absolutely stunning!

i suppose that first off i should clarity one of my post statements "i will update my blog daily" to "i will update my blog as often as possible, in a land with long travel times and questionable internet service at best that will be daily often and ASAP depending on circumstances. this follows three days away from my computer. this time has been filled with (in brief) some wonderful encounters, hours on buses (and boats), moving into new digs in a new town and taking up some spanish studies. i shall now elaborate.


when we last chatted (i realize this is a one way conversation but it doesn't have to be...there is a comments section and i encourage any or all three of you ;-) to post advice {well less so advice, sorry mom} and more so your thoughts) i had just climbed an active volcano at my peril yet lived to tell the tale of my exploits with the virtual world. even though my last line of the last blog stated that i was "now alone" it surely didn't remain like that for long (it never does when you are traveling and have the right attitude, great people inevitably find you). having met some wonderful people in the last few days wether it was for a few hours, a day or longer, they have proven my theory that great people find themselves on the road following that great people meet each other. great encounters happened: while sitting on a bench reading a book, sitting in a bus while relocating, sitting down to eat breakfast (amidst an EARTHQUAKE!) the list invariably goes on but i shall spare you the blow by blow of everything i do and everyone i meet and try to pair it down to those things i feel my limited readership might care to hear.


i guess it's important to mention i have since left antigua and moved to a small(ish) town (15 000 people) called san pedro on lake atitlan. for the first 2 nights i was staying a beautiful little possada right on the most stunning volcanic lake i have ever seen. in the morning i'd wake up nice and early, grab my book and sleeping bag (as it gets pretty chilly at this elevation at night) and crawl into my hammock overlooking the lake and the local mayan women who were already busy washing traditional clothes (and themselves) in the chilly water. tough life i know. from there my days got harder. they were filled with beer, walking, swimming, reading, chatting and all the while loving life. yesterday i was sitting down to breakfast when i thought i felt movement not being used to earthquakes i certainly didn't put the two together, at least not at first. but as it continued and other folks started to look around as confused as i, it started to come together. the tale right beside me with three european ladies exchanged glances, is this an earthquake? yup, i think it is. so said our eyes. then the british of the 3 started to get quite worried. i will take this opportunity to explain the movement was MINOR, now this wasn't the case a little south of quate city who experienced a 6.0 on the richter scale, it certainly wasn't more than an extended ground shake. as it wasn't severe and no damage or injuries i can safely say and in good conscience, IT WAS COOL! after sharing a natural disaster with someone an immediate bond develops (no matter how small the occurrence). as such a lovely afternoon that consisted of little more than reading, swimming, chilling and chatting. an amazing day that was mostly totally and utterly positive except for something that didn't occur to me until this morning. that was that when on antibiotics you are much more sensitive to the sun and in a matter of 1 1/2 i managed to make myself muy roho (that means VERY RED!) 

(check out that forehead!)

oh, well a few days of suffering, and antibiotics then i say good bye to both. yay. my companions were off bright and early this morning as they intended to hitchhike from lake atitlan to, if not san salvador the coast of el salvador. so as it goes with traveling we said goodbye with well wishes and off to bed i went. once again buoyed by the stories, adventures and personal philosophies of others, i slept the sleep of the dead. until....


...my alarm woke me up at 7:00! quickly i packed and headed to ... my first day of spanish school! the reason for my packing was that as well as 5 classes a week i have moved into a home of a traditional mayan family who i eat with 3 times a day and share accommodations, it is SO COOL. and the really good news is that as spanish is there second language as well, there first being maya, it is spoken slowly. today is only my first day with them but i know i am going to love it! school was cool. 1st day was spent chatting and then getting down to business of learning and i actually enjoyed it! this is not school as we 'developed' nations would think about it, nope, study is 1 on 1 with the teacher and it is not in a stuffy classroom, nope, it is in the shade of trees out side right next to the stunning lago atitlan, AMAZING. san pedro spanish school is my school and i think i will be there for the next 2 weeks (if the next few days continue on this elevated path).


not much more to report other than i am healthy and happy (and a little red). dinner is in a few minutes and i have to find my way back home so i will post some photos and say talk soon. 

view as i arrived by boat to san pedro

view near my possada

view from my hammock 

where, how and who i spent yesterday with

taken after my swim

same as above

local mayan woman who sells me banana bread every morning, mmmm