I just got back last night from a 5 day hiking trip to the remote northern region near Nebaj. Well, it was really 3 days hiking and 2 days getting there and back on the bus. I went with Anna, a german woman I met at school. We both wanted to go hiking and it just worked out that we could go together. We made it out to some pretty remote villages away from the roads where the locals speak Ixil instead of Spanish. I dont think they get many visitors because people were literally running away from us. At one point we were resting on the trail and a woman and child came around the corner, screamed and ran back the other way. I had kinda been hoping to ask her directions. She peeked around the corner every few minutes until we moved on. Others just stared at us without smiling. That was unsettling. There were no hotels, but we had heard that you can stay in the villages. Upon arriving in the town we had planned to stay the first night we had to try at 10 different houses before we found someone who would talk to us. I dont think this woman understood what we were saying, but she must have guessed what we wanted becuase she motioned us to follow and walked to the other side of the village. We arrived at another house with a trail of people following us. There was some discussion in Ixil and ultimately someone handed us a key and pointed to what turned out to be a very nice guest house. They brought us dinner and silently stood around us watching us eat, which was very awkward. We settled in, but the children wouldn't leave us. They stood around us and whispering and laughing. After a time we got them to come closer and tell us their names and ages. They were learning Spanish in school. Everything we said made them giggle and whisper before one of the older boys would respond for the group. Saying "Hola!" would make them shriek, giggle and run behind the house for a minute. After a while they invented a game in which one would sneak up behind another and push them toward us. The victim would scream for their life and run back to the group laughing. The next day walking through towns we were routinely followed by a gaggle of kids. I have never felt so interesting in all my life.
This is a picture of me standing across the valley from the town we stayed the first night in. If you click on image for a closer look you should be able to see some houses.
Anna and the clouds.
I would have taken more pictures of the kids, but the Mayan are supersticious about cameras. I quickly turned and shot this photo from my hip, but even still you can see a couple of the kids getting ready to run away. I told Anna she looked like Julie Andrews from the Sound of Music, but she didn't know the movie.
On the last day we stopped for a rest in this lovely cow meadow and felt like we were miles away from Guatemala. You can see Anna snoozing on the left and two cows in the distance.
5 comments:
Amazing. Simple as that. When you and Anna talk, do you do so in Spanish as a common tongue? I love the thought of two people having a common language different from their own, mostly because I imagine it making for amusing double-translation confusions.
Sounds and looks like a fascinating time - exploring the countryside etc. etc. You can't say you haven't been seeing the country! And you've given those kids some excitement in their lives too! How many miles do you think you hiked? Commish
Today I discovered a new street in Medford. Ok, that's not as interesting as your story. What did they feed you?
These pictures are terrific, looks so pretty. I don't know about sleeping with the cows though. And having small children watch me eat would make me wonder if they are hungry. Tell Anna, who doesn't know The Sound of Music or Julie Andrews, that your tia just saw The Lives of Others and thinks it was the best movie in the whole world for all of 2006. Love, Tia-ee
I, too, am surrounded by cows and feel like I am miles away from Guatemala. A coincidence indeed.
On a side note, did you know that Spanish-speaking cows do not moo, but instead muuu?
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