that’s because i haven’t been doing much postworthy. i did go to chichicastenango, and took some pics of obnoxious tourists, and i did feel an earthquake the other day, but mostly i’ve been taking spanish, (espero que pueda usar bien el subjuntivo quando lluegue en los estados unidos) reading bad novels, exercising, and watching movies on tv. a week from tomorrow i fly home. i am ready.

chichicastenango,that is. i’m headed there this morning to the best mercado in guatemala. unfortunately, both cajeros automaticos in san pedro are close, so i have limited funds. if i can withdraw some in chichi, i plan to buy some presents and a card for my camera so i can go around taking pictures of all the obnoxious tourists taking pictures of the locals without permission. should be fun!

walked with my two spanish teachers/friends to a hidden place in the center of town euphemistically called the tikalito. i had heard that there was some kind of mayan ruin near here, and my maestra thought it might be this.

i wouldn’t actually call it a ruin. more of a shrine or altar, albeit a very old one. it’s only a couple of feet tall, with a slim possibility of more underground, and is shaped essentially like one of the tikal pyramids, with a sort of basin at the bottom of the steps (to collect blood?) it is carved from one volcanic boulder which extends below the ground, hence my uncertainty as to its actual size. it is at least three generations old. nobody seems to know the history of it, even the local mayas. in recent years someone has carved a cross from the same type of stone, and set it on top. it’s in the midst of a little palm cluster near some pigpens a quarter mile from the baptist church. it’s on private property, and will likely remain so largely because of mistrust arising from the theft of many artifacts over the past century.

tomorrow, we are going to climb cerro de oro, from which i should get some excellent views of all three volcanoes and the lake.

vaya tranquilo

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/02/10/nyregion/20100210-WORLDTRADE_index.html

i am married to the most wonderful woman on the planet. no offense to all the other wonderful women in my life, she’s just the wonderfullest.

i was supposed to be cooking dinner for my friends here in san pedro tonight, but something disagreed with my stomach, so i lay in the hammock all day reading Finding Beauty In A Broken World, By Terry Tempest Williams. thank you jane!

i finally went out and down the hill to the internet place, and it commenced to pour. i didn’t bring my poncho…

yo subi esta manaña al punto de la montaña mas alta en este photo. se llama nariz del indio por que parece como el profil de uno. subimos desde san juan la laguna y bajamos a santa clara, donde visitabamos el cementerio y el mercado. despues almorzabamos cerca de los cristales, una playa en san juan.
todavia estoy estudiando y aprendiendo espanol. la extraño a juanita mucho y deseo que ella pueda estar aqui.

this morning i climbed to the top of the highest mountain in this photo. it’s called the nariz del indio because it looks like an indian’s profile. we climbed from san juan and descended on the other side into santa clara, where we visited the cemetery and the market. afterwards we had lunch near los cristales, a beach in san juan. i’m still studying and learning spanish. i miss jane a lot and wish she could be here.

never thought much of her until i saw her perform bohemian rhapsody live on tv today. i have to say i was very impressed. you people in bandwidthland should try to find it on youtube.

got an apartment for the month with a kitchen, two bedrooms, cable tv, and an upstairs porch for $150. went to the market and bought a bunch of fresh food and a frying pan for a total of about ten bucks. 21 days four hours each of one on one spanish, just over $200. if jane could be here with me, priceless.

i´m in antigua now. we spent a night in copan ruinas and visited the ruins again. they may not be as big and impressive as other sites, but copan definitely wins the artwork contest hands down. the carvings on the steles are exquisite. then we took the bus to guatemala city and jane flew out. i spent a day touring around guate as it´s called, taking pics of fast food resaurants and old buildings. now i´m in antigua, meeting a couple of guys i know from salud juntos. tomorrow i head to the lake to start clases. estoy determinado hablar fluido espanol y leer bien despues de este mes. me desee suerte!

paz