Volcan Pacaya. It was amazing after almost two hours hiking up dirt and over hardened lava, at the top we were face to face with hot, orange, crackling, flowing, lava. The heat was intense. It was amazing to see. And we wandered back town with our flashlights to find out way down the volcano. In Antigua we spent a lot of time checking out the Mayan Artisans crafts, in random stores, and popping in and out of restaurants for snacks and drinks. I think we lost a lot of our travel momentum at Las Marias and have still not been able to gain it all back. We got comfortable there and risked getting too comfortable and had to make ourselves leave... but the laziness stuck a bit.
We got offered work in a bar in Antigua - this isnt something strange to happen and it is fairly easy to find a job in a bar here. We chatted with the manager a bit and let him try and convince us but ultimately turned him down. Even after he offered to pay half of the fee to change my flight home and also pay a slightly higher salary on top of the tips. Apparently it is the second best bar to work at - you make about 200Q a night. $20-$24 per seven hour shift. To anyone at home this sounds crazy but once you know how much you pay to live here it is pretty reasonable. This man got my head churning and I started thinking about heading back to San Cristobal in Mexico and missing my flight home. I contacted Mac who we couchsurfed with there about renting one of his rooms. I feel like we really connected which I was there and he said he would love for me to come back - about $100/month for rent. I also contacted one of Macs friends, Joe. Joe put me in contact with the guy who owns a school there that he used to teach english at for 30 pesos/hour. (about 2.4/hr). Basically, I would be set. As soon as I convinced myself one way I would convince myself the other. I also talked to Johnny from Las Marias and he said I may be able to stay there for a bit and work. Even up here at Earth Lodge they are looking for someone to start right now volunteering - but your room and food is all paid for. So you dont get ahead but you dont spend a penny either. So many opportunities. Why do I always buy a return ticket? Honestly, if I didnt have a return ticket I would not be returning Wednesday. But I am sticking with this decision. I will take my flight in two days. But I am coming back, staying in one place, and working here. Probably in Mexico. I am not buying a return ticket next time.
Now we are up at Earth Lodge on the side of the mountain about twenty minutes from Antigua. It is a pretty tranquil place but yesterday there was a little party here which is out of the ordinary but they put on sometimes. There was a band up here playing and lots more people than the small 25 that can be houses in the cabins and treehouses here. Just back to relaxing today. Johnny said he is spending his day off driving the eight hours here to see us and then the eight hours back to Las Marias the next day. At first I thought we were just like all the other guests at Las Marias, but now I feel like we really all did become good friends.
There are so many things that have become obvious and normal to me here that I forget to mention and do not notice anymore. Like the trash strewn down the side of every mountain. Not just random cups and chip bags but torn open garbage bags and all the contents of about fifteen bags down the side of the mountains. Always. And that you can look at a far off mountain and see probably four different areas of smoke rising where a garbage fire is burning. Or that I have spent over 50 hours in shuttle vans but probably only seen 3 traffic lights, in the cities, between, or anywhere. Total, maybe three. Or how kids work everywhere. In the restaurants, in the hostels, on the streets, in stores. Kids are always working, young kids, older kids. Its not like child labor or anything... its just that almost everyone works for themselves, not another company. So its family. The kids all work. There are so many things that have become common to me that would be crazy at home. I just cant think of them all.
