From the Beginning

This water is so good!  My housemates astutely invested in a big bucket that has clay lining in it.  It's called Ecofiltro.  Guatemalans invented it to filter tap water for tasty potable H2O.  Much more economical and manageable than buying large water-cooler refills.  We save the environment in transport and save the Qs or $ depending on whether you're pulling from savings or the Habitat Stipend. 

Courtney and i landed Sept. 12th and traveled to Antigua for the night.  Nothing crazy in our travels other than functioning 2 hours off local time for a while.  It's not that we're intellectually challenged, just that we didn't really give it much thought due to the vast array of novelties that kept us from considering why it was so dark at 6am or whatever. 

So we managed to hit Quetzaltenango (known as Xela, pronounced Shalya, by the locals), Panajachel, San Marcos, Antigua, Solola, Encuentros, and Guatemala City.  Xela is well revered by the locals and travelers for being a beautiful place with a nice standard of living.  There are lots of Spanish language schools and they have the biggest Independence Day celebration in the country.  Oh, did i mention that we were there for that by chance?  Yeah, but if you're unknowingly working on Miami time, you might go to bed at like 8pm and miss the midnight fireworks.  Trevor will remember that for next year. 
So, we still got to see plenty of the 5 hour parade that spans an incredible distance of several towns.  What planning must go into that!  At the end was a carnival-like fairground that Courtney and i only saw from a distance.  We did, however, enjoy the markets that span the entire parade line.  You name it, it's for sale.  Oh, and if you're not sure about your weight, it'll only cost you Q1 to find out.  Just some old school industrial scales in the middle of the road to satisfy that curiosity.  Quetzal is the currencey here.  We get 8 for  $1 US.  That makes a Q about $0.12.  Cool at first, but then i'm reminded that i rake in the Guatemalan minimum wage each month.  Good thing i have some savings.   Too bad most locals aren't so lucky.  Many don't even get that.  Out of work of selling crafts on the streets doesn't qualify you.  So, i haggle in the market with a certain sense of my privilege.  It won't fix things to overpay for avocados, but i sure do feel like i'm getting over on someone.