It's a good thing I'm not on a schedule. I'm still here in Xela, mainly wasting my time lounging in cafes and reading (currently working on The Time Traveler's Wife, it's amazing). I've looked into Tajumulco Volcano a good deal, and I desperately want to do the climb. I'll need to get some warmer gear, but right now I just have to wait because no one else in the city wants to climb it. How on earth is it possible that I can be the only person in a city the size of St. John's that's packed with tourists who wants to climb this volcano? [Oh, I know. Everyone here studies Spanish Monday to Friday.] I visited every tour company I could find in town today and told them I'd love to go tomorrow. I have a feeling I might get to go on Saturday. Just two more days of waiting.
I've been enjoying myself here, but without paying to go stare at indigenous populations I've pretty much run out of affordable tour options. Yesterday was spent visiting the hot springs, Fuentes Georginas. I expected a warm pool of water; not something hot enough to boil a lobster. The setting was very relaxing, and high in the mountains so the air outside the springs was cool, but the water was extremely difficult to stay in. An awesome experience altogether.
The rest of my time since I arrived has been spent eating. There are all kinds of delicious things you can find from street vendors for $0.50-$1.00. I have no idea what any of them are called, but my current favourite is a type of cold salad served on a crispy tortilla. That one runs you about 50 cents.
Someone else is waiting for the free internet right now, so I must be on my way. All the best!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Xela-Mela
So, after exploring the market of Chichicastenango and exploring the surrounding area, Itay and I made our way to Quetzaltenango (aka Xela) this morning. He's a good guy, but I'm feeling fairly quickly dropped at the moment. We arrived in Xela, made our way to the Parque Central together, sat for a quick snack, and then he just kind of said "Okay, bye then!" once we walked down the street and he got to the Spanish school he wanted to check out. As we both intend to be in the same city for at least a couple of days, I figured we might plan to meet up again... Oh well! My fault for not chiming in.
I'm now staying at a nice hostel a few blocks from the city centre. I'm paying slightly more than I'd like to ($5 is my current ideal maximum and this is almost $7), but it happens to have free internet and breakfast is included. Not such a bad deal. Internet here is about as cheap as it comes in Guatemala, but since it turns out I have free access at the hostel, I'm now a bit lost as to what to do for the afternoon. I was going to go take my time on the net, wander town, see about volunteer options, and try to figure out what I want to do in the surrounding area in the next few days.
One of the main attractions of Xela for most people is Spanish lessons. People come here, take a week of private lessons with a Spanish teacher, and beef up their knowledge of Spanish. I, however, can't see the point of spending money on Spanish school considering my background in languages. I spent three years studying Spanish (albeit spread out and long ago), so I have a good grammatical base (French helps with that too). All I need is more volcabulary, and chatting with locals and sticking my nose in my dictionary is taking care of that. This leaves me feeling slightly left out in Xela because nearly all the travellers here are doing something I'm not. I definitely need to arrange some activities today.
From here, I expect I'll head to Lago de Atitlan. I'm [naturally] not fully decided on this yet, but it seems like a good plan. I also don't know how long I'll stay here depending on what I want to do. The highest point in Central America is right here next to me. It's Tajumulco Volcano, 4220 metres high according to my guidebook, and while I'd love to climb it, I don't know if I really can. It's steep, and I'm fairly terrified of the altitude sickness that I began to feel on my way up Mount Kinabalu last year. I'll have to talk to some more people and give it good consideration.
I'm out now. I hope you're all well (it wouldn't hurt to tell me)! Take care!
I'm now staying at a nice hostel a few blocks from the city centre. I'm paying slightly more than I'd like to ($5 is my current ideal maximum and this is almost $7), but it happens to have free internet and breakfast is included. Not such a bad deal. Internet here is about as cheap as it comes in Guatemala, but since it turns out I have free access at the hostel, I'm now a bit lost as to what to do for the afternoon. I was going to go take my time on the net, wander town, see about volunteer options, and try to figure out what I want to do in the surrounding area in the next few days.
