Casa Argentina Quetzaltenango

Rather abrupt change of plans have brought me onto the final travelling stage of my trip a week early. Just after I sent my last entry it was confirmed that there was a week´s holiday at the school, another example of the sometimes chaotic administration (they stressed that the education authorities had told them they had to have a holiday). Great for them except that was the last week´s teaching I had. At least I´d had 3 weeks, one new volunteer had had only 3 days. So lesson were plans aban...

Leaving Huehue, we took a crazy two-hour bus ride to the second-largest city in Guatemala, Quetzaltenango (more commonly known as Xela though). The bus quickly filled up with folks wearing traditional indigenous dress and it was fascinating to see the variety all of the brightly colored fabrics and how the women would casually get on and off the bus with huge baskets, bags, and random things balanced on their heads. Everyone was sitting three to a school bus bench-style seat, or in the case o...

So Today at 06:00 we left San Christobal and made our way to Guatemala... The boarder was terribly crowded as there was the market in Nomnsland between Mexico and Guatemala.... Luckily we took a shuttle bus that brought us directly to the Mexican boarder and a different one that pict us up at the Guatemalan immigration office. At approx 16:00 we arived in Quetzaltenango were we are now staying in Casa Argentina which is a really nice hostel!!! We will go to bed early tonight as we will climb ...

Got alright room (bit minging) in Casa Argentina hostel, bumped into Sharon Cooke again, then went out on the town - well we'd just had a dry week and it was Friday night!! Visted a couple of bars before everything started shutting. We wanted more so asked some people in the street where we could find a bevy shop. They showed us where to go and then we got chatting. They invited us to go along with them, we thought to a house but in actual fact they went to an empty lockable car park (bit nut...

Well I guess it's about time for an update... so much to tell. Well I moved to another town, several reasons for the move, but nevertheless I am now in Quetzaltenango, which the Mayan Indians named and now no one can pronounce it so it inherited the nickname Xela (pronounced shay-la). It's a very different place than the last town, but not as tourist-y and therefore cheaper. Also, so far (knock on wood....) not nearly as violent (though I am leaving out most of the gruesome details on all tha...

Well guys, here's another update. Not a whole lot to report, but then again maybe that's a good thing. I am staying busy here, still struggling with the whole Spanish thing, and loving working in the clinic here. It's sad but I'm having some fun pick up soccer games with the kids too! Soccer is a pretty big deal around here, I went to a game here the other night, and it was pretty intense! They have the police there to escort the referee's on and off the field. And when the other team got clo...

We've arrived!! We had a flawless entry into Guatemala thanks to a half dozen well intentioned locals who assisted Sarah (by jumping onto the back of the car to ride with us through the border crossing!) with getting us across the border (for a minimal fee of course!). Once across, and to our pleasant surprise, the topography took an even more beautiful turn. Guatemala is blanketed with lush green foilage that appears to cover every inch of land. Volcanoes tower overhead, providing cool eveni...

Hello readers! May I first ask something of you--please send comments! Tell me what you like, what you dislike, what you want more/less of, or just tell me whats going on in the States. I hear the M´s picked up Jeff Weaver. Another brilliant move. Guess it fits with Bavasi´s strategy of signing as many old and oft-injured players as possible. God I´m gonna miss Fenway this season. . . Anyway, I´m sure most of you want more pix (Emery) and I will try to oblige. Unfortunately, sometimes the net...

So I´ve made it safe and sound to Xela. I just met several of the other guides, all very nice guys. Two guys from the States, one from England and one from Spain. I´ve got a room for the next two weeks at the hostel Casa Argentina (where the Quetzaltrekkers office is located), during my ¨probationary¨ period. This is when everyone gets to know you and you everyone and hopefully we all like what we see. From my initial impressions, I´m gonna get along with these people very well. The flights w...

Hello out there and HAPPY NEW YEAR! As I enter my final month here in Guatemala, I want to share some more experiences and pictures. But first, a quick bit of business . . . if you were/are planning to donate any outdoor gear to Quetzaltrekkers, you still have time! Click here to download more information regarding QT and gear donations. This presentation is a great overview of the organization (should be, I created it!) and covers all the important information regarding gear donations - what...