on the move

Finally made it to Panama. Went through some serious culture shock for about 24 hours.

Imaging spending 3 weeks where almost half the people wear some level of what I would describe as "non-modern" attitre, some of it some of it being Mayan clothing some of stemming from poverty and living in the hills with a lack of dental care and culture differences. I have become acustom to hearing Spanish around me, seeing goldcapped or missing teeth, the unique beautiful, undescribable fabrics, infants and two-year olds bound to their mothers backs - all as a part of my existence and i hadn´t noticed it and I hadn´t noticed until the airport.

I was cramming trying to read up on Panama (serious data deficit) . . .and naturally everyone was still speaking Spanish (Guatemala City) however they were dressed totally modern. Where was I??? How far had he mini bus driven? What continent - a dream? Am I in Spain, are they really speaking Spanish or is my head just totally swiming?? Wow, they are all realy clean and pretty . . . .

I suddenly became acutely aware of how gross I must have seemed to these increadibly stylsh people. It was as though I were in Spain rather than the Latin America I´ve been in for the past 3 weeks . . . So interrestingly, my departure from Guatemala was nothing like the 3.5 weeks i speand in the country.

Guatemala was great but now I'm Panama - and it is hot, humid and I LOVE IT!!!!

Flying in was crazy b/c Panama City the is freakishly modern - as the guide book says it is a lot like Miami. We stayed out till 4am and things were still bumping went we tool off. After 2 nights Kevin and I have moved on the the caribean boccas Del Torro island chain and are going to an outter island in the morning. This is nothing short of amazing.

I´d go into more detail but I am beat from the 4am night club thing. The whole world should have have all night discos.

Peace Out Xela

Leaving tomorrow for Lake Atilan. Stoked to bust out of the grit of Xela. Particularly since i have not had a heated shower since moving and if nother else Panahachel (where I am going on Lake Atilan) is at a lower elevation and should be warmer. As a popular spot for tourists I should be able to see Obama sworn in at Panahachel. Don´t know who is in charge here but Guatemalans are definitely curious to know what American travelers think of Obama and some have there own opinions.



Anyways, I'm trying to up load some pictures of Xela but computers have been difficult so i don´t know if they'll show.


It{s been great, time has flown by and I can´t wait to leave.


See Kevin 10pm thursday night. Amazing. Ready to bust.

something tangible

I have now been gone two weeks and 6 days and for the first time I missed something very tangilble from home. (Other than you of course)



It was a beautiful day that felt like the best of our 75 degree summer days. The park was full of venders and due to heavy protective fencing actually had green unlittered grass. I practiced my flash cards and knew about 5 words.



In these moments of sunshine I was repeatedly passed by childeren, old folks and women with babies on their backs carrying ALL SORTS of ice cream cones. Shaved ice, soft serve, drum sticks, swirls - it was nuts. I went with the drum stick thingy you get from the mobile vendor (ice cream truck withoutthetruck) since it didn't require me to move.



In this lazy bliss, I drifted to Molly Moons and craved her smooth creamy flavors. For the first time since I arrived here, with all the ups and downs, dirt, grime and cold showers I missed a tangilble inatimate object from back home.

It was fabulous.

Chicival Volcano

Don´t know if i spelled the name of the volcano correctly or not but it was pretty stinking neat - but not litterally (like Funtis hotsprings with it{s sulfer). You hike up and down a few miles on this dirt path which is a pain cuz it isn{t that pretty am kinda slippery with all the dirt, but at the end is this clear volcanic lake.

Mayans still do ceremonies and sacrifices. Chickens occassionally - at first i thought the guide was kidding - I still believe it{s mostly singing and flowers.

Although the kids do run the trails with macheties - Karen an friend of mine was very jelous of those macheties.

I didn{t take photos of mayans singing in their brightly dressed clothing that moring. (Not for lack of trying - the point and shoot Kodak just doesn´t shoot that far without getting disrespectfull) I did however, take some lava rocks.

Notice all the steps - that was climbing OUT of the volcano. they were side ways in real life and there were over 600 of them. We were home by 1pm and I hopped a chicken bus within the next hour. It was a full weekend.

hot and cold

The joys of a hot shower in theory look something like this contraption. This being the showerhead in our hotel at Chichicastenango.

quick update

Life has been good and interesting lately. Visted Chichi. . . and did a top of shopping. Found out about the joys of chicken busses -it was like a bufete on wheels. Additionally got sick and switched houses all within about 4 days. Meeting great people, love the new fam, gotta study for spanish since i - well am less than apt at it!

