Not calling in Sick

Man oh man... I had it rough yesterday. Maybe it was that Tamale, or maybe it was the hamburger at Sporks, or the Chicken Fajitas at contiuously overrated reading Rainbow room, or perhaps it was the other side of Karma for making fun of Argetina, I don't know...but I was SICK yesterday.

Suffering, I think I had a small fever and a big stomach problem. I trudged along and went to my Spanish lessons, and did well for about three hours, but I eventually had to stop there, and walked my weak legs back to Irma's house.

With my mom's voice in my head, I put on all the warm clothes I had to sweat out the fever and passed out for three hours, missing my lunch. I woke up dazed, lethargic, and hungry. Irma was working around the house, and she asked me if I wanted to watch TV. Boy I started rejoicing, that's all I wanted. She made me some tea and some toast, and I was all set.

Together we watched CSI (the first and likely only time I will see this show) and some other stuff, and we chatted. It was just what the doctor, my mom, or anyone could have ordered.

Plus I got a ton of loving channeled my way from Roni, so that helped me get through.

Today's lessons were short, and I don't know how much I'm really retaining, but Antonio and I are having conversations about interesting things in Spanish and that has made this experience totally worth it.

Also, it feels great "living" in Antigua. This is a really cool place and it feels nice just kinda being around.

Y'all take it easy now.

Vamo-vamos a Ganar

Hola futbol fans...

I'm back in Antigua and will begin my Spanish classes tomorrow. Orale!

Yesterday I attended the 57th anniversary (not 25th like I thought) celebration for Radio Cultural, a local station of San Pedro de La Laguna. It was quite the event, a really special experience unlike any other I've been to. First, there were tons of Guatemalans, not sure if they were from San Pedro persay, but regardless, this felt like the most genuine Guatemalan experience of my trip so far, and therefore very special.

The event kicked off with a opening number from a chorus of maybe 25 Mayan women, singing about two songs. Then there was a prayer, followed by speeches, and then more performances. There was one group with three guitarists who rocked it, playing a kinda Flamenco style. Another group had I'd say 20 musicians, a few guitars, voices, rhythm, etc.

The speeches, from what I understood, were about San Pedro, el Senor, Radio Cultural, and more. I didn't stay for the whole thing, and somehow that was a good call. Turns out my hotel was very close to the celebration, and the same guy was speaking for onwards of 45 minutes.

Whew. I grabbed myself a Tamale (2 quetz!) and went on home.

After chilaxing alone in the dorm of 8, just me and myself, I went to Zoola, and Israeli joint swarming with Israeli travelers and now made locals. It felt really nice to hear some hebrew, although it was a bit tough to have my first dinner alone. I went all out and ordered a sampler, which was delicious, but had to spread out the eating of it over an hour to get anywhere close to finishing it.

Then I was joined by a group of Israelis and we chatted it up. Kinda. They didn't really seem interested in my answers to the questions they asked, that's cool. They were impressed by the little Hebrew I do know.

Upon arriving in Antigua, I went to get my laundry and to go to my new Home stay. Turns out Madre Irma invited all of her family over, so I was greeted by a rather large lunch party when I came home. I didn't sit at the table, and I don't think I was invited to, which is ok considering it was a family event on a Sunday, but nonetheless it was really cool to see a big family getting together. Makes me miss my family and friends. Really.

Then I went to a sport's bar called Sporks (no no, not kosher) and watched the Argentina/Brazil Copa America final. Antigua was buzzing about this game, with about half the city split for either team (at least those that care to watch futbol).

With all apologies to my dear friend Gabe, it wasn't a close game at all, but I did learn a new Argentina spirit song, so I'm pretty stoked about that. It was fun to watch the game here, I must say that.

That's about it for me. Write me emails, please. Tell me what's going on in your life.

Spanish Lessons and a Homestay, Change of Plan, Fate, San Pedro de Atitlan, and the Dorms

Roni left way early in the morning, but I needed to get a lot done in Antigua Friday morning before I was headed off to Xela (a nickname based on the Mayan name for the large town of Quetzaltenango).

I needed to secure Spanish lessons, a homestay, laundry service, a shuttle trip, check-out of my hotel, and check with Roni's driver about what the hell happened (she got to the airport and california fine, but the driver we scheduled didn't show) in the span of a morning

I re-awoke at 7 am and went out on my way into the quiet streets of Antigua. I had met a man who said there was a good Spanish school near where we were talking, so I tried there first. To my dismay, I didn't remember how to get there, and didn't find the school he was talking about. Besides, it was too early in the morning to get business done, so...I went to the best breakfast place in town, that is, if I could remember how to get there. I was close. I thought it was on a calle instead of an avenida, but I found it nonetheless and sat down for Huevos Rancheros.

