No Worry of Addition with 8 Cups o Jo

Today I visited my first coffee plantation, just outside Antigua in Jocetenango. One display warned: Coffee can become an addictive substance if you consume more than 8 cups of coffee per day. For my fellow coffee lovers, bottoms up but stop at 8.

As for my Spanish, I really advanced last night when I asked my family´s 10 year old granddaughter, in Spanish, ¨what does purple mean?¨ Smooth move... I quickly followed it up in Spanish with, ah ha, a mix between blue and red. I am really mastering this language now.

I Cannot Carry the Ring, Mr. Frodo, but I Can Carry You.

This is not my group, but my group did roast marshmellows in the lava of Volcàn Pacaya.

When hiking the volcano, my friends and I found it a bit reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. We called to one another amidst the buffs of errupting air and lava, while traversing over beds of black but hot lava rock... ¨I cannot carry the ring, but I can carry you Mr. Frodo.¨

Last weekend I climbed an active volcano. We took a bus for an old US school bus for an hour and a half. At the destination people sold horses to substitute for the hike and children sold sticks for 70 cents or so. My travel mate later said he wished the children would have sold the sticks better. Something like, ¨Really, you want the stick. It´s a difficult climb, slippery and the rocks will cut your hand.¨

The hike was an hour and a half up the volcano. The guides spoke in Spanish. After some time we reached the lava bed at which point we were hiking on dried lava. It is black and sharp to the touch. It´s like climbing on a boulder field but you cannot touch the rocks. Eventually the guides stopped but said we could go as far as we wanted. This is when many people hiked to the point that they could roast marshmellows from the flowing lava.

Flowing lava is a red stream of burning rock. It fell like an avalanche more so than it flowed. This made for an interesting video in the background of my friend roasting a marshmellow. As we hiked down in the dusk, we could see the lava shooting out the top of the volcàn. Magnificent.

Lessons learned:
1--Do not wear sandals when hiking a volcano.
2--Bring bandaids and flashlights when hiking a volcano.
3--On every trip, be prepared with Minnesota jokes and impressive Wisconsin facts (like the number of lakes we boast).
4--3 tacos for $1.20 really hit the spot after hiking a volcano.

I met 3 Wisconsinites, 2 Minnesotans, a kind Israeli who will later send photos, and others. Hurray for temporary best friends- I truly appreciate travelers.

Yesterday it rained much of the day. I met up with old travel friends (old means I knew the person over 12 hours) to pass a day in the splendor of Antigua. We ate deli sandwiches, played pool, watched American films at Cafè 2000, and I attended Spanish mass with my host brother at the famous church off the Parquè Centràl (central park).

For those of you concerned about my black bean and egg intake, I have only been offered the aforementioned at one meal. My host mother's food is worthy of prizes for the rich flavors, variety, and speed.

Back to studying spanish!

Peace Corps Everywhere!

I am now living with a family. I have my own door to come and go from the outside. It is a mother with her grown son who is studying to be a doctor. Yesterday the 3 year old niece ate lunch with us, I did not understand her. While the family does not speak an ounce of english, my spanish is good enough to talk about books, politics, family, where i'm going, when i am hungry, etc. I misunderstood this morning when I showered, thinking my host mom told me to turn the water to medium for hot, but turns out she meant medium was cold, figured that out right at the end of a cold shower. oh well. A good quote from a Guatemalan magazine by an english author - there is an acute accent in spanish.. my wife has acute accent (about author's wife)

peace corps volunteers i have met = 7 and counting

Dia Dos - Antigua

Today I emailed out my new email address with this blog address. If you are new to my blog-o-sphere, let me share its purpose. I am maintaining a blog to share about travels mainly, but while I am in one place I also write about interesting books and music. Blogs are useful tools for sharing about life - while mine is not meant to serve as a journal, it may be more like a journal this summer because I do not have a digital camera to share photos. Enjoy. And, please keep me updated on your life as well!

Back to travels...
This morning after a fruit and bread breakfast I left Guatemala City for Antigua. The local buses cater to all people by having a person yell the route out the door, for those who cannot read the route. This helped me, too. We stopped many times along the way, one time picking up 2 peace corps women about my age who were helping farmers harvest their coffee in a way to produce more profit. All in all, the 1 hour ride for $1 was smooth as could be expected.

Upon exiting the bus I began speaking spanish. There is muchisimo room for improvement, which I will begin tomorrow. I will start a language class here in Antigua tomorrow for 2 weeks, then move to Xela in the mountains. Antigua, I am told-the old capitol of Central America, is a smaller town where rumor has it spanish is more clear to understand. I will judge that in 8 weeks. A second new friend told me he had never met a Wisconsinite outside the state. The only hostile traveler thus far (since I am considering anything anti-Wisco hostile). Otherwise I am seeing the beauty of this town and enjoying cheesy quiche (not unlike the spicy cheese bread at the Madison farmers market). I saw a market with some local goods, like woven blankets, masks, and an assortment of doo-dads. If you want something special, just place your request with me. Also, if you are reading and hoping for a postcard, email me your address!

Bienas Dias

Dia Uno - Guatemala City

Hola Faithful Friends and Family -

Glad you are joining me to climb the Guatemalan mountains in heels this summer. I arrived in Guatemala City this evening and I´m staying at Patricia´s Bed and Breakfast. I am in Guatemala thru Aug. 21. Looking to study spanish, so please excuse the many mistakes that will be written hence forth.

First Spanish phrase uttered = ¿Es Alberto aqui? The answer was no.

Tomorrow I will take a chicken bus to Antigua, a better city for touring for 2 days before I head to Xela for spanish classes. The ride is $1 for 1 hour. The bus is an old American bus, likely, and we can fit way more than 2 people into a seat. I´ll report back mañana.

In case you were wondering, my new friend, a fellow spanish student, just uttered

--I like your Wisconsin accent by the way --

My Wisco-spanish is going to rock the socks of my teachers.

Muchos Amor a tu.