Guatemala 2008: Working

In Guatemala it is really common to hire people to work in the house-- cleaning or gardening or whatever is needed. Whenever I would find myself cleaning or cooking or babysitting, I couldn't help but laugh and claim that I was a top-quality worker imported from the US and hired for my English. The pictures are of me killing a dead tree and cooking.

Guatemala 2008: My Family

This semester in Guatemala I lived with a family who worked at the school. Seriously, every member works at the school in one way or another. I had a great time getting to know them. They're always making jokes, so I had to be quick with my Spanish and a learned a lot of Spanish too. This picture is of when we went out to eat to celebrate some birthdays, but it doesn't include the parents.

Guatemala 2008: Semana Santa

This year during Semana Santa (Easter week), I was able to enjoy a couple of days at the Pacific Coast at the beach of Monterrico. It was fun to be able to relax and hang out with people. This is the view of the pool and ocean from the upstairs of the amazing house that I stayed at.

Guatemala 2008: The Mystery

During Semana Santa (Easter week), I went to the beach. Something happened and my friend and I had a horribly rash/burn/reaction. Some say it was from making llimonada and then going out in the sun (we squeezed juice out of over 70 limes). Some say it was a jellyfish-- but I didn't feel anything when swimming. Some say it was a spider. I don't know.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- The River

After exploring the caves we went tubing down the river (after it goes underground and then comes back out). It was relaxing to just sit and float through nature.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- Caves

Near Semuc Champey there are some beautiful caves that you can walk/hike/climb/crawl/jump/swim through. It involves a lot of swimming which makes it impossible for electronics to go through. So everything is by candlelight. Since my camera is waterproof, I was able to get some pictures.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- Waterproof Camera!

So my previous camera-- which took terrific pictures-- broke on every single trip I went on. Frustrated and not wanting to miss any pictures this time in Guatemala, I went to Best Buy and said, what's your strongest camera? I ended up with a beautiful orange camera that actually cost less that what it would have to repair my old one. It's waterproof up to 10 feet deep and drop proof up to 5 feet high. All I have to say is that taking underwater pictures is very fun!

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- Jumping!

Don't tell my mother, but there are many great places to jump from at Semuc. People jump from the falls, from a branch that hangs over one of the pools, from the bridge that is downstream from the pools, from some large rocks that are downstream in the river, and more. Trying to be cautious and adventurous at the same time, I only jumped from a few things. But don't worry, I never hit the bottom, nor got hurt!

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- The Pools

As I mentioned in the last post, above the river that goes underground, the water from the mountains form pools and small waterfalls. The water is an amazing blue-green color and the amount of small falls is spectacular.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- River Goes Under

Semuc Champey is Kekchi for where the river goes under. What happens is that there's a mountain river that goes underground-- forming a very dangerous cave. The land above the cave is limestone and other rock. Above the river/cave, there are many pools and small waterfalls. These pictures are of the rapids before the river goes under and of the entrance where the river goes under.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey-- The Hostel

The hostel we stayed in is called El Portal. It's a terrific hostal that is only two minutes walking away from the park of Semuc Champey. Unfortunately, not too many tourists go there because it's not listed in Lonely Planet. We stayed in a shared room which was beautifully priced at 30Q a night (about $4). The pictures are of our view from our cabin and of the main cabin where you can buy food and drinks and hang out.

Guatemala 2008: Semuc Champey--Intro

There was a Monday that both students and teachers had off from school--taking advantage of the slightly longer weekend, Titus, a fellow student-teacher, and I decided to run away. The next day we found ourselves at Semuc Champey which is a marvelous wonder of nature about two hours North/Northwest of Coban. Semuc Champey is easily my favorite place in Guatemala and therefore I took a lot of pictures. Because of that, I decided to do several separate entries with this one being an introduction. Enjoy!