Second Sneak Peak: Guatemala... still collecting stories

Well, I have been on chicken buses for days now, going from town to town almost non-stop. I have not had the time to even select pictures, leave alone post my notes. I am really tired, but it all has been worth the effort. A small summary will do for now, while I put myself together.

Tip of the day: Just like I am a Tico, from Costa Rica, people here are referred as Chapin, from Guatemala.

Guatemala is a country of contrasts, from the mountains in the western regions to the low lands in the east. The most obvious are the mix of cultures and the natural settings.

Some Maya indigenous live in the cities together with the ladinos, and most of them come down from their villages in the mountains to make a living selling their Telas and foods. Then there are the Garifunas, a group of people with African mixed roots. They speak their own language, and have a distinctive way of live, typical of the Caribbean populations, but in a unique way, also typical of the different Caribbean groups around the Central American region.

The Cuchumatanes mountains - the tallest mountain chain in Central America - are very cold and covered with pine trees. An 8-to-12-hour crazy bus ride gets you to the hot and humid regions of the Caribbean and Peten, where Tikal is, in a flatter area covered by forests with a totally different type of vegetation. The views from the bus window are dramatic going from one region to the next.

All the places I visited include the colonial town of Antigua; the second largest Guatemalan city of Xela; the farmland Mayan villages of Zunil, Almolonga, and San Andres Xeluc; the commercial towns of Chichicastenango, Santa Cruz de Quiche, and Huehuetenango; the traditional (and some of them very isolated) villages of Todos los Santos, Nebaj, Cocop, and Acul along the Cuchumatanes Mountains; beautiful natural settings in Coban, Lanquin, Semuc Champey, Rio Dulce, Siete Altares and Flores; the Garifuna region of Livingston in the Caribbean; the ancient Mayan city of Tikal.

In Guatemala I learned a lot about the Mayan culture, history and food, as well as some aspects of the way of life of many Mayan groups, and the 36-year civil war. I also "tried" to weave, and although I didn't finish a project, I did get the idea of how this beautiful art is done, unique in Guatemala. I also partied in Antigua, Xela, and Huehuetenango with some good Guatemalan friends, international volunteers, and "die Deutsche" and the Dutch whom I am very greatful to for taking me around and showing me how it is done the Chapin and the Chapin-wanna-be ways.

Next is Belize. From what I have read and heard from other travelers, Belize has the second largest coral reef in the world, a vibrant Garifuna lifestyle, and Mayan villages and ruins. I should be able to find the time to write and post pictures while I am there. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

Sneak Peak: Guatemala, land of the Maya

I am now in Guatemala for three weeks. This is the fourth country I visit in Central America during this trip. I first arrived in Antigua, one of the most colonial towns.  There are lots of churches and buildings dating from the time of the conquest.

It has been only one week, and now am realizing how much I have seen. Each city and town has something special and unique. After Antigua, I visited Lago Atitlan and then came to Quetzaltenango, or as the locals prefer to call it, Xela (shell-ah). My next stop will be Todos los Santos, a small village up in the mountains and north of Huehuetenango, where the rural and Mayan life are dominant.

All around, there's a mix of urban and rural areas, with lots of contrast in the way of life and the scenary. Every where I go I see mountains, lakes, farmland, colonial towns, small villages, busy and crowded streets in urban areas, colorful markets and indigenous wearing traditional clothings in rural towns. Yes, there is much to do and see in this country.

This time of the year is Holy Week, when Catholic celebrations take place all over Guate. Antigua has the biggest and most colorful processions, and tens of thousands of people come from all over the country and the world to see them. I saw the procession of San Bartolome last Sunday, and the streets were packed and beautifully decorated with carpets made of flowers, grass and seeds. The biggest one will be on the last weekend, when even bigger crowds are expected to clog the streets. This week I was lucky to see the Procession of La Virgen del Dolor in San Andres Xecul, where Indigenous women carried the wooden image on their shoulders in front of a really colorful church.

I have another two weeks in Guatemala, and the more I try to make a large scale plan, the more confused I get. I just have to remind myself that it works best for me to plan one to two days at a time for better results. There are many things to see here, and it is a matter of chosing the right routes and staying open to the unexpected. This is not like working at Citibank. Thank Buddah for that!!!

