Xela who... The first pass Late Sep to Late Oct

Xela 28 September

I got the early bus to Sacapulos, then on to Huehuetenango. It was nice scenery but the road was damaged from too much rain and sometimes one side of the road was impassable due to landslides. However, did get to see a lot of Indigenous on their way to the market or at the market in passing with the odd photo. Xela Today I arrived in Quetzaltenango, Xela for short, It is Sunday and the place is dead. I check into a hostel called Don Diego, then set to exploring and eating. I tried looking for this Thai restaurant but no luck. However I found "Sabor de India" which was a delicious Indian Restaurant. I spoke to this American chap and he recommended the Blue Angel for movies.
There is something familiar about Xela. I can´t put my finger on it. I watch a movie later and bump into him. I thought I could organise a Spanish school today but everything is closed. Back at the dorm, I met this young German trainee doctor. She is working far up in the hills in a village miles from anything and came to Xela for a bit of RnR. She is having a fascinating time with her patients, who are now used to her. She told us that if someone cant be treated at her clinic, or it is too serious, they have to drive 3hrs or more or get a taxi to the nearest hospital. Most don’t have a car and often that drive is too long. This is especially true for difficult births. She also said the equipment they had was medieval and very limited. It was sad yet the people were incredible.

Monday. I set to investigating all the Spanish schools around. Oh my god! There are so many. I am so confused. I want to go with a Mayan school but it does not feel the best. I give up and try to find walking boots. I search for hours and hours and hours. Nothing. Oh god.
Tuesday. I searched again for walking boots. I have to find some, as walking around in freezing rain in sandals. It is killing me. By Wednesday, I have given up trying to buy hiking boots and invested in a cool pair of boots, red converse look-a-likes. Always wanted a pair so now I have them but what the hell am I to do about hiking boots? But at least I now feel a million times warmer with covered feet. Life is better already.

I make friends with Lori and Joan two pretty cool Americans, who are a few years younger than I. Joan being the baby. We often end up on the single bed in the dorm chatting for hours. I have another great roommate, called John. He has just turned 60 and is probably one of the coolest men I have met. He has been volunteering for 6 months in another town several miles away, teaching. His wife is just as spectacular. She has volunteered to help protect witnesses on their way to trial. There are trials running at the moment on crimes committed during the war etc. Often the witnesses are intimidated by the perpetrators or their associates. However, just having one foreigner present can stop this. Bizarre but… His wife though has had to volunteer for 6 months as there are other things to be done too and often appearing as a witness is traumatic so counseling and helping is part of the job too.

Friday, well I finally found a school, it was recommended to me by an Aussie called Michael, who was here for the weekend, up from another town where he is volunteering for 6 months teaching English. I booked for 5 hours every afternoon for a week.
There is great excitement in Xela at present as it is the month of the Virgin Mary. Stalls have set up in the central park selling food like tacos, corn and poncho, which is a hot fruit punch. Needless to say I have had great fun trying them all.

There are regular processions around town, which involves carrying a life size statue of the virgin with religious walking behind praying and fire crackers being left off behind he procession every 10 minutes or so (they are so loud). What I do like though is that the men carry the statue for a short while, then the women take over. At home it used always be just the men. The cathedral has been decorated with the finest flowers and draped with long swaths of red cloth. It is stunning inside.

This week met some of the other regulars here in the hostel. There is Marco, from Guatemala, an architecture student here in Xela. He is a doll. And a mad Mexican called Pablo, 26. Then there is Francisco, 21, Lette, 17 and Hilda who has 2 kids and seems to be in her late 20s/early 30s all working in the hostel.

At the weekend, I went around town looking at the festivities. In the evenings there are marimba bands and a great party atmosphere.

Sunday 5Oct. Hilda invited Micheal, Pablo and Lori to the celebration of Day of the children in her village. Lori was ill, so I went instead. She took us 3 to the village which took a total of 3 buses which she has to take each time she comes to work. It took about an hour. Then it was onto the church hall, where we listened to the pastor preach. Later, Lette and some of her sisters and loads of school kids put on a show of singing and dancing. It really was lovely. At the end the villagers insisted on feeding us. It was so nice of them and the food was lovely.
That evening, a few came from the hostel on Sunday and we ate together and played table futbol. Hilda one of the staff came too.

Monday. 06 Oct: Started class. I like my teacher but there is no energy in the class. I start to wane about 30 minutes into it, as does she. I think having class in the afternoon is no good. I am learning but she is going over things I have learned but just can’t remember. I need to study more. We had one interesting class though. An ex president had just been arrested in Mexico and it was in the newspaper. He had stolen millions about 10 years ago but had escaped. However, it didn’t appear that he would be handed over anytime soon and if he was the indications were he would get off. Guatemalan politics are soooo corrupt.

Monday. 13Oct: Francisco, Pablo and Marco often end up cooking in a group. Lori joined them first and now I have. The group is growing and sometimes it is smaller.
I went to another school, this time the Mayan school. The class is so much more interesting and there is an energy between us. It also starts in the morning and gives me time to study in the afternoons and do my homework .

Another Mexican called Cesar has joined the hostel group. He is a great cook and has joined the group. Everyone seems to be enamored with him. He is very sociable. The groups for dinner have grown sometimes to 16.

I met this lovely German girl in the hostel and she wanted to go to one of the local indigenous markets in a town called another town called Momostenango.

12October: On Sunday, we got the 8.30 bus and landed in the thick of it. It was heaving with all sorts. A lot of indigenous come to this market and the area is renowned for its blankets and weavings. . I wanted to buy a blanket. However, there weren’t as many as I thought but finally found one I wanted. The lady wanted 200Q for it, but I wanted to offer only 160. She would only go down to 175, so I walked away to think about it. I could find no other so went back. She offered me 160 immediately. So I gave her 165. She was delighted and allowed me to take her photo. She was such a lovely lady. I shoed her the photo and she showed it to her friend and they had a laugh over it. They don’t see many photos of themselves so were well chuffed to see them.

I ended up buying a few other things too elsewhere, like a wall hanging and some scarves.
We ate at a little street vendors and they were delighted with the novelty of serving foreigners. The food was a great homemade soup, a plate of rice, chicken and salad and a cup of coffee. All for approx 10Q. Bargain.

We passed this butchers stall, and the guy behind asked us to take a photo and started posing. It was such a laugh. So we took a photo of the ladies there too and showed them it.
Once we had exhausted the market, we went off in search of the cemetery. It was peaceful place on the top of a hill. The headstones and tombs were a rainbow of colour. We took photos of the cemetery and the pleasant view, then got the bus home.

16October; Loris Birthday, a few of us went shopping for the food in the market etc. and then spent several hours cooking. We we bought a pañeta. Basically this is a paper mache toy see the bear in the foto. It is filled with sweets and the birthday girl/boy has to bash the living daylights out of it, until the sweets are released and scattered to the floor. It was a great party and the Mexicans cooked up a stonking "mole" (Mexican speciality, Meat with Chocolate sauce and spices). Delicious. Later we all went on to a local dive bar.

20Oct. Cesar wanted to go back to Mexico for the day of the dead and to sort some items out so I went along with him as I always wanted to see the day of the dead and thougth it woudl be cool to go with a Native.

I said my goodbyes to the gang in Xela. Hoever, I figured I would be back. I so love Xela.