All Good things......

…..must come to an end. So, another trip just about done. I arrived at my B&B here in Guatemala City about a few hours ago. Last night was pretty quiet. I met up with another student from my class for a beer and then went back to my home stay to pack and have a reasonably early night. This morning after breakfast I threw the last few things in to my backpack and walked the few minutes to the corner where I was to get the shuttle to Guatemala City. At first, there were only 7 of us. Not bad for a van designed for 12 passengers. But, I still decided to ride shotgun and jumped in front with the driver. Before we even left, he informed us that another van that was picking up passengers in a nearby village had broken down so we had to detour to pick them up. It was nice as we got to drive back through San Juan and in to a new village of San Marcos.

It was an interesting group that were waiting for us. While all seemed pleasant enough, they struck me as very free spirited. They carried an assortment of hula hoops, drums, instruments etc and sported feathers in ears, beads, some with shoes, some without…ah, well, to eaches own. Right? This group made us 14 so I was now squished in front with a girl from Israel. Very pleasant, and we passed the next hour speaking between English and Spanish. “What do you do for a job” she asked……”ummmm, I am an administrator” I replied. “Oh” was her response and then after a moment “what does your husband do”…… “ummmm, he is an accountant”. “Oh” she replied again and then “those are very ordinary jobs for someone that travels around Central America”…… “they are yes” I said, and left it at that. There is a time and place to share with others what we do for a living. In Central America I am very reserved as to who I tell what I do for a living. I am used to telling people that I am an administrator, as usually it sounds boring and nobody has ever asked me what I administrate. That being said, I couldn’t think fast enough to give Brent an exciting, dynamic career, so Accountant is was!

Leaving San Marcos, we steadily climbed up the Nariz de Indio (Nose of the Indian). The views were spectacular but our van had seen better days and looking down the sheer drops was both exhilarating and a little nerve racking especially taking in to consideration the way they drive and the traffic condition of the roads. But we bumped and jostled our way for another hour until we stopped to pick up one other passenger. This made us 15 plus driver, in a van for 12. It was cosy to say the least and I was glad that I was upfront now with a girl from Argentina. Of course, I maintained my hold on the seat by the window.

We made one pit stop to allow a final photo op of the valley leading down to San Pedro. The light was against me to get a decent shot of the village and it was a little hazy;

Driving back to Antigua, we passed a wack of cyclists on high end road bikes. The driver was telling us that every year there is a cycling competition over about 10 to 12 days. The cyclists ride about 5000 kilometers during this time, I can vouch that the route they were on this particular day is not for the faint of heart. It made me itch to be on my road bike although not cycling up these crazy hills!!

We arrived in Anitgua and after a little confusion, picked up the shuttle to Guatemala City. There was no issue getting dropped off at my B&B. The bed and breakfast, found again thanks to Trip Advisor, is in gated community with armed guards at the entrance. This city is not one to be traping around in, especially after dark. As expected, the B&B is welcoming and clean. They have a nice garden and I have had all afternoon to relax before my early morning flight back to Canada.

So, it’s been a great trip. First, my Spanish. Where is it at? Probably it has surpassed my expectations. I have really been able to talk, but no it’s been more than that. I can be part of a conversation now. I can express thoughts and opinions and not feel like I am not an outsider. Ellen says my Spanish has improved unbelievably and I agree with her. I have to just make sure that I keep plugging away at it. I will keep up with my weekly Skype classes and make more of an effort to be a better student. I want to start reading more so have bought a book while I’ve been here which I never got to read in school…The Diary of Anne Frank. I always wanted to read it, but now it will be in Spanish rather than English.

My time in San Pedro La Laguna was mixed but did improve as the time passed. SPLL just didn’t captivate me. While the lake was beautiful and the views from parts, quite stunning, the town itself wasn’t for me. It’s hard to really describe why. The older part of town was more traditional but unlike Copan I felt no connection to it. Perhaps it didn’t help that I was a little disappointed with my school. It came with such amazing reviews that my expectations were unrealistic, or perhaps an intermediate to advanced is not their thing. I don’t regret my time there as I can cross it off the list. Any travel experience (within reason) is still a great experience, there just happens to be experiences that are better than others. My homestay family were exceptionally kind and i enjoyed my time with them. I was able to grab a picture of Maria (my house “Mum” and her son Felix) before I left;

