El Grande Fin de Semana

My weekend was so dauntingly event filled I’ve been procrastinating writing about it. But now things are starting to pile up and I can’t write about mis estudiantes until I write about everything else. I really want to write about the women, but it has to wait.

Friday night we got home from school and Hugh wasn’t feeling well. He was a little bit feverish, and having stomach cramps. We had to leave that night to go to Chichi to spend the night, and he wasn’t up for it. So we loaded him up with some medicine, and gave him a free weekend to sleep it off. After two hours of driving, Lupe, Vlad, Marvin, and I made it to Chichi and spent the night in a little hotel there. We were only in it for 6 hours, so I can’t really make a comment as to whether it was nice or not. The bed served its function just fine.

At 4 again we left the hotel on our way to this attraction near Coban, in the central lowlands of Guatemala. We weren’t going to eat until somewhere around 8:00, so I made sure I sat in front, since my carsickness is so much worse on an empty stomach. It didn’t help that much. Once again, I just tried to sleep through it, though there were occasions when I felt downright dizzy. We drove through the mountains, some of the most beautiful peaks I’ve ever seen. They were completely vertical and incredibly high, but there were still one or two plots of farmland, nestled right onto the peaks. At some point, we got to a bridge over a gorgeous teal blue river and stopped to take pictures. When we opened the door we realized we could see straight down to the rocks below us-the bridge had an iron grating for road surface. It was a bit disquieting. After a while we got back in the truck and drove another maybe half mile until traffic was stopped in front of the end of pavement/beginning of dirt and gravel. We were wondering why there wasn’t any oncoming traffic.. Marvin got out and asked around, found out they were dynamiting the road ahead and it wouldn’t open till 9:00. He told them we were peace corp volunteers (which would make us very important) but I’m not sure if that helped. It was 8, so we went back down to the river to entertain ourselves. I found a rock to perch on to watch the tadpoles, Vlad took some video with his borrowed video camera, and Lupe and Marvin apparently went rock hunting. She called me over at some point because she found a huge chunk of jade. Definitely jade. Later, they also came across this strange rock that was semi-translucent and kind of the size and shape of a tree trunk. It was super soft and brittle, and marvin knocked off a couple chunks with the block of jade. At first they thought it was amber-it’s about the same color and transparency, but when we got it wet it had bands running through it like agate, and it had an obvious crystal structure that was really brittle and fragile. I don’t know what it is, I’m bringing a chunk back though to see if anyone in the US could tell me, or at least cut it into something I could use for jewelry!

We went back up the mountain, where they were letting traffic through, and fought our way through the construction zone, that was probably 20 or more miles long. We finally, FINALLY stopped for breakfast at this cute, small restaurant. It was all open air, and they served us blackbeans and eggs and tortillas. Delicious tortillas. Back on the road, this time Vlad’s in front, another two hours and we’re in the jungle. We turned down an undeveloped road, and every time Lupe opened the window to take a picture wet, hot air rushed in. We passed through some small rural village, which was interesting for me, because the costume changed quite a bit with the heat. The women there wear cortes with the specified million yards of fabric, but instead of wrapping it around the waste multiple times, they have what looks like an elastic wasteline, and the fabric is bunched around so that it’s more free. Also, they don’t wear huipils like they do here, they wear a spaghetti strap top or lingerie, with a billowy squarish top on top of that, made out of neon lace. Usually neon, not always.

Out of the jungle appeared these really well maintained cottages, and a swimming pool. What? A swimming pool? This place was apparently a kind of resort. There was a man made lake with a swimming pool attached to it, with a large club house that was kitchen/bar/office in the middle, restaurant on the outside, and no windows, just railings. This place is developed around a natural spring and laguna, with a cave and zipline and other things. We paid Q75 for the tour up to the spring, and ate a quick lunch in the restaurant. The tour left at 2:00, and by then it had started sprinkling. We jumped in what was basically a jeep with grandstand seating in the back, drove less than a mile, and they dumped us out at a trail that led to a blue lake nestled in the trees. It was dumping rain at this point, and we waited under a shelter for a while, hoping it would let up. We were there scouting for places to bring new groups of ecotourists in the future with HSP. Kind of a fun diversion for them to do between building stoves and whatnot. We wanted pictures for the new website that Vladimir is here making, so we pushed Vlad and Marvin out with our only rain equipment to take some, while Lupe and I tried to stay dry under the shelter. After about 10 minutes of kicking the dirt, I said “I don’t mind getting wet..” “me neither!” and we ran out into the rain anyway.

Under the canopy there is the most gorgeous vivid blue lake hugged by large leafed, waxy green jungle plants. There were some guides there that asked if we wanted to see the spring, which of course we do, so he took us up a muddy trail, occasionally crossing fallen trees with railings attached to them. At the top of the trail is the spring, which is kind of half cave too. Half of it is overhung with stone, stalactites and all, and half of it is under tree and sky. The guide told us there is an underwater cave there that you can scuba dive to if you want, granted you come with your own license and equipment. Also there is a cave in the wall above the lake (I don’t know how you get to it) that goes back 50 meters, in which the developers found an altar and various drawings, writings, and objects from Maya religious ceremonies. One writing said something about how this was the cave of the Moon, which also has something to do with the corn. I can’t fully remember, and Lupe isn’t a very good translator. Below the cave is a waterfall, which I’ve posted a picture of, complete with rope bridge in front of it. On our way back we stopped back at the larger lake with the zipline, and by god, I did not spend 8 hours being deathly car sick to just look at a zipline! I took off my boots and jumped, clothes and all! 3 times! The tour guides didn’t even bother looking at me like I was crazy, I think they just sighed. Another stupid American. If I only get one opportunity to fly over a perfectly blue lake of fresh water, surrounded by tropical foliage, in the middle of a rain storm, I’m going to take advantage of it.

