Day 4 : Antigua to Xela

We woke up at about 6am to go for a run with Tom to Cerro de la Cruz. It is a park overlooking Antigua with a big cross – a very popular postcard picture, but this is taken from the city streets. It is quite the uphill run, and after yesterday’s events I had to walk most of it. While sitting at the cross, we saw Frances’ (my puppy!) Guatemalan sister! After the run, we said goodbye to Tom, and he was off to meet the birth mother of his son Alex. (Alex was adopted from Guatemala when he was still baby and is back now to meet his two sisters and birth mother. Quite an experience for the whole family. We are sure it went well and can´t wait to hear about it!)

We ate breakfast at Doña Luisa Xicotencatl in their courtyard. I have to mention it – it was such a nice setting and good food. And it was right by Rain Forest tours, where we had to buy our tickets to Xela.

We did some last minute sight-seeing in Antigua and sat in the central park until getting back to the Hotel in time for the shuttle to pick us up at 2. However, the shuttle must have forgot us, and we were picked up by a jam-packed bus yet again at 3 by a different company.... This was just the beginning. Right before Panchjel, the traffic on the road came to a dead stop. There was some political protesting, and the roads were being blocked by the locals. We sat in the small little bus forever! We were nervous that we weren’t going to make it to Xela, but after a bus switch at a hectic Texaco station, we arrived in Xela around 8pm. Thanks to the delay, we met Tim from the U.K. who gave us some great advice and a couple from Canada whom shared our lack of spanish abilities.

We rented a room at Casa Argentias, which is quite the backpackers’ mecca. However, the last private room that was available was basically a storage room that was pretty shabby. We went with it anyways! For dinner, we navigated the streets to the famous El Sabor de India (obviously some Indian food), and it was very good. I will most definitely be returning for some more Dal and the cucumber yogurt dish! I have to mention that our huge meals, which we could not finish, accompanied by naan and two beers was a total of Q 147 or about US$ 21. Not so bad, eh? I don’t think we will have much trouble at all adjusting to life in Guatemala.

Day Numero Tres : Volcán Pacaya

Or day number three for you non-spanish speakers.

Happy Thanksgiving! This day was jam-packed with activities. We were trying to get in as much as we could while in Antigua: hanging out with the the Mayes fam, seeing some sights, and climbing Volcán Pacaya. Ofcourse, we had to go see the lava since there are only 2 other supposed places to see flowing lava (Hawaii and some place in Indonesia.) So here is goes...

We woke up at about 5:20am to get ready for the shuttle to take us up to the still active volcano. We were the second group to be picked up, but definitely not the last. By the time we left Antigua we had about 7 other groups of two with us. The mix was Guatemalans, Canadians, French, and Americans. We were all able to communicate quite easily since many of our fellow adventurers were tri-lingual. (Yes, we were very jealous!) After swapping stories and backgrounds, we came to find out just how small the world is...Jessica, whom also is from Massachusetts, was at one point the neighbor of a friend from Sandwich. Go figure.

So we start the hike by a store where a bunch of little kids are pushing walking sticks at you for 5Q saying "You want a stick" "Es necessario" Brian and I resisted especially after they crowded around Jessica wanting her to buy the stick from them and not another. We met our guía named José and started the ascent. José named our groups "The Pumas," so as not to get confused with another group. Todd from Colorado loved this name and had many roars and poses to contribute.

It took us about a hour and a half to get to the top. It was a strenuous hike that was mostly uphill. However, should you not be able to make it, there were a group of locals with horses to assist you for a fee up until the ashy ascent. But never fear, the local dogs followed us right up the treacherous path of loose lava rocks and ash to the flowing magma. I´m sure they followed us in hopes of food, but also to lay on top of the harded lava that was heated from the magma underneath. At the top, we were able to get as close as we dared to the magma river to capture pictures, roast marshmellos, and feel the heat. The heat was extreme. José told us the magma is about 2,000 degrees - perfect for s´mores! After hanging at the windy top for awhile, we started our descent, which took about the same time. A few "Pumas" took a digger coming down, but were well attended to by the Guatemalan medical crew onsite at the park. It wouldn´t have been complete without José hiding in the woods shaking the branches and scaring half the group! Good times had by all!

