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The hot water in my shower this morning made my day. The day seems brighter, the people friendlier, and the prospect of a lost swimming suit and towel less upsetting, all because I got to take a warm shower. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Yesterday, I headed up to Zunil to visit the Fuentas Georginas hot springs. There were four of us going, and we got out the door of our hostel at 6am to catch a chicken bus headed south. We got there just as one was pulling away, and we hopped on. The bus took us to Zunil in about 20 minutes due to the lack of traffic. We wandered up to the church to catch a pickup that was headed up the mountain towards the hot springs. It was much easier than we thought, since there were a number of pickups just hanging out waiting for tourists. The first guy we met offered 25Q for all of us, one way. This was a great deal, but some of my fellow travellers thought that we could do better. We ended up paying another guy 30Q for the ride, but he also agreed to come back at noon to get us for another 30Q. The pickup ride was an experience, the guy zoomed up the curvy mountain road, the air was freezing, and the sun was barely up. I was luckily up against the back of the cab, but some of the other girls were being tossed from side to side, a fact that the driver seemed to be taking great pleasure from.
When we arrived at the hot springs, there was a big gate in place. It turns out they don’t open until 8am, and we were 40 minutes early. We hung out talking and walking in circles trying to keep warm for a while, and then the caretaker took pity on us and let us in early. The springs were gorgeous. The hot water dripped off of the rock wall, and into a pool tiled with stones, and punctuated with boulders to laze on. We finally convinced ourselves to strip down to our swimming suits and get into the steamy water. The first steps made my feet tingle with shock, but after being immersed in the water for a while it began to feel almost tepid. We found the hot spots in the pool, and took turns sitting in a little chair shaped hollow where the warm water dripped down on our heads. After an hour of this we were all famished, and kept casting glances at the pool side restaurant.
The restaurant finally opened at 9, and we clambered out of the pool, into our clothes and into the restaurant as fast as we could. The air was still freezing, as the pool is nestled into a hollow on the north side of the mountain, and never gets direct sunlight. The food was good though. I had my standard huevos rancheros and tortillas, and cafe con leche. One girl got the hot chocolate, and it was so thick her spoon could practically stand up in the liquid. It was good, although so rich we could only stand a sip or two.
As we finished our breakfast, two more tourists showed up, then three more, and then two locals. The pool was big, and we had enjoyed several hours of solitude in it, so we didn´t mind sharing. We met some of the other tourists and lolled around, turning into prunes. At around 11 this big group of Mayans showed up, and kids started running around with water wings, and balls. I took that as my cue to get cleaned up. It was fun to watch the chaos, and I hung my suit and towel out to dry. Eventually my group headed down to the parking lot to wait for the driver. I put my suit and towel down to take some pictures and never picked them up again. The driver came, we went back to Zunil, checked out the church, got on the wrong chicken bus back to Xela, and got dropped of at the bus station on the far side of town. That’s when I realized I had forgotten my bathing suit. We were right by the brand spanking new mall, so one girl and I went to check out the bathing suit selection there. It was kind of fun to look around the mall actually, since it is definitely not a tourist hangout. I got to practice my Spanish a little with one of the clerks. The bathing suit selection was grim, but true to form, I bought a pair of shoes.
We got back to the center, and I brooded over my suit for awhile (I really liked that one), before going out for a beer. I also managed to talk with some other Israeli girls who are headed out to the hot springs today, so I asked them to inquire about my suit. I did try to call, but they just said, ”we’ll look, call back tomorrow,” which usually means ”fat chance.”
But today…today I had a hot shower, I had a cup of free coffee in the kitchen of the hostel, and I cut about 6 inches off of my travelling companion’s hair. Today has been a good day. So I will let the bathing suit go, and enjoy my day of running around doing errands, because tomorrow is a travel day, all the way from Xela to Guate and up to Cobán.
Check out the new photos (totally out of order, unfortunately) at http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=57432674/a=73094751_73094751/t_=73094751
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Apparently everyone stays longer than they intended in San Pedro, but I finally made it to Xela yesterday. I had originally planned on leaving Sunday, but then I found out that none of the buses run direct on the weekend, so I decided to wait one more day for the ease of the ride. I might not have even left Monday, but I have a tentative job lined up at one of the restaurants in San Pedro and it starts in a month, so I want to get out and see some more of the country before I get sucked back in.
Since I had one more day in San Pedro, I went to Santiago to see Maxímon, the “evil” saint. It was interesting, but felt mainly like a tourist trap, and maybe not worth the 4 dollars to take the boat there and back. I didn’t really like Santiago much at all. Lots of desparate people trying to make money off of tourists and mangy looking dogs fighting in the street.
So Monday my travelling companions and I met early to catch the bus to Xela. It was supposed to be a 2 hour drive, but due to major road construction it ended up taking about 3 hours. We got into the chaotic bus station/market on the west side of town, transferred to a “microbus” (picture 12 people, including the three of us with all of our luggage, crammed into a minivan) to go downtown. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and the bus only cost a queztal ($0.15) each. We found a hotel, exchanged some money, ate lunch, explored, and then went out for a drink downtown. This town is a lot less touristy than Antigua or San Pedro, which was most evident at the bar, supposedly a travellers hangout, but almost everyone there was local. I think that I like this town.
Today we got up early and took a chicken bus to the outskirts of town to find Los Vahos, a natural steam bath. It was a little further hike up the mountain than we thought, but the view was amazing. When we first arrived we were a little disappointed by the lack of pools-this place is sauna only-but after half an hour of relaxing in the warm, eucalyptus-scented air, we agreed that we hadn’t felt this relaxed in a long time. The walk down the mountain was a lot easier.