One of the main attractions of Xela for most people is Spanish lessons. People come here, take a week of private lessons with a Spanish teacher, and beef up their knowledge of Spanish. I, however, can't see the point of spending money on Spanish school considering my background in languages. I spent three years studying Spanish (albeit spread out and long ago), so I have a good grammatical base (French helps with that too). All I need is more volcabulary, and chatting with locals and sticking my nose in my dictionary is taking care of that. This leaves me feeling slightly left out in Xela because nearly all the travellers here are doing something I'm not. I definitely need to arrange some activities today.
From here, I expect I'll head to Lago de Atitlan. I'm [naturally] not fully decided on this yet, but it seems like a good plan. I also don't know how long I'll stay here depending on what I want to do. The highest point in Central America is right here next to me. It's Tajumulco Volcano, 4220 metres high according to my guidebook, and while I'd love to climb it, I don't know if I really can. It's steep, and I'm fairly terrified of the altitude sickness that I began to feel on my way up Mount Kinabalu last year. I'll have to talk to some more people and give it good consideration.
I'm out now. I hope you're all well (it wouldn't hurt to tell me)! Take care!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Chicken Buses and Clingy Cats
Just a quick note, I think. This morning I left Antigua and made for Chichicastenango. Travel here was by ¨chicken bus¨. These are old school buses, retired from the United States, that have been given a new paint job and souped up with a bigger engine. They hardly stop for passengers to mount or dismount, and they certainly don't stop for any other traffic. You end up packed in like sardines, and on a good day someone probably will have brought some chickens on board with them (not today though).
Yesterday, I successfully climbed Pacaya Volcano. I was hoping to see some lava up close because that's what they advertise, but the volcano had a small eruption a few days before, so we weren't allowed too near the lava. All the same, it was hot, if you poked certain rocks with your hiking stick it might catch fire, and it was unbelieveably amazing. I guess I'll just have to try another volcano in the future to get closer to some real lava.
This morning, I made my way to Chichi for the market. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, and people come here from all over to buy and sell. It was very cool; almost overwhelming because you just get lost in a maze of streets and stalls and everything looks the same. I'm not alone though. First thing this morning, Itay got onto the same bus as me and decided to come along to Chichi instead of going to Xela today. Itay and I met on the ride from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas, and now everyone from that bus keeps running into one another. Welcome to solo travelling! (It really isn't so solo at all.)
Now, I've explored the market, people are starting to pack up their stalls to trek back home (that starts at about 4:00 pm), I've climbed up to an old Mayan ritual site, and here I am on the internet. There's a small cat roaming around in here, and it quickly made itself comfortable on my lap. Shame it kneads so much when it purrs.
Unlike most tourists, I'll be spending tonight here in Chichi. A lot of people come in just for the day, see the market, and take off again. I want to see what the town is like after everyone leaves. Then I'm headed to Quetzaltenango (Xela); probably late tomorrow morning. I haven't fully decided yet, but why should I decide? Travel here is easy, people don't try to rip you off much, and right now spending time with Itay (he's a guy from Israel, by the way) is quite nice. Off I go!
Yesterday, I successfully climbed Pacaya Volcano. I was hoping to see some lava up close because that's what they advertise, but the volcano had a small eruption a few days before, so we weren't allowed too near the lava. All the same, it was hot, if you poked certain rocks with your hiking stick it might catch fire, and it was unbelieveably amazing. I guess I'll just have to try another volcano in the future to get closer to some real lava.
This morning, I made my way to Chichi for the market. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, and people come here from all over to buy and sell. It was very cool; almost overwhelming because you just get lost in a maze of streets and stalls and everything looks the same. I'm not alone though. First thing this morning, Itay got onto the same bus as me and decided to come along to Chichi instead of going to Xela today. Itay and I met on the ride from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas, and now everyone from that bus keeps running into one another. Welcome to solo travelling! (It really isn't so solo at all.)
Now, I've explored the market, people are starting to pack up their stalls to trek back home (that starts at about 4:00 pm), I've climbed up to an old Mayan ritual site, and here I am on the internet. There's a small cat roaming around in here, and it quickly made itself comfortable on my lap. Shame it kneads so much when it purrs.