We got back to the hotel with just enough time to shower and head over to O.X. by 2:30. They had the bikes tuned up and some sandwiches to munch. It was a short ride out of Antigua to Paraíso Azul, fresh water pools, where we began our hike up Parque de Palmeras. We were alone for the hike while the guides trucked the bikes up to where we would meet them. The hike was through jungle forest, with dense vegetation and noisey birds. We didn´t see birds in the trees but got some pics of hummingbirds at feeders. There were so many you could clearly hear the beat of their wings.
Almost the entire trail was endless stairs acending the slop. It was a little challenging after volcán pacaya this morning.
We rode up closer to the summit in the pickup´s bed after reaching the guides. The truck driver keep stopping and our guide had to coax him to continue up further. The ride down was fast; we rested half way at some cabanas and had lunch.
Kylie stayed dry while I took a dip in the fresh water pools. Burr! After Gallos (local beer) with the guides, we returned to Antigua and our hotel.

We took a little rest before heading out to eat. Fireworks and church bells were going off in the city which we later learned happened the last thursday on the month. Dinner at Helas, a greek style establishment, was outside in their courtyard. We ordered falafel gyros, our first real meal today! Tired from being up so long, we crashed out early since we would run with Tom in the morning.

Day one: Guatemala City

Kylie and I have made it Guatemala! Sorry about the lack of entries, but there will be much more to write about now. The last few weeks were pretty uneventfull up until our departure. Thank you to everyone who supported our travels; your contributions are greatly appreciated.
We left our jobs the week before our flight. Wicked has offered me work come spring, but let's see what happens in the next four months before I decide to return there. Kylie's picture collage of the Cape Abilities clientel she gave to them was very thoughtful and I'm sure she will be missed.
Thank you to everyone who attended the farewell party at the Millbern residence last Saturday; it was wonderful to have everyone see us off.
It was a little hairy during our final hours on Cape Cod; last minute packing made the drive to Logan interesting. I had brought the blades but forgot my razor and Kylie left her sunglasses behind at home. A quick visit to Target and REI and we headed for the airport.
Houston airport was not the best place to stay during our twelve hour layover. Renovations being done would have made sleeping difficult. I was glad we choose a hotel room and had a decent night´s rest.
Guatemala Cities airport was very modern and customs didn´t take long. We were picked up outside the airport and driven to our hotel, Xamanek Student Inn. Kylie and I had a dorm room to ourselves for $15 each. It was nice enough that we may stay there again on the night before our 6 AM departure in April; internet and pancakes with coffee were a welcomed extra.
We walked around zone 10, dodging cars and looking for a resturant. Both of us agreed that Guate City is better than we expected, but we also never wandered from the "well-to-do" part of town. We took the recommendation from a friendly bartender and ate at Kacao; only a few blocks from our hostel. There was a circular hatched roof and waiters in traditional grab. Besides a salad, every dish had some meat. Kylie left behind her vegetarianism and ordered a mango coconut chicken which we both enjoyed.
Nearby night clubs soothed us to sleep with tecno disco beats.

Day two: Guate City to Antigua

This morning a shuttle from Tom´s hotel picked us up and we met up with the Mayes family.
Our ride to Antigua was our first time in the countryside. The roads are curvy and full of trucks, buses, and motorcycles.
Before long we were dropped off at our hotel here, Juma Ocag. It is much better than the Guate City hostel; centeral courtyards and private baths, the nightly rate was only $20. Thanks again Tom for the room. If only the showers were "warm" like they claimed; I managed to get a quick jolt from the electric-heating showerhead trying to make it hotter.
Kylie mapped out a walking tour of Antigua and we spent the early afternoon looking at church ruins and local establishments.


The streets are all cobblestone; nice to look at but difficult to travel over.

Intricate sand and flower petal art were a great sight to stumble across.


After looking at several companies, we picked Adrenalina Tours to shuttle us to volcán pacaya for $10 each at 6 AM. Walking around, we found Outdoor Excursions (O.X.) and booked a bike tour for tomorrow afternoon for $35 each. It´s going to be a busy day ahead. That evening we met up with the Mayes and eat at El Fondo de Calle Real. We sat in the courtyard under wicker lanterns and orange flowers. Alex was tried from a long day and tried his best to keep is eyes open during the meal without sucess. I had gallino caillo, chicken marinated in tomatoes and garilc with spanish rice and beans. The plate was delicous, but several bones made eating a chore. Kylie´s plato tipico de livingston, black beans, rice with fried plantains, was a huge portion and could have been split between Sara and Kylie. We said goodbye to Sara and the boys since we would not see them again and made a date to go running with Tom Friday morning.
After dinner, we found anjelos (marshmellows) and smores ingredients for tomorrow´s volcan pacya with a little searching. We enjoyed a little red wine back at the hotels terrace and went to bed early for the full day planned Thursday.