My ESL and Bartending experience

Casa Xalteva

I taught ESL classes at Casa Xalteva during the mornings, twice a week. The school also teaches Spanish and administers other social programs in benefit of the community in Granada. The staff is a group of hard working people, and very happy to assist students, and volunteers. Once, Juan Carlos, one of the admins invited me for lunch at his house. The food was good, and I was very appreciative of his kind gesture.

At first, I had three students. Working with them was very nice, they really knew their stuff and were very enthusiastic about learning. We played word games, and the favorite one was hang man. with nouns, adjectives, and full sentences in different tenses. I think they lost only once or twice. They were also good at keeping me on track. I am not so good at coming up with games, so they helped me out. As usual, the teacher also learns from the students, and this makes the studying experience even better.

On my last two days I had a bigger group of students. One of their favorite activities was when we went across the world with Google Earth. I showed them pictures mostly of different countries and how to say their names. They were particularly interested in Asian and African countries, and I also found out they were fans of Derek Jeter. Also, some of them thought other countries were copying the names of cities and buildings in Nicaragua, starting with Granada and Leon in Spain. That was funny! On the day I left, I got a t-shirt with the logo of the school, and well, you can see the picture of it at the school lobby.

Quinta Los Chavalos, BNH School

In the afternoons, I went to teach at Quinta los Chavalos four times a week. The school is next to the lake in the neighberhood of Vista del Lago. Lots of kids from all school ages come here before and after their classes. In Nicaragua, at least in this region, classes for the first, second and third grades are held in the morning, and for other grades up to sixth are in the afternoon. So, the children come here during their free time.

In the same classroom, I had 8 and sometimes 10 children from different ages and grades. It was similar in Casa Xalteva, but here I had more students, so the differences were more evident. It was challenging to come up with lesson plans that would fit each student needs, but I managed. In real school classrooms, this is very common and even more challenging for teachers, especially with groups of 35 or 40. I was told that many children don't have books and other school materials, they rely on notes from the blackboard, and are often charged for work sheets, including exams at 10 cordobas each.

My students were able to write sentences with minor mistakes. Yet, they often didn't know the meaning of what they were writing. At first I had the idea I would teach them grammar and pronunciation in the way I had learned it when I studied for the TESL. Often, it is very effective to make the classroom an English friendly environment, and avoid the local language at all cost. But some formulas cannot be applied to everything equally.

After a few trials, I found a better way to help them out. I realized they needed more help with concepts. With this in mind, I changed the strategy and focused more on teaching them concepts and the logic of sentence structures. For example, they didn't have a clear understaning of verbs in the present tense for the third person (he works, she studies), demonstrative pronouns (this, that), adjective and nouns, and phrasal verbs (hold on, get up, etc). We spent a good deal of time studying this. In the process, they also learned some idiomatic expressions and greetings, which was fun. This was very effective because they were getting it, and I was extremely satisfied with that.

All my students from both schools were great. They really wanted to learn, and they also taught me many things. At their age, children can be silly, playful, always tyring to outsmart the teacher. Some of them are too hipper to pay attention in class, and others are too shy to participate. Sometimes they don't seem to know the right answer, but very often they do, it is just that they are afraid of making a mistake. In these cases what they need is constant encouragement, lots of patience, and the right words to give them confidence. At first I had some difficulties managing the classs since I had not done this in more than 11 years. Little by little I improved, and it was all thanks to them.

Teaching is defenitely a rewarding way to helping others find their way in life, on their own terms and with their own dreams. Jose, a 12-years-old sixth grader wants to learn English so we can work at a hotel some day. I wanted to learn English and travel some day when I was his age and living under similar circumstances as he does now. You do the math.

If you have an interest in helping Building New Hope with a donation or with volunteer work, or just to learn more about what they do, please visit their website for all the info you need by clicking on the link. The main contact in Granada is Donna Tabor. Her e-mail is in the website under contacts.

Barkeeper at the Bearded Monkey

Turned out, I am a good barkeeper. First day I got trained by Eric, a goodfella from New Orleans. Then came cara mia Roberta and mi amigo David. The four fantastic at the Monkey! For ten days, being behind the bar was a great working and social experience. I met more people in this time than in five months all together. Also, I learned to prepare Macua, the Nicaraguan mixed drink, which has the national rum Flor de Caña, OJ, guayaba (guava) juice, all in the blender with ice. Mauricio, Dennis and Cynthia approved my version of the Nicaraguan drink, which in turn was my official blessing. Cheers Mates!