Anyway, there are three main boys who work at Las Marias as well as a couple girls in the kitchen and a manager. Everyone was so incredibly sweet, taking a genuine interest in all their guests. The boys were cute and fun and really enjoyable to be around. We were welcomed in like family and I felt like Rachel and I really took to them as they took to us. We basically spent our days sitting outside, making bracelets like mad, eating, and listening to music. Pure relaxation which was amazing following a week of hectic and weeks of constant moving. One day we did venture out of Las Marias and did the cave tour which would noooot fly in the States. We toured a cave, wading in water and holding candles as our only light. Then, at other points we were actually swimming without touching bottom and holding the candles up out of the water. We climbed and crawled and the most terrifying bit was when you had to squeeze between two rocks inside the cave with a waterfall coming between them and not knowing how far you were going to fall or exactly where because you couldnt see below you. Your face ends up in the water fall and you land in a deep pool of water and the seventeen-year-old guide who doesnt speak english yeling "swim, swim, swim!" as if there are sharks coming after you, however, I think he just didn't want you to frighten yourself more when the water crashing onto your face. It was a pretty one-of-a-kind tour. Afterward we got a good view from on the mountain above the caves, and tubed back to Las Marias. The guide came with us which is where I found out he was seventeen and did the tour three times a day everyday. He was a really nice kid named Carlos. We chatted the half hour float back to the hostel and he seemed to really want to learn some english but didnt even have a dictionary. I asked if there were some in the town a couple hours away and he said you could probably find some there but he didnt have permission to leave Semuc. When we got back to the hostel I told him to wait a second and I ran up to my room and back and gave him my pocket english-spanish dictionary. I can always buy a new one and I knew this would be a great thing for the kid to have.
We debated staying longer at Las Marias but left after our two planned nights. We went up to Tikal (staying in El Remate) and saw the Tikal ruins, and wandered in the rainforest. We saw monkeys in trees and I was quite satisfied. We met a young boy, fourteen, while walking down the dirt road one morning and he was playing with incense, which looked like leaves and such he was poking with a stick in a bowl. He began talking to us and I inquired about the incense. He said it was for good luck. He said Mondays are bad. Bad things always happen on Mondays. So he needed to burn the incense each Monday. We ran into this boy later on in the day and chatted for a bit again. It was interesting because after telling me about one of his traditions he immediately wanted to know what traditions we have in the States. We also talked about christmas. He explained how they celebrate holidays like that, and asked how we celebrate. Very curious boy.
Well, we returned to Las Marias. Who would have thunk it. We decided to stay for two more nights. The funny thing was we stopped for food when we were in the town closest to Las Marias (Coban) and happened to run into our newfound friend from Las Marias. Johnny said these were his two days off (He works 6am-10pm everyday of the week and gets two days off every 15 days). He was excited to see us, in disbelief that we were returning to Las Marias, and disappointed he wouldnt be there. Well, two nights turned in to six. We just couldnt leave the place. We saw crazy lizards and tarantulas and heard all sorts of animal noises at night. It was pretty awesome. Who would have thought cold showers would feel so good? No internet, no phones. It was amazing to be out of contact. And really, we never even minded the cold showers. I could stay there for months. It is pretty humid and actually feels quite nice. They also turned off the electricity each evening. Just a good feeling place to be. On the ride to Marias that second time I actually convinced most of the others in our shuttle that they should stay at Marias and not another hostel they were considering. I got seven of them to join and got commission at Marias! The manager gave us each the first night free. Then Johnny gave us the last night free as a thank you. By the way, in case you dont realize how inexpensive it is here, we were paying 35Q a night to sleep. That is, err, no more than $4 a night. :-) There is probably tons to add to Las Marias. I cannot write most of it. I cant remember it and its hard to convey how free and relaxing and welcoming it felt there. I will really miss the guys there. Since all Rach and I do is make bracelets, all the guys and chicas in the kitchen each have one I made. I have been giving them away for free - to little girls in vans I am in, families at the busstop, new friends... I initially thought to sell them for a few pennies but it feels so much better to just tell people they are free when the inquire how much after seeing me making them. The girls in the kitchen couldnt even speak Spanish. It threw me off sometimes because the guys could speak Spanish and Ka'chi (I think thats how you spell it...), it is a Mayan language. But the women could only speak Ka'chi. It felt funny when they spoke and I could not understand a thing! It was also interesting at Marias to see the women and young girls constantly walking up and down the dirt road carrying whatever they had made or were selling or whatever it was on their heads. There are a million things that make my life different from theirs. But sometimes it just stands out to me even more. Their lives consist of walking barefoot down this dirt road everyday and their houses are what at home we may call a shed. This isnt bad or sad or anything of the sort. Just completely different. And I really believe they may be much happier as a whole. But I could write a whole essay on that.