Unlike most tourists, I'll be spending tonight here in Chichi. A lot of people come in just for the day, see the market, and take off again. I want to see what the town is like after everyone leaves. Then I'm headed to Quetzaltenango (Xela); probably late tomorrow morning. I haven't fully decided yet, but why should I decide? Travel here is easy, people don't try to rip you off much, and right now spending time with Itay (he's a guy from Israel, by the way) is quite nice. Off I go!
Friday, July 3, 2009
¡Hola Antigua!
And I'm here. Safe in a country of minor swine flu problems, but no political turmoil. It turns out that passing the morning was easily done. I'm sure I went to sleep around 11:00 pm or something, but I didn't get up this morning until 10:00 am. I am now very well rested.
I got up this morning, packed up, and checked out of my room. Then I found myself some breakfast/the most amazing vegetable sandwich I have ever eaten. Maybe it just seemed so good because produce on Utila sucks and I've been lacking nutrients. Anyway, I still can't imagine anything nicer.
I went back to the hotel to await my bus. Naturally, I was expecting a 14-passenger van because that's what all the companies use for shuttle trips to Angitua. However, a sedan turned up with two other passengers in it. It was a very comfortable ride to Antigua, and crossing the border was a breeze. The stamp on my passport says it's good for 90 days, which makes me think I don't need to worry about renewal. However, I'll look further into that if it comes to when my Honduran visa would have expired and I'm still in Central America.
At this stage, I'm definitely not going to reenter Honduras (unless, of course, some miracle happens). But as long as I'm in Guatemala, I'm definitely going to check out some sights nearby. I'm still considering returning early, but I don't think it needs to be a full two months early... it could be a month and a half or something. Anyway, it sounds like I have more chance of having my belongings nicked at home than here in Guatemala.
Off I go now to chat with my dad, find some dinner, and figure out if I can get to Pacaya Volcano tomorrow. Tonnes of fun here in an untense country!
I got up this morning, packed up, and checked out of my room. Then I found myself some breakfast/the most amazing vegetable sandwich I have ever eaten. Maybe it just seemed so good because produce on Utila sucks and I've been lacking nutrients. Anyway, I still can't imagine anything nicer.
I went back to the hotel to await my bus. Naturally, I was expecting a 14-passenger van because that's what all the companies use for shuttle trips to Angitua. However, a sedan turned up with two other passengers in it. It was a very comfortable ride to Antigua, and crossing the border was a breeze. The stamp on my passport says it's good for 90 days, which makes me think I don't need to worry about renewal. However, I'll look further into that if it comes to when my Honduran visa would have expired and I'm still in Central America.
At this stage, I'm definitely not going to reenter Honduras (unless, of course, some miracle happens). But as long as I'm in Guatemala, I'm definitely going to check out some sights nearby. I'm still considering returning early, but I don't think it needs to be a full two months early... it could be a month and a half or something. Anyway, it sounds like I have more chance of having my belongings nicked at home than here in Guatemala.
Off I go now to chat with my dad, find some dinner, and figure out if I can get to Pacaya Volcano tomorrow. Tonnes of fun here in an untense country!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Slow and Steady Wins the Race (or so I hope)
Well, today has been good, though I won´t be leaving Copan Ruinas quite as soon as I had hoped. For some mysterious reason, NONE of the buses that leave Copan at 6:00 am are running tomorrow morning. So I´ll have to wait until noon to leave, and won´t arrive in Antigua until 6:00 pm (if everything goes smoothly). All I can do is cross my fingers and enjoy the ride. The only way I can cross the border earlier is by doing it alone on local buses rather than with a tour company. By myself I would be, well, alone, it would definitely take longer, and would probably cost the same; so there´s really no point.
I´m now bored out of my mind, it´s been pouring rain for a couple of hours (I wish I could deliver some of it to Utila), the television stations available here suck, and I have no idea what I´m going to do until noon tomorrow. I like journeys--I don´t mind being on a bus for six hours or more--but I don´t like to sit around waiting with nothing to do. Alas, I guess I´ll live.
