climbing up to 3 976 meters - Acatenango

After the Pacaya-weekend I had the opportunity to drive the next weekend to Guatemala City and climb the next volcano named Acatenango.

My alarm woke me up at 4:20 am on Saturday (22nd of January 2011) and we started our drive at 5am. I was really tired, and it was cold.
Our climb started at around 7:30 am, and I everytime feel going to die in the first 30 minutes.

start of the trip

Now I could explain something on my own about Acatenango, but the writer on Wikipedia made it very well and understandable, even for not so good englisch-speakers, so I will copy it...

Wikipedia:
Acatenango is a stratovolcano in Guatemala, close to the city of Antigua. The volcano has two peaks, Pico Mayor (Highest Peak) and Yepocapa (3,880 m) which is also known as Tres Hermanas (Three Sisters). Acatenango is joined with Volcán de Fuego and collectively the volcano complex is known as La Horqueta.
The Fuego-Acatenango massif comprises a string of five or more volcanic vents along a north-south trend that is perpendicular to that of the Central American Volcanic Arc in Guatemala. From north to south, known centers of volcanism are Ancient Acatenango, Yepocapa, Pico Mayor de Acatenango, Meseta, and Fuego. Volcanism along the trend stretches back more than 200,000 years. Although many of the centers have been active contemporaneously, there is a general sequence of younger volcanism, from north to south along the trend.

how steep

 I think I needed in the end 5,5 hours and I almost have been the first of our group on the top. But only because two guys get lost after the first 15 minutes and were waiting one and a half hour for us somewhere we never passed.
You have read that Acatenango has two peaks, but I didn´t know that. I reached the first on my own, so happy being on the top, I started making photos and walked around. In the morning the sky was clear, but during climbing the sky got covered with clouds. And the second peak was inside the clouds. But then came wind and blow the clouds to the side, so I could see the Pico Mayor and couldn´t believe it...
There was another Peak, so much higher then the one I was standing on at this moment. And I saw people climbing the other one, they seemed tiny like ants!!
I started swearing in german: Scheisse, das kann doch ne wahr sein. Was isn das?

Marvin, Jonas, Emperatriz, Kenny and me

But I didn´t stopped, because everytime I stopped, I needed time to warm up my muscles again and it was harder to climb.
So I moved on and walked down the first peak to finally climb Acatenango. The highest peak was only made of sand and some bigger stones at the top. With every step I slidded down a bit. Half way done, I saw two guys coming around an edge of the first peak (a very strange direction)...after a while I realised, that this were Marvin and Jonas. I thought they were waiting since a long time on the top. But I coulnd´t hold my advance. They are both sportsmen and passed me very soon (and so easy). I arrived the peak maybe 10 minutes after them.

half way done of Pico Mayor and view to the first peak

This peak was so different from Santa Maria, because there were no plants at all. Sand and more sand, nothing but sand. And clouds all aroud us, so we coulnd´t see any other volcano around. Kenny and Emperatriz reached the top probably 20 minutes after me. Jorge stayed at the first, lower peak. We made pictures and suddenly heard a bang and saw a brown cloud rising between many white ones. We saw an eruption of Fuego, the neighbour volcano. How amazing was that!!! But you can´t imagine how cold it was up there, at 2pm. It was freezing, but I burned the skin in my face.

Fuego eruption

next volcano - Pacaya

Last weekend on Saturday the 15th of January I went to Antigua with an australian friend. We met up with a friend of her, coming from the capital and drove to the volcano.

Pacaya is still active and the climb is very easy. Around the volcano is the Pacaya National Park and it wasn´t allowed for us going there without a guide.

The volcano is 2 552 meters high. When you climb you are mostly walking on old ash then soil. Trees have no crown, only a few branches at the trunk. Our guide told me that the crowns burned up during the last big eruption in May 2010.

I can´t say something like, we needed only 2 hours to climb, because you can´t reach the top (and we went very slow). We went up to a point from where we were able to have an awesome few to Fuego and Acatenango (other volcanoes) and a great few over Guatemala City. This city is huge!!!

