Hostales del IRTRA Retalhuleu

... out that the "beach village" is seperated from the "town village" by a mangrove swamp of epic proportions! roots that run from under the water to the trunk of the tree some 30-40 feet up!!<br>We were coaxed and then sheaperded by a young school girl to catch a small boat to a hotel... At which point i could actually see a hotel with my own eyes just 30 metres away! however the girl, speaking in machine gun spanish, promised a swimming pool and the beach ...

YES! I finally made it to my first coffee farm. I met a friend of a friend (Ricci) last week whose Grandmother has owned a coffee farm for many years. Its not a cooperative, but it is organic. It was really...interesting. <br><br>I have been reading alot about the Agrarian Reforms here in Guatemala. For those who don't read alot about Agrarian Reform in Guatemala...<br><br>After independence from Spain, an emerging coffee elite class started to take control of ...

I haven't written this week because there really hasn't been much to write, I have been very busy with class in the morning and homework in the afternoon. A few eventful things have happened:<br><br>1. I ate the grosses meal I think I have ever had. Hot Dog Stew. That is the name I give it, I am not sure the official title. I wasn't feeling very well a couple days ago anyhow, but generally, Latin folks don't understand the concept of just giving someone 'a little bit' of food ...

Yes, today I climbed the volcano Santa Maria. I have been waiting my whole life to climb a mountain and I finally did it. Quite a mountian too.<br><br>Santa Maria is an old volcano that has a summit of apx 3772 m, its no baby considering that Xela is already at 7,000 m above sea level. . Its the second highest peak in all of Central America. <br><br>I didn´t do so well. First of all, we left this morning at 130 a.m. because if you don{t get to the top pretty ...

Hola and Hello Friends and Family!<br><br>This entry isn't as cool as my last, but I did hike with my roommates up yet another volcano this past Saturday!<br><br>This volcano is dormant, and so deeply asleep that it's crater has become a lake. This lake is called Laguna Chicabal, and it is the sacred chillaxin' spot for the Quiché God, I'x, which is called by some other name, which I cannot recall, by the local indigenous group, Mam. (The Quiché are from around Xela, and Quiché is the ...

... she is a teacher from Chicago experiencing Guatemala.<br>Nicole - she is a Canadian, who just finished undergrad in Indiana - also experiencing Guatemala.<br>Raymundo - he is a retiree from Oregon on vacation.<br>Ramsey - He is from Texas. He showed up later in the week and left early.<br><br>I'm introducing these friends because I will cross paths with many of them later in the journey. <br><br>Oh, and by the way, it is Semana Santa (Holy Week)...

This is the greatest waterpark ever!<br>Apparently Xocomil means "wind that flows over the water"<br>Some of the waterslides would NEVER be allowed in Canada or the US. <br>I kinda felt unsafe at times but that is the thrill of it- who knew if you would actually tip over the side?!!!

... but my heart still racing, I managed to clear the bridge, the bumps, and the car with just a spilt can of Mountain Dew. We decided to check the van and the Sea Doo trailer. Fortunally the Sea Doos were just fine. The van had actually bounced to within 1/8" of the edge of the trailer. With every working strap and some borrowed from the truck cargo we secured the van once more. Then we headed off. Through the small towns or pueblos and the ...

... on the finca´s website with this information in both Spanish and English. Not that I know anything about developing webpages or anything, or even about botany beyond high school! With the fantastic luck of Havier´s loaning me his laptop and showing me information that a group of university students had accumulated in the past with pictures, etc. I set about creating an Excel document. We have 28 plants, bushes, trees that are either edible, produce edible ...

... runs the office and oversees the general workings whatever projects are currently in the works, was the person through whom I made any plans to work on the finca on their projects. Volunteers are expected to work only 3 hours a day. That was definitely a disappointment for me and frequently I tried to just jump in and help out. My first contribution was to gather macadamia nuts. This tree produces a harvest all year, but the prime months are during our summer and ends just as the ...