This is most definitely another catch-up post, lo siento. In the last couple of weeks, we hiked some breathtaking mountains around Xela (breathtaking in both the views and the challenging steepness). I am very excited to share our pictures!
The first hike was to see a natural lake formed at the mouth of an ancient volcano. Laguna de Chicabal was much more challenging than I anticipated, as hikes around Charlottesville are pretty respectable. Alas, mountains here don't have the frequent switch backs to create the artifically gentle inclines. We followed a slippery muddy trail straight up the volcanic mountain. Breaks were short and rare as we were not fooled by the cloudless sky and wanted to beat the inevitable afternoon downpour. Triumph was shortlived though we finally cleared the treeline. 500-or-so steep downward steps still remain between us and the laguna.
Oh but Laguna Chicabal was worth every drop of sweat and second of muscle ache. The tranquil beauty of the lake made me forget bustling Xela and appreciate Guatemla. After some time just relaxing by the water, eating delicious banana bread, and shooting the breeze with our group, I dragged the very reluctant Jeff to walk around the lake. Not at all like the romantic stroll you jumped to conclude, this was a completely wild and flooded trail. When I wasn't scared for our lives or calming Jeff down, I saw lots of colorful insects, fungi, and flowers. We also came across many well protected, sacred Mayan ritual sites. We only took 30 minutes to speedwalk, and at times lunge, around the entire laguna.
As we carefully made our way down the mountain (well really it was straight up first then straight down), we came across a man and his two sons, oldest no more than 8, also on their way down... each carrying a large bundle of wood strapped from his forehead down to his back... each also carrying a large machete! The children greeted us cheerfully in excellent English, then continued to RUN down the mountain. For the rest of the hike, we were much more reflective and efficient.
El Baul was another fun experience. This was a much shorter but only slightly less challenging hike very close to Xela that offered an amazing view of the city. We found many families already at the top (they cheated and drove up the other side of the mt.) grilling and enjoying a beautiful Sunday. We also saw many couples necking in the woods... Best part of El Baul has to be this giant slide!
Jon, Sarah, and I a little behind, being much more . . . careful.
Our school organized a trip to Fuentes Georginas one afternoon. We rode on the back of a pick-up truck, in the pouring rain, for nearly two hours. Half of that time, we were actually not moving at all, stuck in a political parade. The other half of that time, our truck maneuvered around landslides and giant holes in the already narrow mountain roads. The 4 of us on the back of the truck did not think we would actually survive the trip. Luckily, the hotspring pools were absolutely beautiful and toasty and oh. so. relaxing. Due to the rain, we only got pictures from the changing room. We definitely enjoyed ourselves there and recommand this excursion to other students.
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