peterschell

Roach Motel

2007-05-16T14:54:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned, there were 2 inch cockroaches in the Capital. I was actually pretty okay with this. Maybe because I was expecting the capital to suck and was frankly pleasantly surprised that it didn´t suck more. But I was really upset by the roaches in Coban. I think was because the roaches in the capital stayed on floor, whereas the 2 inch roaches in Coban seemed to be making their home inside our mattress.

After a nausiating 5 hr bus ride, we arrived at a seemingly very clean and pleasent hotel in Coban where we had planned to stay several days enjoying the lagunas and caves in the area. When Gwyn first sat down on the bed, I thought I saw something move across the bed out of the corner of my eye. We lay on the bed watching TV, our first TV of the trip, went out to dinner and came back ready to sleep. Needless to say, that did not happen. What do you do when you are faced with a hotel room full of bugs? You keep your clothes and the lights on all night. Therefore you don't sleep.

To add to our disappointment, we found out the next day that the water based attractions around Coban are not very exciting at the end of the dry season. Pity no one told us this earlier. Oh well. We skipped the next couple days and arrived in Flores 2 days early where we decided to spring for a fancy $40 hotel with air conditioning and a view of the lake and NO BUGS!

Our first night in this hotel was like a deliverance to the gates of heaven. We slept wonderfully last night and had planned to laze in bed all day. This became an unrealizable dream due to workmen hammering on the roof above our heads at 9 am this morning. We have changed hotels now and hope that this will also change the luck that we have been sufferenig lately. Plus the new one has a pool.

Oh, and did I mention that I got my money back for the roach motel in Coban? I was proud of myself.

Night in the Capital.

2007-05-16T14:43:00.000-06:00

After leaving Xela, we traveled to the capital, Guatemala City. Now, everyone had told us that Guatemala City is scary, confusing, dangerous and over all not worth the time, but we needed to drop off the duffel bag of souveniours we´d bought at the lake, and we needed to go through the capital get to the rest of the country anyway.

We ended up spending a pleasent Sunday evening in "Guate´s" historic Zone 1. We stayed in an overpriced hotel with 2 inch roaches, ate an over priced dinner that tasted like frozen food from Trader Joe´s, and made sure to get back to our hotel before 8 pm.

In the morning everything looked a bit nicer with everyone headed off to work. We took a stroll through the central plaza and got on the bus to Coban. I wouldn´t recomend staying in the capital if you´re on a limited time schedule, but it was nice to see it for a night.

No more photos...

2007-05-16T14:39:00.000-06:00

Sad news, bloggers, I lost my camera cable which means that although I can continue taking photos, I wont be able to share them with you until my return to the USA. It´ll have to be text only entries from now on...

Dinner with Linda

2007-05-16T14:35:00.000-06:00

Before leaving Xela for the last time, Gwyn and I had lunch with my host family and dinner with Linda, my Spanish teacher.

We ate chilles rellenos and chicken empanadas aand kept talking until long after the restaurant had closed. It was sad to say goodbye to Linda.

After dinner we ran into Bryon, another teacher.

Xocomil - Water Park

2007-05-16T14:12:00.000-06:00

Day trip to the Water Park! Yay!
Now some of you may be asking, why did you go to the water park in Guatemala? You should be doing things that Guatemalans do. Well, guess what. Guatemalans DO go to the water park. (Well, at least the rich ones do.) In fact, they´ve built one of the best ones in the world. We went on a Thursday and there were no lines. Just walk up the stairs and slide down. The whole place has a Mayan theme that walks the line between homage and blaspheme. We contemplated this while floating on inner tubes through the "Mayan Canyon" lazy river while statues of the Mayan gods shot water at us from their ears, nose and mouth.

Hotel on the Lake

2007-05-16T14:04:00.000-06:00

On the morning of the 3rd day we found a hotel we could have stayed in forever. It was not fancy, and the owner must have thought spiders were good luck, because only intentional oversight could have allowed their webs to accumulate in such quantity, but it was right on the water on a quiet edge of town. We even considered staying an extra day, but in the end decided to move on...

Sunrise

2007-05-16T13:54:00.000-06:00

One morning I got up early to watch the sunrise on the lake. I was surprised to find that I was not the only one awake. One by one the fishermen slipped out into the water in boats built for one and by the time I returned to the hotel there was a whole group of women doing their laundry along the shore.

