The other day we were riding with some friends in their Subaru with medium-tint windows enjoying the tranquility of a weekend in the city without the crazy traffic like we see Monday through Friday and especially the CRAZY rush hour traffic that makes everyone late on Fridays from 3-8. We rolled through a red light at 20 mph since there was obviously no oncoming traffic.
Since the Hubster and I are still "new" here and learning the ways of the road we casually asked our friend, "huh, did you just go through that red light?"
Our friend replied confidently, "I think you can do that here..."
Yeah, she's right. You can pretty much do that here, along with breaking any other traffic laws it took you 16 years, 2 drivers license tests, and a few tickets to learn back in the states. People don't roll through stop signs here, they drive right on through them, especially in the early morning hours when there isn't a lot of traffic out. I can hear cars drive down the street honking their horns rhythmically as they go through each intersection. It's my 5am wakeup call drifting through the open bedroom window along with the cool pre-dawn air.
There's a big problem with motorcyclists riding down the center lane when traffic is stopped, knocking on people's windows to demand cell phones, money, watches and anything else they can see. Theft is already illegal but that wasn't stopping anyone; they needed another law here obviously. So they increased the jail time for stealing cell phones. But that didn't stop anyone. Now it's illegal for motorcycles to split lanes. But of course they continue to ride down the line jacking cars, why would they start obeying laws now? This results in everyone just tinting their car windows super dark so the bad guys can't see in. And the good guys carry guns and won't hesitate to shoot a bad guy in the face when he knocks on the wrong window.
Oh Guatemala and your lawlessness and your laws to combat lawlessness that just leads to more laws to break...
But the flip side of this wild west mentality is actually quite thrilling and in some ways refreshing. You're on your own here so you'd better take care. Pedestrians have no right of way in Guatemala. Crossing the street becomes a strategic little game, I feel like a FedEx driver who only makes right turns. I plan my route with as little street crossing as I can manage and then only near the busy intersections or the tumalos (speed bumps) where cars slow down enough to dart between them. If you don't watch where you're walking and step into one of the millions of open potholes in the street, well, good luck blaming anyone but yourself. Gash yourself on some exposed rebar? You idiot, that's been there for the last 10 years and didn't seem to be a problem until you ran into it. If you break your ankle stepping off some crazy uneven step in a restaurant, you won't find anyone stepping up to pay your medical bills or even offering to cover your drink tab. No one will even think to put a sign up or fix the step. Down here there isn't a lot of suing going on. Not that it wouldn't be nice to have some sort of public safety awareness, but at least it keeps the hospitals cheap since they don't have to pay sky-high insurance premiums or lawyer fees like they do back in the states.
It's radical self preservation down here, and I have to say I kind of like it.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
1 Down, 28 More To Go! - Climbing Santa Maria Volcano
Why are humans so attracted to tall, pointy peaks? Whether it's the amazing view from the top, the challenge of a hard climb, or bragging rights, Hubby and I were helpless to resist the magnetic pull of the volcanoes.
There are 29 volcanoes in Guatemala. If that seems like a lot, it is. Guatemala is also home to the tallest peak in Central America and the most recently active volcano in Central America. So that means if we want to climb all the peaks, we have to climb at least one a month for the two years we are here. Totally do-able. Some are active and some are hard to get to or in sketchy areas security-wise, so I doubt we'll actually get to climb all of them, but we'll check all the good ones off the list!
First on the list, Santa Maria Volcano is one of the best climbs here according to our friends who organized this trip. Easy to do in a weekend, a gorgeous hike with amazing views, and close to the city of Xela which is an easy base camp with some amazingly cheap and delicious restaurants.