Each night was different. Sometimes, when the bar was slow, I played some salsa and bachata, and had some dancing. Other nights were extremely busy, full bar and tables, and played heavy metal.... those busy nights were really good. Once I made close to 5K cordobas in sells and 600 in tips, equivalent to $220 and $27. Seems little to NY standards, but it's quite a good sell at a hostal in Granada at this time of the year.

The experience of working at a bar in a hostel is unmatched, particularly at the Bearded Monkey. I heard all kinds of stories, met lots of interesting and not so interesting people, and got to know about other places to travel I had not considered. Also, it is fun to see people getting drunk and the incredible things they do and say. The pace can be very fast and demanding, but extremely rewarding as well. And of course, I had great bosses and a team of coworkers I wish I could always have. They were the best of the best, with me, each other and the guests.

People, this is a great way to finance your staying while traveling, meeting people, and doing something really fun. This is not work, this is a mojo!

Photo album this week

• ESL & Bartending in Nicaragua

Leon & Ometepe Island

Firs of all, I adjusted the comments feature. Now, it should be very simple to post a comment without signing up to anything.


Leon

Leon is traditionally the rival of Granada. Before Managua was set as the capital, these two cities faught for that right. Granada is considered to be liberal, and Leon to be conservative. Their rivalry goes far, even into the mid 1800's. In 1856, the leaders of Leon hired Willam Walker (US) to bring his army and conquer Granada for them. As it turned out, he took the entire country and proclaimed himself President.

Leon is a very busy city and really hot, much more than Granada. There are many important universities here, and lots of old and really beautiful churches and cathedrals. Students hang out by the park or near the UNAN to drink a fruit juice and chat. There is also a good share of colonial buildings and the local live is very evident here. Less touristy than Granada, it is a place with constant movement, loud streets, a heavier traffic, and some streets are not as clean.

One of the best activities here is to walk around and see the murals. They tell you the story of a revolution that took the lives of thousands of people, and severely damaged the country's economy. Most of them are near the central park, and around and inside the universities. Perhaps, a walk in the morning and late afternoon are the best, as the heat of mid day is unbearable. Like in Cuba (as I imagine), the important people in the murals are Nicaraguans who participated in the Nicaraguan Revolution, many of them considered martyrs.

Night life here is good, and close to the center of town. Most people suggest a visit to Don Señor, where locals go to dance Salsa and other Latin rhythms. I went with the best German dancer, Jana, and except for the two of us, there were no other foriegners there. There are other spots at La Zona Rosa, a strip near the central park. Since there are not as many tourists here, it is easier to hang out with the locals.

I also went to las Peñitas beach, about one hour west. The beach is very local and there are lots of places to eat along the shore. It is mostly popular among travelers as a surfing spot. I didn't see anyone surfing, but maybe it was only on that day. What I did notice is that there were only five other foriegners, including us. It is not as nice as the beaches near San Juan del Sur, but is a good spot in front of the beach to have some fruit and sleep on the hammock.


Volcano Boarding


Picture from the Big Foot website



Something really cool to do here is sliding down the slope of Cerro Negro.  I am still waiting for my own pictures to prove I did it, so in the meantime I am posting one that is not mine and that I found on the Big Foot website.

Getting there took two hours in one of the bumpiest roads I have been on. There are lots of small shacks, and children came out running behind the bus to say hi. In front of us, hills of a brownish color and in the middle a black mountain. The terrain closer to the volcano looks like Mars. It was like watching planet Earth on the making. Off the hook people!

Cerro Negro is the youngest volcano in Central America since 1850. It has erupted 23 times, making it the most active in the world. Luckly for us it was not in one of those days. Getting up took one hour, and getting down was 40 seconds at 47 km / hr, a total disgrace for my expectations. One of the girls hit 66, and the unbeatable record is set at 82! Well, it was a beat up to our back bones, but our mojitos were waiting for us back in the hostel. Thanks guys!!


Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua

What makes this island impressive is the two volcanos. Conception and Madera are amazing from the distance and the nature here is practically unspoiled. My best advice is to stay in Moyogalpa as your base, and rent a motorcyle to explore the island in two days. I didn't follow my own advice, but many others did, and now I am telling you... do it!