Hiking Lago Atitlan

2007-05-16T13:27:00.000-06:00

Next we visited Lago Atitlan, which is as beautful as everyone says it is. The first day we bought a duffel bag full of textiles (not exagerating) and the next day we hiked all day on a visually and physically breathtaking trail from San Pedro to Santa Cruz.

San Pedro, our starting point, is on the left edge of the photo.

You can see part of the trail clinging to the side of the mountain.

This guy guided us to the harbor and sat on the end of the dock until our boat was out of sight. I think he was sad I didn´t give him a tip. We named him Jamon.

Eating in Xela

2007-05-16T13:08:00.000-06:00

After Antigua, I brought Gwyn back to Xela and made her eat at all the restaurants I´d been dreaming about for the past 2 months.

Here´s me in city hall. That´s a palm tree covered with flowering vines.

We both loved this pizza so much we ate it again after returning from the Lake.

Gwyn didn´t like the Guatemalan Chinese food so I ate it all. Yum.

But both Gwyn and I liked the ice cream from the fast food mega-chain, Pollo Campero. (and there´s one in Chicago!)

Vulcan Pacaya

2007-05-16T12:49:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven´t updated in a long time. Let me catch you up.

While in Antigua, we climbed an extremely active volcano.
Was it safe? No.
Was it fun? At first.

Dude, that is totally lava.

My shoes melted and Gwyn cut her hand on razor sharp lava rock. But her hand healed and I got my shoes re-soled, so it´s a good story.

Gwyn's Arrival

2007-05-06T09:58:00.000-06:00

Gwyn arrived on Monday! We enjoyed Antigua for a few days and the last 3 days in Xela. Today we're headed to the lake.

Gwyn and I in front of the fountain in Antigua.

Hot Springs

2007-04-19T13:42:00.000-06:00

Central America has a bunch of hot springs, one advantage to living in a geologically active region. This is one of two located just outside town. I can imagine that ancient people must've been in awe of places like this. Even today the hot water coming out of the mountain is magical, like the earth's blood, and I've lived my whole life with hot running water.

Here they've built a series of 3 pools to catch the water, each one cooler than the previous. The temperature can flucuate from year to year. The day I went it was quite hot, but still possible to get right up to the source for a little while. Many people were drinking it. I also saw a lot of aged and infirmed people there hoping to find healing powers. There is probably some validity to this belief. It was also popular to put mud on your face. After several hours in the water we enjoyed lunch right next to the big pool. Also a beautiful bus ride up the mountain and back.

Danger, Mr. Electricity!

2007-04-19T13:26:00.000-06:00

Warning outside an electrical building.

Glass Factory

2007-04-15T22:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I visited a glass factory outside of town.

You can walk right up to the forges and watch the workers. Ah, a world without lawsuits. That long oven in the middle has a pool of liquid glass inside! I went with Linda, in the striped shirt, and Kierran, the white guy who looks about 15 ft tall.

They use only recycled glass. Here's a few piles sorted by color.

This guy let me blow a glass bubble! I thought it was going pretty well, until he threw it back in the melting pool. No one takes my art seriously.

On my second try I made a vase that looks like a tidal wave!

You put your tequilla in there.

Thanks for reading guys! Friday was my last day of school and I just today moved into a room with internet! So, I'm going to update the blog a lot this week. --Peter

Bush Visit

2007-04-02T16:57:00.000-06:00

Even though it was two weeks ago, I would feel remiss if I didn't mention President Bush's visit to Guatemala. He was only here for 24 hours, but it was on the front page for at least a week beforehand. One of the topics of discussion was the expected protests and as the day drew near, it was clear they would be big.

I, myself, was actually looking forward to the protests quite a bit. It made me happy to think that the Guatemalans can now protest without fear, and I was excited to see them excercising their freedom of speech. "You go Guatemala," I imagined myself saying. "That's how we do it in the US!"

But when the day came, and I actually watched one of the protests on TV, I saw them buring an efigy of Uncle Sam and I was taken aback by the ferocity of the crowd. Such raw anger as they yelled at the efigy. It saddened me to watch Uncle Sam crumple and fall over. When his head hit the ground kids ran up to kick it.

