Volcan Santa Maria, Teatro Municipal, Mercado La Democracia and MORE!

Yesterday I spent a full day exploring Xela (actually named Quetzaltenango) by foot. I feel more than satisfied with the amount of ground I covered and have really enjoyed spending time in this historic city in theWestern Highlands--minus the abundance of mangy stray dogs, poor air quality and insane drivers. With a tourist map in hand, I set out to find a number of destinations I had circled earlier including: Teatro Municpal (beautiful concert and theater venue built in 1882), Universidad Rafael Landivar (a small private Jesuit university), Mercado La Democracia (a crazy, multi block market that has just about anything you could want-- and not want) and Parque Benito Juarez (a lovely and lively park dedicated to Mexico´s first indigenous President). Due to the fact that I don´t speak Spanish (yet, of course), I need to be super savvy to get around and use my best judgment at all times. Truth be told I really have little clue as to what is going on around here, from street signs, the words of passerbys, common etiquette, religious practices, etc. So far, so good though-- and I look forward to learning more. I loved all of the places I visited and particularly enjoyed watching the people of Xela go about their daily business. The Mercado La Democracia was certainly a highlight-- the colors of the goods for sale, the women carrying everything from fruits, vegetables, rice, etc. on their heads (usually with a baby wrapped on their back in a colorful blanket) and the local vendors trying so hard to sell you pretty much anything-- all ´hand made´ of course. It was a ton of fun and a good few hours of entertainment. I really enjoyed seeing the parakeets and other fancy birds for sale next to the lemons and bananas-- tempting.

I met Beth in the afternoon at my hostel (The Black Cat Hostel) when she was done class. We then went for a nice hike in the hills that surround the city and it was really lovely. Not too much to report from the hike except great views and fresh air, except we did nearly get attacked by a posse of bad ass street turkeys. It sounds silly, but it was actually extemely scary! It got even scarier when a surly dog came out to protect the turkeys. That is when I ran (although likely the worst reaction to the situation) and thank goodness the local farm owner came to our rescue and brought the dog back on their proprty so we could proceed. I guess what doesn´t kill you, only makes you stronger-- or scared of live turkeys.

I enjoyed dinner out with some friends I met at the hostel (it is amazing what $5 USD or much less can get you here) and then met up again with Beth and some of her friends from school for drinks and live music at a local bar.

Today, I thought it would be a good idea to climb a volcano-- so I did! I got picked up by the tour company at the delightful hour of 4:00 am to head to Llanos del Pinal, the small village where the trail begins for Volcan Santa Maria. The hike was 11 km round trip and an insanely hard climb due to the steep and unmaintained trail, high elevation of the volcano (12, 375 ft.) and of course the muddy and slippery conditions left as a little reminder of the just passed rainy season. Well worth it though for the gorgeous views, great workout and glimpse into Guatemalan life in a small village. I met some cool people in my hiking group: 3 girls from Spain and also 2 from Germany. We all got along really well, especially factoring in the significant language barriers amongst the group. Tonight we will be trying to catch the Giants game at a bar somewhere in town, heading out for some dinner and then likely relax at a bar again enjoying some live music. Minus the Giants game, I think this will be our standard evening routine... The life of a traveler is quite nice, I must say!

Tomorrow morning Beth and I leave Xela by shuttle and head to San Pedro on Lake Atitlan to move in with our new Guatemalan family and begin language school the next day!... Can´t wait!