One way to climb Madera Volcano (1,361 mts / 4,083 ft) is by hiking the slope over dry land. It takes about 3 hours going up, and the higher it gets, the more muddy and rough the terrain is. The local recommendation is to go with a guide as there aren't well marked trails and it is easy to get lost. Some people just go on their own from early in the morning. Besides, how lost can anyone get going up or down anyway??? One thing, though, there are lots of farm lands, random dirt roads, and bearly anyone around to ask. So...

The other way to go up is through the San Ramon river. This place is not in the maps or in the Lonely Planet for that matter (if it is, please correct me). On the first night I stayed at Finca Ecologica el Zopilote. Everything here is organic and ecology friendly, and is a great spot for a relax time - just doing absolutely nothing, read an entire book, or learn how to prepare organic bread and other foods. Here, I got directions to the river, which were 100% accurate, thank God! The must important thing in the directions was to follow a ditch for a new water pipe almost the entire way. So, when in doubt, always follow the pipe!

Going up through the river is quite fun. I went with Ergwan, a French guy and it took us about two hours just to get to the river and another two hours to climb the canyon. On our way up, we had an amazing view of Conception Volcano and the beaches around it. Little by little, the environment changed dramatically every few hundred meters. There are fields of lava rocks, corn, coffee, and bananas; then there is the dry forest and canals of dry rivers. Also, we had a group of Magpie Blue Jays leading the way. They are locally called Urracas.

Once in the canyon, there are lots of waterfalls, and climbing them without equipment was hard and exciting. The waterfalls are not particularly impressive, but the adventure was well worth the effort. The higher we were, the more diffifult it was to climb. Others had done it before, and left rocks and large branches of trees to use as ladders. Then, we found a really tall wall, maybe 20 ft high. It was a mix of mud and rocks, and we could not trust it, and so decided to stop going up. The top of the volcano was right there, but the chances of breaking a leg and wait for more than a day to being rescued were too high. It was a great experiece, thought, and considering I have no experience doing this, the entire trip went quite well.

Hospedaje Central, a.k.a Indio Viejo is a good place to stay at. During the time I was here, there was a large group of French and French Canadians. I think I learned some after all. Across the street from it there is a restaurant with organic food and run by a group of women from France and Quebec. There are a few bars nearby, and a dance club just around the corner. The web address to the hostel is http://hostelometepe.com/.

The island is nice, and again, to really get a feeling of it, rent a motorcycle!

Ah! To stay in Leon, I recommend Big Foot. It is cheap, nice installations, and across the street there is Via Via, another nice hostal with a very busy bar.


Photo album today

• Leon & Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Masaya and around

Masaya is another town north of Granada. It has some colonial character and is less touristy, which by all means makes it very local. Some houses are extremely old, and while some of them are falling apart, there are families who live in them. Since it is very hot in this area, people often keep their doors open and some like to take their mesedorasi out and have a chat with family and friends passing by.

The Central Market is huge, very lively, and near an extremely dusty and chaotic bus station. Inside is loud and has small and dark alleys leading apparetely nowhere. One of the two handcraft markets is here too, packed with colorful paintings of villages and women, Gueguense dolls, and all kinds of decorations. The new handcraft market, which is a few blocks away, is interesting as well. They have stuffed iguanas and caimans, and baskets made out of practically an entire han - very creepy.

The churches nearby are small and colorful. I particularly liked San Miguel, a very simple church with a few images of saints and a very large bleeding Jesus. It is painted in yellow inside and outside, and adorned by white fabric falling from the ceiling. The other one I liked is Iglesia de la Merced, a large orange church in front of the the Central Park and surrounded by small cafe stands.

Not too far from Masaya there is Forte de Coyotepe. It is an excellent view point where you can see Lake Apoyo, Mombacho and Masaya volcanos, and of course Masaya. At first it was built as a fort to protect the city of Masaya. Then, during the Somoza regime, it was used as a political prision. Many Sandinistas and anyone opposed to the regime were jailed and turtored for years in this place. At times, 20 to 40 people would be jailed in a tiny space, with no bathroom and no natural light. There are writings on the walls from the prisoners, one of them saying "I want to die". When the Sandinistas won the civil war in the 80's, they did the same to the Somozistas and others agains the new regime. This place gives anyone the creeps, and it is very sad to think what happened here.

