Travelling Greenheart Mike

Howdy avid fans of this humble blog! A final post from the USA, as my three months of permitted time on Uncle Sam’s soil were almost up.

It was the end of  June and getting rather too warm for my liking in the (not so) windy city of Chicago…It just so happened that whilst at the Chicago Green City Market, buying some colourful swiss chard, I asked a guy on the stall if there were any volunteer jobs going at his farm. He gave me a website to check, and after a swift application and a phone call, my luck was in – I was off to the green state of Wisconsin!

Certified USDA organic, the place I went is called King’s Hill Farm (kingshillfarm.com) and is run by a young American couple, Joel and Jai Kellum, with their two kids (aged 14 and 9), plus a number of interns and drop-in wwoofers like myself. We totalled 12 people when I was there.

2010 is the Kellum’s second year running King’s Hill Farm, with an established CSA (community supported agriculture), and stalls at the Chicago farmers’ markets amongst others. The farm is enormous (800+ acres) and besides the seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, prepping and delivery of their organic veggies, there are chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks all to be attended to!

The days generally started early, with animal chores and a breakfast meeting at 7.30am. Lunch was cooked in turns by the interns (you dig my rhymes!), but was very tasty with abundant produce from the land. There are meat eaters on this farm, but I was still amply catered for steering clear of the carne.

The days finished up around 5pm and the weekends were free time when we headed off to other towns or went cycling, hiking etc. It was exhausting, hot, muddy and sweaty work, but very rewarding and a great fun experience learning about “real” organic farming.

My lodging was in a tent, but there are plenty of spaces in the rooms in the family house, the tent being overflow accommodation as the place was full when I got there. Evenings  were spent eating more tasty food and playing the guitar / rapping (!?!) around the campfire and socialising with the crew. Great fun!

The downside is that it’s not an ecological place. They have plenty of top quality water from the on-site wells, but it was massively wasted on cleaning veggies. I introduced a more sensible method of cleaning the carrots which saved hundred of litres of water… hopefully they continue with the new way. The farm is also definitely on grid with electricity so there’s “no need” for any solar panels. In order to be certified organic they have to adhere to stringent requirements to keep the veggies fresh… this meant enormous walk-in refrigeration rooms in the packing shed. Huge amounts of electricity used! In fact they did have some solar panels, but they were only used to electrify fences protecting the animals from marauding racoons and other beasts that would prey on the birdies… But that was it as far as green credentials go!

These disadvantages aside, I would still recommend it as a great place to experience organic farming “in the flesh” as a volunteer (apply via their website), and there’s no doubt the folk there are a super bunch!

Here’s a photo from the final day, a rare chance to get everyone together. The British owners of the farm (The Goodmans) were visiting and popped into the photo too.

And so to some slideshow action. Below you’ll find one with the shots of the goings on down on the farm plus photos from a visit to the city of Madison, one weekend when the farmers’ market was on – the right time to get out and Greenheart up a few organic people…Enjoy!

So, 16 days of farming later and I was kindly given a lift back to Chicago by the Goodmans, and the next day I was out of there and heading back over the pond to the sunny delights of the UK. The adventures will continue..stay tuned!

Hello again there readers! Time for another blog entry, and here follows a post of piccies as I found myself back in Chicago in June, nicely timed for some fun summer times in the big city, and a happy participant in the Greenheart/CCI event, Living La Vida Verde.

After a beach clean and yoga in the morning, the day’s happenings continued with a series of workshops held at Greenheart’s offices in Chicago.

After these fine presentations, the action moved to the Greenheart Shop, Chicago, on West Division Street. Delightful snacks and lovely organic beers and wines soon had the folk moving and grooving.

So there you have it! A fabulous event and very much enjoyed by all who participated.

The results were glowingly reported by CCI as follows:

Living La Vida Verde was a hit!

We collected nearly 600lbs from the Ohio St Beach clean, had 5 consecutive entertaining and informational workshops on local organic farming, green smoothies, worm composting, bio fuels and energy efficiency, PLUS we had our fist ever dance party at the Greenheart Shop! Thanks to all the volunteers, presenters and donors who made this a wonderful day.  Check out more photos from the day’s events at this link on Facebook.