Perhaps, SPLL never stood a chance against Copan. This year my time in Copan was made so much more special as I stayed with Dunia and her family. I was a part of the family. Everywhere they went, I went. I fell in love with her kids and was genuinely sad to leave. Dunia wrote to me and said she had forgotten I had left and set a place at the table for me on the Friday night after I had gone. Dunia is also a great teacher. She is a good balance between fun and strict and she knows her stuff! And this year, I had 5 teachers…..two adults and three kids, all under one roof. It was awesome. Ellen, from Project School Supplies, who continues to work tirelessly, has become a dear friend. We shall keep in touch and I shall continue to try to support PSS as best I can. A thank you to my coworkers who sent me with a pocketful of cash so we could make the lives of so many more children more enjoyable.

A quick update on the old couple that I wrote about and have had several inquiries about, such as “what will happen to them now”. Thanks to a generous donation already, Ellen has some extra funds to assist them with food. She has already stocked them up again and will go visit again soon. But theirs is not a story in isolation. I didn’t write about them to depress anyone. Their story is simply the story of so many in Honduras, whether it be an old couple or a single mother struggling with 6 children and no food. Ellen did send me a few photos of them taken when she had originally gone to see the house;

I hope you have all enjoyed my journey. Will there be another trip in 2013. Who knows. There will be many more, of that I am sure, but timing is everything. My friends in Copan have shown me that it doesn't matter what you have or don't have. Good friendship comes from many sources and is found in many places if only you are open to it. I would like to share this experience and these frienships with Brent. I will leave you all with my favorite picture of the trip taken just this morning form top of Nariz de Indio.

As we had pulled up in the van, I saw an old gentleman, his chin resting in the palm of his hand and his elbow on his bent knee. With the light behind him I loved the shot and got what I think is a beautiful picture;

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. Jawaharlal Nehru

Adios SPLL; But it's not "Good Riddance"

So final blog from San Pedro La Laguna, although final blog for this trip will come tomorrow night from Guatemala City. It seemed appropriate that I write my final blog from here in the place that I wrote my first one, Café Cristialanos. As I am sitting with yet another café latte, I thought I would share my thoughts from the last week and a few last photos from here.

If you read my blog from last Saturday, you’ll remember that I hated SPLL about 1 minute after I got off the boat from Panahachel. It was too hippiyish, too touristy and weather too yukkyish. My mood and attitude has definitely softened over the last week. I can appreciate the attraction that people have for the place and many do. In fact many stay for months, years and even lifetimes from all over the world. Many rave about it, telling me, “this is hard to beat isn’t it”. They aren’t asking, they are making a statement because they assume like the majority of people here that I must love this place as well. “Well, the lake IS beautiful” I reply. Who am I to cast negative comments on their Utopia? I am just not part of the majority. I don’t love it here. I doubt I will be back. But, I don’t hate it either. The local people here are extremely friendly. My home stay family, while I haven’t gotten to know them as well, have done everything to make my time with them enjoyable. There is a charm to the traditional parts of town, and I have even made peace with the touristy area, often frequenting a coffee shop or grabbing a cold beer. For me though, I don’t feel a connection. It hasn’t stolen a piece of my heart. I am not sad to leave. I am glad that I came, glad that I saw it and glad to be going. Not glad, that my trip is ending however, let us be very clear on that!

School was alright. Not great. I was a little disappointed ultimately with my teacher. A super nice women and we chatted a lot but many times I felt she was struggling to really know what to do in class time. I am considered advanced my Spanish school standards so it’s difficult as I don’t want to spend the time going over grammar for 6 hours that I have covered many times. I didn’t however see any evidence that there was a lesson plan or structure and most times we would just sit down, look at each other and start chatting. That was alright to start with but it gets tough after 36 hours, which is what it has been this week in total. I felt I was the one saying, “let’s do another reading comprehension” or trying to find an article in the paper I had bought so we could read it and discuss. Some students were very happy with their teachers but another student was frustrated as she felt her teacher wasn’t explaining things clearly. When you are one on one with a teacher it can come down to personalities and styles of teaching. I can’t fault the school and they certainly do everything they can to ensure you enjoy your time. Had I been staying another week, I would have tried another teacher just to switch things up.

