Around the end of October it is common to see lots of kids flying kites around Guatemala. This is because on Dia de Todos Santos (All Saints Day), which is celebrated on November 1st, it is believed that one´s ancestors come down from the heavens and through the kites in the air it is possible to communicate with them. While most towns start selling small paper kites, the town of Sumpango goes quite a few steps further, building enormous bamboo frames with intricately decorated paper collages that pay tribute to those that have passed. The ones on the "smaller" side (measuring up to 30' in diameter) they actually attempt to fly, while the largest of these kites are on display for everyone to enjoy their beauty.
Although most of the kites are never able to make it in the air, often crashing into the crowd observing the spectacle (see video below), every once in a while they are able to get these enormous crafts to fly.
Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.
Here are a few video clips from the day:
-Kite crashes with terrified screams coming from the crowd:
So with a basic understanding of Spanish, we left Xela to begin our travels. However, before we departed town we climbed a volcano closeby called Santa Maria. Leaving shortly after midnight we arrived at the summit before sunrise to find cows occupying the top of the peak. How they got there are how they will get down is still a mystery.
Besides the sunrise and views of the other volcanoes in the distance rising above the floor of clouds, another highlight was seeing the highly active neighboring volcano Santiaguito erupt twice.
We then headed to Lago Atitlan which is a couple hours to the east. Surrounded by volcanos (which we saw atop Santa Maria), the lake itself was created by a massive eruption creating a caldera and displacing ash as far as Florida and Ecuador. With towns and villages around the lake, some accessed only by boat, it was a nice place to kick off our Guatmalan sights.
Photos and Video:
Click the play button here for a slideshow of Santa Maria which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.
Eruption of Santiaguito at 8x speed:
Timelapse of sunrise:
Click the play button here for a slideshow of Lago Atitlan which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.
Okay, we are finally posting the first travel updates. While we were studying
Spanish for the first four weeks, we were rather busy with class time, school
activities and more studying. Although we have a very long way to go to being
conversationally fluent, we are feeling good about our ability to get by in our
travels.
Now that we have finished our studies for the
time being and should have more free time, we hope to post more often. Since
there is a month long backlog we have broken this post into four parts, one for
each week. Click on each week's link below for photos.
Some Highlights (There is much more than listed
here)
•PLQ, the language school, attracts beautiful
people! Lots of great conversation and learning was had. There is so much more
to read and explore.
•Increased understanding of economics at the
personal, local, and country level. As well as the relationship with Northern
countries through conferences, conversation, reading, and homestays.
•The Love Project is happening!
•Of course the volcanoes and the hikes- Even
though Rosie sprained her ankle (the left one this time) we saw Chiapas and the
lush Guatemalan landscape from the highest peak in Central America at 13,850’.
•The Mountain School- we spent a week here for
classes
•The textiles are stunning
•Increased empathy for English language learners
•People greet each other in passing by saying
"Buenos dias, Buenas tardes/noches", or just "Buenos/as".
•The sense of community that can form on a
packed (no personal bubble) microbus.
