Fire in the Belly

The trip up the volcano here in San Pedro was a nice little excursion into the countryside of Guatemala. The landscape stands in contrast to the open spaces where we hike in the US in that it was dotted with agricultural crops growing amidst the naturally-occuring plants. We passed through large stretches of coffee trees and then sugar cane on the lower portion of the hike. After ascending up through the agricultural area, we began to climb unrelentingly uphill for the next two hours. There were literally no flat areas until a five minute portion about thirty minutes from the top. The terrain there was a lot like the rain forests of our Pacific Northwest, with all types of algae 

growing along the paths and trees. 

The most remarkable site was a massive cluster of caterpillars on the trunk of a tree next to two slug-like critters. I could not get close enough to check them out more, but their color was a brilliant green. At one break spot, we could not help but feel a little silly slumped in the shade as a man around the age of 55 hunched by with a load of firewood on his back bigger than he was.

What should have been disappointing weather was invigorating for me; the top of the volcano was socked in by a chilly mist that obstructed the view completely. Somehow the cool, damp air made me feel a bit more alive. After journeying back down, some friends joined me at the solar thermal pools for a muscle-relaxing soak. The weather cleared and the hot water was a treat after a series of chilly showers and the exerting exercise. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed some drinks on the terrace of a nearby restaurant where they cook pizza in the belly of the laughing Buddha made of adobe. A bit controversial, but nice ambiance. A girl from California played guitar and sang all of the songs that I know so well. I knew she had to be from San Francisco. This is eco tourism alive and thriving in Guatemala and bringing with it all of the mixed sentiments of a rapidly changing culture and economy.

Tomorrow my housemate and I begin lessons with the local children. Our theme, ¨¡Que Paso en El Lago?¨ (¨What´s going on in the lake?¨ but maybe in broken Spanish) should tie together the themes of geography, mathematics, English, and environmental issues, all in a format that should suit these elementary-aged kids. Our hope is to get them thinking about the relationship that they have with the travelers coming here, their natural environment, and their traditional Mayan heritage. We are shooting in the dark, not knowing what level math they have, how much they know about the geography of the globe, their control of English or what they have already learned about the natural world in school or at home. That is not even the most unnerving part though... it´s that it all has to take place in Spanish. Ahhh....! I´ll report back soon!