Dorm life

If you thought college dorm life was cramped, check this out.  25 beds.  24 filled with people last night!  Casa Argentina in Xela, Guatemala.  Love love love this place.  20Q a night.  That's $2.50 a night for a bed.  Free drinking water.  Hot showers.  Wifi.  And a kitchen.  Does it get any better?

Santa Maria's summit!

The sweet sweet sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet taste of accomplishment!

 

(key to summiting Santa Maria is turning left at these bushes, who would've know!)

After failed attmept number one of summiting Volcano Santa Maria.  Julie and I went back again, this time with two other comrades.  Left Xela at 1:45am.  Started hiking: 2:00 am.  Summited:  5:40am.  Shooting starts.  Volcano eruptions. 

 (Volcano Santiaguito erupting)

Mayan rituals.  Finally finding our way=best feeling EVER! 

Not to mention knowing that we didn't have to climb up anymore, that my friends was a great relief.   The legs were burrrrrning.

 

(biggest shadow known to me)

 

(Volcano Fuego erupting, it's near Antigua)

There were 25 or so Guatemalan's that had camped up on the summit under tarps, 2 feet off the ground.  I think this must have held the heat because otherwise I'm sure they would have froze.  While we were up there they formed a circle around what I'd call a priest, started singing, chanting and praying.  Quite the experience.

Before all of this started, one woman had sat next to me.  Shared my sandwich and my drink, I've yet to encounter a Central American that'll turn you down offering anything.

Volcano Tajumulco

What a weekend!

Volcano Tajumulco.  Aka, the highest point in Central America.  Close to the Mexico border.  Close enough we could see it.  High enough to make anyone’s lungs burn if they hadn’t been in altitude for awhile.

Got into Quetzaltenango Friday, signed up to do the two-day hike with Quetzaltrekkers immediately.  Quetzaltrekkers is a non-profit volunteer organization that leads hikes all over Nicaragua and Guatemala, all money made goes to education programs for the local kids.  Not a bad thing ehh!

Excited, didn’t know what was to come yet!  Ha.  Xela (Quetzaltenango) sits around 2333 mtrs above sea level.  After a few buses and breakfast we started our hike around 3000mtrs.  The summit sits at 4220mtrs (13,845 ft).
After a few meters of walking, I already needed a break. 3.5 miles up, 4.1 down.   I looked up to see this staring down at me.

Wondering, ‘WHAT AM I DOING?’  Talk about intimidation.  Not to mention a challenge with 50lbs on your back.  Supplies for myself and the group (which entails heavy duty sleeping back, tent, down jacket, snowboard pants, gloves, hat, scarf, extra layers, 4.5 liters of water, tub o peanut butter, jam and headlamp.)  We’d be camping.  Base camp sits around 4000mtrs.

During one of our breaks, which we all loved dearly, we see the locals walking down from presumably the summit.  With nothing but babies on their backs, not joking, babies.  No sleeping bags, no coats, just babies.  Ohh Guatemala!

We set up base camp, some of us pass out from exhaustion/slight altitude sickness for a bit.  Then we hike Cerro Conception for sunset.  What a sight. 

After a dinner of noodles, people I ate noodles, I had no other choice. Those that don’t know me well, I’m scared of noodles.  Long story.  We snuggled into our tent, no worries 7 of us in one!  Wake up call for 4 a.m.  It was early.  We were a bit lethargic to say the least.

And the hour hike up about burst my lungs, my heart was pumping triple time.  But the color of the horizon, the excitement of the highest point in C.A., the views, who am I kidding here everything was motivating me to keep my legs moving up.

Yes, I did slam a Red Bull at the top.  It gives you wiiings!  Why wouldn't one need that for the highest point in C.A.?

This is something I'll never soon forget.  We saw the sunset, moon rise then moon set and sunrise!  Volcanoes erupting in the background.  Volcanoes near Antigua and Atitlan.  A shadow that is too gigantic to explain, a shadow that says something.  Feeling the altitude.  Feeling the burn.  Sharing the excitement.  And seeing forever.

Talk about a trip.  Please do yourself a favor and look into Quetzaltrekkers.  Great people doing great things!