With the Living La Vida Verde event over for this year, the full moon approached and led to further highly entertaining goings on as the days and nights got hotter in Chicago…

So once again it was thank you Chicago and all your lovelies! A brilliant time spent in the city and my warmest thanks go to all the fabulous folk there who looked after me so well.

With the temperatures rising and the city life so exhausting, there was just time for one more wwoofing volunteer job before I had to head out of the States….

Next chapter: wwoofing it up at the wonderful Kingshill Farm -  organic delights in Wisconsin!

It was May 2010, I had been hoping to find a volunteer job for a few weeks in Utah, and a bit of rooting around on the web led me to get in touch with the curious sounding Mystic Hot Springs of Monroe in south-west Utah. An email to the owner with my credentials got a positive response and I was pleased to see I could get a Greyhound Bus from St. George to Cove Point, where my host would collect me.

This meant waiting till the next day as I arrived in St. George in the afternoon, dropped off by my Hawaii-bound pal, Mike from Florida. Googling lodging in St. George, I had found somewhere to spend the night, the unlikely sounding America’s Best Value Inn. On arrival, it turned out to be a motel and part of a chain like a Holiday Inn or a Days Inn, common in just about every town in USA. The receptionist relieved me of 40 USD -  not the best value in America, then – but the room was spacious, spotless and had a big enough bed for three of me. The TV was nearly as large as the bathroom and there were tea and coffee making facilities plus a cookie or two, so I was fairly happy with things.

At the hotel reception I enquired where the Greyhound Bus station was in St. George so as to get my ticket for the next day, and was informed to go to the McDonald’s down the road… Indeed true, I had to enter the golden-arched establishment of dubious food quality to find not the Greyhound Bus station, but a sales desk plonked next to the door.  This unusual seeming set-up is probably common enough in the smaller towns on the Greyhound network. I was annoyed to find that I couldn’t book my ticket online or even there and then a day before, but had to buy it on the day of travel, risking the bus being full. More surprises were in store in regard to the price of the one-way ticket – an eye-watering 39 USD for a journey of just over three hours!

Not too impressed with Greyhound so far and things didn’t improve much the next day when the bus pulled into the stop at aforementioned dodgy restaurant, well over an hour late and then there was a further 45 minute wait as this was a McD’s break stop for the driver. Several large, disheveled-looking, scowling men and one shoeless passenger stumbled off the bus and the driver snatched my ticket for examination exclaiming he never knew anyone “lived” at Cove Point. Finally setting off, the Greyhound bus turned out to be one of their older ones – little leg room, no safety belts, generally uncomfortable seats and certainly not worth $39. Thank goodness I was only on board for 3 hours, and no wonder everyone else on the bus was scowling – they’d been on the go since Los Angeles!

On arrival at Cove Point I disembarked and grabbed my rucksack in haste as it was starting to snow and there was a heck of a wind. The stop at Cove Point luckily has a café, so I was able to enjoy a large steaming hot coffee whilst awaiting collection by my wwoofing host, Mystic Mike.

Off to the Mystic Hot Springs we go

From Cove Point we crossed a section of Fishlake National Forest, the snow petered out and by arrival at Mystic Hot Springs, in Monroe, the sun had reappeared and first impressions were of an interesting looking place in beautiful surroundings. I met other team members, Bob and Christina, and was given a tour of the site.

I originally planned to volunteer here for a couple of weeks, but ended up staying for five weeks. Mystic Hot Springs, as its name suggests is first and foremost a place to come and soak in their amazing natural hot springs, which have been continually flowing here for millions of years. Water comes out of the ground at a piping hot 168ºF. (75º C.), at a rate of  200 gallons/minute. The place is also a RV site and campsite and is well visited by travellers from all over the world.

The hot spring water cools as it travels down along a channel, depositing minerals along the way, giving the channel a distinctive orange colour. It then fills a number of caste-iron bathtubs and two larger pools, all for soaking and relaxing in. The pools and tubs are kept at different temperatures to suit the needs of those who like it hot and those who don’t wish to look like lobsters when getting out. On flowing out of the soaking pools, the water then fills five tropical fish ponds, which are remain at around 75ºF all year long. Exotic tropical fish including Koi, Mollies, African cichlids, and guppies are all happily living in these warm, mineral-rich waters.

