Guatemalaholic

I have now been in Guatemala for a bit over a week. The most immediate difference from Mexico to Guatemala I encountered were the busses. The busses in Mexico have flat screen TVs and seats that recline, whereas the busses in Guatemala have street preachers screaming damnation, are all full to about 200% capacity, and don't even stop to pick you up, just slowing down a bit so you can jump on. Upon arriving however, I found that Guatemala is also the land of beautiful traditional clothing, cobblestone colonial cities, and super cheap housing (US $3.50/day).

Last weekend I went out and climbed the highest mountain in Central America, Tajumulco, at 13900 ft. It was a one night backpacking trip that featured 3700 ft elevation change, hail the diameter of a penny, and really cold toes. However it was all well worth it for the amazing cloud watching and beautiful sunrise from the summit.


Since then I have spent my time in Xela (Quetzaltenango) hanging out and taking spanish classes. I just finished a week of one-on-one spanish 5 hours a day and I think it has helped quite a bit. My spanish teacher was hilarious and the whole school had an excellent vibe. Last night we had a graduation ceremony of beer pong and dancing. It seems my college training is starting to pay off after all as we ran the table all night, although some dancing classes may be in order.

On tuesday I went to the Aguas Amargas hot springs up in the tropical mountainous region nearby. We spent about two hours relaxing and it inspired me to go the other set of hot springs nearby, Fuentes Georginas, before leaving yesterday. Both hot springs are surrounded by lush tropical forest, although Fuentes Georginas has a more natural looking pool area.

All week I have been living with a local Guatemalan family and it has been a great experience. I had my own room on the roof of the house with an amazing view, 3 meals a day, and a fair amount of spanish practice in between. I will probably try to hook up a similar situation with another local family somewhere down the road.

I cut my hair finally, which has made life a bit easier, but I also cut my foot a bit, which causes problems with my sandals. Luckily the magical healing power of the hot springs has helped with this.

Yesterday I arrived at Lago Atitlán, which is a large lake surrounded by volcanic peaks and little villages. There are water taxis connecting them all and today I plan to set out for San Marcos La Laguna, a small hippie/fishing village on the waters edge. I think I will be able to fit in with the culture there fairly well.

I have been updating my photo page a bit, so if you want to see more pictures check them out on shutterfly (the link is on the last post).

Mas Mexico

Well I am now getting pretty well into the swing of traveling. After spending an awesome weekend in San Carlos with some Arizona friends (minus the stingray attack) I got dropped off at the bus station in Hermosillo and caught a 30 hour ride down to Mexico City. I spent a day in Mexico City but still felt like I needed to get further south, so the next day I caught another bus to Oaxaca City.

Oaxaca City is very nice with a colonial feel and lots going on. I spent five days there, and visited the Hierva el Agua (a stone waterfall pouring out of a cliff) and Monte Alban (Aztec ruins on a hilltop near the city). I have spent a lot of time with locals and tourists alike, and have been enjoying the local food and drink tremendously.

The local drink here is Mezcal, which is like tequila, but made from a different type of agave and with a stronger taste. It can cause you to forget things and act inapropriate. I have also had a taste of the chapulines, which are crickets dipped in chili powder, and of course the old staple sal de gusano (worm salt).

After Oaxaca City I went over to Laguna de Chacahua. This place is truly amazing. It is about an hour north of Puerto Escondido (by a taxi - bus - taxi - boat combo). It is a small village of about 900 residents with excellent surfing and a beautiful lagoon. If you buy something at the restaurants there they let you camp on their property for free. I spent some time with some serious Kiwi surfers there and couldn´t help thinking of Flight of the Conchords every time they spoke. I worked on my surfing a bit, which still has a long way to come, and did some kayaking in the mangroves.

Now I am down in the town of Mazunte, further south on the Oaxacan coast. This is a great place to relax, drink corona, and watch hippies surf the internet. There is also a nude beach down the road that has some interesting sights. Soon I will depart for Guatemala. I had no intentions of staying so long in Mexico but Oaxaca has forced it upon me with it´s beautiful beaches and unique culture.

Traveling alone has been going pretty well so far. It is always a bit awkward showing up somewhere new, but usually doesn't take long to meet people. I have to do some serious downsizing in my bag, mostly in the way of clothes. Two things I have found very valuable so far are my drybag for storing electronics, and my full brim hat, which has become even more essential since I gave my scratched sunglasses to a blind man in Oaxaca.

I have been updating my map, and recently put some pictures up on shutterfly. I did not put them all up yet because it takes forever at these internet cafes, but I will put the rest up when I can. The pictures are located at:

http://southboundanddown.shutterfly.com

De la tierra de chido,

Alex