Group on top of Santa Maria
San Andres
Market in Chi Chi
Santa Maria
¨Look, it´s Mexico!¨
Santiaguito erupting
Hello faithful viewers, Greg and Katrina here with news from the past week in Xela, Guatemala.
On Monday the 18th, after classes at Casa Xelaju, some of the group attended a Guatemalan history lecture from one of the Xelaju teachers, Victor, regarding the Guatemalan revolution. On Tuesday, we had classes in the morning during which Greg and Katrina played scrabble with our teachers because our teachers didn´t know what to teach us since our spanish is flawless. Our group also discovered the legendary Bake Shop in the market on the North side of Xela where the most exquisit baked goods can be found. One can find a wide selection of doughnuts including fantastic fruit filled, gorgeous glazed, pleasantly powdered, sweetly sprinkled with love, and of course, chocolate. The Bake Shop also specializes in croissants filled with meat, cheese and chocolate, as well as an irresistible banana bread, delightful cupcakes, and a wide assortment of cookies. Tuesday afternoon we also attended a cooking class, courtesy of Mary´s host mother, Josefina. Josefina made it clear that Josefina would teach us how to make the most scrumptious tomales in all of Guatemala. On Wednesday, after classes, the group attempted to learn the Salsa at the school with one of the teachers. We broke it down like no one was watching.It´s fair to say we showed the teacher something he´d never seen before. That night, a few members of the group (Greg, Jasmine, Lillie and Adam) went out to a Salsa club to take a few more salsa lessons and put our moves to the test. On Thursday, after class, some members of the group went home to sleep and prepare for the long hike early Friday morning, while some took more Salsa lessons or went to Yoga, which has been a popular group activity in the late afternoons. On Friday morning, starting at midnight, our group began our ascent to the summit of the volcano, Santa Maria. The climb up took about 6 hours, but it was all worth it once we reached the top. The altitude affected some more than others. Mary started feeling sick after about 30 minutes, since she lives on a stupid island, and had to be brought back down. We hiked to an altitude of over 12,000 feet and that was evident when we got to the top and were above the clouds. We sat at the top of the volcano for several hours taking in the falling of the orange full moon on one side, and the colorful sunrise on the other. We´re having trouble putting the experience into words, but most of the group agrees that it was the most beautiful site they have ever witnessed. It was about 40 degrees at the summit, and no one was fully prepared for the drop in temperature after the past month of hot summer weather. The hot chocolate that the guides prepared was an added bonus and helped combat the freezing cold. Yesterday, we spent the afternoon bargaining at local markets for food for our potluck dinner tonight at Adam and Allison´s apartment.
Until next time!
Greg and Katrina
