It´s coffee season!!!

So after 3 weeks of puttering around the dusty hic town of San Pedro, I´m lamenting the fact that I have to leave the school that I´ve been volunteering at:

http://www.ninosdellago.org/

my family, friends and teachers, and the school.

This week was full of salsa, stories of torture victims in Guatemala during the 80´s... and coming up saturday, a mascarade ball for April fools day. Last week I had my mayan sign told... I am a seed who needs to play music.. went kayaking to San Marcus


and went to the beach with my Spanish teacher and gang:)

This next week Im heading off to Xela (aka Quetzatenango) for a day before moving on to Antigua for Semana Santa and then up to Rio Dulce and Livingston and then into Honduras.

Ok, have been in San Pedro for 2 weeks now staying with my family (above... lotsa little girls).

Last weekend hiked up one of the extinct volcanoes in the town called ´the indian nose´(looks like a nose see below)..

This is the view from the top


the next day went to the market in chichicastenango and bought a hamock.

this week I´ve been really busy... spanish classes in the morning, volunteer teaching with a local project called ´niños del lago´in the afternoon. i may stay one more week and then up to the ocean again.

my teacher this week has been fascinating... guatemalan politics are a bit crazy at the moment... they are trying to privatise the public school system!!!!

ok... have just experienced my first wierd virus in latin america... puss oozing out of my eyes for 2 days, crazy amounts of dizzyness for 5 days, cold, cough, fever, shakes... wild

have been in San Pedro on Lago Atitlan for a week now at a language school, living with a Mayan homestay family, practicing my Spanish and Tsutu´xil. My teacher here has turned out to be a linguist and interculturalist like me, so we´ve had lots to talk about.

Next week Im volunteering with the school that Im at now that my cold has subsided. Am enjoying the down and family that I´m staying with.

Am still in Atigua.. went out and listened to the main singer from Buena Vista Social Club... for $4... the guy was amazing.. he must be about 80.
This town is full of funky churches that have crumbles several times due to earthquakes... lots of volcanoes nearbye...

Check out this dog...

Last night I hiked up a volcanoe and watched tourists get stupidly close to it.
Oh... and they seem to oddly wheelchair friendly here:

Will tour around the city for the rest of today and then on to Lago Atitlan!!!

Yeah... Snott Gorila gel!!! Just what every latino guy needs!!!


Just spent the last three days in Lanquin... in a very funky hostel... lots of fun... check out the worlds largest jenga game:


went swimming/speluknking in caves... here are the pictures as promised

yes... this is us swimming with candles:


and yes.. there is a candle on my head... the guide made me wear it

and it was COLD

watched some bats in other caves... went to semuc champey and swam in really clear water
and encountered... CHOCOATE!!!!


am now in Antigua... guatemalan town famous for tourists...

and volcanoes... must buy flipflops(broke in semuc)... must buy gauze... experienced very big ugly gash on my leg in the caves.

must fix visa problem

Ok... am now in Coban... ironically this is the word for police office box in Japan... dogs also appear on rooves hear like mexico:

It´s fffffreeezing and pouring here... have met some cool travel buddies...


went for a massage and temascal (mayan sweat house/sauna thingy)...

was excellent... on my way again tomorow.

Dad... the ugly turkey shots are for you... have ridden on several buses with foul... you are in my thoughts

They were hanging around a market... nicely tied together trying to keep warm

So now I`m in Guatemala!!!!

Am liking the country a lot so far... I'm in Flores on a lake for the next couple of hours (was in Tikal yesterday to go into the jungle... look at more mayan ruins and listen to howler monkeys)

I think I am officially ruined out again... this time we got up at 4 am to take a bus ride to get in:
Caye Calker was amazingly relaxing and i am looking forward to being back near the Caribbean after I head west for a bit:)

After getting a little mini lesson about mangroves, sea grass and the ocean... I spent some time snorkeling with my camera around the mangroves on caye calker.. so just in case you dont know... this is a mangrove:


and these are the fish that hang out around the roots