Casa Kaehler Quetzaltenango

... colorful woven textiles. They wear dresses, vest like shirts, hats, etc.and each piece is a loud rainbow. <br><br>I learned something interesting today, too. About 80% of Guatemalans are Roman Catholic but they infuse their traditional Mayan roots into the church. The cross represents four winds from heaven and Jesus and Mary are the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. In one village called Quiche, the people believe that the ...

... day care centre for single mothers that have to work in the day, so that should be more fruitful. We will just be doing whatever is needed, looking after the kids, administration...hopefully it will be testing for our spanish! Its been a really big learning experience having the opportunity to really get to know and hang out with the local young people here, even though they don't necessarily have the most money or opportunities, they are still the most ...

... the entire process of the coffee. It was a dream come true. I was so very happy. I KNOW that this is in my veins and it is what I am supposed to be doing. Its a nice feeling. <br><br>It was hot though. Ohmygod, it was sooooo hot. I am going to lose apx 20 lbs just walking around in the heat of the coast. <br><br>The other really interesting thing was to hear Ricci talk about the thing he wants to do for the community where the farm is. He is trying to do ...

... routine of limonda con soda on the terrace of a local cafe, which has amazing views across Xela and is gorgeous if the sun shines (bit hit and miss this high up), followed by quick go on the Internet before a copa de vino blanca con mi novio Jody before hot footing it back for dinner at 7.30pm (on the dot, no earlier, no later - like being in the army the regime we have to stick to with the Guatemalan family we´re staying with.)<br><br>Mi maestra ...

... alot of people end up standing up the best they can because they have been crammed in and there are no seats. Frequently, you end up with a baby or a kid sitting on your lap or a huge bag of carrots or something. After coming from a culture where people don't really touch each other, I find them very pleasant, if not physically compromising. Anyhow, yesterday it was raining and we were all being crammed into the Micro. The ...

... ushered into a shed in their garden. Here we found a Madame Tussauds type dummy dressed in a black cape, hat and sun glasses, even had a moustache. He is supposedly Saint Simon and the villagers go to `him` to pray and to light candles to wish for certain things. The color of the candle that is lit signifies a certain thing, like green was for a prosperous business, yellow for health and blue for fertility.<br><br>There was ...

... to what was already guaranteed to be an extremely challenging return trip seemed as absured as it sounds on paper. They chose instead to sleep a little longer, and awake at 5 am to climb about 15-20 minutes to a closer lookout point to watch the erruption. <br><br>Although they didn´t reach the rim, as originally planned, the lookout point was approximately 0.3 miles (as the crow flies) from the crater, so the views and sounds were spectacular, and the ...

... And then in comes the daughter with a bowl full of strawberries! On the plus side the family tell me they have gas now so i can have a hot shower (Luke warm!). I wretched my way through the bananas, school much the same - bueno. En la tarde bailamos salsa - we learnt some new moves! Y ahorra llueve mucho, and i must return to mi casa por cena.

... ended at 2am with Nick and me getting lost and lighting firecrackers in the streets. That's ok here. Guatemaltecos have a keen appreciation for loud noises. <br><br>That brings us to today's hangover and subsequent decision not to spend Christmas Eve ill on a chicken bus. It's a good decision. There'll be a Gringo Christmas Feast of vegetarian curry at the hostel. And firecrackers for dessert.<br><br>Merry Christmas

Quezaltenango is the crossroads of western Guatemala, and brother city to nearby Totonicapan, one of Guatemala's premier craft centers. It is also the coldest part of Guatemala, resting at some 7000 feet above sea level, in addition to second largest city in the country. This is the center of Guatemala&#8217;s famous jaspe (ikat ...