After work got out on Friday we left town at about 1pm: 7 of us in 2 cars. We stopped for lunch at San Martin bakery and after a crazy, twisty, turny 3.5 hour drive pulled into Xela just as it was getting dark. Hotel Casa Manen had a reservation for us in their adorable restored house near the central plaza in old downtown Xela. After grocery shopping for trail food, a stop at a bagel shop for more trail food, and a wander through the early construction phases of a street carnival at the central plaza, we stopped at a Thai restaurant for dinner. The menu was small and the service was slow, but the food was pretty darn good and dinner for the 2 of us was around $10.
Saturday morning after a quick breakfast of hot coffee and cold tomato,onion and American cheese sandwiches, our guide Cesar met us at our hotel at 5am with a van. We picked up two policemen to accompany us on the hike and bounced down the road for about a 1/2 hour until the single lane we were following ended in deep ruts and cow pastures at the base of the volcano.
**Side note here: while Hubster and I are really not used to hiring guides to go hiking, here in Guatemala it's a must. First of all there are dozens of trails snaking up the mountain with no signage and it's never obvious which is the best trail to take or if that trail even goes to the top or goes to some drug farm... Secondly, even if we wanted to take our chances with a map, good luck, where are you going to find a trail map here? And thirdly, Guatemala's natural beauty is in critical condition so any money and support that goes into the eco-tourism industry is just a little more incentive to leave the tress standing and not let the local poachers strip the forests. We were more than happy to pay Cesar $20 each to guide us up there. Most Guatemalans make waaaaaaay less than $20 a day so guiding tourists can be a great job here in a sea of destructive or nonexistent income opportunities.
The sky was just turning from black to that smokey gray/blue of early dawn and the birds were jubilant in the misty trees all around us. The trail didn't joke around, it took a direct route straight up the volcano, no switchbacks and no steps or water bars. Thank the lord it wasn't raining or else we would have been slipping and sliding even more than we already were on the greasy mud-slicked path.
Our group of 10 passed a family of Mayans trekking up to the top with boxes and bundles of food and ceremonial items for a day at the top. They would later offer us a smile and a wave on the peak as the kids collected flowers and plants and the grownups relaxed on boulders around a smokey offering in the center of their family circle.
A 3.5 hour hike brought us to the top of the perfectly rounded peak topped with an alpine lawn of grass, wildflowers and rocks for everyone to rest on. Just below us and literally seconds before the clouds drifted in to obscure our view we saw the steam vents of baby-volcano Santiaguito. We could also see all the way out to the Pacific ocean about 60 km away, and to the north and south of us the closest peaks that form the ring of fire volcano chain.
Cesar made hot chocolate on a camp stove while the policemen checked their cell signals and made phone calls to friends below. Our bagels with cream cheese and avocado were delicious and so were all the nuts and cookies with curious names and descriptions we packed up there. Cesar carried up 3 little styrofoam plates of cold fried chicken and french fries for he and the guards to eat.
At 3,772 meters, we were all feeling the altitude. No headaches or nausea, just more out of breath than we're used to, which caused us to go pretty slow up that steep final push to the top. On the way down we kept a good pace, mostly because the rain clouds were right on our heels and no one wanted to see that trail get soaked.
Three hours later back at the trail head we found 2 drivers and a van, not the same one who dropped us off though so the policemen took down the guys names and ID info before we got on, just a precaution but you never know. Bumping our way back to town the sky opened up with loud cracks of lightning and it began to pour, we all grinned with satisfaction at having made it just in time.
There are 29 volcanoes in Guatemala. If that seems like a lot, it is. Guatemala is also home to the tallest peak in Central America and the most recently active volcano in Central America. So that means if we want to climb all the peaks, we have to climb at least one a month for the two years we are here. Totally do-able. Some are active and some are hard to get to or in sketchy areas security-wise, so I doubt we'll actually get to climb all of them, but we'll check all the good ones off the list!
First on the list, Santa Maria Volcano is one of the best climbs here according to our friends who organized this trip. Easy to do in a weekend, a gorgeous hike with amazing views, and close to the city of Xela which is an easy base camp with some amazingly cheap and delicious restaurants.