Fuetes Georginas

Looks Likes. . . Dr. Seuss

This plant is called ¨manos de lion¨ or however hands of of the lion is spelled in Spanish. They remind me of a Dr. Seuss scene. I was digging it.

The Family

One of the most common questions has been about the people / family that I live with.

They are an extended family. Several Aunts and a brother with their 8 year old neice Michelle . . . One of the Aunts was marriend at one point > not sure if she still is . . . Another was never married, the borther also lives with them along with another relative, he is 23 with an year old daughter if I understood correctly. She does not live with us.

This is a picture of Michelle, everyone's neice. Her mother lives in Guatemala City. She is wild - litterally. I adore her but am glad not to be her guardian.

Yes, that is a Christmas tree in the background.

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Xela . . . not exactly clean and simple but no one can say it lacks style.

Tide has turned. . .

The days are warming up.

I have found out how to get laundry done and am meeting travelers all over the place.

Xela is a good place to be. Many foreigners stay her for months at a time and call it home (home for them seems to be between 5 months and a year).

Living outside the town center is a plus because it has more of a neighborhood feel (the buses that I thought were cat calling me are actually 'mini buses' ie, local transit) and I am digging it.

It is amazing what the effect of learning how to use the electric heat based shower can do. I don't understand how it works yet (I can't imagine it is actually heated by electricity above my head) but if you turn the water past a drizzle it gets cold again. . .Anyways, this place definitely has a lot to offer.

Oh yeah, camera purchase is coming along . . .the question is $150 for an older model or $300 for an elph??

PS, How is it that with all the dust here MacDonald's is still completely sterile inside???

gotta love stretch pants

For Christmas Kevin got me a pair of polyester stretch pants. They are fake denim. At first I wasn't sure. They are pretty tight!!

Now they are my favorite possession here!! Xela I so cold!!

I was escaping the snow but man do I have to bundle up!! Sweaters and thermals at night - sometime the sun is out in the day but with out it the temperature doesn't get the warm!

Boy do I miss hot showers!

On the flip side they looked super cute when a group of Jen Pinnow's friends and I went dancing on New Years - I wore them under my black dress.

Why no pictures you may be wondering. Isn't that why we are tuning in??

Well, if I had I camera I would post them. My first day in Xela was not a good one.

Markets are not the place to be with a backpack (day packs or otherwise) I know this but found myself in the situation. Thinking I had nothing but books and a water bottle I didn't switch it to the front. . .

Enter 3 foot tall Guatemalans who boxed me in so I literally could not move for what felt like several long minutes . . . freaky as a movie where you are about to get eaten by dessert creatures!

Upon leaving the market my pack was open (duh) and a few hours later I realized my camera had been in the pack when I was accosted by malnourished Guatemalans. (They really were about 3 feet tall!!)

Maybe I deserved it for my stupidity (at least I have travel insurance) but it still sucks hard and was a blow. Police reports are being filed and a new camera a being sought.

Xela has many aspects of a depressed suburb. More than anywhere else it reminds me of Metarie LA but with dirt streets. Metarie is a suburb of New Orleans where Kiet used to live - actually I think a lot of Metarie's streets were also unpaved. . .

Flight was on time but i almost missed the first one flight due to an excess # of 3.4 oz bottles.

Apparently all liquid and gels have to fit in one 5 x 7 bag and mine did not. Never followed this rule or encountered the problem before . . .hence not really paying attention to the posters or loud speakers they've had going on for the past 6 years.

Battling with TWA is futile (I tried) as was getting all my soap ect into the 5 x 7 bag (which I also tried) and ultimately I ran to my flight with the risk of my baggage missing the plane since it was checked in 45 minutes prior to my boarding.

It all worked out and the Guatemalan airport I was so sketched about is really small and significantly calmer than any airport I have ever been in.

No worries about my things getting stolen with equal number of armed guards to visitors. Outdoors the scene changed a bit ' but not like i imagined. That happed later the next day . . .

Anyways, that's a start.