Quetzaltenango (Xela) with Doña Gloria and the Family

We left Antigua, having secured our hotel room for Semana Santa, and took the first chicken bus to Xela, which is also known as Quetzaltenango. It was here that Peter spent a good 6 months of his year in Guatemala--both as a student and then as an intern for the Human Rights Omsbudsman. So, it is a town that is close to his heart and as we got closer, I could feel him becoming more excited and nervous at the possiblity of seeing the town and (hopefully) his host family after all these years. After a somewhat harrowing bus ride, we made it into town around 6:30 p.m. and caught a taxi straight to his host mother´s old address. Peter had not been able to get in touch with the family, either by phone or email, so we were not really sure what we would find. When we got there, though, there was Doña Gloria! And, she was looking not all that surprised to see Peter. . .seems the family had been talking about him at lunch, wondering why they hadn´t had any news in so long! Even better, her last two language school students had moved out at 1 p.m. that day and she was happy to have us stay with her!

It was wonderful to stay in a Guatemalan family, have some good home cooking (excellent tortillas and tamalitos!), and feel taken care of for a bit. The family (pictured above at lunch) was so warm and hospitable to us. Doña Gloria´s memory of Peter´s stay with her, too, was incredible. He was the first student she had ever hosted, so she remembered many tiny details from his stay, which was fun for me! The town of Xela was also fun--not too large, but not too small, and an excellent place from which to take day trips. While there, we went out to the village of Olintepeque, where we saw a Palm Sunday procesion; we visited the town of Zunil and paid our respects to evil San Simon (pictured above); and, we stayed overnight at the Fuentes Georginas hot springs, stopping at the market in Almolonga on the way home. We stayed in Xela for 6 days--long enough to get a taste of the highlands, Mayan culture, and Peter´s experience with his wonderful host family. On the last night, we went out salsa dancing and were glad to discover that we could more or less hold our own. We weren´t as good as the Guatemaltecos, but were some of the best gringos, by far! The next morning, we were back on the bus for Antigua and Semana Santa. . .