Then we checked out the natural history museum. Some of the Mayan artifacts were cool, but we were both creeped out by the room filled with stuffed animals in various degrees of decay.
I am looking forward to a couple more days in Xela, back in the city again. I think that it will be a good chance to practice my spanish a little, and explore less touristy attractions, although I might climb the volcano. It is 5 hours of climbing, but you can see all the way to the Pacific.
Now, I need to walk around so I can warm up after my “warm” shower. Every hotel says that they have hot water, but I have only taken 2 warm showers since I got here.
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Well, I have been hanging out here in San Pedro for an entire week now. The place is famous for growing its population through attracting travellers who just never leave, but I think that I will gather the strength to leave soon. I might be back though, it seems like a nice place where I could get a job, either teaching English or working in a bar, if my money gets low.
So, a little bit about the feel of San Pedro: when you walk down the street you are constantly assaulted by girls and old women asking “¿Quieres paaaan?¿Quieres paaaan?” They will ask you if you want bread even if you walked by 2 minutes before and said no. They will you if you want bread if you walk down the street eating chips. They will ask you if you want bread if you walk down the street eating the bread you just bought from THEM! There are also a couple older women who will come into restaurants and ask if you want bread while you are eating your dinner. Apparently these tactics work however illogical they seem.
Most of the women and girls in the town wear the traditional costume, and they look striking as they walk around the town with huge baskets of bread or other things to sell balanced on their heads. Overall though, the feel of the place is a little like a college town. There are tons of travellers here taking a week or two of Spanish, a lot of partying, and quiet people of the town who put up with it because it brings in the revenue.
San Marcos, to which I took a day trip, is the spiritual detox retreat for San Pedro. It is very quiet, with several theraputic centers that offer yoga, massage, and meditation. It was very tranquilo, as they say here, but the yoga instructor wasn’t there the day that I tried to take a class, so I ended up taking yoga in San Pedro. It wasn’t as calming, with the smell of cooking and the street noises coming in, but I did get to look of over the lake.
Today is Rosh Hashana, so most of the travellers are going to have dinner at Zoola, an Israeli run restaurant. I was sort of invited, but I think that there will be a lot of people speaking in Hebrew, so I don’t know if I will pay the 60Q just to eat dinner and not understand anyone. I have had a lot of fun meeting people, but I kind of just want to have a nice quiet discussion about books or something. The problem with meeting travellers is who always end up having the same conversation: where are you from, how long are you travelling, where have you been, etc.
Check out my new photos on Snapfish. Unfortunately I haven´t figured out how to give them individual labels yet, but you will get an idea of the scene.
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The guidebook says that Aldous Huxley called this “the most beautiful lake in the world.” I will try to upload some photos today so you can judge for yourself.
We woke up at 6am (again) to get on the 1st class bus to Panajachel, only to arrive and find out that the pullman bus had broken down and we would be riding on one of the converted school buses, called chicken buses, but there would only be two to a seat (as opposed to cramming in as many as possible) and it would go direct to Pana (as opposed to stopping at every small town to pick up even more people along the way). There was at first one exception to the rule. One mayan woman was allowed to share a seat with two other. She chose to sit with me and my seatmate. Lucky us, I whispered under my breath. But as soon as we left Antigua, it turned into a full blown chicken bus, making all the stops, and crowding people in the aisle. It was a neat experience, and it actually didn´t take any longer than the 1st rate bus had advertised, so overall it was a win. Also, I am still kicking myself for not buying the papas fritas that one vendor held up at one of the stops. The Guatemalan french fries looked really good, and I haven´t gotten to try them yet.
After we arrived in Pana, we walked down to the dock and got a boat to San Pedro, a resort town on the western side.San Pedro reminds me a lot of Homer, AK. A resort town on the water with a lot of hippies and bohemians, and a lot of people who just never leave. It is also cheap. The hotel I am staying at is right on the water, like with a dock that you can wake up, and go for a swim from. And how much does it cost? $2.50 a night!
Okay, gotta run again, I am trying to enroll in Spanish classes for Monday.
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The eagle has landed! Actually it was a smallish airplane, but what matters is I survived.
Actually, I almost missed the flight altogether, because even leaving my house at 5:30 in the am, I didn´t arrive until 7am, and apparently the airlines are VERY SERIOUS about arriving two hours in advance. Luckily, I was very courteous and distraught and they decided to let me on the plane, although it was touch and go when they learned that my small amount of luggage would have to be checked due to the shampoo and other liquids.
But I arrived unscathed and found the shuttle to Antigua with no problemas. The scene of Guatemala City through the window was just as promised, ugly and fume-filled. I made small talk with the other girl in the shuttle, an Israeli, and it turned out that we were both headed to the same hostel. Unfortunately when we arrived the hostel was full, but I found another solo Israeli traveller to share a room with. We ended up with a very cheap private (double) room in a hotel close to the market. It smells a little mildewy, but otherwise is a great deal. After the hotel was settled, we wandered the town, checking out the parque central, and the mercado (sp?). We ended up meeting a whole group of Israelis (they are about 50 percent of all backpackers as far as I can tell) and had a nice little dinner. I was exhausted, so I declined to go out with them in the evening, especially because we had to wake up at 5:30 to climb…a volcano! Payaca, an active volcano close to Guatemala City. We hiked up a couple thousand meters (I think, it was all in español), and got to walk on the still warm-even hot-lava field. We actually saw some of the molten, red hot lava oozing through the rock. I will try to get a chance to upload the pictures soon.
Gotta run.