As I was finishing up my meal in solitude (which means I ate quickly, which was good cuz Ihad stuff to do) I saw a man I recognized out of the corner of my eye. He was the teacher who taught Gregg and he was at THE same restaraunt. I payed quickly and pardoned myself, and then made an introduction. His name is Antonio. He was happy to take me on as a student, he was made aware of my time constraint. He whisked me away, and we headed to Irma's home where I would spend the week. She was SOOOO nice and very warm. Let me tell you, this house is AMAZING. An incredible garden, and pretty big too. I think they do well for themselves. I hope to have pictures when I return to Antigua, but of course con permiso. So just like that, I set myself up with a week's worth of Spanish lessons, a homestay, and avoided having to pay a syndicated school more money. A win-win-win all the way around. And I know it's a great experience because Gregg already went through it. Sweet.

So I rushed off to the hotel to pack and check-out. I spoke with Erwin, the driver, and we cleared everything up. Then I headed to Irma's again to drop off my bag, and schedule a van ride to Xela. Much to my dismay, I couldn't get a direct van ride later than 12:30...until a travel agent had the brilliant idea to send me to Los Encuentros where I could get a ChickenBus (more on this hopefully later in the blog (later later)) to Xela.

Once I was on the van, I learned that the rest of the 13 passengers (yes, 13 on a packed van) were actually headed to Panajachel (the lake town). Hmmm. Everyone was really excited, and when I announced where I was headed, I heard a bit more about Xela. Well, nothing bad, but I started considering that it's colder, I wouldn't get there til dark, and it's the 2nd biggest city in Guatemala. Maybe not the best place for a solo traveler on a Friday night who hadn't been there before.

I mulled it over for awhile...and then had a change of heart. When we stopped in traffic, I informed the driver that I no longer wanted to go to Los Encuentros and that I wanted to join the group to Pana. He was a bit annoyed because the reason we were stuck in traffic was because we were on the main road that eventually hits both Los Encuentros and Pana. If we had needed to go to Pana exclusively, we would have taken the windey roads that make you want to puke, but at least you miss traffic. I felt bad, but I was consoled by a local from San Pedro of the lake who told me it's better to go this way because it's safer, especially considering the amount of people on our van.

As traffic moved, we passed through Los Encuentros...around 4 pm, and I had one more chance to re-change my mind, but I went forward. As we twisted toward Pana, our brakes began to smell and our exhaust pipe began dragging on bumps in the road. My local friend said that it was a damned good thing we went on the path that we did, because the brakes couldn't have handled many more twists and turns. So, Fate makes a grand appearance. Thanks!

On the van I met a nice pair, not a couple, and they were headed to San Pedro as well. From what I heard, San Pedro is the party town, not really my scene, but it could be kinda fun to be around more people now that I am a solo traveller. So I went with it. Getting a room was a bit tough on a Friday night, so I followed the pair, Rachel(of England but now residing (kinda) in Scotland) and Anis (like the plant, he's from Denmark). We ended up at a nice place that a shared room with 8 beds.

What? A dorm?! Yes, a dorm. And a nice one. I felt really weird about it at first, and then figured what the hey.

A dorm I stayed in! And it was nice. There was only one other person there, so in total, there were 4 people. It felt like camp. The three of us went out to dinner, talked about politics, Americans (of the US), renewable energy, and the human condition.

My impressions of San Pedro? Well...there are a ton of Hippies, Yippies, and Yuppies, but I went to school in Berkeley, so I don´t think much can shock me. And that´s the foriegner vibe. Locals exhibit some of the hippy vibe too, and I´ve been offered a few mind altering substances already, and I have politely declined. The local population is mixed with those that speak Mayan, spanish, and others. But if I had to give a report, it seems that are is a bit more going on in the real town at night than maybe some of the other villages around the lake. I think San Pedro has a more vibrant local and tourist scene, whether or not that´s due to the tourists, I don´t know. Roni just said it to me in an email, I think my time in San Pedro will allow me to experience a lake town a bit more than our stay in La Casa Del Mundo allowed for. So that´s nice. I have NO regrets at the momet for being here vs. Xela. I get to look out on the lake out of my window, observe

This morning we went kayaking on the lake. They left to go back to Antigua and I had myself a great lunch of garlicy mushrooms, a Spanish delicacy I think.

Right before lunch, I needed to buy a shirt, all of mine are dirty, including the one that was on my back. I thought this would be an easy operation, but it turned out a bit more time consuming. I thought I´d buy a Gallo shirt (Gallo is the big beer here, and I´m a big beer guy), but I swear to you I couldn´t find one. Seriously. I searched the tourist town, the upper part of the town, the market, etc, and nada. I headed back to the dorm dejected, and then came across a Rasta place that had a Ropas (clothes) sign. I went in and checked out the wears and found a nice tie-dye that was Hecho in Guatemala for 30 quetz (a little less then 4 bucks). Awesome! Now I´ll fit in nicely here...

Today there is a little shin-dig near my place celebrating the 25th anniversary of a local radio station. I am so there. I'll have pics of that tomorrow, I swear.