I was stunned. I was sad. I was angry. Part of me wanted to be defiant and patriotic. That's MY country. But it's kinda hard to get too defensive when my President openly admits to torturing people. So, in the end I had to swallow my pride on this one.

Remote Villages

2007-04-02T16:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't update the blog in a while. I've got lots to share, but I'll start with the most recent.

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.

My house

2007-03-20T17:13:00.000-06:00

I had some requests for more photos of where I live. Eager to please, I´ve uploaded my bedroom along with the dining room and courtyard.

Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one...

2007-03-16T14:59:00.000-06:00

Cell Phones

2007-03-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

Cell phones are actually quite inexpensive and nearly all urbanites have one. You buy the phone for about $30 and pay as you go about 10 cents a minute. Incoming calls are free. No monthly fee. I like the system and wonder if it may catch on in the US.

This photo was a lark. It´s taken at school during a break Everyone was standing around looking at their phones and I couldn´t resist stepping in and pretending to have one too. Hiroshi, the Japanese guy on the left, actually has a phone in his hand but is trying to hide it. I dont think he got the joke. The three other people are teachers at the school, including Linda and Ever, who you may recognize from other photos.

Hiking Photos

2007-03-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

The first is from last weekend. At the time I was terribly lost and put the camera on a rock. The second two are from this weekend climbing La Muela, the Molar, so named because the volcanic rock makes the summit look like a tooth. With me are Kierran, a Canadian, and Ever, his Spanish teacher.

Escuela

2007-03-09T16:47:00.000-06:00

I'm taking Spanish classes 5 days a week with my wonderful teacher Linda. I call her Adrenalinda becuase she is a little hyper. Here's a picture of us at the desk. This is pretty much what my life looks like from 8 am to 1 pm.

Hiking

2007-03-05T16:35:00.000-06:00

I went on two lovely short hikes this weekend. On saturday I climbed the mountain behind my house and took this picture from the top. On Sunday I followed a little road out of town and up another mountian. I was amazed how quickly the city street turned into a quiet country road. Within 15 minutes I was walking thorugh farmland and within an hour I was up in a pine forrest. I wish every city was like that. Quite a lovely weekend and a much needed respite from the cars and pavement.

Hidden Cost of Drug Use

2007-03-05T15:56:00.000-06:00

Drug money from the US funds a narco-trafficing organized crime syndicate in Latin America that is more powerful than most central american governments, with bribes to politicians, judges, seemingly Guatemala´s entire police force, even, perhaps entire political parties.

I didn´t even know there WAS a Latin American mafia. Turns out there not only is one, but it´s our fault.

-----------------------

cnn.com
February 26, 2007
CUILAPA, Guatemala (AP) -- Gunmen stormed a Guatemalan prison and gunned down four jailed police officers in a mafia hit that was aimed at stopping investigators from finding out who ordered the brutal slayings of three Salvadoran politicians and their driver last week...

Life on the streets

2007-02-26T13:04:00.000-06:00

These are Chikys (pronounced Chee-kay). Chiky means crack. Buttery cookies dipped on one side in chocolate, or to borrow the description from the packet "Chocolate enrobed cookies." A packet of these bad boys will set you back 11 cents. I´ve made it through the first week only eating a couple packets, but I fear soon I´ll be saying "No Chiky before noon"

They´re made by the Riviana Pozuelo cookie company, which can only be described as a cartel. I dont know who they are, but somehow they make almost every cookie in Central America and I get the feeling that if I tried to compete with them I´d wind up dead. Their slogan is "Es... muuucha galleta!" which as far as I can tell translates to "It is... veeery cookie!" Maybe it means "God damn we make a lot of cookies." If they made a t-shirt I would buy it.

http://www.pozuelo.com/

When that chain breaks...

2007-02-26T12:25:00.000-06:00

His name is Pinto and everytime I walk through the courtyard he barks at me. No, more precisely, his gullet opens and spews such hellfire abuse from bowel to fangs as befitting the gates of hell. With goat like eyes fixed on my pink throat, and cloven paws tearing uselessly at the pavement, he strains against the chain until standing nearly upright and choking for breath. I fear the day I learn enough Spanish to understand what he´s saying.