This afternoon, the school had arranged a trip to San Juan, a neighbouring village, which in reality is about 6 minutes by pick up. About 8 of us, piled in to the back of the truck and off we went. Now, San Juan, from what little I saw, is cute. Small, way less tourists and seemingly more traditional. IF I was ever to return I would look to stay there. We went to a local women’s weaving cooperative which I found very interesting. They explained how the wool (which comes from three different plants) is cleaned, prepared, dyed and then used for weaving. The colouring is all natural and comes from either other plants or insects. Red, by the way comes from cockroaches which they collect from the inside of cactus plants. Who would have known. Anyway, take a look………………

Once done there, I took a final stroll and a chance for some final photos around SPLL;

So, to San Pedro La Laguna, I say "Adios" but not good riddance. It's been interesting. Stay tuned for my final blog tomorrow night.

Peace Out!

Market Day

Today, being Wednesday, means that I am exactly halfway through my time here. Today, dawned clear and sunny and the day holds promise to remain this way. I have already started exploring options to get to Guatemala City on Saturday. There are multiple travel agencies here all offering shuttles whether direct to Guatemala City (if there are enough takers) or via Antigua. It is sufficient to book the day before so I shall see if I can find something that takes me straight through.

It’s lunch time and today I chose not to go back to my house for lunch (after telling my house mum Maria this morning) but to stay near the school for lunch. With the exception of the abundance of flies that are buzzing around, I am in the pleasant garden of a local restaurant. Today I chose Azteca Soup with tortillas, very yummy.

It is a type of spicy tomato soup with cottage cheese and tortillas on the side. It was to have advocado but as I don’t like it, I had them put a hold on that.

This moning in class we worked a little on the subjunctive, then read another comprehension for discussion. After break Clarita and I walked in to the town as I wanted to go to the market. To be honest, there wasn’t much of a difference between the market from the other days although Wedneday is supposed to be a little bigger. It was nice to have Clarita with me. We took a walk in to her church, the white one that I posted a picture of yesterday (I think). She is Catholic, although by her own admission doesn’t go very often. Her husband is Evangelist. He goes every day. This does not cause a problem and they respect each others beliefs and religions.

As we were walking, Clarita explained that there is a significance to the colours worn by the local women. The colour for San Pedro La Laguna is white. While every village has a colour, they all wear a multitude of colours. She had also told me yesterday the local buses, the “chicken buses” all have a colour that relates to the person that owns the buses. The local buses are privately owned and run. So, in Santiago Atitlan where the buses are all red, means that those specific ones are owned by the same person. They decorate them so extravagantly as it shows their status so to speak.

I’m not sure that the following photos reflect much different from yesterday but here are a few anyways;

Coffee drying

Coffee that has been drying in the sun

As we walked we came across a store that grinds the maize for the local women. As we were there, two very friendly local ladies came by. One explained that they used to have to grind the maize by hand but now their are machines (of sorts) to do this.

The maize start out like this:

Then is put in to the top of the machine; a little water is added and the customer collects their mazza de maize (the ground maise) from underneath. It’s cost about 1 quetzals for this bowl (about 15 cents).

We also stopped in at the post office to visit with her husband. We chatted a bit and I understand a little more the “live and let live” attitude here. The tourists bring a lot of good to the economy here in SPLL and as Clarita’s husband explained, without them, their economy would not be suffering. The main industry here used to be agriculture but now is definitely tourism.

I left Clarita at her house and wondered around a little before lunch. I have class again in a little under an hour. Tonight the school is offering salsa class, not my thing, but still a great option for many. Tomorrow night there is a conference on the Mayan culture which I shall go to. The school provides a different activity each evening with the exception of Friday when we have an afternoon excursion. I have chatted to several students at the school, mainly from USA, Canada and England. The only one negative I have to say about the school is that they permit English to be spoken during break. I get that for some students they need the break but I prefer the Guacamaya way who try to ensure that you only speak in Spanish during class time. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I have the most advanced Spanish here. Most are beginners so the few times I have tried to speak in Spanish we have had to revert to English. Oh well….with six hours a day with Clarita , it doesn’t make much difference.

Not much else to add. Hasta Tarde!

Second Impressions.......

Alright, I haven’t exactly fallen but I can’t move. No, no accidents but I feel like I can’t move. I fully intended to walk to a café last night after dinner to post this, but two things stopped me;

1. The amount of food from lunch compounded with eating dinner means Debbie can’t move. Food is really good and beyond plentiful. Looks like they have figured that they have one week to fatten me up &


2. It’s raining……hard…as in torrential

So apologies all but here goes.