It was a very interesting experience for me to be here. I have met lots of Nicaraguans in Costa Rica who come from Masaya. Being here I got a better idea of where they come from, which is a really good thing.


Photo album this week

• Masaya & Coyotepe

Granada Is Here!

Granada is one of the first cities founded by the Spanish in the early 1500's. Three centuries later, William Walker from the USA came and burned down the city in the 1800's. It then was rebuilt and today maintains a colonial town feeling in the downtown area.

I enjoyed it here every single day. I made great friends, enjoyed my chance to be the ruler at the bar, learned a lot from teaching children, had the opportunity to help people who need it the most, and walked around one of the most beautiful towns in all Central America.


Granada

The local flavor in Granada makes it be one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my travels. The town is hot but there is a nice breeze; old houses and parks are colorful; the market is very lively every day, particularly on Sunday morning before mass; the "chicken" buses are as local and random as it can get; people remind me that the San Juan River is Nicaraguan whenever they get a chance; the Baho and Vigoron with Jamaica juice for dinner and before going to dance Salsa are tasty; and the hidden bars in the back of someone's patio are a must.

I got busy since day one. I was a bartender at the hostel where I stayed at, the Bearded Monkey, and volunteered as an ESL tutor in two schools, Casa Xalteva and Quinta los Chavalos (BNH). During my free time I walked or biked around Granada, met lots of people from all over the world and hung out with the locals. The town has been developing to attract tourism in the last few years, and the plans seem to be working. This place is full of foriegners, yet, it is still very local and doesn't feel so touristy. There are travelers from all over world here, but when in doubt the assumption is that a traveler = a gringo.

I enjoyed visiting the Municipal Market near the bus station and see an ocean of people strolling down the streets. There is no space to walk on the side walks since they have been taken up by vendors offering fruits, quesillo, watch-repair tables, shoes, illegal copies of the latest movies and music albums, and much more. So, one has to walk on the street, next to the chicken buses that go slow to avoid bikers and horses pulling carts with people or baskets filled with fruits and other goods.

The market inside is large and loud. There isn´t a main entrance, so to get in one goes through food stands to find the hidden doors to the market. Here, one can find Pinol de Iguana (Iguana meat in corn soup), and Moronga (black rice wrapped in pork skin), two traditional Nicaraguan foods that I think are very tasty. There is the butcher area, which is not very good looking, and requires a stong stomach while passing by. Then there is the shoes section, which is probably the least active area in the market because it is very dark and quite. Other areas include the regular flower, fruit, vegetables, food, drink and all-you-need stands. 

Calle el Yo-Yo is a small alley that goes from what seems to be the front of the market to the bus station going to towns north of Granada. This street is less than 100 meters long, and the people who live here seem to be very poor. I stopped by to buy some candy from a family standing in front of their home. They had the Sandinista and Nicaraguan flags decorating the front wall outside, and said to be very happy with Daniel Ortega and are convinced he is the best option for the poor to a better live. They also took the opportunity to remind me that the San Juan River is Nicaraguan and not Costa Rican, which has a been a repetitive situation since I came.

The FSLN (the Sandinista Front for National Liberation) is the current ruling party, and the autodenomidated defender of the Revolution. Everywhere I went in Nicaragua, there were flags and posters for the coming elections, all in favor of the FSLN. There are other five parties with candidates too, but it is not common to see anything about them. Depending on who you ask, people will give different answers on what they think about the political environment. In this regards, I organized a discussion group in conjunction with the Bearded Monkey Hostal and Building New Hope to talk about the Nicaraguan revolution and the current political issues. Our special guest was Elvis Hernandez, a veteran of the Sandinista and Contra wars, who shared his knowledge in a very neutral manner and put historical facts in context. I will post the interview in a few days.

Granada is becoming a very important point for tourism, and although changes are evident, there is still much poverty here. It is common for children to approach tables at restaurants and ask patrons to give them food or money. People are advised not to give anything, no matter what the story is in order to stop encouraring children from begging as they sometimes are not that poor. Downtown Granada feels very safe, even late at night. It also has some not so safe areas, but those are further away from the center.