Then we went a bit down, made it like sandsurfing, crossed the solidified field of lava to two holes with so hot steam coming out of the earth. Our guide was very happy, that we bring some marshmallow. He speard them on a branch, holded the branch for 3-4 second into the hole and voilá - done!! They also seemed a bit burned, after this short time!!

More about Pacaya, wikipedia ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacaya

the marshmallows

me in front of Pacaya

me, Emanuel and Alia

4 volcanoes

Pacaya

xmas

Just to let you know a bit what I did for Christmas. We were out the 24th december, had some firework at parque central in Xela (Aaron felt like a little child buying all the firework stuff, haha) and then we went to La Rumba to dance a bit. But we were almost the only ones, so not so long night!

Next day I invited last minutes some friends to my house...actually Ivos apartment, where I slept for 3 nights. We cooked spaghetti with Marcus, Ryan, Alex, Steve, Ivo, it was like a great christmas dinner. We didn´t went out, because we knew, that we are going to the beach the next day.

So we drove with Marcus car (good thing that he is driving from the States to Peru and is right now in Xela) to Tulate, a more unknown beach at the pacific coast, but so much better than Champerico!!
Less trash, more nature and the sand was less hot! We also had a good time coming back from drinking some beer and seeing the car inside the water.
I was really relaxed in the first moment:
Marcus, your car...
Yes, what is? Is it inside the water?
Aehm, yes...
What?????? Shit!!!!
And we started all running, thinking, shit shit shit shit. I stopped a bit in front, Marcus and Alex were running and safing the car from the ocean. It was a bit wet inside with the side to the ocean. I made some pictures, which was good, now we can show all, that we didn´t think in the flow. And everbody is laughing a lot about that!

just arrived

ahhhhhhhhhhhh, the car

the group: Steve, Ryan, me, Marcus and Alex

crossing the river to go to the street

don´t miss this at guatemalan christmas dinner:

The night of the 24th december - Nochebuena - is important for the families. And the same like Germany, they have dinner together! What you shouldn´t miss is:

chocolate: hot as a drink or cold, perfect with different tastes (cardamom, cinnemon, milk, nuts...)
bread: mostly white bread, it is very cheap here in Xelapan, the most famoust bakery with several shops all over Xela)
tamal de arroz: this is like cooked rice and mais flour wrapped in banana leaves, the main dish! you can find it in every house coloured or black
galletas y dulces: YEAH sweeties, we all love it
apples and grapes: in every household to find, because they are the fruits of the season
ponche: also known as bebida (drink) or caliente (hot), this is a drink with the main ingredient pineapple, coconut and sugar, but you can add other fruits, too!

christmas Posadas in Quetzaltenango

newspaper picture from Xela

Another word is : Procesión de Alegría (procession of joy).

A Posada is a procession through the streets of Xela, starting at the 15th december and ending 8 days later. The objective is celebrating and the birth of Jesus. A group of 30 people is going to the streets with paper lanterns, making noises with thunderer whistles and carrying a statue of Maria or Joseph and Maria with Jesus.  One participant told the newspaper: We are doing this activity because we believe in and know about Jesus existence, not just in the world, also in our hearts!

There are several Posadas walking around the streets every night. They carry the statue from one house to another. There where it one day ended, starts the Posada next day. The people are from all ages, very young kids (they love the lanterns and making noises ;) ) to their grandparents.

One Posada ended at the 23rd in the Spanish School ICA. We students went to the staring house at 7 pm. The director told a bit about Posadas, but unfortunately kids kept me busy asking what several spanisch words are in english. But it was also sweet! Then we started walking with the lanterns to the city center, and then to the school. We students had to carry the statue, too. We met while walking another Posada, but I don´t know, how many were there every night. I asked, but nobody knew exactly.

ready?

We stopped in front of the school and started singing a song. We outside staying people sang a verse, inside staying people answered. But finally they opened the door. Inside we prayed and a guy reminded us, what is christmas important for. Then the teacher Gato started playing games with the children, woman, men, teachers and sometimes a student had to help. Many people hold a present at the end of the night. It was very funny, also because Gato likes to joke and always laugh a lot!

me carrying

After the games, Kirstine, a danish woman and professional violin folkmusic player, had to play some christmas songs, before the school started serving food and ponche (a typically christmas drink). After that, all was over, the statue found his last place for this year and the people left). Not so the students and the teachers, we stayed a bit more talking in the school and went then drinking some more beers in a bar. I could hit the road finally at one while nobody was watching me :)

USA - country of limitless opportunities!!!

