Hello everyone,
I know it has been a while, we are just so busy, it is hard to make time to wirte on the blog. So let me catch everyone up on our latest travels. After leaving Xela, we spent a few days in the amazing city of Antigua. Im pretty sure everyone found something to love about the city, whether it be the subway(the sub shop), the local markets, or the great little breakfast places. While in Antigua we made up for our three day hike that had to be canceled by climbing up a volcano! It was really amazing. The hike itself was pretty hard but once we made it to the volcano we saw a lava flow which was really cool. After spending some time melting at the top we all headed back down, but this wasnt just a hike down we got to slide down the side due to the build up of the volcanic ash. We had two amazing days in Antigua, but the time had come to pack up and go to Guatemala City where our trip in Guatemala ended. We were all a little sad leaving the safety of Guatemala but the time had come.
We finally made it to Leon, Nicaragua after a long day of waiting in Managua trying to find a ride. In Leon we stayed at this very cute little hostel the "tortuga booluda" (the lazy turtle). We all had a great time staying together and we also all got to cook our own food, the Chef came out in everyone. While in Leon we got to see some of the beautiful churches, which the city is known for. Some of the girls also went out dancing at night and had a blast. We spent a very relaxing few days there. After regaining out strength in Leon, we moved on to Granada. But before making it to the city we made a little pit stop to go zip lining. It was a blast, it was run by a small company so they had plenty of time for us. We got to go upside down and super man style through the canopy's of the jungle. It was a great group bonding trip. After getting our tarzan on, we drove on to Granada. Right after getting there we all got asigned our new homestay families. Most of us are with another person, which is always fun. We also all started language school agian today at One on One Language School. The school is well organized, but hard as always.
I hope I have been able to catch you up, it is always alot haha but we are all still having an amazing time. And Happy Halloween!!
Sophie
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Chicacnab and Xela
Hello to friends and family! Apologies for not getting a blog posted sooner, but I will try to catch you up as best I can on the past couple weeks! After leaving San Andres, the group headed for a small city called Coban. We stayed at an awesome hostel called Casa Luna for a night, and got to spend a bit of time exploring the city and checking out the Ropa Americana stores. (Secondhand clothes stores with American clothing.) Its amazing what you can find in those places - including sweatshirts from places you took field trips to in Elementary school, to Superman capes, to designer jeans for roughly $3 US. The next morning we traveled to a place called Semuc Champey. It is a gorgeous national park with natural pools to go swimming in, and the most powerful river I have ever seen, (no worries, we didnt go in the powerful part of the river). The river goes underground for a while, and you can see where it enters and exits the cave, but not in the cave. We stayed overnight at another hostel, and the next morning the group traveled a couple hours outside of Coban, where we were dropped off part way up a mountain. We continued up the mountain on foot, wearing our much needed rented rubber boots. The trail was a very muddy, uphill, mental and physical task to complete, but at least had some beautiful scenery along the way, and I think the group would say was worth it in the end.
Much to our surprise, we got to stay in a recently built bunk house for guests. In fact, we were told the last Carpe Diem group helped build it! We were the first group to sleep in it, and therefore got to watch a house blessing ceremony that was very interesting. The village we stayed at is called Chicacnab. It has a little over 108 people, and they speak the indigenous language of Q' eqchi. Most of the males speak spanish, so we could still communicate. The village had no electricity, although they did have a generator they turned on once and a while at night.
The next morning our group started our volunteer project which was helping level the ground for and constructing a second level of the church alter. Tod and Dan unearthed and shoveled clay onto satchels the rest of the group hauled in to the church and packed down. It took us four days of hard work by all, but the project was completed and looked great! It was awesome to see how well everybody worked together, and how much we accomplished. We worked from after breakfast until lunch, and afternoons were spent for the most part in the bunk house lounging around, and some people also took part in hikes and helping bury a cow.
On Saturday morning we hiked down the mountain, not nearly as brutal as hiking up, and traveled back to Coban. We stayed at the hostel Casa Luna again, got to take much needed showers after not bathing for a week, and got up very early the next morning to travel to Chichi - an incredible market in Guatemala. We became bargaining pros, and many people came back to the van with multiple bags. After the morning in Chichi we traveled to Xela, the second biggest city in Guatemala. We will be here until Saturday morning, and are again living in homestays and going to school. People seem to be enjoying being in a city environment and are taking part in different activites such as dance classes and movies at coffee houses. But, I must get back to my homestay to be in time for dinner! Hope all is well and we love and miss you all!
-Megan-
Much to our surprise, we got to stay in a recently built bunk house for guests. In fact, we were told the last Carpe Diem group helped build it! We were the first group to sleep in it, and therefore got to watch a house blessing ceremony that was very interesting. The village we stayed at is called Chicacnab. It has a little over 108 people, and they speak the indigenous language of Q' eqchi. Most of the males speak spanish, so we could still communicate. The village had no electricity, although they did have a generator they turned on once and a while at night.
The next morning our group started our volunteer project which was helping level the ground for and constructing a second level of the church alter. Tod and Dan unearthed and shoveled clay onto satchels the rest of the group hauled in to the church and packed down. It took us four days of hard work by all, but the project was completed and looked great! It was awesome to see how well everybody worked together, and how much we accomplished. We worked from after breakfast until lunch, and afternoons were spent for the most part in the bunk house lounging around, and some people also took part in hikes and helping bury a cow.