Wwoofing at the hot springs for me consisted of a variety of interesting tasks. Firstly, cleaning and preparing the pioneer cabins which are rented out  to guests staying at the site. Then there were many days spent weeding and clearing up the entrance of the venue and planting some flowers to brighten up the place. There was also a small vegetable plot which we seeded with squash, turnips, courgettes and herbs. The place has a large kitchen and I was given free rein to cook up a variety of tasty dishes for the team.

Mystic Mike also got me down to work on making some amendments and updates to the Mystic Hot Springs website. I redid the navi, tidied up the sections and put Google Analytics statistics into action so the boss could see some great details of visitors to the website.

One unique feature of the place is that Mystic Mike has installed a recording studio and TV studio with three professional television cameras. Over the years the hot springs have gained a reputation with musicians and bands on tour as a stop-off point to rehearse on stage, be filmed and have their tunes recorded and then uploaded to the Mystic channel on YouTube. Good promotion and then you have a soothing soak to get you ready for that next concert! I was pleased to be given the chance to film a couple of these bands who visited during my time there. Learning to use the cameras was a great experience, with Mystic Mike as the entertaining mentor.

So, five happy weeks later it was time to head back to Chicago in time for an event there, Living La Vida Verde, being organised by the Greenheart/CCI team. You can read all about it in the next installment!

Meanwhile below is a slideshow with photos from my time here at Mystic Hot Springs.

After the fine times and fun of Sedona, I was on the move once more and I returned to the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, where I stayed another night at the Grand Canyon Hostel. Although the hostel does offer volunteer opportunities, where one cleans rooms and looks after the guests in exchange for free lodging, there were no openings available at the time.

Chatting to a fellow hostel guest, Mike from Florida, I was fortunate enough to be offered a buddying up ride as he was heading into Utah, to Zion National Park, on his way across the states to California. Mike’s car was full of his belongings as he was in fact relocating to Hawaii, but luckily there was just room for me and my gear. So, the next morning we cruised across the arid lands and semi-deserts of northern Arizona and crossed into Utah heading for the canyons of Zion.

It was in 1919 that Zion Nationl Park became designated, making it Utah’s oldest national park, and with 3 million people heading there each year, it’s also Utah’s most popular one. Not surprising really as on arrival we were treated to spectacular views of soaring canyons and incredible rock formations with the river twisting its way through the area far below.

We got set up in a RV park where we could pitch Mike’s tent for 16 USD each per night. We were in a nice shady spot right next to the icy cold, roaring Virgin River, and facilities included a fire pit-cum-barbeque plus electricity sockets. The site had hot showers, a café and even a swimming pool. However, we were there for the hiking, and for the next two days we enjoyed some incredible treks including the Emerald Pools, Pa’rus Trail, Weeping Rock and Hidden Canyon. There were so many more trails that you could easily spend a couple of weeks here a do a different one each day.

This entire region of Utah is full of amazing possibilities for nature and hiking lovers, but I had to keep on moving on my mission to head back, bit by bit, towards Chicago. So it was time to say a fond farewell to my new friend Mike, and he dropped me off in the town of St. George, continuing his jouney west, and I needed to find another volunteer job further east.

Take a look below at a few photos from my time in Zion.

Next chapter – further adventures in Utah, getting Mystic at the hot springs!

An incredible place Sedona sure is! You can tell I’ve been in America for more than a week, huh? Really? Yeah! Oh my gosh!

In summary, a wonderful retreat and a great pleasure to be able to participate. Big thanks to Emanuel and Laura and all at CCI who made it a memorable and highly enjoyable time in Sedona.

Pictures tell the story faster and more colourfully than my tiresome drawl, so here’s a slideshow with the best from the west. Enjoy!

Ahh… Los Angeles! OMG!

So back to civilization (of sorts), and I was pleased to arrive safely and happily in the liberal land of USA, so as to enjoy my first time in California. I had booked a two-nighter at the H.I. Santa Monica (www.hiusa.org) – at 25 USD per night it obviously seemed pricey compared with Guatemala, but this is America and it ain’t cheap.

I got in fairly late in the eve, caught a shuttle to the hostel from LAX airport (20 USD),  and headed for my dorm room to find someone snoring in my assigned bed. A little fumbling and stumbling located an empty bunk and it was clean, warm and very comfortable. Up and about the next day I had my free breakfast at the hostel and headed out to explore. The beach was just a 10 minute strolly away and I had my first peek at the Pacific Ocean, but dipped in only up to my elbow as it was a little nippy for my liking and smelling fishy. Anyway I was beaming to be in Cali and enjoyed a wander on the pier at Santa Monica.