After that, we walked barefoot back to the jeep and were able to change clothes in the clubhouse. After 8 hours of driving, and only 2 hours of visiting, we got back into that damn truck and headed out again. It was still raining when we headed out, and still raining when we got back onto the new pavement on the way to Coban. As we were going up a steep hill, the truck lost traction a bit, and the wheels spun. It happened again on a different hill. At first Marvin thought there was oil on the road, and he stopped and checked out the tires to make sure they were functioning correctly. After a bit, we came to a place where the traffic was stopped, navigated through it, and passed a tractor trailor, inserted into the guardrail on a pin turn. There was a policeman there, and Marvin asked what was going on with the road.. the policeman said that the pavement was made with bad materials, and so every time it’s wet, it gets slick like cement. It rains for a straight 6 months! So…. I’m going to avoid Coban for a while.

We decided to not even bother going all the way back to Chichi, and looked for a hotel there in Coban. We found one really easily, ate at Pollo Campero again, and I slept like a log. What a good sleep that was. We left again at 7, stopped at a bakery for a breakfast of bread and cheese in the car, and went straight back into that construction. This time I had food in my belly, and the climate was so nice we had the windows down, so I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The landscape there is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s close to the Rockies in Colorado, but imagine that but populated with farmland and the unimaginably vibrant colors of native dress. There is something so inherently gorgeous in the mixture of impossible landscape and human endeavor.

When we got to Chichi we went to one of the same restaurants we went to last year with the whole group. Apparently Marvin and Fernando and some of the other guys that drive/are firefighters in Chichi own in or something. We got a delicious lunch for free, either way. Then we left to check out the market. We went in one shop (thank god one with a roof) for one second, turn around and it’s pouring. We’re at the gulch of two hills, with the street rising on either side, and at the bottom is an open vent for water. The amount of water that was coming down was completely awe inspiring, and the sheer amount of water that came rushing down those hills was quite the spectacle. Especially to the right, where the hill was higher, the shack-keeper in the street there was wearing sandals with a two inch platform, and was still over her ankles in torrential brown water, laced with plastic packaging. We stood there for a good 20 or 30 minutes, waiting for it to let up, which eventually it did, but the water was still so deep in the streets. We were running out of time before Marvin came to pick us up, so we braved it. Towards the left the water wasn’t ankle deep, and most the people had cleared out, so it ended up not being hard to walk. We checked out some tiendas, walked past the giant white church where I took a memorable photo last year of a woman selling flowers, and went to one shop where Lupe knew the merchant so figured she could get good prices. She wanted coins, antique or replica coins with holes punch in them for jewelry. There were a few, most didn’t have holes, and I just plain don’t much like the idea of putting these pewter coins in the jewelry. It’s hard to make something like that look valid, or stylish for that matter. What we did find were these charms- nickel I think- handmade in the shapes of birds, peacocks, roosters, donkeys, an owl, a fish, something that looks like a platapuss?, and a lion I think. We got everything they had, 8 in all. I think they’re adorable. Don’t know what to do with them, but I love them. Then we went to another store where we bought clothing for alternatives. It’s the same woven articles they have in all the tourist shops around here, but half the price since we were basically buying wholesale. I made Lupe get wrapskirts, 24 in all, of every imaginable combination of colors, and she also got these blouses for her “gay customers.” She knows her clientele, I’ll give her that much. A lot of my suggestions for buying are coming from Meg, who emphatically and ecstatically told me right before I left that “tribal patterns are so in right now.” I got online and looked up Urban Outfitters’ website, and sure enough, it’s all over the place. Actually last night Meg sent me an email of a lot of things that are popular in NYC that have Guatemalan inspired patterns. Really detailed descriptions of things that are or will be successful… I know that one of Meg’s many talents is merchandising, and watching/analyzing/making predictions in the fashion scene, so I totally trust her, and I’m really psyched for how good this might end up being for Ben and Lupe in the store. I’m amazed with how lucky this is! So I’ve been pushing her suggestions, and they’re going with it. I hope it works out for the best. Every day I go in the sewing studio and ooh and ah over the new patterns Sylvia is making. Seriously, these bags are so amazingly cool. I can’t wait till one is done so I can post pictures. And I want one of each. And one of each for Meg, and one of each for Mom, and one of each for everyone I know.

Soooo, 30 minutes late for Marvin, we find him and head the heck home. That 2 hour drive was like dessert. Got in, and I’ve rarely seen Hugh in such a giddily good mood! He had a ball here by himself apparently-Claudia and family left for Tehutlah, so Hugh got the run of things. He tends to incline towards a solitary nature, so he enjoyed the lonesomeness. Got to wake up early and play guitar or cook or whatever without worrying about waking people up, got to go to bed really early at night without me trying to drag him around, walk around in his underwear, who knows. He thinks he was just exhausted and had eaten something bad, because after a long night’s sleep he didn’t feel sick at all anymore. So great news with him, I was worried about him all weekend and wasn’t able to call to check up on him.

That night we ate dinner together, drank un pocito tequila, and Hugh and Vlad traded off playing guitar (folk for pearl jam.)

And THERE. was my weekend. Tah dah!