While watching extremely boring television, I´m pretty sure I watched national news on every station that broadcasts it. Naturally, they all told me just about the same thing. One thing I learned just before giving up on the TV was that there will be a ¨March for Peace and Democracy¨ here in Copan Ruinas on Saturday morning. This is the same as all the other demonstrations that have been happening across the country. So, I´m quite happy that I should be crossing the border before I get stuck behind any more demonstrations while trying to travel.
Nothing else to report from here, for obvious reasons. I saw a small chicken flee the streets from the rain earlier. It ran into a clothing store for cover. I wonder how long it was allowed to stay in there for...?
I´m now bored out of my mind, it´s been pouring rain for a couple of hours (I wish I could deliver some of it to Utila), the television stations available here suck, and I have no idea what I´m going to do until noon tomorrow. I like journeys--I don´t mind being on a bus for six hours or more--but I don´t like to sit around waiting with nothing to do. Alas, I guess I´ll live.
While watching extremely boring television, I´m pretty sure I watched national news on every station that broadcasts it. Naturally, they all told me just about the same thing. One thing I learned just before giving up on the TV was that there will be a ¨March for Peace and Democracy¨ here in Copan Ruinas on Saturday morning. This is the same as all the other demonstrations that have been happening across the country. So, I´m quite happy that I should be crossing the border before I get stuck behind any more demonstrations while trying to travel.
Nothing else to report from here, for obvious reasons. I saw a small chicken flee the streets from the rain earlier. It ran into a clothing store for cover. I wonder how long it was allowed to stay in there for...?
Ruins and Plans (but no ruined plans)
So, still in Honduras. I thought all night, I think I might have debated what to do in my dreams, I laid in bed considering what to do this morning, and I mulled things over while I visited the Mayan ruins. I think I have a plan.
Before I get into that, I went to see the ruins this morning here at Copan. They were quite beautiful. I wound up going with a group of six missionaries who were working in Honduras, but their mission just closed down on Tuesday because of the political situation. Since there were so many of us together, we elected to hire a guide. Antonio was an awesome guide with impeccable English. He used to work in journalism, and is part Mayan, part Spanish. He told us that the ruins at Copan are the second-largest Mayan ruins after Tikal, in Guatemala. That seems surprising to me because I thought there were other bigger ones, but the guide probably knows best. In any case, it was great; I got to see macaws there, the national bird of Honduras. I might be missing out on bird-watching at the Lago de Yojoa, but at least I´ve seen some macaws.
Now the plans. I´m staying here in Copan Ruinas for one more night. It´s a beautiful, quiet town, and it´s right next to the Guatemalan border (which opened again at midnight last night). Tomorrow morning, I´ll be taking a shuttle directly from here to Antigua at 6:00 am. That should be a six-hour trip, and the border should still be open tomorrow so I can cross. I understand there are concerns about swine flu in Guatemala, but I will be extremely cautious.
I don´t mean to have everyone worrying about me, and I am considering returning early to Canada. As it stands, I´m meant to fly out of San Pedro Sula on August 31. Right now, I am absolutely not returning to that city. I intend to leave Honduras, and if I fly home it will probably be from Guatemala City or somewhere else depending on when I leave. I am being careful and taking the political situation very seriously. However, I know there´s a small possibility this will be smoothed over, and travel in neighboring countries will go back to normal. Keeping that in mind, I´m hesitant to jump ship right now. There´s a chance, though possibly a slim one, that Zelaya will be reinstated on Saturday. So I am going to stay on for a couple of days to see what happens, and then make a decision. Right now, if I wanted to hop on a plane, Saturday would be the soonest I´d be able to. I would need one day to travel to the city of departure, and another day to allow for the necessary hours spent trying to get through the airport (in San Pedro Sula, at least). I also don´t really want to plan major travel on this upcoming day of great interest. So I head to Antigua, I climb a volcano and read the news, and I figure out what to do.
Now I have eight and a half hours before curfew, and I´m not quite sure what to do with myself. Maybe I´ll see about visiting coffee plantations, or maybe... I don´t even know what else I can do here. I think it´s time to read my guidebook some more. Take care, know that I´m safe, and keep in touch!
