Lounging in Lanquin and Semuc Champey

     After a day of bathing suit shopping in Antigua (successful but frustrating), we traveled 10 hours (though it was only 220 miles) by bus to Lanquin, a jungley spot near Semuc Champey. We arrived on a hot sunny day which was unfortunately followed by three cold and rainy days. However, the El Retiro Lodge was tranquil and provided a lot of Spanish and Oracle study time, ping pong games and relaxation and reading in the hammocks by the beautiful river.  The buffet style dinners were a fun way to meet couples from Germany, Canada and the Netherlands. 

Lots of rain makes it quite green!

Overlooking the hammock area and the river.

The hammock outside our habitacion y dos perros de la casa.

     We did fit in a cave tour to the impressive Cuevas de Lanquin at sunset so we could watch thousands of bats leave the cave in search of dinner (thankfully it didn't include us!).

     On Friday, it cleared up just in time to do a sunset hike (though it drizzled a bit on the way up again). Our guide Maka, a French couple, 4 perros de la casa and us hiked up to a great vista spot above town. Maka found us samples of cardemom and chocolate beans which have a very sweet honey coating while pointing out pineapple and plantain trees.

The white honey on the cocoa beans is muy dulce!

The traditional women's attire is different than near Lake Atitlan.  The tops were looser, probably because of the humidity!

     Even with plentiful tourism, Lanquin is still a very poor town and we hiked down past corrugated metal houses, barefoot families and plenty of trash. 4,000 people live in town and another 20,000 or so in the surrounding mountains. There was a Centro de Salud clinic in town though it was very small to serve this large of a population.

    The highlight of Lanquin was the visit to Semuc Champey, a natural wonder tucked away deep in the jungley forest about 10 km away from Lanquin. We extended our stay by a day to go on Saturday when it was sunny and warmer.  It was totally worth the wait!  Our guide Jose was great and took us swimming and jumping in a cave by candlelight, jumping off a bridge and waterfalls, tubing past kids throwing us beers, up to an amazing mirador and finally swimming through the amazing natural pools.  Even the bumpy 10 km ride in the back of a pickup truck to and from the park was fun!  Here are some photos of the day and Mark's video!

The amazing viewpoint with our super fun group from Germany, Canada and the US!

  

Now we are at a hostel near Guatemala City awaiting our 20+ hour trip to southern Chile!  Adios Guatemala!  Hola South America!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-LPBaD8JdE

Sunrise hikes and kayaking with my Valentine

      Before my last class on Friday, we returned to Indian's nose to catch the sunrise on the gopro (Youtube Video). We didn't think we would need a guide since we had just gone on Sunday. However, we realize the benefit of a guide is also to prevent trouble on the trail at 5 am. A younger guy was following us and trying to tell us we needed him for safety and that we were going the wrong way. When another group came, on the same correct path we were on, he finally left. The views and breath-taking sunrise were again beautiful and I was only a little late to class.

 

    We treated Alejandra, Pedro and their son Rony to dinner Friday as a thank you. Alejandra has joked all week that she is trying to get me 'gorda' (fat) so that I'll be a lil gordita. Her amazing food is probably doing that so while it will be sad to leave, it's probably the best for our waistlines!

The waitress cut Mark out, oops.  Jack from London was our new roommate who arrived that morning.   

      We also had a heck of a time sending stuff to the States.  Mark took 4 trips to the sometimes open post office, wrapped and re-wrapped everything and it was still pretty pricey.  Let's see how long "2 weeks" really takes!  Erika and my package from Thailand to Germany took 2 months instead of 2 weeks!  The only other bummer for the weekend was realizing my swimsuit never made it back from one of our laundry services.  Hopefully it was unintentional but I'm going to start making a list of what we drop off and make sure we get it all back each time!  Now I'll have to shop for one in Antigua.

     On Saturday, we shared a boat ride to Santiago with 6 pasteles de boda (wedding cakes) that were off to feed up to a 1,000 people at the 2 day wedding.  We jokingly asked if we were invited too.

    After 3 weeks of lukewarm showers, spiders and cockroaches and dog parties at 1 am, we are splurging on a beautiful hotel right on the lake (all for a little bit more than a Motel 6 in Denver).  Mark had the hotel surprise me with beautiful blue flowers, chocolate and wine in the room!  Very sweet :) 

Unbeknownst to the other, we each brought Valentine's treats for each other from the States.

      After relaxing by the pool for a while, we ventured in to town to visit Saint Maximon, an important saint/devil that is a strong remnant from native philosophy that Theresa recommended (more info here: Saint Maximon).  It was very interesting to see him and all the people around praying and watching (and tour groups going through taking photos so I didn't feel bad snapping a quick photo).

