Volcanos, Eathquakes & Avocados - Welcome to Guatemala!

The other morning, I woke up to a loud boom. It wasn't quite a crashing boom, but more of a deep rumbling boom. Perhaps like a bomb might sound. As I was staying in the remote hills of Guatemala, I was pretty sure it wasn't that, so I peeked out of my tent and before my eyes was the source - a huge cloud of black ash from Volcan Fuego spiraling into the bright blue sky. I have to admit, it was beautiful and a smile transformed my face. Me in my lonely tent, on this beautiful slice of heaven in the hills above Antigua, watching nature show Her power. About an hour later during breakfast, I noticed that I had grit all over my body. Then, I saw it...the white and black dust falling from the clear sky. Volcanic ash in my fruit salad. Again, a smile!

About an hour after that, while talking to some new friends around a picnic table we all stopped and looked at each other. "Are you shaking your foot?" "No, are you?" "What is that?" It was an earthquake! A 6.1 magnitude quake (or so my mom tells me) centered not too far from where I was. Amazingly from our mountain perch it was not so dramatic, but again a sign from Mother Nature that she is The Boss. And again, a smile. It's not surprising the the ancient Maya worshipped nature as their God.

Guatemala is beautiful. It's simple and slow like Nepal and Laos, but with a strong Mayan culture backdrop. It's exactly like I remember it, which is exactly why I am back. After a visit over 15 years ago, I swore that I would return in my life and study Spanish. I knew that my time then was too short, and this country deserved a deeper exploration. And, what better excuse is there to do something you've always wanted to do (learn Spanish) in one of your favorite countries?

Back to the volcano: One of my first outings here was to hike the local active volcano. I'm pretty sure this kind of activity would not be encouraged in the states, but I took the bait. I hiked with a group of ten other tourists to the top of Volcán Pacaya (there are about 10 active volcanoes in Guatemala). It was a slow haul up a steep slope, through a dense tropical forest. Close to the top, and now embarking up an even steeper slope through loose volcanic ash (imagine running uphill in loose sand) we arrived at rough, sharp volcanic rocks. In the distance I could see red hot lava slowly making it's way down the mountain. And surrounding the lava? What else but marshmallow roasting tourists! While I thought it was an interesting lunch, I wasn't tempted enough to try it for myself. After a quick visit to within five feet of the flowing cauldron, I decided that my luck had served me and it was time to remove myself from the precarious situation. Climbing back over the same really sharp (and loose!) rocks, I broke out my camera just in time to hear the marshmallow-roasting tourists screaming and trying to run over the very dangerous terrain. I managed to snap one photo before beginning the quick exit myself. The earth had "burped", and sent a huge volume of lava over the top of the cauldron. While I did find humor in it, it was a reminder that sometimes laws are a good thing, since the laws of nature don´t read laws. By the way, the only injuries to the masses were simple flesh wounds.

Back in Antigua, my Spanish school, a recommendation of Marjie is fantastic. I have of class each day with a teacher who speaks exclusively Spanish, and study about four more hours. Since I haven't had any formal instruction in 17 years, my learning curve is about as steep as that volcano. It's one-on-one instruction and we've covered as much in three days as I learned in a year of high school instruction. My teacher Aura is good! And I am working hard to keep up with the lessons, but enjoying every second of it. I will continue to study here for at least another week, but up to four weeks total if I'm still having fun.

Fun for me includes exploring the food, which right now in Guatemala means eating lots of delicous, fresh, juicy mangoes (my favorite!) and perfectly ripe avocados just falling from the trees. I usually am able to incorporate at least one during every meal. Today for lunch it was a spinach salad with mangoes, strawberries, avocado and thin strips of toasted tortillas. Yum!

I am excited to learn more about the Mayan customs, culture and calendar while here in the heart of Mayan country. This is from the Lonely Planet:

"The ancient Maya's astronomical observations and calculations were uncannily accurate. They could pinpoint eclipses, and their Venus cycle erred by only two hours for periods covering 500 years. Time was in fact the basis of the Mayan religion. They believed the current world to be just one of a succession of worlds, each destined to end in cataclysm and be succeeded by another."

Interestingly, their current calendar ends in 2012. I hope to find out more in June when I spend the solstice at a month-long course in Mayan shamanistic studies on the beautiful shores of Lake Atitlan. The sun, the moon and the stars were all critical to their beliefs, so I will look to them for divine guidance!

Is it coincidence that my brand new memory card is not being read by my memory card reader?Yes, I know who´s the boss. Unfortunately, no photos for this post so your imagination will have to do.

Next week I will go to Costa Rica to spend a quick week with Joanie researching and planning for Parsons GoodWorks upcoming fundraising for the turtles. (Send me an email if you would like to be kept on the list to receive more information.)

Besos,

Pam