Feliz Año
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2005
1
10
40
Trip End
May 21, 2006
Xela,
Guatemala
Monday, January 2, 2006
Our weekend commenced with the regular Friday Dinner at our school. A potluck this time which meant amounts of food well outside the realm of possible consumption in one night. The dinner, a last for many of our departing friends, meant much drinking and silly photo-taking ensued well into the night.
The drunken antics continued on New Years Eve when we all met at a friend's newly rented flat. At a little before midnight Chris and I returned to our home, friends in tow. There a elaborate speaker system, set up for a grand fiesta in the street, pumped out Salsa and Merengue. Also awaiting our arrival were many ridiculously drunk men, my house father included
01_Potluck Dinner
. Avoiding their wandering hands and sloppy kisses became the challenge of the night for my female friends and I.After fireworks and some food at midnight we returned to the street for what proceeded to become a demonstration of gringos dancing in the streets, entertaining the Guatemaltecan neighbours. The music ranged from latino reggaton, to eighties retro to a rousing rendition of November Rain. Nothing like belting out a little Guns & Roses to cap off a decidedly wicked night.
A lazy start to New Years Day had Chris and I hiking up a hill that towers over our house. A short yet steep walk later and we were at El Baul, a lookout with splendid views of Xela. A paved road allows people to drive to the top of the mountain, also a large parkland area. Families sprawled around celebrating the new year with bbqs and spontaneous games of football (the soccer variety, naturally) Enterprising women rapidly patted dough for tortillas in tiny makeshift comedors. Little children ran about collecting twigs for fires. A charming heartwarming display of Guatemalan family life.
Our descent at noon coincided with yet another fireworks extravaganza. The reverberating crackles echoing incessantly throughout the entire valley.
New Years Day lunch was a pizza at Salon Tecun. How I will miss pizza so good that it tempts us to endure the terrible service and bitter cold in a wind tunnel known as Tecun.