Later on I joined a free tour, put on by the hostel, to the nearby famous LA spot of Venice Beach. Our guide, Ginny, informed us we needed to jump on a bus to get there (1.75 USD) and a short ride later we arrived at the start of the beach, cameras at the ready and already laughing at the characters present at the location. The tour took in the emblematic buildings of the area, the new skate park, the hippy hangouts and finally the canals themselves, apparent reason for the beach’s name. I decided to walk back to the hostel after the tour had finished to see more of the area and to enjoy the activities and visit the shops along the boulevard by the sandy shores. I wandered towards some bongo drummers set up in the semi-shade of some palm trees and encouraged them with a little hand clapping and out-of-time whooping. Chatting away to a drummer from Puerto Rico, he eventually let me have a bang on his drum -  after initially refusing with the classic line “my drum is like my girlfriend.” An hour or so later I was burning up in the midday sun so  staggered over to a shop to buy a (green) hat. The folk in the store were amused by my accent and were duly green hearted up with thanks for my purchase.

A leisurely walk  eventually saw me back at the hostel where I found myself chatting to a couple of lads who were looking to find an apartment in LA. We agreed to head out that eve for a quick ale or two and checked out the local vicinity.

The following day I got my stuff together before the 11am booting out time and got on the bus to downtown LA, in order to locate the train station. I bought an overnight ticket to Flagstaff, Arizona -  an eye-watering 94 USD (seat only), and took a wander around downtown. Come 7pm I boarded the train, and was pleased to find plenty of leg room and no one next to me. Hasta luego Los Angeles… next stop Arizona and the hunt for a way to get to Sedona.

So just a speedy visit to the city of angels, and hardly much done, but below is a wee gallery of photos to give you a peek at the sights I saw.

Next up… Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona… to meet up with the Greenheart Chicago crew for the 5-day spiritual retreat.

Lake Atitlán to Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala.

Guatemala prices quoted here are in Quetzales (Q). 1 USD is about 8Q.

Continuing the tales, somewhat tardy I know, I know.

So this was late February and I loaded up all the gear in the backpack and with fond goodbyes to David and Antonio at Project Nuevo Mundo, at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala,  I jumped on a lancha (Q25) and headed back across the lake to the town of Panajachel once more. From there I got on a shuttle minibus (Q50) for a three-hour trip to the old colonial city, and previous capital,  Antigua.

We arrived in the city bumping along down cobbled streets, and dying for a pee I scrambled out of the van, grabbed the luggage and pegged it straight into Café Viejo, heading directly for the baños. A close call! Ordered a tasty coffee and fine pan au cholocat and got on the blower to a friend of PNM David’s, a fine chap curiously named “Tops”, who came and joined me in the café. I had not booked any hostel for my first nights in Antigua, so luckily Tops pointed out one on the very street we were at and it turned out to be well-priced at just 45Q for the night with free brekky. Dubiously called “Hostel Jungle Party”, nevertheless the price was right and the dorm looked comfy enough, so no complaints. Dumped the rucksack and headed off with Tops to a warehouse-sized shop near the Arco in Antigua, where we met Frank, the owner of the store. Once a week Frank kindly does a tour of his organic farm in the hills above the city. So in his van we hopped and half an hour later we get there. The settings of the farm are fabulous, with superb views of the volcanoes and of the city from the hills. Frank’s farm is well organised with a large variety of veggies growing in the mineral-rich soils of the zone of the area, bathed in sunshine and making good use of the natural lie of the land for irrigation, mainly using captured rain water. After the tour we headed back to Antigua and consumed many a cold beer till the wee hours, making finding the hostel a tricky one….At night all streets look very similar in Antigua – top tip is to always remember what street you are on… or head back to Central Park and start again, most streets are without name plate once you get a couple of blocks from the centre…

The next couple of days were spent exploring the streets and sites of Antigua (see photos in previous post), and I changed hostal to the excellent Casa Bellona (hostelantigua.com, Q65 per night), which is highly recommended for its cordial staff, the quiet location, use of kitchen and free wireless internet. Discovering the city lead me eventually to the market area (on 1st Avenue), where I was able to stock up on fresh veggies for cooking en casa. The market is huge and a challenge to navigate…I went round in circles and seemed to exit a different way each time. Get your bearings right on entry and you should be ok! Within the maze it was fun to entertain a few stall owners, handing out Greenheart stickers and sharing an amusing tale or two. The food stalls in the market are excellent and can feed you abundant dishes and delights for next to nada. Closeby there also good bakeries and the largish supermarket, La Bodega, where you can find items rarely available in other parts of the country. Stock up on your faves in drinks, cigars, backy and skins…Or you can brave Guatemala city for the same.

