It's not all fun and games...
Guatemala thus far...
Antigua
Panachel
San Pedro
Panachel
Chichicastenango
Xela (Quetzaltenango)
After our cappucinos on saturday we caught a boat back to Panachel with Michal and Nir, where we waited on the street corner (also known as the main bus station) for a chicken bus to Chichi to see its famous Sunday market. We arrived Saturday afternoon and bought everything we wanted for half the price as we would have paid on Sunday when all the tourists arrived. Sunday we woke up at 5:30AM to watch the church steps being covered in flowers and the market being set up - it was unreal, the entire town turned into one very large market and you could buy everything from fresh shrimp to mayan masks to toothpaste. By 9 we were worn out from the crowds and constant pestering - NO, I do not want a doll. NO, I still do not want a doll. Still NO. And still, NO. No. No. No. Please NO. Go away. I am not going to buy that doll. Or that one. NO, I don't want a wallet either. I don't care what colour. No, really I don't. NO, I STILL DON'T WANT A DOLL.
They don't even leave you alone to eat a quiet lunch.
But got some great photos and it was cool to see it all come together and fun to barter for what few items I could still cram in the old sack.
Next stop - Xela. What an adventure! We got a deal on a minibus for the first half of the trip, only once slowing down a little to watch them pull a chicken bus out of a river. Then we hopped on a chicken bus with our bags tied on the roof for the second half. It was only supposed to be a couple hours, but well...it was a few minutes longer with the accident and then our driver getting arrested and all, and then waiting by the side of the road while a policeman stopped anything on wheels and loaded people in. We lucked out and ended up riding the rest of the way on some luxury bus with comfy seats and the whole bit.
So we are rethinking the whole chicken bus thing. It is the one time in your life where you hand your life over completely to some stranger, and well, maybe ours are a little to precious to be so carefree about. Maybe, if the bus-driver-training-course was a little more then watching a season of Dukes of Hazard it wouldn't be so bad...
Anyhow, now we are in Xela and we spent the morning wandering around in circles, but finally found Quetzaltrekkers and signed up for another volcano hike (no, we haven't had enough yet!) I have to see if this old body can still run up a mountain or not. So the plan is wednesday we hike up central america's most active volcano - through the jungle, swim in a pond, more jungle climbing, picnic, more jungle climbing in the tropical heat with heavy packs, get to camp, set up, then sit back and watch the lava flow (from a safe distance). Next day hike back down. Yeah, we paid good money for that. They made it sound fun, but typing it now, it just sounds like a lot of work with a good deal of jungles spiders mixed in. Maybe I should start staying home more and invest in discovery channel.
On second thought, no, call me crazy, but I live for this stuff!
Antigua
Panachel
San Pedro
Panachel
Chichicastenango
Xela (Quetzaltenango)
After our cappucinos on saturday we caught a boat back to Panachel with Michal and Nir, where we waited on the street corner (also known as the main bus station) for a chicken bus to Chichi to see its famous Sunday market. We arrived Saturday afternoon and bought everything we wanted for half the price as we would have paid on Sunday when all the tourists arrived. Sunday we woke up at 5:30AM to watch the church steps being covered in flowers and the market being set up - it was unreal, the entire town turned into one very large market and you could buy everything from fresh shrimp to mayan masks to toothpaste. By 9 we were worn out from the crowds and constant pestering - NO, I do not want a doll. NO, I still do not want a doll. Still NO. And still, NO. No. No. No. Please NO. Go away. I am not going to buy that doll. Or that one. NO, I don't want a wallet either. I don't care what colour. No, really I don't. NO, I STILL DON'T WANT A DOLL.
They don't even leave you alone to eat a quiet lunch.
But got some great photos and it was cool to see it all come together and fun to barter for what few items I could still cram in the old sack.
Next stop - Xela. What an adventure! We got a deal on a minibus for the first half of the trip, only once slowing down a little to watch them pull a chicken bus out of a river. Then we hopped on a chicken bus with our bags tied on the roof for the second half. It was only supposed to be a couple hours, but well...it was a few minutes longer with the accident and then our driver getting arrested and all, and then waiting by the side of the road while a policeman stopped anything on wheels and loaded people in. We lucked out and ended up riding the rest of the way on some luxury bus with comfy seats and the whole bit.
So we are rethinking the whole chicken bus thing. It is the one time in your life where you hand your life over completely to some stranger, and well, maybe ours are a little to precious to be so carefree about. Maybe, if the bus-driver-training-course was a little more then watching a season of Dukes of Hazard it wouldn't be so bad...
Anyhow, now we are in Xela and we spent the morning wandering around in circles, but finally found Quetzaltrekkers and signed up for another volcano hike (no, we haven't had enough yet!) I have to see if this old body can still run up a mountain or not. So the plan is wednesday we hike up central america's most active volcano - through the jungle, swim in a pond, more jungle climbing, picnic, more jungle climbing in the tropical heat with heavy packs, get to camp, set up, then sit back and watch the lava flow (from a safe distance). Next day hike back down. Yeah, we paid good money for that. They made it sound fun, but typing it now, it just sounds like a lot of work with a good deal of jungles spiders mixed in. Maybe I should start staying home more and invest in discovery channel.
On second thought, no, call me crazy, but I live for this stuff!
posted by Tanya K at
12:25 PM
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