The Central Park is a very nice and active place. I liked going there to have a cup of coffee, see people passing by, sellers of food and sunglasses coming to the tables, listen to street music, and the horsecarriges. During the day the park is a great place for families, a cup of coffee or a Jamaica juice and Vigoron, another Nicaraguan dish made of boild yuca, pickled cabbage and tomato, and pork meat served in a banana leave. However, and although not very common, young teenagers sometimes hang out in groups sniffing on shoe glue.  At night it gets very quite and dark, and it is common to see prostutites soliciting. One has to cross this park to go to Calle La Calzada, a.k.a. the Tourists Street where there are lots of bars, restaurants, and live music on weekends.

There are many things to do in Granada. The tour to the islands is one of them. I went with Mauricio, one of the local guides. There are over 365 islands near Granada, one island per day exept every four years. We stopped by a tiny island with Spider and White Face monkeys. They are were brought in there for tourist to see, and live in the island freely, although there is not much space to move around as they are accostumed to.


Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

Another good trip is a hike at the top of the Mombacho Volcano. The islands in the lake were formed by volcanic material from an eruption 15,000 years ago. That is why Mombacho is also called the mother of the islands. At the top is very nice and there are amazing views of Granada, Lake Nicaragua and the islands, Lake Apoyo, Masaya Volcano, part of the Zapatera and Ometepe Islands, and a bit of the Pacific Ocean and Lake Managua. Getting up there can take 3 hours on a very steep paved road, or take an army truck for $12 round trip, plus the guided tour which can be between $15 and $20 per group depending on the route.

Lagune Apoyo is not too far from Granada, but is not easy to get there, either. Many people choose to take the 2 hour hike on a paved road, but taxis are only $3 or less, so why not. Around the lagune there are plenty of cabins and places that offer kayaks. One can also find snorkeling equipment, but the water is too dark and deep to see anything. The water is warm and the waves are constant, mostly because of the air that gets trapped inside of what seems to be a bowl of mountains, resulting in strong winds. This is a good place to just come and relax, have lunch and a nice cold beer. Or, when there is just nothing else to do, carve an assassine bad ass pineapple!


I trully enjoyed my staying in Granada

My work with the children at Casa Xalteva and Quinta Los Chavalos was an amazing learning experience. We all learned a lot from one another, and it was hard for me to say good bye on the last day.  All the children were great, and Jose in particular was a special kid because he reminded me of myself when I was his age. He is thirteen, on 7th grade, and extremely hipperactive. At first, he would talk to another one of his classmates or just do some drawings on his notebook instead of paying attention in class. A few days later, he started to participate more in the lesson activities, and towards the end, he was always eager to give the answer, which was 90% of the time right, and happy to correct his pronounciation. On the last day, he told me he would like to learn more English and work at a hotel someday.

My volunteer experience at the garbash dumps in Granada and Managua was real eye opener for me and many others, locals and foreigners who came to help. It was hard to see how some people live, surrounded by garbash, breathing toxic fumes, some of them walking bearfoot, and drinking very little water when the temperatures were as high as 36 celcious. It was hard to see the children being extremely dirty, some of them very skinny, and yet, able to smile and play like any other child. I want to do some more work and be exposed to more of these experiences. One can only understand the hardships that some people go through by being there with them and asking them directly. When I return to the labor force, I hope to be able to continue getting involved in similar projects. One big lesson I learned is that giving donations is good to satisfy an immediate need, but showing that you care is what really makes the biggest differences. Thanks for the opportunity Amy!

Working as a bartender at the Bearded Monkey was one of my very best experiences in my "professional" career. I had never done it, and from the first day I felt I owned the bar. Yeah, I was the liquor-keeper! From behind the bar, I heard lots of interesting and crazy stories, and learned a lot about other places I could later visit. I also made really good friends and traveled with them to several places around Nicaragua. I also took care of Matilda, the very famous fat cat that is always on one of the hammocks. Being a bartender (or barkeeper as the Germans would say) felt right and confortable, and if anything, I think this is a good career option for some time while I decide what I want to do when I grow up....


In short, I loved living in Granada for four weeks.


Photo albums this week

• Granada, Nicaragua

I will include captions later in my trip for this album, and also add some more photos. In this trip I also visited Masaya, Ometepe Island, and Leon, for which I will be posting my comments a little later. I am now getting ready to travel to Guatemala!!

Also, some of you have told me to have some problems posting comments in my blog. Seems to be you would need to sign up to be a member, but I think there is a way of skipping that step. I am gonna take a look and let you know later.