Reaching New Heights

I did it! Admittedly, it was an easier climb than Mount Kinabalu, but definitely a challenge for me. I have virtually no photos, so Itay will have to be responsible for supplying those. He strolled along singing while I puffed my way up the volcano and limped my way down (foolish feet!). However, unlike after Kinabalu I am still capable of walking because it was a much shorter climb.

It's pretty funny the prices tourists are charged here. It's not required to have a guide for Tajumulco, but having someone to lead you the right way is always nice. Itay found a local who charged a total of 100 Quetzales to take us up the volcano. It cost us a total of 34 Quetzales to take the bus to and from the entrance from Xela. This makes a total of Q84 each, while a tour booked from Xela would have been Q350-500. Slight difference... Anyway, it was a good climb, tough for those of us who are out of shape (and older than the guide and the other climber), and I'm quite happy I did it.

Since I am oh-so-slow, we didn't have enough time after climbing Tajumulco to get the bus to Lago de Atitlan. We ended up in Xela for the night, and spent it at Itay's homestay family from the week he was studying Spanish. They're a little nuts, but a true Guatemalan family and very kind. In the morning we got up early, accidentally took the bus all the way around the lake (there are much quicker ways to get here), and eventually made our way to San Pedro. On the way, I got to visit Maximon, the smoking god worshiped by Mayans, in Santiago Atitlan. You should look him up, he's pretty funny.

San Pedro La Laguna is a pretty weird town. There's a big divide here between locals and tourists. Locals belong in one area, tourists in another. A lot of locals are very kind and some of them will do anything to speak with you (one called me "princess" today), but if you wander into the local part of town, they're very hesitant to even speak to gringos (us white folk). However, I must say my Spanish is getting quite good. Naturally, it's far from perfect and there are lots of things I just don't know how to talk about, but the locals are very impressed. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on Spanish school.

Last night, a group of westerners congregated at Alegre Pub. This is a British-owned pub that serves up a big roast dinner every Sunday night. They had chicken, roast beef, and vegetarian options. I must say, it was completely amazing. Since it was my first day after Tajumulco, I was still fairly tired and slept a LOT last night. A total of 12-13 hours, I think. I'm staying at a wonderful place called Hotel Peneleu, which is costing me about $3.50 per night for a private room with two beds and ensuite. It has a great view of the lake (not from my own room though), and the owners are amazing. So the lie-in was nice to say the least.

Today has basically been a write-off, but I had a nice lunch and spent the afternoon wandering about collecting information and running errands. Tomorrow morning I'm going horseback riding for three hours and paying a grand $15 for it. Honestly, this is one of the most expensive places in town to go horseback riding with, but the horses are well cared for, it is locally owned, and I had the opportunity to chat with my guide, Salvador, for a while. I look forward to it.

Tomorrow afternoon, I might move on to San Marcos. It's a couple of towns over, and it's the hippie town with lots of yoga, Reiki, etc. I'll have to take a look around while I'm there to find out whether to park myself and practice yoga for a bit, or simply to move on to the next town and go diving. I'm excited to try diving in freshwater and at altitude, and the temperature will be much closer to what I can expect in Halifax in September. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Now I'm off to see if I can find an instruction manual for my second-hand dive computer. I know it has settings for various altitudes, but have to idea how to use it. ¡Buenas noches!