Hotel Villa Grande Chichicastenango

... though I went into wanted a relaxing Swedish massage like my mom gives (the best), I must say I felt so much better after he was done. He actually cracked my back and neck and re-aligned me! When he started my right leg was a 1/2 inch shorter than my left and after they were even! Wowzers. And cheap. <br><br>Overall, I enjoyed our time at the Lake Atitlan, despite the fact that I was still sick (but getting better). It´s really fascinating to be in a culture that is ...

... pick up the truck (as in lift it off the ground)<br>and move it. It was pretty hilar, but unfortch Susan couldn't get out<br>her ginormous camera in time to snap a pic and only caught the end<br>result. We watched some futbol yesterday, a qualifying match for the<br>world cup between Argentina and Uruguay. Because, as Teddy's teacher<br>says, it's not a world cup without Argentina. Right... Also did laundry<br>by hand last night, always a pleasure. With the same bucket we use to ...

... around to find Lyn doing all the work and Jules sitting back relaxing. Lynda was rowing in a circle, and she said that her one arm must be longer than the other as every time she tried to row straight she would do another circle. We scolded Jules to work harder and left them to it, I also swapped oars with Lynda as mine was a bit shorter and we thought it would have more control. <br><br>The lake was lovely at that time of the morning. The only people ...

... br><br>Friday<br><br>Our last full day in San Marcos! John enjoyed his week of yoga and such, and I finished another week of spanish lessons. Although we enjoyed our stay here, San Marcos has a limited number of entertainment options -- it´s a good place to sit back, relax, and do nothing. Next stop: Antigua. <br>

I fully intended on publishing a highly amusing summery of the week I spent in Comi. Learned a ton. Think I could adapt to the life in the country, with a few creature comforts like a lamp and sheets and salt...I actually didn't want to leave because I was feeling like I was doing what I came to do. I had to come back to Xela anyhow to pick up stuff I left and touch base with the school. And was going to tell them that I didn't know if I wanted to teach ...

... some fruit with us so we would often offer them some fruit and they would be very happy with the gift. One young girl of about 7 came up to Rachel and started squeezing and pulling her curls all the while giggling. The indigenous people of this area all have straight hair so curls were probably a strange site for them. She asked Rachel if she had any brothers or sisters with curls. When she found out that Rachel was an only child she became very sad for her ...

Today we went to the market at Chichicastenango &#8211; a town in the mountains which is famous for it's Thursday and Sunday markets when people from all over the region flock in with all their traditional wares and foods. After a pancake breakfast (our hostel provides us with batter and bananas in the am &#8211; genius!) we caught a shuttle to get to Chichi. The road was very windy as it climbed up the mountain and I was rather ...

On a relaxed Sunday trip to Las Fuentes Georginas, after a particularly heavy Saturday night, general talk turned to all of us doing a massive hike leaving Xela on the Thursday taking 3 days and arriving in San Pedro on Lago de Atitlan on Saturday. As the Sunday turned into Monday, the talk became a plan and we had a group of 9 of us wanting to do the trek. I persuaded my Spanish teacher to double up the hours so I could do 4 or 5 days in 3. Juan decided to stay on, instead of ...

... dining where you can get a lot of chicken and other local dishes. <br><br>There is also a church at one side of the market. By the time we got there the maya caremony at the church was starting. Several people offer tours to explain what's the ceremony about, but we had already read about it so didn't think it was necessary. As in all ceremonies around here, the incense is a must and it seems that the more ...

... had returned to Antigua after lunch, this was also the best time to grab a bargain as the cost of souvenirs had dropped considerably. Manuel, the owner of the guest house where I was staying was a great source of information on the history of Chichi. He informed me that this town, in the mountains of Quiche has been, since Pre-Hispanic times, one of the largest trading centres in the Maya area. Chichicastenango draws not only the K'iche ...