Recycling in Antigua is possible, despite the lack of any bins on the streets. It takes a little effort, but is worth it. Aluminium cans should be taken to Restaurante Doña Luisa (4a calle Oriente #12), in order to benefit an education program, see www.openwindowsfoundation.com. For glass, cardboard, newspapers etc. and all plastic containers, you’ll need to head out of town a little – drive to the Ferretería El Tigre (Km 47.5 carretera a Cuidad Vieja).

Moving up and out of old Antigua, the next place to visit was called Earth Lodge Guatemala (see previous post photos, and www.earthlodgeguatemala.com), a 45 mins drive outside the city. I had phoned to book and was collected as arranged outside Cafe No Se, on 1st Avenue South in town. The pick-up took us uphill on a good paved road till we arrived at the small village of El Hato, and from there it was a fairly steep decline on foot for around 10 mins to the amazing location and settings of Earth Lodge. The view of the city and volcanoes from up here was immense. I shacked up in a wooden cabin, aka the dorm, 35Q per night, and took ‘em up on their nice offer of three nights for the price of two.

Earth Lodge takes on volunteers and it seemed an excellent place to do work exchange – get in touch via their website if you fancy giving it a go there. The place has excellent hiking right from the door, the staff were great fun, and, in the evening, the owners cook up fabulous vegetarian dinners (meat also available), with fresh local produce…plus their puds are incredible! A great place to visit then, but no volunteer work available for me, so my trails continued.

A lucky and well-timed application via email resulted in needing to head east across the country to the steamy, semi-jungle region of El Peten. Here I would volunteer for six weeks – at an eco-hotel by the name of Finca Ixobel. Travel to the east meant a shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala city with a connecting bus to Río Dulce. A travel agent handled it in Antigua (book at least 24 hrs in advance) for the sum of 120Q, around 15 USD.

Río Dulce, steamy times in el Petén

On arrival at Río Dulce, I got off the bus, slung on on the backpack and look for the way to the river.  A guate bloke approaches me to ask if I need lodging. I tell him I am booked at Casa Perico, and he tells me someone will arrive by boat to collect me.  He then tries to get me to buy some weed which I thank him for but say I am not needing nowt. I wander to the river’s edge, no boat arrives. I backtrack a bit an head to a lakeside bar where I enquire as to how to arrive at Casa Perico. The barman kindly calls the place and tells me someone would arrive shortly. I settle down with a chilled beer and chat to the other characters in the bar. Soon enough a lancha pulls up and a Swiss chap takes me plus a chap from Guate a 7 minute ride to a little inlet off the river, where the hostal, Casa Perico is located. It’s a pleasant place, all wooden decks, palapas, and a comfy looking dorm lodging at the right price. (5.50 USD a night). The Swiss host, Bruno, welcomes me and passes a menu of food and drink…I order some veggie food for dinner and am soon chatting with an agreeable French guy, Bernard (he tells me he’s an ex-cop in France), and we’re joined by a chatty Guatemalan chap, Rudolfo, whose French is pretty snappy. Sated and tired, I leave ‘em to it and head for the dorm in the ample palapa, where I sleep very well and have no troubles from mozzies or any other jungle marauders.

The following day, shortly after a hearty breakfast of coffee and oats, I am on my way back to to Río Dulce town and arrive nicely-timed to jump on the bus towards Poptún (30Q and 1.5 hours), requesting they drop me off at the point on the road where I can stroll to Finca Ixobel – see www.fincaixobel.com. Needless to say, I am excited about discovering the place, and having the chance to down sack for a decent period of time. I get to the drop point and stroll along a nicely cool and tree-lined dirt track for around 15 minutes, grinning with pleasure as I pass through the entrance gates and see the glorious green lawns and delightful settings of the eco-hotel. I am met by the owner’s daughter, Maria, and given a warm welcome and introduction to the place, before being told to go and have some food, which was rather wonderful and very tasty.

