Tuesday, December 27, 2005

“Merry Christmas everyone Happy Holidays y’all” to quote a little Robert Earl Keen. Alright alright I just got back from a little Christmas trip in Guatemala with some Peace Corps buddies. First off we spent a couple of days in Antigua, a very cool backpacker town. It is a crazy mix of highland culture and Spanish Colonialism with some strong contemporary influences thrown in as well. You could visit huge colonial churches and markets full of textiles and then grab a cappuccino and sushi for lunch (I didn’t of course I’m friggin poor and living on a volunteer’s budget). We stayed for a couple of bucks a night in dorm style rooms with a live bands playing in bar above our heads at night. A real bummer trying to catch winks sometimes but who needs winks when you’re on the move? Actually I do, I’m getting older and I complain more down here. This place was a backpacker Mecca of sorts and it was a little strange to see so many white faces after being in Honduras for so long, it was also strange to have some diversity in the meal choices and not have to cut the steaks with a saw. In Honduras the steaks have the consistency of shoe leather. While in Antigua, we hiked up Pacaya, an active volcano outside of the city. It started off as a pretty cool hike for the first hour and a half or so but Dawn, another volunteer, and I wore sandals and the last 30 minutes of the hike was up a steep, vegetation free, basalt slope. Man, you talk about exfoliation on the feet, it was like walking on sandpaper and glass, not to mention the fact that it was take one step slide back three the whole way. But the view at the top was well worth it. I guess you can see lava at the top sometimes but the fumes were bad and the gasses were hot so we didn’t see any. After that we went to Lake Atitlan, a huge volcanic lake. We took a ferry across to Santiago, a small village across the lake, to spend Christmas Eve. While there, we walked around, visited a local deity, and shopped a little. At night the town erupted with fireworks, our hotel shook and it seemed as if we were in a war zone. Burnt out artillery showered our roof well into the morning and it sounded like an Idaho hail storm. In the morning we headed back across to Panajachel and did a little swimming in the lake. After that it was pretty much straight buses, trucks, and vans all the way home. On the last stretch our bus started smoking so the driver pulled over and they poured some water in the radiator and on the engine, a couple of miles down the road she seized up completely. We jumped off and flagged the first passing truck and it just so happened to have a coffin and a shovel in the bed. It was a bit strange sharing the last portion of our trip with the dead but when the bus breaks down beggars can’t be choosers. Some other folks have some better pictures than me so I’ll try and throw on some more a little later. Hope you like these, Feliz Año nuevo. Joe
Here’s a shot on a crowded bus between La Entrada and Copan Ruinas, its all asses and armpits will people standing in the aisles and leaning on you or worse. The picture really doesn’t do it justice so you’re all going to have to come down and see for yourselves.
Downtown Antigua, Guatemala with Vulcan de Agua in the background

Joe vs. the volcano
Dawn and Emile getting ready to climb the last leg of the hike up Pacaya, an active volcano.
Here's a shot of lake Atitlan from Santiago on Christmas morning.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Hey folks, I’m getting better and better at this. I’ve had a busy week outside of Cruz Alta. My training group headed down to Tegucigalpa for a 4 day training session and reconnect. Learned some interesting things about coffee quality, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), tree planting…… all it all it was a good time and a good chance to see everyone and catch up on the goings on since we graduated. In Cruz Alta we just finished our last group of tests for the school year. It was a wicked couple of days of review sessions and testing but we got ‘er done. Now I’ve got a pretty good stack to grade and turn in the papers so my students can get their certificates. I also took an awesome trip to my community’s watershed and potable water source with a local irrigation group. We had to go up and clean out the tanks which involved wading up to our waists (actually my waist it the water was up to the average Honduran’s neck ) in cold spring water and using shovels, hoes, and hands to clear out silt deposits in the tanks. So for those who think that I’m on a two-year vacation, well you’re right but things are happening and we’re getting stuff done. Also we’re gearing up for the holiday season it is a major bummer to be away from family and friends but I’m making the best of it. I’m heading out for Guatemala for in a week to check out Antigua and hike to some volcanic lakes. I’m not sure if Santa will be able to keep tabs on me but my parents seem to be doing a pretty good job, so I’m getting my holiday greed itch scratched as well as my holiday sweet tooth taken care of, the only thing really missing is Michael Bolton and surprisingly I’m doing fine without. I really want to throw on some more photos but my computer is bogging down right now. Instant messaging is huge down here and there’s nothing that Honduran teenagers love more than spending hours IMing people that are sitting right next to them. So you guys are only going to get one pic of the stream leading into Camaparas, my water source. Alright guys, yesterday was my four month anniversary as a PCV and I’m closing in on 7 months in country one sixth of the way through but who’s counting. Happy Holidays
Love
Joe

Sunday, December 04, 2005

This is the view looking down on my house. My house is the one on the far right. Mt. Puca, Honduras’ second highest mountain, is in the background. I can also see Celaque, the highest mountain in Honduras from my house. It has been an amazing week up in my site, we just finished up the school year for seventh and eighth grade and now I’ve got a bunch of paperwork to fill out so everyone can graduate. It has been nothing but clear skies and gorgeous days this week. For the past month or so the weather has been cold and cloudy due to the hurricanes.

This is Kari in the back of a truck full of Hondurans on the way back from my site. Kari was awesome at picking up jalons (rides). We hitched a ride out to my site in the back of a gravel truck after waiting about 5 minutes. Two weeks ago I waited on the road for almost 3 hours and ended up taking a bus anyway. I guess it pays to be pretty and blonde instead of scruffy and well….dirty.



This is our turkey. She’s feeling a little tipsy at this point; the Peace Corps tradition is to get the turkey drunk on guaro (a cheap Honduran liquor made from corn) before making dinner out of it. I guess it is more humane and I’m told it makes the turkey taste better, who knows.
Alright, here’s the aftermath of the turkey killin, and we’re nearing the final product now, notice the scrawny little body and the Psycho-like blood spatters on the shower walls. Twisted man, twisted.