Yesterday was the International Day of Migrants, and I read something on the online issue of Quetzalteco, a newspaper from Xela.

According to this 158 000 Guatemaltecos are currently living in the United States (not included illigal immigrants). The most coming from the villages Salcajá, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Juan Ostuncalco and San Carlos Sija. You can listen there to many stories like that from Juan Francisco De León. He crossed the border in 1980 with a suitcase full of dreams and hopes to find the American Dream.

After 8 years of work in the States and saving enough money, he decided to go back to his hometown where his family was waiting for him.

In the article they go on with a citation, which I heard sometimes in a similar way:
I have 5 siblings in the United States, we use the money they send us to build two houses and to study. (María Guzmán)
This woman is from the village Llanos de Pinal, where the majority is feminin, because the husbands are working in the States.

In the nacional comparison Quetzaltenango receives the 5th biggest amount of money from the states. Families with members in the States get apprx. 224 dollars a month.

reasons why the people migrate:
- unemployment
- health care
- bad-paid work
- studies

I also have a friend who migrated 2 weeks ago to the states. He is going to marry there next year and we will see if he will come back to Guatemala, his homecountry, in his life!

searching zapatistas with Marcus

Hey,

I left Guatemala the first time after a bit over 2 months the 27th November to go to Mexico and meet up with Marcus, a friend from Dresden/Germany.

the order en La Mesilla (Guatemala)

To be sure to get to Mexico I wanted to take a shuttle bus to the border, La Mesilla/Ciudad Cuauthemoc. Good idea, but I just made it to 4 Caminos, like 15 minutes away from Xela. The bus broke, we had the choice to stay on more night in Xela or go on our own to the border. Finally we took chickenbusses for 4,5h to the border. I was two hours to late and Marcus worrying, where Iam. I couldn´t call him from my guatemalan phone to his mexican phone. But he was waiting in front of the passport control in Mexico, so we finally met, very happy that we found each other.

Then he showed me his car, it was like a monster, so huge!!!

We started driving a street in Chiapas. Marcus heared that there were a lot of Zapatistas living along this street. after two days we got to Palenque (after more than 400km) without seeing anything of the Zapatistas.

river between Mexiko and Guatemala

Our research in Palenque figured out that there are ´caracoles´ (they call their 5 regions likes this) near San Cristobal de las Casas. SO back into the car and to San Cristobal. On the way we found an old camp, but it seemed very empty. Some women told us, where to find somebody, but the house was empty!

a sign

From San Cristobal we went to Oventik, one Caracol, like 1 hour away from SC. From Oventik you can receive permissions to go to other Caracoles as well.

entrance Oventik

At the gate they ask us for our names, age, profession, and what we want to know, how long we want to stay. We tried really hard to explain well with less spanish what we want. After this we waitid for 10 minutes and they came back and told us, that we can´t come inside, because there is nobody in the village at the moment, who can answer our questions.

We drove back to SC and picked up 3 Serbians, who also wanted to see Oventik. They showed us their Couchsurfing host Jose-Luis, with whom we finally stayed for 2 nights. He has an awesome house, and he had also 2 guests from Argentina. We shared some time with them, playing games, cooking and Oventik agian. But the second day we couldn´t go inside again, so we left Mexico last Thursday and went to Huehuetenango. At the border all went out well with Marcus car, so we arrived Huehue already in the dark!

Marcus, me, Clara, Jose-Luis, Julian

where our host lives and Marcus car in front of it

Last friday we went to Xela and Marcus signed in for 3 weeks spanish lessons.
Saturday we celebrated Erins birthday with a Piñata. This is a big figure filled with sweeties. The birthday-girl has to hit the Piñata with closed eyes with a stock so long until the Piñata breaks. And there is also somebody who moves the Piñata, so that you never know where she actually is. We shared all the sweeties and also put some in every classroom. Sunday I left Xela agian to see more of Guatemala, and now Iam in Livingston, Carribean coast.

Piñata Dora before...

during....

and after the fight!