There are a many different lodging options for guests staying at Finca Ixobel and it is really well-priced. The kitchen serves up fabulous food with plenty of vegetarian dishes but also a shed load of meat for the carnivorous visitors who devour their burgers with much gusto! Having its own bakery means fresh bread and cakes every day, and lots of lettuces and herbs are grown in the substantial grounds of the property.

So it’s ecological then? Oh aye! Here’s a brief list of how and why:

Natural spring supplies a lot of water, RAM pumps move the water around, Composting toilet, solar dryer, solar showers, jungle shower (heated by wood fire), grey water filter, happy chickens, glass recycling, composting of food waste, eco swimming pool (a pond), re-forestation projects, grow their own vegetables.

Some of the installations were admittedly a bit under-used, and the place is still on the grid for things like water, electricity and gas for cooking — it’s first and foremost a business that caters to a lot of visitors. However, a galant effort for Guatemala.

So six weeks flew by at the Finca. Work consisted of 8 hour shifts, 6 days a week. Shifts started either a 8am or 2pm. No surprise that I preferred the afternoon shift. On the days off you can freely join any excursion being organised for the hotel guests. These include cave trips, river excursions, jungle treks and more. The volunteer digs were in comfy rooms in the volunteer block, with shared bathroom. Rustic but fine, and I had two weeks with my own room before another volunteer arrived to share my room with me. The staff, volunteers and visitors to the hotel were all fantastic people, very friendly and helpful and I had a great experience there and really would love to return, either as a guest or to volunteer again.

Río Dulce revisited and Casa Guatemala, orphanage on the river

With time ticking away and my 3 month limit for staying Guatemala fast approaching, it was necessary to get on the road again. On my last day at Finca Ixobel, I met a guest, Donna, who told me about an orphange called Casa Guatemala at Río Dulce where she was working. I decided to check it out with her and we got the bus to Río Dulce late that afternoon. We stayed at the Backpackers Hostel in Río Dulce, the owners are affiliated with the orphanage and I was able to arrange the day’s volunteering (15 USD donation) plus the night’s stay in the hostel (35Q). The hostel is literally right on the river, and I was given a warm welcome by the manageress in the restaurant and bar. A good few beers were sunk! The next morning, after a swift coffee and cake for brekky, a boat arrived and took myself, plus Donna and two other volunteers for the day to the Casa Guatemala orphanage — a 15 minute zoom down the river on the lancha.

A little about the orphanage from their website: http://www.casa-guatemala.org
Casa Guatemala is an orphanage that cares for the nurturing, health and education of over 250 children.  These children come from a variety of backgrounds; some have been abandoned, some have been abused, while still others come from families too poor to even provide the basics of a child’s needs.  The project touches the lives of hundreds of people.  The 250+ kids that live at the children’s village, the people who work at the orphanage, the teachers that are employed at the orphanage school, members of the local village, workers at the Hotel Backpackers and the volunteers from all over the world who give their time to help out.

The orphanage receives no government support and is totally dependent upon the kind donations from people and groups from around the world.  Casa Guatemala is split into three interdependent sites, each with its own function but working in concert.

So after arriving, we started off with a tour of the whole place and explanation of how it works. Then it was getting down to the work, with a variety of different tasks and activities. I assisted with lunch serving, teaching english, playing games with the kids, moving some furniture to a class room and re-organising a store room. There is so much to do here! The staff are from a variety of countries and everyone was staying amazingly calm despite the heat and frantic amount of work required to keep things running efficiently. They desperately need more help and support, if you are in the area, please visit Casa Guatemala! If you can volunteer for longer, see this page to get started: http://www.casa-guatemala.org/volunteer.php