What to do in Guatemala today?

You know you're a backpacker when:

You're walking down the side walk.  Big backpack on the back and little one on the front.  You're shades broke so everyone can see you crying.  Crying because you just said goodbye to your bestie after traveling two weeks with one crazy chica.  You're carrying a sack of stuff you bargained for at the market, in the morning, in one hand.  A half cut watermelon in the other.  The view on the sidewalk straight ahead is of a volcano.  And upon entering the cheapest hostel you just found, other backpackers just give you a nod.  As if saying, 'totally know what you're going through right now, pase adelante!'

Going to ramble a bit.  This is a blog more for me today.  Been in Central America now for over 6 months.  Living.  Working.  Learning.  Traveling.  And for the majority of those 6 months I was with people I just met.  Other than the 5 days with my sisters, I hadn't had face to face contact with a friend that knew me for more than a month.  And then Anna came.  WOW!  What a different take on traveling.  So many times we laughed until we cried.  So many times we'd stop, recap what we just saw or heard and say 'that really DID just happen' or 'only in Central America.'  So much fun to share those moments.

Here's a quick example, Anna you should really elaborate on this.

When we were in Semuc Champey (village) we needed internet to call Anna's mom, it was her birthday.  Why we thought it would be a quick cheap trip to Lanquin, I don't know.  9 kms away, it was $10 in transportation, remember grain trucks with tarps on the tops in which we were 2 feet too tall to stand in, we get to the 'internet cafe' and it sounds like bombs are exploding.  The kids playing killing games with a sound system.  Outside while Anna was on the computer, I see a kid playing soccer with no pants on.  Then another kid peeing off the side of a church.  Twenty minutes later, waiting for the ride back we watch a soccer game in the street.  We were approached by a drunk man with machete.  He offered us a ride in his car back to Semuc.  As he harassed us, the tienda owners next door laughed and watched.  Only to our amazement, it got more interesting as we saw a dog molest a pig on one side of the game, a  kid run through the middle with his shorts on his head and a turkey chilling on the other side.  All completely normal to the people around us.  A two hour unforgettable internet trip. 

Now, not decompressing but revamping myself.  It's different traveling with another person.  The things you think about are different.  The worries.  The necessities.  The ideas.  The conversations.  Will be staying in Guatemala for some time longer.  Not sure what to do yet, but when it comes to me, I'll be on the next bus outta Antigua.

Anna and I have ideas rolling now.  We're looking to get paid to travel.  We decided this worlds' playground is just too much fun to skip, we want to explore it all!  Thinking we can get sponsored or something.  We spent countless hours on the bus throwing out ideas.  If you have any, please share. 

SALSA!!!!!

Why not learn to Salsa dance!?

This is what Anna and I did this morning and yesterday.

Watching yourself attempt to salsa dance in front of a mirror next to your best friend doing the same thing, humbling?  Add that and being a foot taller than your instructor, things get REAL interesting

Not sure if it's a good sign when your friend stops dancing and starts laughing uncontrollable while starring at you.  I think she was trying to steal my moves!

Semuc Champey wowzers!

When people say that Semuc Champey might be one of the most beautiful things you can see and experience in Guatemala, they're not lying or even exaggerating.

(having hard time rotating, pick and turn computer!)

Deep.  And I mean DEEP in the jungle.  In the heart of Guatemala.  Where people use dirt mountain trails as sidewalks.  Where they speak the Mayan language of Kekchi and little Spanish. 

(Chocolate girls, I bought over 10 bars, it's a problem)

Where the little girls sell home made chocolate.  They're mom's dry the cocoa beans in the front yard.

Where you walk 1km in any direction to find the closest tienda and all they sell is rice, beans and cookies.  Nothing like fruits or veggies.

This my friends, is the heart of Guatemala.  Semuc Champey.  A place.  A park.  A series of waterfalls/natural swimming pools.  A pumping river that goes underground for 300 meters.  Leaving above, beauty that you've never imagined.  

Seriously.  How to imagine seeing monkeys.  Waterfalls.  Pools.  Jungle   And fresh chocolate.

