A tough day! Check out the video!

Yesterday was an R&R day and the choice was between hot springs or a coffee plantation. The Fuerta Georginas Hot Springs won.

Following lunch off Xela plaza we took the bus for the hour long journey to the centre. We passed through a number of Mayan villages, typical of those we have seen on all our journeys, lots of concrete and corrugated iron. Many, many little breeze block shops, hardly bigger than a bus shelter selling the same crisps and coke. Outside sit traditionally dressed mothers and their children selling crafts or vegetables. Stray dogs everywhere.

We pass into the countryside. The views, as always, are spectacular, but spoilt by the fly tippers who choose any bend on the narrow roads to send a disgusting scar down the mountain.

We passed through the clouds and wound up a narrow road until we reached a cluster of low buildings at the front of the centre. The setting for the springs were amazing. The main pool sits at the base of a sheer rockface covered in trees and ferns. When you get in, the water is sooooooo hot. It takes a little while to get used to it and its makes your skin tingle. The hardiest amongst us waded right up to the spring itself. At this point the water is about as hot as can be tolerated, but it is not possible to put your hand into the cascading water for more than a few seconds.

Some brave souls managed to stand a few seconds under the freezing shower before opening their pores once again in either the main pool or one of the cooler subsiduaries.

As it was getting late we decided to eat there. Most of us had steaks and we allowed the group one bottle of beer each, (it was an R&R day after all.)

The journey back was rather disconcerting as the clouds had closed in around us and in the twilight gloom it was difficult to see the road ahead, but we had a ´conductor´aboard who helped the driver negotiate the more difficult corners and guided us past vehicles heading in the opposite direction.

Early night as we had a 4am wake up call to look forward to.

Comments please!

This one deserves a posting all of its own!

Extra Photos and an apology

We had a request for some more photos so hope this satisfies demand.

On behalf of all bloggers here in Guatemela I apppollogize for the pore spelong at timez. The keyboards are often worn so bare that only touch typists can cope. Some keys are either in different positions or apparently non existant and with electricity so expensive here, many of the cafes are so badly lit that you can hardly see the keyboard. The only excuse I can think of for typing through for threw, however, is that you barely have time to think. Our group leaders are so strict and the cafes so expensive, (not) that we have to just throw these posts together! Hope your convinced.

Thursday 7 Day 14

Today was the earliest start so far we were up at 4:40. (Far too early.)

we were picked up at the hotel at 5 and had a very quick breakfast on the move. the volcano was 30 minutes away from the hotel.

we started our climb through farmers feilds and wood terain. before getting to the hard stuff. Hundreds and hundreds of boulders. which did make the journey harder. we were climbing on boulders for about an hour and a half in the sun.

we sat on the top where we saw some of the most amazing veiws so far we saw the highest part of central america.

we ate lunch at the top before starting our decent to the bottom. which was alot tougher than on the way up.

sadly we havent found the right picture to show you so we will add it tommorrow.

but tomorrow is going to hopefully be a very nice day as we are hopefully going to a coffee plantation were it all happens. Then in the afternoon to some hot springs to relax our bodys before hitting santa maria on saturday

Wednesday 6th - Day13

Early start this morning for all of us as we had to be on our way by 6.00am. - destination Chicabal Lagoon. There we met our guide, Efrain. He claimed to by 80 years old and a Mayan priest. The latter was probably true, but he was only 80 in Mayan years. Their months are only 20 days so he was actually 60. Still brilliant at getting up and down the mountain.

We met Efrain at the base on the mainstreet of his village, San Martin Chiquito. Familiar flowers grow in his garden including geranium, fuchia, foxglove and monbretia, but we were treated to a spectacular flying display by a hummingbird.

We began the trek through allotments growing potaoes, beans and maize. These continued for some distance and height before giving way to lush vegetation. It was cold at first, but it soon warmed up. We had walked for about an hour when we came upon another field of potatoes and a football pitch and some wooden chalets. These very near the top of the mountain. It wasnt clear whether this was a community or whether it existed purely to cater for tourists.

We took a break here before pushing for the summot. It was still a lot further than we had thought, but the view from the top was truly spectacular, as we looked down upon the tranquil waters of this sacred Mayan lagoon, deep in the heart of the crater. There were viewing points here and we all took many photos before decending the 600 steps to the waters edge. Though we were glad to be going down at last some of us were very conscious of the fact that we would have to come back up again!

Efrain had given each of us a dried corn niblet. When we reached the waters edge he blessed the offerings and we threw them into the lake and made our wish. We then ate our lunch on the off-white pummice stone beach, before our guide took us off to view the burial site of an old Mayan priestess and her family. All of the time Efrain spoke to us in his Mayan Spanish dialect as if we understood every word. In fact we did manage to piece together his basic messages.