After Marias we headed to Antigua where we wandered the colonial cobblestone streets and spend an afternoon climbing Volcan Pacaya. It was amazing after almost two hours hiking up dirt and over hardened lava, at the top we were face to face with hot, orange, crackling, flowing, lava. The heat was intense. It was amazing to see. And we wandered back town with our flashlights to find out way down the volcano. In Antigua we spent a lot of time checking out the Mayan Artisans crafts, in random stores, and popping in and out of restaurants for snacks and drinks. I think we lost a lot of our travel momentum at Las Marias and have still not been able to gain it all back. We got comfortable there and risked getting too comfortable and had to make ourselves leave... but the laziness stuck a bit.
We got offered work in a bar in Antigua - this isnt something strange to happen and it is fairly easy to find a job in a bar here. We chatted with the manager a bit and let him try and convince us but ultimately turned him down. Even after he offered to pay half of the fee to change my flight home and also pay a slightly higher salary on top of the tips. Apparently it is the second best bar to work at - you make about 200Q a night. $20-$24 per seven hour shift. To anyone at home this sounds crazy but once you know how much you pay to live here it is pretty reasonable. This man got my head churning and I started thinking about heading back to San Cristobal in Mexico and missing my flight home. I contacted Mac who we couchsurfed with there about renting one of his rooms. I feel like we really connected which I was there and he said he would love for me to come back - about $100/month for rent. I also contacted one of Macs friends, Joe. Joe put me in contact with the guy who owns a school there that he used to teach english at for 30 pesos/hour. (about 2.4/hr). Basically, I would be set. As soon as I convinced myself one way I would convince myself the other. I also talked to Johnny from Las Marias and he said I may be able to stay there for a bit and work. Even up here at Earth Lodge they are looking for someone to start right now volunteering - but your room and food is all paid for. So you dont get ahead but you dont spend a penny either. So many opportunities. Why do I always buy a return ticket? Honestly, if I didnt have a return ticket I would not be returning Wednesday. But I am sticking with this decision. I will take my flight in two days. But I am coming back, staying in one place, and working here. Probably in Mexico. I am not buying a return ticket next time.
Now we are up at Earth Lodge on the side of the mountain about twenty minutes from Antigua. It is a pretty tranquil place but yesterday there was a little party here which is out of the ordinary but they put on sometimes. There was a band up here playing and lots more people than the small 25 that can be houses in the cabins and treehouses here. Just back to relaxing today. Johnny said he is spending his day off driving the eight hours here to see us and then the eight hours back to Las Marias the next day. At first I thought we were just like all the other guests at Las Marias, but now I feel like we really all did become good friends.
There are so many things that have become obvious and normal to me here that I forget to mention and do not notice anymore. Like the trash strewn down the side of every mountain. Not just random cups and chip bags but torn open garbage bags and all the contents of about fifteen bags down the side of the mountains. Always. And that you can look at a far off mountain and see probably four different areas of smoke rising where a garbage fire is burning. Or that I have spent over 50 hours in shuttle vans but probably only seen 3 traffic lights, in the cities, between, or anywhere. Total, maybe three. Or how kids work everywhere. In the restaurants, in the hostels, on the streets, in stores. Kids are always working, young kids, older kids. Its not like child labor or anything... its just that almost everyone works for themselves, not another company. So its family. The kids all work. There are so many things that have become common to me that would be crazy at home. I just cant think of them all.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Las Marias
Fell in love with a hostel and the staff in semuc champey and dropped of the map for a bit... Still alive and back to civilization.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Rainforest
In the rainforest = Scary unpaved roads in mountains at night, no phone, no Internet, electricity goes out at 930 each nite, no hot water, seclusion, fun animals, bugs, barefoot, guitars, bonfire, yummy foods, making bracelets, swimming in cave lit by candle, sweet n kind fellows, rain singing me to sleep.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
moving on
nothing really new to say. was very sick to the stomach for an entire day which was terrible. i stayed home from class and volunteering and went crazy in bed all day with just about nothing to do. boredom can kill. otherwise we have just been going to class and being frustrated with learning spanish formally, in school with the kids who are not behaved whatsoever. i still enjoy them but its chaos. and eating with the family food that is not so tasty. happy to move on tomoro and hoping to see some beautiful things up north in guatemala.
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