Onto Mazunte!

We've spent 8 fun days on the Zipolite beach walking, lounging, reading, tanning (me), playing chess (him). We're moving to the neighboring beach/area, Mazunte. The beach there is packed with beautiful people, hostels, artisan stands and yoga schools. We walked off the main road and discovered a gorgeous private beach- the beach of Marmejita. Wow. There's maybe 5 people there in total and the beach spans for nearly a kilometer.

Tomorrow we move into a beach house in this area owned by a Swiss man. It's just close enough to Mazunte but far enough to have our own space and location. Success! But there's no wifi and no actual electricity (solar panels will provide a little bit of power, yikes). I'll love isolation. I think. Beautiful sunrises. The sound of the ocean. And an empty beach.

Beautiful.

Naked in Mexico?

Our week in Mexico has been splendid. It's Semana Santa meaning the locals are holidaying on the coast as we are. Prices are up. Accommodations are hard to find. Did I mention Zipolite is a nudist beach? Cover up folks because the sun is hot!
We found a great place to stay for pretty cheap given the holiday. For $25 a night we have a full view of the beach, sunrise and sunset.

Checking back in later, until then - Happy Easter!

Learning the Spanish alphabet

Two weeks ago we completes a week of Spanish school in Xela (pronounced Shela). The family we stayed with was so friendly and insisted on only speaking Spanish...all the time. I wasn't convinced that learning the alphabet with my maestra was the way to practice conversational Spanish but I was truly surprised at my improvement after I mastered the abc's. Our school was only a 10 minute walk and close to the central park, a perfect route to discover the city during the day.

Our madre Blanca cooked 3 meals a day for us, her husband Alejandro and her grand daughter Andrea. Oatmeal for breakfast, large portions of traditional Guatemalan dishes for lunch and light dinners. We saved the money we would otherwise spend on going out, food and drinks. Win, win!

Xela is a beautiful somewhat happening city. Much more is available here. I attended a yoga class, we got pedicures, went out for drinks and nice dinners with friends like Nick, Lindsay, Maya and Kris. There's even a man with a trolley filled with candy walking around central park. The pistachios never fail my tastebuds.

As someone told me "Guatemala is the land of close calls" with parts of the mountainous highways destroyed from deforestation, mudslides, bribing military and security officers, overpacked shuttle buses driving 100km/hour and much more. I've been impressed with what Guatemalans can do with so little though. From food to clothes to money. We saw a little boy tie a string in the handles of a plastic bag and run with it. A kite of some sorts. No G.I Joe. No toys. And he's perfectly happy.

So here's to living simply. May we all remember to enjoy the small things that bring us joy. And here's to Guatemala, for opening my eyes to new food, people, culture and beautiful landscapes.

See you in Mexico!

A week at the lake

San Pedro has been a week of fun. Surrounding Lake Atitlan are 12 Mayan villages including San Pedro known for an abundance in Spanish schools, funky bars, early morning treks to Indian Nose, fantastic organic coffee. We enjoyed our week of fun, sun, and drinks with friends from Canada visiting Guatemala. On our third day in, we all took a boat ride over to San Marcos. The waves were huge compared to the boat and I was holding onto my man for dear life. We finally made it to the cliff. It's a 7 meter jump into Lake Atitlan. I looked down from the drop my heart sank. No matter how calm I remained and thought positive thoughts, I couldn't find it in me to do it. I'm almost certain that had I been there alone in the early morning in silence I could have done it. Maybe next time!

Our evenings were filled with great food, cheap beer and fun bars. Even though reconnecting with my man was a priority after being apart for a year, it was fun to spend time with everyone together.

After my stomach flu, I bounced back just in time for the search for Maximon. The local deity Maximon (pronounced "Mashimon") also known as Saint Simon is portrayed as a small statue, funny mustached man with a panama hat no bigger and taller than me (5 feet tall). The whole experience was bizarre- we got off the boat, hired a local to walk us to the location of the statue as it travels from one home to another in Santiago. We walked through a narrow aisle in between homes until we reached our destination...there was no front door only a dark room with millions of candles, 2 shamans chanting and 5 locals gathered around Maximon crying and praying aloud. For a small fee you could purchase Quetzalteca, a local rum and a few cigarets as an offering to Maximon in exchange for a prayer. What he symbolizes still wasn't clear to is. But what I know for sure is that spirituality lives in everyone, everywhere.

Our early morning routine was my fave. A fresh smoothie at Señorita Annita's street stand was just the perfect start to the day. For 9 Quetzals, just under a dollar, you can order a combination of banana, orange, mango, carrot and beet mélange of goodness!

We're already in Xela gearing up for Spanish school. Stay tuned for another post!

Buenos dias!

I made it! After a 10 hours of traveling and 3 flights, I finally made it to the Guatemala Airport in Guatemala city where I was greeted by my boyfriend.

I sip my coffee this morning 6000 feet into the mountains above Antigua. The mist is rising and the heat will set in soon. On Monday we begin Spanish school in Xela and until then I'll enjoy the views, the down time, the love time and get to know Guatemala a little better.

Namaste and love to all

ini mini miny mo, what should stay and what should go?

Packing. How did it all fit?

My central America adventure begins in 4 days and I'm still wondering if the 5 bikinis I packed are too much. I'm paranoid over misplacing and forgetting something so I laid everything out on the floor to process. Just look at it..Bursting at the seams. 

In less than 96 hours I'll be wandering the Mayan highlands in Guatemala, Mexico, and who know where else. As long as I pack my yoga mat, 3 pairs of sandals, some tea (I recently discovered David's tea, yum) and sun screen- let's be serious, I really meant tanning lotion.. then I'll feel like I've got the essentials. Done and done.