To Alta Verapaz – the dusty, bumpy way with el sñr Domingo

The next day, after having arranged to be collected, I was picked up from the hostel by a Guatemalan chap in a flash-looking 4×4 truck. I was heading for the cloud forest region of Alta Verapaz, and the small town of Lanquín. Close by is the incredible natural park and pools of Semuc Champey. So many people had told me to check it out, saying it was immensely beautiful and one of the best sites in Guatemala. My driver relieved me of 150Q for the trip and said it would take 5 hours. I was surprised not to see any other passengers joining us, but soon enough we stopped to let on board a group of farm workers plus about 20 massive bags of corn! They only went a few miles up the highway, though. After stopping to pick up some coconuts in el Estor, we headed off the paved road and the journey took us through some of the most dusty, bumpy and rugged terrain I’ve ever seen. There were stunning lush green hills, steep ravines and the roughest road I’ve had the pleasure of being on in a vehicle! The driver beeped his horn at every passing car, motorbike, pedestrian and animal — he seemed to know them all. Good job we were in a 4×4 as I would’ve had trouble even walking up some of the parts of the «road». Five hours later and with the last light of the day disappearing, we rolled into the town of Lanquín. I’d booked a hostel right at the gate of Semuc Champey, and had to wait an hour for another shuttle to take me up there. When it arrived, I was excited to meet two friends who’d stayed at Finca Ixobel — nice Austrians Kristoph and Doris. Excellent to hear there were also staying at the same hostel. At that point the heavens opened and it bucketed down in the night, making the bumpy trip 10km up to the lodging in the pick up truck a bit of a hair-raiser, however we arrived just in time for dinner.

The next day I was able to see the incredible jungle settings of the hostel, El Portal de Semuc Champey. I was staying in the dorm, which was comfortable and just 35Q per night. The food was great at the hostel, some nice vegeatarian dishes at a v. reasonable price, considering the location. There is only electricity between 6 and 10pm, nowt during the day… a generator provides the energy in the evening, so charge up all your electricals before arriving! The fellow guests there at the time were a good mix of Europeans, North Americas and Aussies. Perhaps due to its height, or the season, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of mosquitoes here… there are plenty of flying beetles and other critters, this being the jungle, but the dorm was clean and free of snakes or scorpions — always nice.

So, after breakfast I joined other guests in a tour of Semuc Champey (80Q). The park entrance is literally 2 minutes walk from the hostel and we first climbed to the look-out point, el mirador, led by our tour guide Alex. It was a hot and steamy day after the rain, and clambering up the slippery path to the view point required a bit of careful footwork, but once up top it was an amazing view. We headed down the other side and at last reached the stunning pools themselves. The source of the river Cahabón is closeby upstream in the jungle, and a tremendous 300m long limestone bridge has naturally formed with the river rushing in great torrents beneath. Cuidado! If you fall in here, you’ll not be seen again… There are several azure-blue pools for swimming, each dropping a little in height until finally the Cahabón river returns with a 40ft waterfall. Swimming in these pools is an out of this world experience, and the whole area is protected and has been carefully developed to allow tourist access with minimal impact on nature. We headed out of the park and back at the hostel picked up inner-tubes for floating down river («tubing») about 1Km, a fun activity. In the afternoon I returned to Semuc Champey for another wander and swim in the pools — and had the place to myself, which was truly amazing.

The following morning it was an early start for the trip back to Antigua (175Q, 7 hours approx), a shared shuttle with some of the other guests. I stayed once more in the Casa Bellona and enjoyed my penultimate day in Guateamala sampling the delights of the Antigua markets and stores. The next day I would head to Guatemala City to leave for Los Angeles… Adíos (for now) Guate!

Next chapter…back in the good ole USA.. coming soon!

Well, amigos, I know it’s been a long time since some jocular words appeared here, and thank you all for nagging me for news, plus your comments and encouraging utterings. This entry aims to bring us up to date with a speedy summary before I delve into the glory details in the next post.

I last left you at the delights of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala… from there I headed to Antigua, the old colonial capital of Guate and a rather fabulous place to visit. Heading east thereafter, via Guatemala City, I stopped at Río Dulce for one night at the river-located and Swiss-run Casa Perico. Then it was up the way north two hours to Poptún and to the splendid eco hotel, Finca Ixobel, where I worked as a volunteer for six weeks (hence the lack of blog action). That done I headed back to Río Dulce, where I volunteered for one day at Casa Guatemala, an orphanage for 250 Guatemalan children. A bumpy five-hour 4×4 shuttle took me thereafter across mountain ranges and dusty dirt-tracks to the village of Lanquín, from there I headed to the amazing Semuc Champey, with its incredible jungle settings and natural pools and waterfalls. Photos and vids coming soooon! Finally it was back to Antigua for a night in order to get the stuff together for the off. Gracias Guate, the next stop is Los Angeles, California, and then over to Sedona, Arizona, to volunteer at a retreat being organised by the Greenheart Chicago crew, which kicks off with the full moon. Aooooo!