On Saturday morning we hiked down the mountain, not nearly as brutal as hiking up, and traveled back to Coban. We stayed at the hostel Casa Luna again, got to take much needed showers after not bathing for a week, and got up very early the next morning to travel to Chichi - an incredible market in Guatemala. We became bargaining pros, and many people came back to the van with multiple bags. After the morning in Chichi we traveled to Xela, the second biggest city in Guatemala. We will be here until Saturday morning, and are again living in homestays and going to school. People seem to be enjoying being in a city environment and are taking part in different activites such as dance classes and movies at coffee houses. But, I must get back to my homestay to be in time for dinner! Hope all is well and we love and miss you all!
-Megan-
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Week Two in San Andres
Hello, everyone!
It is a warm Thursday afternoon, and we are all lounging at the internet cafe in Flores. The weather this week has been much cooler, so we have been enjoying the sun without sweltering in the humidity.
Last Saturday, we took a weekend trip to Tikal. We piled into a van in the morning and headed off. Along the way, we stopped at the fantastic Maxi Bodega to pick up some groceries - lots of bread, lots of peanut butter, lots of jelly. The ride there seemed pretty short and uneventful, except for when we came across an enormous herd of cattle in the road. Some of us snapped pictures as the (real, live) cowboys tried to move the herd along, so ask about the cow photos.
When we arrived at Tikal, we settled ourselves under some trees and had a pincic lunch of pb&j sammies. Then, we worked out sleeping arrangements and headed to the Jaguar Inn to put our backpacks and groceries away. We doused eachother in bug spray and sunscreen, and headed for the ruins.
The structures of Tikal are spread all over the jungle. We would walk through the forest for ten or twenty minutes before coming across these unbelievable displays of stone and cement. Some were just crumbling remains, piles of rubble being taken over by the moss. But every so often we would stumble upon these enormous temples, wondering how they could still be standing after so many years. Some had ladders up the sides, for those who are brave enough to climb the practically vertical ascent. We snagged a perfect group picture at the top of one, so we will try to post it soon.
In the evening, we meandered back to the Jaguar Inn, had some dinner, and tucked in early. At four the next morning, we lazily made the trek up to one of the structures. The rain was dripping of the leaves above our heads, and we stayed contendedly silent as we followed the beams that our flashlights made. Then, we climbed the endless wooden steps to the very top and settled in among the dark. More people joined us - a group of Dutch travelers, some from Israel. We watched the mist seep across the trees and listened as the monkeys howled to each other from across the jungle. We never actually saw the sun come up, but we enjoyed watching the clouds turn from black to gray.
Tomorrow is our last day of language school in San Andres. On Saturday, we will pile back into another van and spend a weekend in Coban. Next week, we will be working alongside Peace Corps volunteers in the mountains. We will be in homestay houses with no electricity, so no e-mails or blog updates. But we all love and miss you guys at home, and we will talk to you again soon!
- Grace
It is a warm Thursday afternoon, and we are all lounging at the internet cafe in Flores. The weather this week has been much cooler, so we have been enjoying the sun without sweltering in the humidity.
Last Saturday, we took a weekend trip to Tikal. We piled into a van in the morning and headed off. Along the way, we stopped at the fantastic Maxi Bodega to pick up some groceries - lots of bread, lots of peanut butter, lots of jelly. The ride there seemed pretty short and uneventful, except for when we came across an enormous herd of cattle in the road. Some of us snapped pictures as the (real, live) cowboys tried to move the herd along, so ask about the cow photos.
When we arrived at Tikal, we settled ourselves under some trees and had a pincic lunch of pb&j sammies. Then, we worked out sleeping arrangements and headed to the Jaguar Inn to put our backpacks and groceries away. We doused eachother in bug spray and sunscreen, and headed for the ruins.
The structures of Tikal are spread all over the jungle. We would walk through the forest for ten or twenty minutes before coming across these unbelievable displays of stone and cement. Some were just crumbling remains, piles of rubble being taken over by the moss. But every so often we would stumble upon these enormous temples, wondering how they could still be standing after so many years. Some had ladders up the sides, for those who are brave enough to climb the practically vertical ascent. We snagged a perfect group picture at the top of one, so we will try to post it soon.
In the evening, we meandered back to the Jaguar Inn, had some dinner, and tucked in early. At four the next morning, we lazily made the trek up to one of the structures. The rain was dripping of the leaves above our heads, and we stayed contendedly silent as we followed the beams that our flashlights made. Then, we climbed the endless wooden steps to the very top and settled in among the dark. More people joined us - a group of Dutch travelers, some from Israel. We watched the mist seep across the trees and listened as the monkeys howled to each other from across the jungle. We never actually saw the sun come up, but we enjoyed watching the clouds turn from black to gray.
Tomorrow is our last day of language school in San Andres. On Saturday, we will pile back into another van and spend a weekend in Coban. Next week, we will be working alongside Peace Corps volunteers in the mountains. We will be in homestay houses with no electricity, so no e-mails or blog updates. But we all love and miss you guys at home, and we will talk to you again soon!
- Grace
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