Maximom likes offerings of beer, smokes and Quetzales!  He always has a lit cigarette in his mouth too!

     Back at the hotel, we kayaked to a nearby island and past the dozens of women doing their laundry in the lake.  The colors and commotion was beautiful.

    An amazing dinner of wine and pizza wrapped up a very fun and special Valentine's Day in Guatemala! Cheesy as this holiday may be for some, I always thought it was special since Loveland loves their holiday and my parents (40 years!) and both sets of grandparents share anniversaries on this day. And I have great memories of friend love on this day (like paragliding the Alps with Erika and dancing on the Cabin's bar for Stef's birthday). Excited to see where we'll spend next year's Valentine's Day!  Hope everyone had a fun weekend with their loved ones of all kinds!      

   

Tercera semana!

    This week has been muy interesante pero también muy cansado! I learn a lot in 4 hours and then follow it up with a few hours of tarea. I am continually impressed with Mark's Spanish and so thankful that he can swap stories and jokes with our host family and help us get around! I learn from listening and throwing my dos quetzales in when I can. These three weeks have given me a great start to learning this language!

     Mark had probably his cheapest week of living ever since the homestay alone, including Alejandra's amazing meals, cost him just $65. Without classes, he's been able to apply for summer internships (even without power all day on Thursday). Thank goodness we have a few more months of fun before heading back to reality!

     Alejandra also gave us a lesson in tortilla making. She pat-pats these every day and has probably made a million in her lifetime. Needless to say, it wasn't as easy as it looks. 

We also did some trip planning for Argentina and finished helping JC update his Tripadvisor site. Hopefully it helps him attract business in the future!

    I'll include a few tuc-tuc photos since these zippy little vehicles are quite a sight. It truly boggles my mind why they deck out the front window, almost to the point they can barely see!

Mark behind the wheel of a tuc-tuc... scary!

Sunday strolls and church

The view from our drink spot at Loma de Tzununá of Volcan San Pedro and Lake Atitlan

      Samuel recommended a great hike along the lake. So early Sunday, we boated to the town of Santa Cruz and started hiking the 3 or so hours back to San Marcos. An older gringo told us to watch out for robberies which put us a little on edge, but at that point we were already set on going. The trail was easy to follow though we did end up getting lost in a cemetery trying to find a drink stop. 

     The views were fabulous though slightly hazy because of yesterday's eruption of Volcán de Fuego about 40 miles away. We also stumbled upon a group of male folk dancers, of all ages, performing in the gym in San Marcos while the local women and kids watched and played.  

       Upon returning, Mark finally was able to wear his one collared shirt and we went to church with Alejandra (her second time today). I haven't been in many evangelical churches but I imagine the singing, scripture readings, sermons and praying are pretty universal. However, the differences probably included when the roof started leaking on the drums from the heavy rain, Pastor Lorenzo mixing in Tzu'thuhil in his sermon and the adorable kids belting out Spanish hymnals. Two hours later, Midori, Mark and I visited our friend JC from last week's JC'S BBQ and swapped jokes over enchiladas.

This adorable lil guy was singing at the top of his lungs.

Sunrise hike to Indian's Nose (La Nariz de Indio)

     At 4 AM, we met Samuel, our trusty guide from last weekend at the iglesia (church) to catch the chicken bus to Santa Clara.  Chicken buses are old US school buses that serve as the public bus system throughout Guatemala.  Most are outfitted in crazy new colors, lights and often are filled to the brim with people.  We hiked to the gorgeous outlook over the lake and awaited the sunrise.  It was beautiful to see the colors reflecting across the lake and the Volcan Fuego puffing in the distance.  I even saw red lava when it was still dark (side note- this evening we learned it erupted more today and Antigua is under emergency warnings!).  So even though we didn't hike a volcano for the 4th weekend in a row, we still saw some volcano action!

Our 4 AM chicken bus!

Volcan Fuego puffing on the right

Looking back towards the Pacific Ocean in the distance

   Afterwards, Samuel walked us through the Santa Clara Saturday market where I found some cute kids to photograph.

      Then we walked about 2 1/2 hours through dusty cornfields and lush coffee and avocado trees all the way down to San Juan and finally to San Pedro.  This was the bonus of booking again with Samuel because most trips just hop back on the bus but we enjoyed the views during the hike down and his expertise to navigate the farming trails.  And he helped us buy a new clock for Alejandra at the market and even carried it back for us!