Has my first impression of SPLL changed any. Yes, somewhat. Do I love it here like I love Copan? No (but I openly admit a bias for Copan)! But, do I like it more than I did two days ago? Yes! So what’s changed? Perhaps some familiarity now with the place. I have a very pleasant family, nice room and as mentioned plentiful and great food. The local people are genuinely warm and welcoming. And, I have found a couple of good coffee shops with internet and where to get a cold beer. Plus, the fact that Saturday seems to have been the worst day so far for the hippy invasion. In addition I started school yesterday morning, giving me some focus and purpose.

I left you all after the last post just before I met my home stay family. I returned to the school at 4pm and was introduced shortly thereafter to Jose my new house “dad”. As we walked the 12 or so minutes back to his house he told me that he and his wife Maria have one son Felix, 7 years old. They have been hosting students for about as long as they have had Felix and often have two students. They tell me that they often get repeat students and family members of students. I was though, to be the only student they would have this week. Their house thankfully is on the east side of SPLL. Actually in truth, it could be north, south or west but in my mind it is east. No matter, it is on the other side of the port area and in a very traditional part of town with great views over the lake.

The house is accessed from the roadway via an alley. Then through some large wooden doors in to a hallway of sorts. There are two rooms that can be used for students. The bathroom is shared with the family. I was anticipating this in Guatemala so it wasn’t a shock. The bathroom and shower are under the stairs in really what is like a cupboard (for each). Jose told me that there was hot water, but I haven’t figured that part out yet so again showers for me at least seem to be “temperature del dia”. I gotta say I miss a hot shower…..it will be the first thing I do when I get home….except of course sit on my own toilet! You know what I mean………nothing like your own toilet! There is a big pila for washing, and for washing everything; washing hands, washing teeth; washing clothes; washing dishes. It is a one stop pila. Will snap a couple pictures of it when I can. The kitchen is upstairs in a wooden sided room on the roof top, or what will one day be another level to their house.

Through this door to my house.

Up the alley....

To the front Door.

My room

Pila

Stairs up to terrace and kitche; bathroom and shower under stairs; pila in between the two.

Anyway, Maria works most evenings as a cook in one of the local restaurants so I wasn’t to meet her that night. I did meet their cute son Felix who is slowly becoming chattier with me. Their first language is Tz’utujil but they speak Spanish with Felix (he doesn’t know any Tz’utujil yet) and of course Spanish with me. The Spanish here is clearer and slower and I am able to converse really well. I chuckled as Saturday night I went up for dinner and it was spaghetti which I had just had at lunch. Mind you, it was very good! Enough to feed an army. I had to ask Jose to give me less as I didn’t want to waste any. We had good conversation and I felt comfortable enough to ask him what he thought of the Hippies…and yes he knows that word! He told me that he thinks they are strange (hmmm) but in SPLL there is a “live and let live” type attitude.

View from the top of the terrace;

Path infront of house

I had a great and quiet night’s sleep. I woke up this morning determined to have a better attitude. Yesterday afternoon was a tough day for me. Travelling by myself is an adventure. Nobody to ask or rely on. You make decision as best you can taking any consequences for poor decisions as they come. It is empowering but it can on occasion, be tough. Yesterday was tough. I didn’t like SPLL and I wanted to be back in Copan. But Sunday dawned bright and sunny and I was determined that my mood and attitude would reflect this. On Sunday’s the family do not provide any food so I left around 8am to Casa Cristialinos for brekky. Coffee is good here, actually very good. They have free internet and after crepes filled with nutella and banana’s I was off.

On the recommendation of Jose I was bound for another village across the lake, Santiago Atitlan. There are different docks here depending on where and which village you are travelling to, but I found the dock to Santiago with few problems. I had about a 30 minute wait and a local lady and her two sons struck up a conversation with me. The locals are very friendly here and I appreciated the conversation and company. “So what do you think of the hippies” I asked after a while……… “they are strange and sometimes I am a little afraid of them” she replied….hmmmm. It was great to chat with her and we kept up a conversation most ways over the lake to Santiago. She also explained to me that the level in the lake is very high and many houses and docks have been flooded. Considering this is not yet the rainy season, it may only get worse.

