22 de Junio
Well, it has come to an end, our four weeks of intensive
Spanish courses. Of course we are now highly fluent in a second language. Well
not quite, but we can converse in the essentials, such as ordering food and
beer, bus tickets, and telling the kids on the streets who sell wristbands and
bongo drums that we still don’t want to buy your f***ing stuff.
Yesterday we had a graduation ceremony, where you are
presented with a certificate and you must give a short speech in front of the
teachers and other students, in Spanish, of course. They went well, basically
you tell them the school and teachers are excellent and there are many
beautiful cats in the garden.
The end of classes also means that our time in San Pedro,
and Guatemala has also come to an end. Next stop is San Cristobal, just over
the border in Mexico, where we will begin our two week Mexican journey of tacos
and tequila.
So its time to look back over the past month, and briefly
remember the best and not so best of our experiences.
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| The hotel guests were losing their patience with the bucket showers |
Likes
People. Guatemalans are an extremely friendly
lot and always want to have a chat. A great way to practice Spanish, whether it
be with the tiendadoras (shopkeepers), the local kids who sell popcorn in the
pubs, or the
Our host
family. Thank you for having us and making sure we were getting on ok every
day. Still a daily laugh when they try
to pronounce Kylies name correctly. Four weeks on, and Karen is the closest we
have.
Although we
wont be home for dinner tonight, heard it was eggs and beans.
The Lake. It is stunning. There are few views
in the world to match, especially on a clear day, which admittedly were far and
few between. Best not to head to a place like this in wet season I guess.
The
School. Very
professionally run, with excellent teachers, and views unparalleled to any
school around.
Food. Elsa, our temp mother, cooks a mean
soup every day. Also a shout out to the local restaurants and their extremely
generous portions of comida. The fruit here is also delicious, and the
traditional Mayan curries are outstanding.
Prices. $2-$3 for a litre of beer. $9 for a
giant steak with equally enormous sides, plenty for two. Enough said.
Gringos
and pubs. From Irish
to Italian to American to Scottish, met some fantastic people and had some
brilliant and funny afternoons and nights. Will be sure to keep in contact. It’s
an easy place to come for a little and stay a while. Providing boredom is one
of your hobbies.
Kittens
and puppies. Everywhere
in cafes and gardens. So cute and friendly and no hints of mange or rabies. We
think. Except for that black dog that wanted to have relations with my leg in
class.
Dislikes.
Hippies. Gringo hippies that is. Just have a wash.
Believe it or not, there is hot water here. And they sell soap. Go check it
out. Please. A special mention to the Bone Lady, a South African lady, living
here in a filthy commune in town with other soap dodgers, and whom patrols the
restaurants, and the minute you have licked the last bit of sauce of your pork
rib, she grabs the bones off the plate, shoves them in a bag, and is gone.
Possibly they are for her dog. Possibly
they are being sold as necklaces in the market. Hopefully they are for her dog.
(She is not poor; she is a traveller by the way)
Mosh. It’s a common breakfast staple here. If you
want to make it yourself, just mix vomit with a handful of rocks and add a drop
of battery acid.
Eggs and beans. Huevos y frijoles. Fine when used
sparingly. Not for dinner every night of the week. I guess at least some nights
they were poached, next night scrambled, them omeletted or boiled. So there was
some variety I guess.
We are quite certain that when we get home, we will need to
find an accompaniment to bacon.
Bombas. Locals setting of fireworks by your door at
4am in the morning. Assuming that you were under attack from an air force raid
is not the best way to start the day.
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| Signs. Suggestive |
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| The teddy bear bimbo was popular with all the boys over town, except at quiz nights. |
It now feels like we are finally starting our holiday. The
routine of school every morning at the same time, with set meal times in the
afternoon, didn’t make it feel like we could totally relax. We are looking
forward to Mexico, where we will mix the tradition of places like Oaxaca with
the laid back beaches of the stunning Tulum Caribbean.
If we get there, as we booked a flight via the Aeromexico
airlines website, in Spanish, as it was a fair bit cheaper than booking it on
the English language area. So its either Cancun or Greenland we are heading
too, we aren’t quite sure yet.
Of course, we will keep you posted, as always
Thanks for reading.
Mark y Kylie
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| The no smoking in the mountains rule was never adhered to. |
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