6 months!

So, we're at the two-thirds mark now. Our return flight is booked for 10th June 2009, making the trip exactly the 9 months originally planned. It's good to know that we still have half as much time again as has already passed. I think we'd be happy if we'd only managed in the whole trip half what we've done and seen so far.

We're looking forward to my Mum & Dad arriving in April, which is less than a month away now. Right now we're in Flores, northern Guatemala, an island in Lake Petén Itzá. It´s nice to be warm again - last night I had to turn the shower down because it was too hot! In the next few days we're heading to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, which we expect to be one of the highlights of the trip.

Rob

Cobán

We've spent a couple of nights in the mountain town of Cobán in central Guatemala. It's a pleasant town surrounded by cloud forests and coffee plantations.



We walked up a hill on the outskirts of the town to a church which is part Catholic, part Mayan. It's fascinating, if slightly disconcerting, to see the offerings, including candles, ears of corn , feathers and animal hair stuck to crosses or inside shrines. Thankfully we haven't witnessed any animal sacrifices, which do occasionally occur at these sort of sites.




Cobán produces some of the best of Guatemala's famous coffee, so we took a tour of a local coffee finca.




Here is a ripe coffee "cherry" before the drying process begins and our guide demonstrating the difference between good and bad dried beans.





The tour ended with a chance to sample the delicious final product.



Our hostel has a collection of beautiful orchids, another thing Cobán is famous for. They're incredibly varied and grow wild in the cloud forests in the local area.

Rachel x

Todos Santos Chutumatán

After getting back on the road, our first stop was Todos Santos, a small village in the highest mountains in Central America; the Chuchumatanes. The journey was incredible, definitely one of the most awe inspiring and terrifying of the trip so far! We wound our way along treacherously narrow roads in a chicken bus (old US school buses crammed full of people and driven at break-neck speed) through some of the most spectacular scenery in Guatemala. We went up over pine covered ridges before plunging down through valleys where Maya women washed clothes and back up across an amazing plateau that resembled somewhere on another planet! Tiny wooden and adobe houses surrounded by scrubby land and huge succulent plants. I must admit, I had to close my eyes on some of the corners! After careering down through thick cloud we finally arrived in the atmospheric Todos Santos.



The centre of village life is the plaza where, day or night, it's always full of locals simply hanging out. No-where in Central America ever feels particularly rushed, but immediately we noticed the incredibly relaxed atmosphere in Todos Santos.



There's actually very little to do in the village itself except hang out and admire the wonderful traditional clothing worn by almost all in Todos Santos. In most indigenous communities now, men usually wear modern clothes but it's fascinating to see the men here proudly wearing their stripy trousers and bright shirts.




The women's huipiles, the traditional tunics, are also particularly striking here with really rich and bright embroidery. I loved the hats, too!



Of course, the location of Todos Santos is also wonderful. We were actually in the village for less than 24 hours but it made a lasting impression.

Rachel x

Final Weekend in Xela

For our last weekend in Xela, we resolved to complete some of the things we'd either been meaning to do before we left or had enjoyed the most while living there. So, on our friend Laura's recommendation, we joined the trip our school was running (teachers are welcome as well as students) to climb Volcán Santa Maria.



The volcano towers over Xela and the surrounding valley, lording it over everything around. The peak is visible from all around the town.



To get to the top early and get the best view, you need to start the climb before dawn (5:30am, to be exact). We arrived at the trail outside Xela (by pickup) and set off in complete darkness. It was pretty cold this early in the morning, as you can probably tell from the photos!



As the sun rose, we realised that there was a lot of low cloud blocking the sun out - and possibly ruining the view. As we climbed higher though, we broke through the cloud and were treated to a magnificent view of the valley blanketed in cloud. Our early start was well rewarded.








After 4 hours, we finally arrived at the summit. The view is absolutely stunning; the photos can't do it justice, I'm afraid. From there, it's possible to see at least six other volcanoes: Tajumulco (the highest point in Central America); Pacaya, near Guatemala city; Fuego, Agua and Acatenango, near Antigua; but most spectactularly of all, Santiaguito, which is highly active and right in the shadow of Santa Maria.



As luck would have it, within 5 minutes of our arrival, Santiaguito erupted with a loud rumble and a huge cloud of volcanic gasses.



To get a feel of the eruption occuring, you need to see it in motion. Well, I did my best. Apologies for the rather shaky camera work, but here's a little video to give you an idea:



Definitely an experience we'll remember, and most likely one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Apart from climbing volcanoes, one of the other things we've loved doing in Xela is visiting the hot springs at Fuentes Georginas. As I said in a previous post, we couldn't get any photos before. This time, however, it was less steamy and Rach managed to get this fantastic shot.



On our last night, we captured this sunset view from our roof terrace. Seems apt to close the chapter on our time in Xela. Time to get back on the road!



Rob