Nicaragua

After traveling about in Guatemala we took the long, two-leg bus trip across El Salvador and Honduras to Nicaragua.  Our three weeks here were spent visiting the colonial city of Leon and the island of Ometepe, meeting up with friends from the US on vacation outside of the San Juan del Sur and studying Spanish for a week in Granada.

Leon
After being on the move for a few weeks it was nice to finally stay put in once place for a few days. After checking into our hostel we we ran into our new friend Mila from our Spanish studies in Guatemala. Besides taking self guided walking tours of the city, the week was pretty low key with lots of pool time, with the exception of Volcano Boarding. What is Volcano Boarding you ask? Well, pretty simple; climb a volcano with steep sand slopes, sit down on a piece of plywood that has been built out with a few modifications, lift your feet off the ground and see how fast you can go!  (See youtube video below for the first person view)

Ometepe
We made our way to Ometepe Island located in (massive) Lake Nicaragua. The majority of the island is made up of two volcanoes rising high above the lake. With the intension of climbing Concepcion, the higher of the two, we took the bus to the opposite side of the island. In the end we didn't climb due to Rosie getting sick so the rest of our time on the island was spent laying low.

San Juan del Sur
Located on the southern coast and known for it's surfing and party scene, our time here didn't really involve either of those things. We met up with our friend Kelsey and her cousins Shelby and Julian who had come down for the week of Thanksgiving. We stayed in an amazing house a short (4wd) out of town. With lots of pool and reading time, we had a nice relaxing week.

Granada
The last week in Nicaragua was spent in Granada studying Spanish. Located on the west shore of Lake Nicaragua, Granada is the other major colonial city in Nicaragua. With our days filled with study, school activities and hanging out with our host family, the week went by fast and before we knew it we were on a bus to the Costa Rican border. The highlight of the week was definitely the night tour of the active Masaya Volcano.

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 couple video clips from the trip:

Mayan Ruins

Before making the long bus rides across El Salvador and Honduras to reach Nicaragua, we visited two significant Mayan ruins. The first was Tikal which is located deep in the jungle in the north of Guatemala. Then on the way back to Guatemala City we took a quick detour across the Honduran border to visit Copan Ruins.

Although Tikal is definitely not the easiest destination to reach, it is worth the effort. Once one of the largest Mayan cities, sometime in the 10th century the city fell into decline. Surely it didn't take much time for the jungle to reclaim the stone structures. It was almost 1,000 years later that the western world would learn about it's existence. Now the city and wildlife inhabiting it can be explored with an extensive trail network of limestone roads that were used by archaeologists during excavation and restoration. The highlight of the ruins are the well restored temples rising above the tree canopy.

A day's travel to the south across the border of Honduras lies the ruins of another great ancient city. Although the temples are not as high as Tikal's, Copan has some of the best preserved stone carvings from the Mayan era. With lawns spreading between a highly concentrated layout of buildings it is hard not to try imagining what it would have been like to be in that space over a millennium ago.

To see photos of Tikal 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.

To see photos of Copan 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.

Semuc Champey

After leaving Monterrico we made our way to the far north end of the country to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal. While it is possible to get there in a day with a very long bus ride from Guatemala City, it is best to break this journey up with a stopover in Semuc Champey which is located, almost literally, in Guatemala's middle of nowhere.

Consisting of a series of fresh water pools, what is not immediately apparent is that they sit above a massive limestone bridge, almost 1,000' in length. Beneath the picturesque cascading pools and landbridge flows the Cahabón River.

Offering a great place to hike around, swim and relax, this stop is well worth the detour.  For more photos, click the play button below to see 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 is a video of the fun to be had, including an underwater cave:

Antigua and Monterrico

Situated outside of Guatemala City is the old capital which is simply called Antigua. Filled with colonial architecture both restored and in ruins, Antigua has a rich urban texture very different from other Guatemalan cities. While it offers many museums, markets and cafes to visit, one of the best things about Antigua is simply walking the streets and taking in the sights, especially early in the day as the morning light changes rapidly.

After a few relaxing days in Antigua we headed for the coast to the town of Monterrico.  Besides beaches, a hot sun and hotels with pools, Monterrico offers great opportunities to view wildlife.  Each evening at sunset, the local turtle conservation organization releases all the baby turtles that have hatched that day.  For $1.50 you can hold and release your own baby turtle. Although only a small percentage of them will survive in the wild, it is a beautiful scene as they all waddle their way into the waves.

Also nearby is a nature preserve that encompasses the extensive network of mangroves. It is best viewed in the predawn hours by paddle boat when the birds awake. Although we unfortunately did not have a clear view of the volcanoes, the activity of wildlife was well worth the early wake up.

For photos of Antigua, 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.

For photos of Monterrico 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 couple video clips of the wildlife in Monterrico:

Lets go Fly a Kite

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:


-A successful flight of an enormous kite:



-Raising of a kite for display:

More Volcanos

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.

Month #1 - Language School in Guatemala

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.

Week 1: Xelaju Futból, Salcajá, Cooking Class, Cerro Quemada Volcano 

Week 2: Totonicapan ceramics collective, Futból w students and teachers, Cemetery tour, Efrain Bamaca

Week 3: La Escuela de la Montaña and Chichabal Volcano & Lake.

Week 4: Fuentes Georginas and Tajumulco Volcano.