Our vacation in Guatemala was wonderful. It is a country of contrasts, not only in nature – with its 14 volcanoes peaking above the clouds, the beaches and the hot, hot jungle – but also in the people. What is common and runs through everyone is an amazing kindness (not while driving, I suppose).
Guatemalan food is wonderful and I cannot believe how happy I was to discover that this is a soup-country. There´s always soup on the menu and I had, for the first time, sopa de tortilla negra. Frijoles refritos, guacamole, banano, tomato, corn, rice and meat are also very common – and delicious.
We climbed two volcanoes, the Acatenango and the Pacaya. Having climbed the Acatenango, up to the crater at 3976m, is something that I feel as an accomplishment and makes me very proud. I won´t lie: it was very, very difficult. After the first 30 minutes climbing, I felt the altitude, the lack of oxygen, my heart beating wildly in my throat. I thought I wouldn´t be able to breathe or even move. I was considering to stay behind and wait for the rest of the group to come down, but then something happened. I found my rhythm, my heart was calm, my legs were sore, but obeying my will. It took us six hours to cover a distance of 15km, climbing from 2200m up to the crater at 3976m. And then three hours to come back sliding down, hoping that gravity wouldn´t be stronger than my knees. It was an exhilarating experience, intertwined with the utter exhaustion of all the effort.
We stayed in Antigua Guatemala, a beautiful colonial city surrounded by three volcanoes, and then flew to Tikal, in the jungle, to see the Mayan site. I think the pictures speak for themselves.
If you want to see the whole Guatemala trip flickr set – still being updated – click here.
The trip to Guatemala was wonderful, but now I´m very happy to be home. I´m taking my first e-course, Stephanie Levy´s “Creative Courage”, which starts today. I´m super excited to meeting all my new e-course mates and seeing all the ways it will impact the way I face my work. If you´re taking part too and got here through the link in introductions, please say hi!
