We signed up with a Spanish school last week and are taking four hours of intensive, one-on-one language courses each morning. Our teachers are great, and the school is run really well. Our Spanish is coming along, but we're still far from fluent. I was thrilled to find out that my Spanish maestro used to be in a rock band and is as crazy about Def Lepard as I am. The guy actually climbed up a security tower to see them in concert on their last trip to Guatemala. Outside of class, we're taking private salsa lessons and working on our salsa and merengue.
Volcano hikes are the main adventure here! We've hiked Volcan Pacaya (the second most active volcano in South America, I think) twice. The hike is about three or four hours in total, and the guides let us walk right out on lava rocks that were just formed the previous day. Toasting marshmallows on the lava flows was a blast! The second time we hiked Pacaya, the volcano was shooting lava sparks out the top and making lots of noise. It was incredible. There clearly aren't many lawyers in Guatemala - this is something that would never fly in the US! Although it's relatively safe and there hasn't been a major eruption since 2000, it's not completely unheard of for a hiker to slip and step a foot into the lava - ouch!
We spent the weekend in Lake Atilan (a giant crater lake surrounded by volcanoes) and ended up in San Pedro, a hippie and backpacker haven with lots of colorful people and a conspicuously absent police force. It wasn't exactly the relaxing lakeside retreat we were looking for, but it was a cultural experience nonetheless and had great hiking. On Saturday morning, we took a seven hour hike up the Volcan San Pedro. This was, by far the most excruciating physical activity we've ever done. On the hike, we were accompanied by two machete-armed guides who bounded up the mountain and the only policia in San Pedro. The first 3.5 hours were straight up hill, unbelievably steep and would put any stairmaster to shame. We lost one hiker along the way, but the rest of the group was in excellent shape and we pushed forward to the top. We were rewarded by a magnificent view and a short rest at the summit, and then faced an equally treacherous hike down, taking turns slipping in the mud and sliding down the steep trails. After this, hiking Pacaya again the following week was a breeze.
This week, we opted for the true immersion experience and are staying with a Guatemalan family. We live in a quaint little townhouse with two grandparents, two parents, and their three children (two daughters and a son, all in their 20's). It's quite the full house and we have to fight for bathroom space, but it's well worth it. We received an incredibly warm welcome when we arrived on Sunday night, and are enjoying the grandmother's Guatemalan-style home cooking, fresh, handmade tortillas and home made fruit juice every day. Thank goodness we're hiking and salsa dancing up a storm to burn it all off!
This weekend, we're off to Tikal to explore the Mayan ruins. More on that soon, and photos to come!
