Suzanne's Mad Adventure

Friday, September 29, 2006

Guatemala from a tourists eye

Guatemala has so many different sides to it culturally, cuisine and geographically. From hilly mountains, indigenous communities and volcanoes in the west; to tropical lush humid flatter lands in the East by the Carribean. During the first week off work I toured around the West, visiting and climbing Volcan Pacaya (an active volcano which last errupted in April this year!!) and had the priviledge of seeing the next volanco, Volcan Fuego, treating me to a mini pyroclastic flow!:).

Then colonial Antigua and spectacular Lago Atitlan, then up into the Mayan highlands where their local Mayan language is the first language spoken (there are 24 native Mayan version languages spoken in different Guatemalan regions), and the bright traditional costumes are worn, sometimes with pom-poms wrapped into the hair. Then the gorgeous aquamarine pools of Semuc-Champey where a swim and a relax were in order. Topped off by the Mayan ruins of Tikal with amazingly high temples and structured buildings, stuck in the middle in jungle. One area in Tikal is dated before Christ whilst the rest date up to 700AD when the Mayan Classic Era collapsed and all Mayan sites were abandoned.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Casa Guatemala - part 6 - leaving party

Photos thanks to Haritz who was sober enough to operate the camera, as well as push people into the river at the end of the night! Photos are of the volunteers at the hotel bar.



A special song once every Wednesday and Saturday night for the volunteers when all of them have to get onto the bar and dance. Easy when there{s only 11 of us image what it would have been like in January when there were 60!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Casa Guatemala - part 5

Back on the numbering scheme again:)

I´ve now left Casa Guatemala although I´ll be back on Saturday for the leaving do of two other volunteers. So here are more photos of the place. The last week wasn´t a normal week as 1) I gained a boyfriend and 2) it was Guatemala´s Independence Day on the 15/9 so the last few days were all the grades competing for various dance, drawing, writing, singing prizes.

At the end of the day the orphanage was an experience which I´m glad I´ve done but which has left me with more unanswered questions for me. I am sad to leave the volunteers, some of the children, the teachers and the location, but it feels right to leave as if its a new start. Next step, finish seeing Guatemala and then head into Mexico....

(photos: some of the children; a kinder village child who went on to win an award; all the contestats for the Nina Monja award; Kinder children dancing; Maria on the catwalk for the Miss Independencia award in the Guatemalan national dress; 1st grade doing a Mauri dance; 5th form in the dance routine competition; 6th form in the same competition; all the children in the playing field singing the 5+ minute long national anthem1; local village kids larking around; the volunteers house (the pig farm is the white building behind it on the right of the photo); the main area of Casa Guatemala (outside the restaurant (on the left) and the girls dormitories (on the right); Shirley- lovely adorable child and a good drawer.)