He lives in an unseen alcove behind the car. In the narrow courtyard it´s not possible to tell if he´s chained or not until he´s nearly on you. I hear him before I see him, charging from behind the car. I try my best to continue walking calmly, but everytime he takes a few more steps than I expect, gets a little closer than I thought possible, and everytime I jump.

From 2nd City to 2nd City

2007-02-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala´s second largest city, capital of the western highlands, is more commonly known locally by it´s Mayan name Xela (pronounced Shey-luh). On the map above follow the Pan American Highway (yellow line) west from the capital. Sorry if the map is too small. In case you didn´t know, you can always click on the images to view a full size version.

Much smaller than Guatemala city, 300 thousand people to the capital´s 5 million, Xela is clean, orderly and conservative. A mountain town, the temperature drops below freezing or nearly at night, but gets downright hot in the sun during the day. Still, one is comfortable wearing long pants all day and adding a sweater in the mornings and evenings. Personally, I would call the climate ideal if not for the chill dampness in the night. Makes me miss Chicago´s nosebleed dry winters. Well, a little.

As the commercial hub of the mountains, Xela grew to prominence in the coffee boom of the 1800´s. Previously the economy had been focused on growing bananas and other export crops in the lush coastal regions, but coffee needed to be grown in the highlands, and the previously ignored indigenious mountain people became cheap labor for the colonial elite. Xela grew to rival Guatemala City in population, wealth and influence, even briefly declaring independence from 1828-1830, but it was completely devastated by an earthquake in the 1920´s. The city was rebuilt with high expectations, but never regained it´s previous glory.

My guidebook interestingly decribes the city as "vaguely reminiscent of an industrial town in northern England – grey, cool, slightly dour and culturally conservative."

Personally, the city is the perfect size for a 3 month stay. Small enough that I expect to learn it intimately, but full of interest and surprises. It would take over an hour to walk from one end of town to the other, but I expect to mostly concern myself within a half hour of the center. The streets are cobblestoned, often barely wide enough for a car to pass. The sidewalks are only wide enough for one person to walk abreast with constant steps up and down as if every house needs to have a higher sidewalk than the next. I will have to take a picture for you.

Thank you

2007-02-22T13:38:00.000-06:00

Thank you all so much for the comments so far. They mean so much to me.
:)

Mailing Address

2007-02-22T13:31:00.000-06:00

I can receive mail at the organization I work at. I was surprised to hear that they have not had trouble with packages being lost in route.

Entremundos
attn. Peter Schell
6a Calle 7-31, Zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, C.A.

Mi Casa

2007-02-22T13:09:00.000-06:00

The top photo shows the house where I live. The little window with the bars to the left of the door, half hidden by the building in front, is my bedroom. Above the door and to the right, you can see the stairs to the roof where the second photo was taken.

Inside there´s a courtyard that all the rooms open on to, including an upstairs balcony with some lovely flowering vines. There´s beauty in Quetzaltenango, but almost never in the exterior architecture. Even mansions are only non-descript blank walls and an unmarked door when viewed from the street.

There´s almost 10 rooms in total, but I´ve only been in my own, the dining room and the salon. I honestly dont know how many people live there. At mealtimes there´s anywhere from a handful to over a dozen people, half of them children and all related to each other, but I can´t always keep track of exactly how. Everyone is very nice and talks slowly for me.

Terrible Beauty

2007-02-22T12:59:00.000-06:00

As my flight descended into Guatemala City, I could see a river of lava flowing down the side of a volcano, glowing bright red in the predawn darkness, the sharp peak silloueted against the horizon. During the civil war from the 1960´s to 1996, the government was known to drop rebels from helicopters into such volcanos.

Estoy Aqui

2007-02-21T11:28:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog!

I´ll be working and studying in Guatemala for the next 15 weeks. Thank you for visiting. Try leaving me a comment!

Here´s a photo of me in the central square of the city I´ll be living in, Quetzaltenango. Behind me are 2 large banks that do not work.

I left my house in Chicago at 11pm Sunday night for a 2 am flight to Guatemala. After a $20 taxi (negotiate the price before getting in) and 5 hour bus ride, I arrived and settled in with my host family in time for dinner.