Before I get into that, I went to see the ruins this morning here at Copan. They were quite beautiful. I wound up going with a group of six missionaries who were working in Honduras, but their mission just closed down on Tuesday because of the political situation. Since there were so many of us together, we elected to hire a guide. Antonio was an awesome guide with impeccable English. He used to work in journalism, and is part Mayan, part Spanish. He told us that the ruins at Copan are the second-largest Mayan ruins after Tikal, in Guatemala. That seems surprising to me because I thought there were other bigger ones, but the guide probably knows best. In any case, it was great; I got to see macaws there, the national bird of Honduras. I might be missing out on bird-watching at the Lago de Yojoa, but at least I´ve seen some macaws.
Now the plans. I´m staying here in Copan Ruinas for one more night. It´s a beautiful, quiet town, and it´s right next to the Guatemalan border (which opened again at midnight last night). Tomorrow morning, I´ll be taking a shuttle directly from here to Antigua at 6:00 am. That should be a six-hour trip, and the border should still be open tomorrow so I can cross. I understand there are concerns about swine flu in Guatemala, but I will be extremely cautious.
I don´t mean to have everyone worrying about me, and I am considering returning early to Canada. As it stands, I´m meant to fly out of San Pedro Sula on August 31. Right now, I am absolutely not returning to that city. I intend to leave Honduras, and if I fly home it will probably be from Guatemala City or somewhere else depending on when I leave. I am being careful and taking the political situation very seriously. However, I know there´s a small possibility this will be smoothed over, and travel in neighboring countries will go back to normal. Keeping that in mind, I´m hesitant to jump ship right now. There´s a chance, though possibly a slim one, that Zelaya will be reinstated on Saturday. So I am going to stay on for a couple of days to see what happens, and then make a decision. Right now, if I wanted to hop on a plane, Saturday would be the soonest I´d be able to. I would need one day to travel to the city of departure, and another day to allow for the necessary hours spent trying to get through the airport (in San Pedro Sula, at least). I also don´t really want to plan major travel on this upcoming day of great interest. So I head to Antigua, I climb a volcano and read the news, and I figure out what to do.
Now I have eight and a half hours before curfew, and I´m not quite sure what to do with myself. Maybe I´ll see about visiting coffee plantations, or maybe... I don´t even know what else I can do here. I think it´s time to read my guidebook some more. Take care, know that I´m safe, and keep in touch!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
From Utila to Copan Ruinas
After a boat, a minivan, two buses, a pick up, a local bus, and a chartered minivan, I´ve arrived in Copan Ruinas. The goal for the day was to get to Guatemala, and I´ve made it to the border. Not bad, I don´t think. The second bus was supposed to get me here, but the road was blocked. So I and seven other Canadians and Americans navigated our way through the country together.
Since I´m here next to Mayan ruins, I figure I´ll take tomorrow to visit them (the border is, after all, closed to all but pedestrian traffic). After that, I´ll figure out what I´m doing. Honestly, I don´t know. The situation here on the ground is not as it seems in the news. Yes, there is serious stuff going on, but since the majority of Hondurans are fairly poorly educated, no one knows what´s happening. Everyone I have met is just sitting back, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. While I see good reason to leave Honduras right now, I don´t feel the need to flee Central America. However, it´s something near impossible for me to do what my parents disapprove of, and my mother´s frantic emails are getting to me.
My time here on the internet is up. I´ll keep thinking about this tomorrow while I wander the ruins, and see if I can come up with a reasonable solution.
Since I´m here next to Mayan ruins, I figure I´ll take tomorrow to visit them (the border is, after all, closed to all but pedestrian traffic). After that, I´ll figure out what I´m doing. Honestly, I don´t know. The situation here on the ground is not as it seems in the news. Yes, there is serious stuff going on, but since the majority of Hondurans are fairly poorly educated, no one knows what´s happening. Everyone I have met is just sitting back, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. While I see good reason to leave Honduras right now, I don´t feel the need to flee Central America. However, it´s something near impossible for me to do what my parents disapprove of, and my mother´s frantic emails are getting to me.
My time here on the internet is up. I´ll keep thinking about this tomorrow while I wander the ruins, and see if I can come up with a reasonable solution.
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