I'll continue on the chocolate later.  As I have an addiction.  It's a problem, we bought 4 bars in one day.  They knew us by name.  As we'd sneak off into the jungle, they'd see us, yelling 'Anna y Heily, hay choco latte!'  Sad but very true.

 

Another success!

Buses. Panajachel. Kayaking. San Pedro la Laguna

Who knew it could possibly get better!

We left Antigua via buses.  4 to be exact.  Anna's expressions were amazing.  Not sure if she was expecting to share a seat with two men.  Or to have 6 people in one row, one balancing off of both seats.  Or to be swaying side to side along the jagged mountain roads.  Or to see her bag get thrown on top of the bus then wonder the entire time if it was still there.  For one that needs excitement always, she loved the buses.

We landed in Panajachel.  A town that borders Lake Atitlan.  The lake, well it's beautiful.  Surrounded by volcanoes and mountains, its something out of a fairy tale.  The town on the other hand, has over 220 hostals/hotels/live-in houses.  And its touristy.  Not our kind of place.  We actually checked into one hotel and after going by our gut instincts and checking the beds, finding reminants of bed bugs, we checked out.  Fyi to other backpackers, don't stay in Panajachel.

 

 

Went kayaking.  Anna took the back, so she could steer, annoy me and drench me all at once.  Got the warning from everyone "don't stay on the lake after 1pm."  We're always being told something so we didn't know what to believe.  But after 4 hours paddling in the morning, we didn't feel like trying the 'big waves.'  Instead, we moved locations to San Pedro, falling in love with the volcano town as soon as we docked.

It's real.  Cultural.  The women all wear long skirts, touching their ankles.  Having the shirt tucked in high.  They dress colorful.  Other than tourist restaurants, we found 1 local comedor, Pacha Mama.  We ate there, they used a wood fire to make us chicken, fries, rice and guacamole.  A must stop in San Pedro!

 

And today we bought a papaya, pineapple and 7 mandarins for $1.50.  Ahhhh awesomeness.

Volcao Pacaya

We didn't know what we signed up for.  All I had heard was that Volcano Pacaya might be the coolest thing I'll ever see/do.

Shuttle bus on the bumpiest cobble streets ever in Antigua.  A stop over at the park enterance where kids were sticking walking sticks in the windows screaming the prices at us.  We opted not to buy one.  Then we parked at the trail.  Along with 4 other vans and groups behind us.  This is a tourist must.

Then the kids started in again.  "You want to buy my stick, it's necessario."  We said no, then changed our minds.  They attacked Anna.  Wanting......no, NEEDING her business.  It was the proper welcoming for her into a 3rd world country.

 

 

 

We walked and walked and walked.  Through the clouds and over old dried lava.  The tour guide spoke fast and only in Spanish.  People stood on the side of the trail offering 'natural taxi's' aka horses for the rest of the ride up.  

As we were hiking up the lava and by lava, its the ONLY thing that is around.  Black.  Lava.  Sharp edges keep you from wanting to ever imagine falling.  So as we were hiking up Anna says "this is legit dude."  And by that, I think she meant it was real and really amazing!

 

We see this patch of lava and about fall over.  But no, wait.  Theres more.  And don't worry there are no rules or people enforcing any kind of guidlines as to how close you can get to the lava.  It's your life, you risk what you want.

 

It's hot.  I was soaked from the rain and was dry again once we were ON the lava in less than 5 minutes.  More like 2 minutes.  My feet could feel the heat, they started to burn.  A guys shoes started to melt.  Another fell over and cut his leg.  Anna and I proceed on.  Walking over cracks filled with the bright red molten.  

 

This poured out.  My thoughts were that we'd see a little lava just chilling, but no people this lava was FLOWING.  The black parts would crack against the rain and as we were making s'mores, it begun to pour and they made us head out.  Wondering if its a hazard to have rain hit the lava, all I do know was that it was crazy cool.  The rain came, left everything steaming.  It was a sauna, but only one that they'd have on Armageddon.  

 

 

We got close.  Close enough to freak a lot of people out.  Close enough where I ddin't want to go closer.

 

Might be the coolest thing I HAVE ever seen or done.  Definitely ranks up there as VERY REAL!