Ok, enough from me.

Roni, Hasta Luego

Roni arrived safely in California yesterday, and the trip hasn't been the same without her.

I will miss her a lot! We had a blast together. But don't worry bloggers, I am prepared to continue having a great adventure and telling you all about it.

Some things to look forward to:
1.) More blogging. Now I'm lonelier, so I'll be on the internet more...so write me!
2.) Less pictures of Roni (sad!).
3.) Less pictures of me. Unless I try to do some self-portraits.

Tikal

Pictures here, commentary below





We woke up pretty early to head to Tikal. Again, for background, please do your own research.

The sky was overcast, which was good, because it is already muggy to begin with. We went to many of the sights, pictures are above.

When we stopped to eat our packed lunch, it began to rain. It really cooled everything off and I think we lucked out. I think we enjoyed treking through the jungle as much as climbing the ruins.

One thing to note... Roni noticed that the Mayans moved away from Tikal because the rain lessened. It is believed the rain lessened due to deforrestation. The Mayans cut down the jungle so that there city could exist and also detect attack from other regions. When they left, the jungle grew back. In the 1850s Tikal was discovered and excavation began. this essentially means that big humps of trees and plant life covering old limestone are being removed, a kind of deforrestation if you will. Which will lead to...bingo, less rain. Ironic no? And for what? Sure, it is really cool to see old archaelogical sites, and to learn how humans used to live. But is that more important that preserving our current and future biospheres? Hmmmm

Flores

A wise person, my father, once told me that my expectations are too high. He might be right. I expected a lot from Finca, and was disappointed. I expected NOTHING from Flores, and highly enjoyed it.

Flores, from what I heard, is a small island town close to the site of Tikal. It was supposed to be a stopover to something better. Furthermore, it was supposed to be saturated with tourists. Well, it is saturated with tourists, it is close to Tikal, and it is a stopover town.

But it is also really pleasent and it was a great respite for us. We didn not expect to get another swimming opportunity and we sure did abuse it. It was very warm when we got here, and the swimming really took the edge off.

For dinner we went to La Luna (excellent!!!!) and had a great dinner and earned ourselves free shots of Rum. Woohooooo. We are going again tonight and meeting a french couple we met today.

If you are to come to Guatemala and visit Tikal which is a must, I highly recommend trying to stay in El Rammate and eating at La Luna in Flores. Trust me.

Finca Ixobel

Hey kiddies.

We spent two nights and an approximaely two days at Finca Ixobel which is near the city of Poptun which is in the northern region of the country. It is the country (ya know, not city like) if you catch my drift.

What to say about Finca? Well, let's do a good, bad, and the ugly...

Good
We heard a ton about this place going in, so we had high expectations. Word on the street was that this place is pretty awesome. The perks are that it is set on a farm, kinda feels like a kibutz (look it up if you don't know), and it brings together travelers of the world.
When we got there, we were greeted by friendly faces, good smells, and a room with plenty of mosquito netting and a hammock outside. Good start.
Ya don't have to pay for anything up front. You keep a page on log what you eat,drink, etc, and tally it up at the end.

Bad
Remember, this is my (sometimes Roni's too) blog, thse are my opinions, they don't necessarily reflect the truth, right or wrong, or divine providence...
I was disappointed with Finca. It was really close to being something really cool in my opinion, but just fell short on a couple of things.
1.) It's a farm, but I didn't FEEL like we we're growing all that much here. I could be VERY wrong, but it just didn't feel like a farm, or at least an overwhelmingly productive one.
2.) It seems to depend HEAVILY on tourists, it's out in the middle of nowhere, and well...I'm not sure if I'm big on going to a place soley because it's cool for tourists.
3.) THe food wasn't that good, and you almost had to go buffet style.

Ya know, I feel bad karma harping on this place. There's a lot of history and a lot of unknowns on my part, so I think I should stop bashing it. But by all accounts, I was a trifle disappointed and felt a tad empty being there.

Ugly
Hey bloggers, this is when you decide you really like me or like my writing, etc. So it happened, it was due to. No travel experience is complete without a fun bout with some stomach/intestinal issues. I made it about 11 days! THat's good for me. Let's just say I abstained from going on the caving expedition, figuring it was good to be close to civilization. I felt much better by the end of the night, though I was scared of the beef dish we were served.
Oh, well, I guess the bill was ugly. After a two day span of not paying, it hurt to get that bill.

Ok...I'm tired, we're off to Tikal tomorrow morning. Tonight we are in Flores, which we are enjoying very a lot, much to our surprise. I will add pictures tomorrow of past experiences and hopefully have some very special Tikal shots.

Do yourself a favor, Wikipedia search "Tikal" and you can save me the trouble of giving a poor explination.

Also, if there are any experts or knoweldgeable people out there with some background about Guatemalan political parties, I'd be SUPER interested.