(Third week in Quetzaltenango) Week three carried on as usual in addition to getting mentally prepared for a weekend hike up Tajumulco, an extinct volcano in western Guatemala whose claim to fame is being the highest point in Central America at 4,222m (13,850ft). We went through a company called Quetzaltrekkers, a great organization whose tours […]

(Second week in Quetzaltenango) Pre Spanish conquest, Quetzaltenango was called “Xelajú” derived from the Mam “Xe laju’ noj,” meaning “under the ten mountains”, an aptly descriptive name for a city in a valley of hillsides and a volcano. The Spanish swept through in the 1520s, and renamed the city Quetzaltenango, “land of the quetzal bird”, […]

Freshly arrived in Cobán, we headed straight out the next morning, southward, to the picturesque, colonial city Antigua. The short trip to Antigua marked Julien’s first chicken bus (camioneta) ride, our 38-month wedding anniversary, and our first experience staying under the looming presence of a volcano. Julien’s first chicken bus ride Looking for a hotel […]

With that July 13 deadline looming over us, we knew we had five days to get to get from Cancún, Mexico to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. This in mind we set out on an intense bussing trip: a 6-hour overnight to Chetumal at the Mexican/Belizean border set to arrive at 4am; and then hope to catch a […]