G-U-A-T-E-M-A-L-A

Hello everyone!

It has been a long six days full of adventures. We have hiked not one, but two volcanoes. Our first volcano was the Volcan De Pacaya, an active volcano an hour south of Antigua. It was a 2 km hike to the top of the volcano and the hike up was very long, but not too difficult. As we continued up the path, there were Guatemalans offering "taxis" to the top, which were horse rides. Three of our students were lucky enough to "hail a taxi" and Natalie describes the ride as bumpy, but fun. We had a wonderful guide named Joaquin. He graciously led us through fog and loose terrain to a spot of the volcano where we could see a bit of lava flow right below us. Our pictures may not have turned out quite the way we wanted, but we have some awesome pictures of black silhouettes against a bright red background. These photos will be posted at a later date. The top of the volcano was warm enough that if you stayed still too long, you would burn and if you stuck a stick in the hot vent it would catch on fire. The descent from the top of the volcano was cool because Natalie says so.

On day three, we took a six hour bus ride from Antigua to Quetzeltenango. In Quetzeltenango, we are enjoying a wonderful family home stay with Karen and Marta, the niece and sister of Kiki from Sandy´s Market (Kiki gave the presentation of Guatemala at the Silent Auction). Karen has been gracious enough to be our wonderful tour guide for our time spent in Quetzeltenango (Also known as Xela). On our first full day in Xela (Day 4), we discovered the best thing in the world: sliding down a concrete slide on pieces of cardboard. We were at Cerro Baul, an outside park overlooking Quetzeltenango. Students and teachers spent two and a half hours sliding down the "peligroso" and trying very hard not to fall on their butt at the end. After visiting Cerro Baul, we visited three churches. The first one we went to was the first church built in the Central Americas, dating back to the 1500s. It was closed, but very pretty on the outside. The second church we visited was San Andreas. It was an ornate decorated church, painted yellow and known in Guatemala as being the most intricate church for its influence from both the Mayan and Catholic religions.

On our way to the third church, we came across an Easter procession. The small town where this church was located paved its streets with colored sawdust into a pathway for the procession. The people worked hard for two days creating this intricate sidewalk full of floral and other pattern arrangements. After talking with one woman who was working on the pathway, we went to Karen's aunt's house for hot chocolate and sweet bread. The hot chocolate was delicious and extremely thick. It was a great end to a great day.

On day five, we ventured to our second volcano, this one dormant with a large sacred Mayan lake in the middle of the crater. The Laguna Chicobal is roughly an hour and a half away from Quetzaltenango and hard to get to in our rented turismo vans. The first van got a flat tire and half the group was let out not too far from the trail head. However, the second group was not so lucky. Their van couldn't make it up the hill and therefore the passengers had to get out and walk up a steep dirt path. They were tired before they got to the trail head.

The path to Laguna Chicobal was a 1.81 km hike uphill through very dusty paths. While the guide said it would take 15 minutes to get there if you walk fast or 40 minutes if you walk slow, we determined they were wrong. It took about an hour and a half (for our group anyway) to hike to the laguna. Once we made it to the top, the view was amazing. The lake in the center of the crater is very sacred to Mayan culture. Forty days after Easter, the Mayan people will hike in and perform a ceremony to make it rain. We don't get to experience this ceremony, however, we did get to view a few flower alters around the perimeter of the lake.

Somehow, the way out of the crater involved climbing 580 steps. This felt like murder for some of us, but we were rewarded later in the evening with a trip to a hot spring, Fuentas Georginas. The hot spring was an extremely awesome, relaxing pool. The water was warm and very relaxing to our sore muscles. One word of caution, you must take a cold shower once you are finished swimming in the hot spring in order to avoid being sick. The cold shower helps your body readjust to the cold temperature much more quickly than letting yourself gradually cool down.

Today, Sunday, is Palm Sunday. Two students experienced a traditional Guatemalan Catholic mass. After mass, HOLA students and staff visited the open market. Quetzaltenango's open market happens on the first Sunday of each month and artisans come from all over to sell their goods: musical instruments, jewelry, and hand stitched bags. We had a wonderful afternoon relaxing and looking at all the street vendors.

After spending the afternoon shopping, Karen´s aunt invited us to her small town of Salcaja for lunch. She served us a wonderful meal of chicken served in a ranchero sauce with vegetables, blue corn chichitos, rice, and fresh squeezed mango juice. After the meal, we showed her our appreciation by presenting her with a historical picture of Quetzaltenango and a card signed by all of the students. This chance opportunity was a great way to conclude our time in Quetzaltenango.

Tomorrow, we plan to take care of a couple of logistics here in town before catching a bus to Flores in the early evening.

Until next time!

HOLA