Xela

We arrived in Xela (Mayan name for the town Quetzaltenango) on Friday evening after two wonderful nights at the Marriott. We thought we´d splurge for a first class bus ($2 more than the chicken bus) since it was a 5 hour ride and this way we wouldn´t have to change buses. We stayed in hostals for the first two nights and walked around a lot over the weekend. Xela has 4 major markets, we visited 2 of them on Saturday. One of them reminded me a lot of the markets in India (like in Santa Cruz West) becuase they´re selling fruits and veggies in stalls and on the ground, as well as clothes, plates, socks, toothpaste and all sorts of stuff. At the other market, we tried a drink, called Ponche, that was hot water with pieces of fruit and a little liquor, not great, but not bad.

Xela is the 2nd largest city in Guatemala, but it is relatively easy to walk around. (The only major problem being the pollution! Black clouds going into nostrils has got to be bad news.) We started classes at ICA on Monday. Both our teachers are young, still in university, a lot different from the school in Antigua. So far, we are enjoying these teacher and the teaching style more.

We are staying with an awesome family, super friendly and super talkative, which is great for practicing our Spanish. Oh ya, and it helps that they think we´re good, gives us a boost. We´re living with a mother and daughter. Her other 3 children are married and live close by so they come around often with the kids as well. The kids are all adorable, very talkative and so funny! His eyes are cross-eyed on purpose in the picture.

On Sunday, the whole family gets together. That was our first day there and they all made us feel so welcome. The food is good, more basic than in Antigua - huevos, frijoles, tortillas, plantains, fresh juices everyday as well as pastas and soups. We even tried Pepian - a traditional or typical meal from Guatemala. It is based on recado, a tomato, chillies and spices sauce, and some vegetables like potatoes and güisquil (chayote is the Mexican name and most people recognize by this name) along with either beef or chicken, but you can also eat it without meat. We even sit around the table for a while after lunch and dinner to just chat.

Yesterday, we went to a nearby town called Salcaja. It is famous for 3 things, 1. its traditional fabric. We saw the intricate process necessary to make the fabric, 2. for its ¨Caldo de frutas¨ which is a liquor made there (similar to sangria but the fruit is fermented for 4 months so it´s really strong) and 3. for the oldest church in Central America which is now only open for special occassions.

More to come on Xela as our visit continues.