After work got out on Friday we left town at about 1pm: 7 of us in 2 cars. We stopped for lunch at San Martin bakery and after a crazy, twisty, turny 3.5 hour drive pulled into Xela just as it was getting dark. Hotel Casa Manen had a reservation for us in their adorable restored house near the central plaza in old downtown Xela. After grocery shopping for trail food, a stop at a bagel shop for more trail food, and a wander through the early construction phases of a street carnival at the central plaza, we stopped at a Thai restaurant for dinner. The menu was small and the service was slow, but the food was pretty darn good and dinner for the 2 of us was around $10.
Saturday morning after a quick breakfast of hot coffee and cold tomato,onion and American cheese sandwiches, our guide Cesar met us at our hotel at 5am with a van. We picked up two policemen to accompany us on the hike and bounced down the road for about a 1/2 hour until the single lane we were following ended in deep ruts and cow pastures at the base of the volcano.
**Side note here: while Hubster and I are really not used to hiring guides to go hiking, here in Guatemala it's a must. First of all there are dozens of trails snaking up the mountain with no signage and it's never obvious which is the best trail to take or if that trail even goes to the top or goes to some drug farm... Secondly, even if we wanted to take our chances with a map, good luck, where are you going to find a trail map here? And thirdly, Guatemala's natural beauty is in critical condition so any money and support that goes into the eco-tourism industry is just a little more incentive to leave the tress standing and not let the local poachers strip the forests. We were more than happy to pay Cesar $20 each to guide us up there. Most Guatemalans make waaaaaaay less than $20 a day so guiding tourists can be a great job here in a sea of destructive or nonexistent income opportunities.
The sky was just turning from black to that smokey gray/blue of early dawn and the birds were jubilant in the misty trees all around us. The trail didn't joke around, it took a direct route straight up the volcano, no switchbacks and no steps or water bars. Thank the lord it wasn't raining or else we would have been slipping and sliding even more than we already were on the greasy mud-slicked path.
Our group of 10 passed a family of Mayans trekking up to the top with boxes and bundles of food and ceremonial items for a day at the top. They would later offer us a smile and a wave on the peak as the kids collected flowers and plants and the grownups relaxed on boulders around a smokey offering in the center of their family circle.
A 3.5 hour hike brought us to the top of the perfectly rounded peak topped with an alpine lawn of grass, wildflowers and rocks for everyone to rest on. Just below us and literally seconds before the clouds drifted in to obscure our view we saw the steam vents of baby-volcano Santiaguito. We could also see all the way out to the Pacific ocean about 60 km away, and to the north and south of us the closest peaks that form the ring of fire volcano chain.
Cesar made hot chocolate on a camp stove while the policemen checked their cell signals and made phone calls to friends below. Our bagels with cream cheese and avocado were delicious and so were all the nuts and cookies with curious names and descriptions we packed up there. Cesar carried up 3 little styrofoam plates of cold fried chicken and french fries for he and the guards to eat.
At 3,772 meters, we were all feeling the altitude. No headaches or nausea, just more out of breath than we're used to, which caused us to go pretty slow up that steep final push to the top. On the way down we kept a good pace, mostly because the rain clouds were right on our heels and no one wanted to see that trail get soaked.
Three hours later back at the trail head we found 2 drivers and a van, not the same one who dropped us off though so the policemen took down the guys names and ID info before we got on, just a precaution but you never know. Bumping our way back to town the sky opened up with loud cracks of lightning and it began to pour, we all grinned with satisfaction at having made it just in time.
Halfway up, we can see the morning clouds still cover Xela below us
A beautiful pine forest near the top
Alpine flowers
Satiaguito from above
Our guide Cesar makes hot chocolate on the summit
Early lunch on the summit
Misty trail and sunny summit
Central Plaza in Xela
Pretty covered balconies at our hotel
Our hotel, Casa Manen in Xela
A Sunday parade around the Central Plaza
Lightswitch in the shower... sketchy third world architecture...
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