Waiting for the boat to take me to Santiaga Atitlan, the high level of water is apparent;

Boat to Santiago Atitlan and the view of San Pedro La Laguna as we left from the dock;

Santiago Atitlan is a very traditional town, strong in its Mayan culture. I wondered around for while enjoying the incredibly bright colours that are in everything from the men’s and women’s traditional clothes, to the buses and items hanging in the stores……

I enjoyed wondering through the market although the canopies are not meant for someone who is 5’ 9”. My experience in Santiago Atitlan was more enjoyable as I saw fewer tourists as I went….phew! As I was leaving SPLL a family of gringo hippies rolled in, in a boat. All barefoot, kids an all. Now, I have nothing against going barefoot. I like to walk around barefoot….in my house…..on the deck, even on the grass in areas that are devoid of landmines (aka dog poop). But not in the street…..there are a lot of landmines and people spit here. I had to look. Their feet were ingrained with dirt, black actually. By the looks of it, their feet hadn’t seen a scrub brush and soap in a quite a while. Don’t they wash their feet at least before getting in to bed?

I returned to SPLL again by boat and then wondered around until I passed a restaurant called “Hummus-Ya”. Decided to try if for a late lunch and was not disappointed. Kebabs with hummus and pitas. Good! Will be back. Afterwards I wondered up the hill in to the northern part of the town. Everyone is very friendly and again a local lady started to chat with me as I stopped to take some photos. “Where are you from” “Do you like SPLL”. I explained my trepidation the day before about the area around the port but that I was liking the areas to the north, “Yes, we have many hippies, they are strange”……hmmm. Last night I studied a little and had an early night, in preparation for my new school day.

I woke to overcast skies and heavy rain. This is very unusual as it is still summer here. Winter starts in May and then the rains will come. Breakfast was at 7am and I met Maria who I liked instantly. She has as warm disposition and smiles a lot. I was also greeted by a plate of three large pancakes. I think they feel that as I am tall, I need to eat enough for seriously two people. This was the case with Dunia. At the beginning of my stay I kept getting more food than anyone else and on physically bigger plates. “Why is this?” I had asked Dunia. “You are taller, you need more food” was the reply. They were amazed when I told them that Brent is even taller. Well, no complaints this time about the pancakes and I cleaned my plate.

I left for school in time to pick up my now traditional morning cup of café latte. I speak better Spanish after a cup of great latte. The path to my school winds up and around several small pathways, past numerous interesting looking cafes and bars. As well there is a good photo op of "Indian Nose".......I think you can see how it got it's name;

My teacher is Clarita. She has 15 years’ experience as a teacher and has been at the Cooperativa School for 7 years. Classes are taken in small pods with thatched rooves spread throughout a very pleasant garden area. I had to write an exam. Yuk. Did ok, not great, but my conversational level carried me through. Clarita thinks I speak well and have a good accent. She is trying to teach me to roll my “r’s”, something I think is genetically impossible for me. I sound like an idiot when I try.

My pod in the beautiful garden of La Cooperativa School;

The morning flew by. Back to the house for a quick lunch then back to school for two more hours…all conversation. She asked me at the end what I thought of the class. With the exception of parts of the subjunctive, I know in theory when I am supposed to use the different verb tenses (there are, give or take 14 in Spanish), I just need more practice in everyday conversation. I was glad we had done a brief review of two other tenses, preterit and imperfect, for those of you that care. But I was even gladder that we didn’t spend all day on grammar. It was a good balance for me and I know I will enjoy the week with her. “By the way Clarita” I asked, “what do you think of the hippies around the port area?” “I find them a little strange”…Case rested! Clarita went on to explain that a while ago a new mayor tried to clamp down on all the drug activity that is here and impose closing hours on the bars. For a while, bars had to close at 11pm. But, a new mayor, who doesn’t seem to care has reinstated the “stay open as long as you want type attitude”. I will say however, in the short time I have been here, I have never been approached to buy drugs not has anyone been anything but polite and courteous to me….hello etc. in the street. So, while I may not understand the hippy persona, I will adopt the SPLL attitude from here on in……live and let live. Clarita also told me as she laughed, that I don’t have a “I want to buy drugs look”, which is good thing in my books.

I have signed up for a visit on Friday afternoon to a women’s weaving cooperative in the neighbouring village of San Juan. I have been to a similar place in Honduras but this is in another village that I have read about and wanted to see. The students have to pay a little extra for this, $3 (mas o menos). Apart from that the week promises to keep me busy with 6 hours of school every day.

Took a few pics around town today in SPLL. Take a look;

As I will be in serious need of a diet when I get home I can only hope Brent recognises me when he picks me up on Sunday…….I shall be the roly poly gringo.

Hasta Tarde!