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~abril~ Unidad 6 L2 -Cuba
¡Viva Cuba!
Hace dos veranos, yo visité Guatemala. Pasé dos semanas allí. Volé a la ciudad de Guatemala y tomé un autobús por casí 5 horas a otra ciudad en las montañas que se llama Quetzaltenango-(Xela). Estudié en una escuela de idiomas y hablé con maestros guatamaltecos. Después de tomar clases, un grupo de turistas y yo caminamos por cuatro días pasando por montañas, volcanes, valles (valleys) y ríos. ¡Las vistas fueron hermosísimas! Nuestro guía nos enseño mucho de los pueblos y personas indígenas.
This past summer in July, 2015, right before moving to Massachusetts, I spent two weeks in Guatemala, the second country I had ever been to in América Central. I flew into the capital, la ciudad de Guatemala, after a tiring 12 hours of travel due to connecting flights. Little did I know that the traveling adventure had only begun. Guatemala City was not my final destination; I would be staying in the second largest city in Guatemala, known as Quetzaltenango-- let's try that again, QUETZAL...(do you recognize this word? hint: es un pájaro)...ok, better yet, let's call it by its shortened name, Xela, (Shay-la). If you guessed that is not Spanish, you are correct. It is a Mayan, Quiché name. Surrounded by mountains and active volcanoes, the nearly five hour bus ride from the capital to the southwestern city is not for the fainthearted. The carretera, highway, is no Mass Pike, often it is only one lane that winds itself around mud-laden cliff sides that ascend and descend like roller coasters, except, you aren't securely fastened in a cart! I often had to grip the seat ahead of me and lock my core muscles in order to brace myself and avoid flying into another seat. So much for taking a siesta on this ride. However, once I got my rhythm down (aka, my feet firmly planted), I was enamored by the lush, green country side that is characteristic of Guatemala. Afterall, Guatemala actually means "tierra de los árboles"- land of the trees-in a Mayan-Toltec language.
4-5 hours later, I arrived to Quetzaltenango, also referred to by its indigenous name, Xela.
~Septiembre~ Unidad 6L1 -Ecuador
In the summer of 2013, I spent 3 weeks in Ecuador. Flying in to the capitol city of Quito, surrounded by verdant mountains and prominent, snow-capped volcanoes, my eyes were awe-struck, but my body took a few days to acclimatize to the high altitude. Not too far out of the city (but many windy turns away!), you will find yourself in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes Mountains. Lake Quilotoa, a natural wonder of this region, was actually formed by a collapsed volcano that erupted 8oo years ago! The Quilotoa loop is made up of a powdery, dust trail that zig-zags down 280 meters to the crater lake, which is already at a whopping 11,500 feet! Despite "going down" to the lake, you are already higher than any ski mountain on the east coast of the United States! With a lengthened stride, the descent may only take 20 minutes, but climbing at this altitude, you may want to hire a donkey instead, which the locals can provide! What continent is Ecuador in? Do you know how it gets its name!?
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