We left and began our ascent of the inner crater, but we were taken by a different route. Efrain would stop regularly to show us interesting flora, at one point taking his machete and cutting some long fronds from a pathside tree. When we reached the rim he stopped and asked Grace H to stand with her arms outstretched. He then brushed the leaves lightly down the front of her body before tapping them harder across the front and back of her legs. He worked up her body to her shoulders before laying the leafy flail on the top of her head, fronds hanging over her face. He then asked her to breath deeply in and out while he said a few words to cleanse her spirit. He repeated the same ritual with most of the group.

We then continued our decent. At the bottom he took a detour through a maize field. Someone likened it to a scene from the Borrowers, with the maize plants standing some 10feet tall, about twice the size of the local population.

At the bottom we said our goodbyes. We felt very priviledged to have had Efrain as our guide - he was a truly gentle and spiritual man.

Tomorrow we do another big volcano. which is a lot steeper and higher
Friday we have a rest day
Saturday we may not be able to edit blog as we are climbing Santa Maria so we do not know what time we will return.
We then spend 2 days travelling



Breaking news: Neil just refered to himself as an old fogey

5 August Day 12

We had a late start today getting up at 7:30 for breakfast at 8. We then caught our usual boat to Panajachel with the delboy of Central America, Juan. We said our goodbyes to Juan and caught our minibus to take us to Xela (shay-la) to our new hotel, Hostel Don Diego. The mood was chilled in the afternoon at our new hotel, the meal for tonight gave us a chance to experience the unhealthy traditionally American fast food also known as McDonalds. While McDonalds was being brought another group travelled to the nearby supermarket to fetch breakfast and lunch for the long challenging trek awaiting us tomorrow.

4 August Day 11

Today was our last day at the libary

It was a very constuctive day though we arrived there at 8:30 we got straight to work. We split up into teams

• painting to start with was Tom and Vanessa



• Making a new shelf at local carpenters was Steve and John



• Recording books in to a computer was Haris and Anthony



• Beanbags were made by grace



• Everyone else had diffrent jobs as a large group went to find a bank and lunch ect.

Today was one of our more creative and nicest lunch´s as well we found a fresh bvaker and had lovely bread with cream cheese and salad on it.

Everyone thourghly enjoyed last nights meal iot was by far the cheapest meal so far but the portions were absolutly huge. Everyone enjoyed it which was good.

Hopefully we will be able to update this tommorrow and the next 5 days but we are going to new place called Xela and its a very small place apparently so we will have to wait and see if there is a connection

2 August Day 9

Today we had our first day at the library it took a while to get there as it was a 20 minute boat ride and then also about a 10 minute walk to the libary. the libary was eally well set up. it was started to bring reading to Santiago as the schools are very basic and most schools do as the victorians did and copy off the chalk board at the front of the class. Then the libary grew and hired teachers to help with homework and other problems t do with school work. As a team we were given some jobs that Amanda who runs the library so we split into teams and a few people put new books into there laptop. A few cut ot shapes and pictures for class´s next week. some helped teach some of the kids who were in one of the class´s. The rest of the team were shown a room that they wanted to make slighlty more kid freindly. For the room we have decided to make a beanbag, paint letters on the wall with a picture to go with the letters. We have also been given use of a woodwork shop in a private school so we are going to build them some shelves and a case to keep there larger books in. we will be continuing or work there on monday. Once again we had another bithday in the team s happy birthday to Vanessa who had a big cake to celebra a very big cake to enjoy. Today we had our first day at the library it took a while to get there as it was a 20 minute boat ride and then also about a 10 minute walk to the libary. the libary was eally well set up. it was started to bring reading to Santiago as the schools are very basic and most schools do as the victorians did and copy off the chalk board at the front of the class. Then the libary grew and hired teachers to help with homework and other problems t do with school work. As a team we were given some jobs that Amanda who runs the library so we split into teams and a few people put new books into there laptop. A few cut ot shapes and pictures for class´s next week. some helped teach some of the kids who were in one of the class´s. The rest of the team were shown a room that they wanted to make slighlty more kid freindly. For the room we have decided to make a beanbag, paint letters on the wall with a picture to go with the letters. We have also been given use of a woodwork shop in a private school so we are going to build them some shelves and a case to keep there larger books in. we will be continuing or work there on monday. Once again we had another bithday in the team s happy birthday to Vanessa who had a very big cake to enjoy.

3 August Day 10

Well today was a rest day which was nice. We decided to go to Santiago market to do a little bit of shopping. this was nice as the market was lovely and we had a relaxing boat ride there. We also decided to go lie on a quiet beach and get a tan apart from Haris. That pretty much sums up our very busy day. Sadly back to the hard work tommorrow