Photo Post

I just passed another great weekend in Xela and so there is lots I want to write about. But for now I am just going to post some photos. The first few are images from a hike I made with some fellow students from my school. Our guide was a member of the guerilla (the revolutionary fighters from the civil war) and the spot that we hiked to was one of their encampments during the war. We sat right where they had cooked, slept and trained listening to stories of the hardships endured by these guerilla as they fought for to improve the lives of the underpriviledged in this country. The spot is now used by the Mayan for spiritual ceremonies and offerings and provided some spectacular views.

My poor lungs were suffering though on the climb up (damn this nagging cough.) The guerilla would do the same hike at night, in the freezing cold, carrying upwards of 100 pounds. My shocking lung capacity combined with the fact that a friend and I took a slight diversion when we lost the group led our guide to tell me I would have made a poor guerilla. Hardly Surprising


Mayan Cross


More of the beautiful vista


The Group listening to our guide's stories


Typical village courtyard with drying corn


Village buildings


View of Tajumulco Volcano...the highest in Central America

The remaining few are some more scenes about town.

Buen Provecho - Guatemaltecan Politeness

I have remembered one of the many reasons Guatemala was my favourite stop on last year's Central America travels. The kindness and hospitality of the people here is unmatched elsewhere. The is a general level of politeness and courtesy in all interactions. People approach strangers with humility and respect. When good service or a nice favour is received the thank yous are abundent and the server is told they are muy amable (very kind)

Meeting new Guatemaltecans has been an enlightening experience. Introductions are met with a firm handshake, a mucho gusto (lit: much pleasure) and if the pair are of the opposite sex there is a brief kiss on the cheek. To which is added to all this an unnameable sincerity. They truly are pleased to meet you.

Perhaps my favourite custome is the phrase Buen Provecho. There is no literal translation in english. Close would be the french saying Bon Appetit but they are not used in exactly the same way. Whereas a bon appetit is wished at the start of the meal, buen provecho can be expressed before, during and after a meal. At anytime and by anyone.

My house mother runs a comedor (a modest restaurant) in the front part of our house at lunchtime. So for the past week I have been enjoying my comida tipica in the company of her regular clientele. When anyone enters the room and sees me eating they wish me buen provecho. When Annie serves the meal she says buen provecho. And when I get up to leave the table it is customary to say muchas gracias to the others in the room to which they reply buen provecho.

As I learn more about the subtle niceities and etiquete of the people here I can't help but grow more humble and thankful of the time I get to spend in such an enriching cultural.

Rough Start

So who knows if it was the altitude, the flights or just the long day in transit but I managed to come down with a particularily nasty strain of cold. I spent most of Sunday shivering under blankets watching Harry Potter and other movies dubbed into Spanish. I did manage to drag myself out long enough to observe a typical Sunday afternoon in the market. Families leaving the church and buying ice creams. Market stalls filled with colourful textiles. Pigeons patrolling for leftover scraps of food. Guatemalan life that continues to fascinate me as the pictures will attest.

















But sadly my day of rest did little to heal my sick body. Things only got worse and now I have completely lost my voice. I don´t really need to explain what a pain is to try and learn to speak Spanish when I cannot even speak.

Luckily I have moved in with a lovely family. My house mother has been filling me nonstop with homemade soup and tea with honey. So hopefully it won´t be long before my voice is on the mend and I can do more during my five hours of class each day than written exercise after written exercise.

Xela - The Sequel

After 24 hours in transit I arrived back in Xela, the Guatemalan city where a little over a year ago Chris and I started our time in Central America. This time I was returning on my own. A blown tire that delayed the bus for 3 hours followed by construction that had us averaging less than 10 kilometres an hour meant I arrived in town hours later than anticipated. As it was beginning to get dark I was thankful that I was arriving into somewhat familar surroundings and I quickly settled myself into a hotel near the park, fed myself at one of my favourite restaurants and then retired early to my comfy hotel room.

Before leaving Canada I reread my first impressions of Guatemala from last year. I was so wild eyed and enchanted by this place. Today walking around the city I smiled when I encountered places that brought back memories but it was all much more subdued. For me, much of the excitement in travel is the romance of falling in love with new places. Those butterflies in my stomach as the bus pulls into a new city that is waiting for fresh exploration. The adrenaline rush of navigating the confusing streets of a new town. The joy of discovering a great cafe or even just a perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by.

This time around the objective is not exploration of unknown locales but four weeks of intensive spanish lessons. An attempt to move my spanish out of the realm of polite tourist conversation and into that of truly conversing.

While most of the country I have seen so far seems familar there are glimpses of changes. A country that is in the midst of development and rebuilding after a turbulent history. Those sections of the Pan America Highway that caused so many irritating delays are under construction due to economic expansion. Development that will move goods throughout the region all that much faster and hopefully bring much needed investment dollars. And with highway improvements comes other growth. Restaurants and hotels are built along the highway to accomodate travellers. These aren't just basic comedores(traditional eateries in cement buildings with plastic tables and chairs) and tiny rundown guesthouses. They are swanky establishments with bright shiny glass windows and airconditioning.

Things certainly are changing. They say you can never go back. I know that my time here in Xela will by no means be a repetition of my last stay here. But I do hope that it will introduce me to new people, new experiences and some much needed new spanish vocabulary.