Full tales of the above travels coming soon!
Love & peace and fond ribbles to you all.

Greetings blog followers! A pictorial post here for you below, with a selection of recent photos taken in the fine Guatemalan city of Antigua, and at the fabulous Earth Lodge, located 20 minutes outside the town. Testing out the new camera (a Kodak Zi8) on loan from the CCI. Thanks guys, this beats the motorola phone!

Play around with the controls by rolling your mouse over the slideshow, or click on it to open the web album page.

Further travel commentary and off-topic musings coming soon.

Ahhhh Guatemala… ”tierra de los arboles” (land of trees)

Current Exchange Rate – 1$ is 8 Quetzles. 1€ is around 11 Quetzales.

I shall be adding some photos and more tales here soon.

Thursday 28^th January 2010

8am shuttle bus from San Cristóbal, Mexico to Panajachel, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Via border crossing and change of shuttle. Cruised through regions till arrival at Panajachel at around 5.30pm, with travel buddies Richard and Lisa, met at hostel in San Cristóbal.

We checked out C./Santander in Panajachel for hostels, and finally chose Posada Monte Rosa, on C./ Monterrey, which looked nice with a tranquil courtyard entrance and good sized rooms with private bathroom for 50Q per night. Of an evening we got stuck into some litres of Guatemalan beer, Gallo (2 for 60Q), and chomped on some good street food (16 Quetzales), at the aptly named stall “Smoke gets in your eyes”… v. good and jovial stuff. We said a quick hello to the lake and headed for the hay, after a long day of travelling on the shuttle bus.

Lucky on timing, I attended the last few days of “CyanoBacteria” an Ecological Feria happening in the Panajachel’s central venues, with talks, presentations and Q&A sessions during the day, followed by performances, live bands and the odd vinyl jock having a pinch of “techno”, of an evening.

I hooked up with David and fellow new volunteer, Helen (Aka Elena or Deva), and orf we trooped with our gear to the dock for Santiago launches and chicken boats. A launch dropped us off at private dock and present venue for the Project Nuevo Mundo initiative, run by David. See www.projectnuevomundo.org. Here I would stay for the next two weeks, at last away from the noise of traffic and hustle, bustle, haggle, bedraggle and hawking commerce. Peace on the shores of lake Atitlán, with the sounds of nature all around…!

Funny Things about Guatemala – Lake Atitlán Area

This is an entertaining and beautiful part of Guate; famously Aldous Huxley called it “the most beautiful lake in the world”, and I would say it’s very safe as well, given the normal precautions for travellers are applied. Wandering around Panajachel, there are abundant artesan stalls and shops selling well-priced, locally made goods and gifts in all shapes, colours and sizes. I am called “amigo” by street sellers countless times… I had no idea I had so many friends here, and I am often offered “wheat” (or that’s what it sounded like), by lots of folks either racing past on their bicycles, in tuk-tuks or by baseball-capped up youngsters trying to hawk boat trips around the lake. The lake’s indigenous ladies, in traditional dress, sell (or try to) everything from textiles and clothes, to bananas and trinkets, carrying around their weighty surplus stock on their heads in a marvellous balancing act.

As well as visiting Guatemalan folk, a lot of gringos vacation at the lake area  – the beard count on the males is about the same as the head count – and many backpackers head for the town of San Pedro across the lake, where lodging is cheap and there’s a lot on offer in the way of Spanish schools, touristy shops, cafés and restaurants, plus a bit of fun to be had in the bars at night. However, when not on site at Project Nuevo Mundo, I spent most time in Panajachel, on the north shore, staying at the wonderful Hostel El Viajero (towards the lake on C./ Santander), where the hostel manager, Carlos, from Guatemala, looked after me very well, and we shared many pleasant times together conversing about our countries. The hostel has nice clean rooms, good hot showers, free internet / wifi, a kitchen for cooking and their courtyard is full of beautiful plants and flowers. Like many budget hostels here, they have a long way to go before being classed as “green / ecological”, but hopefully my suggestions will have made a small difference and the hostel will improve in time.

Panajachel – Food Shopping Tips and Tops. Just a few suggestions.

Top Tip: Haggling is de-rigeur for most things in Guatemala… Get in there with some good-natured banter to avoid paying the gringo mark-up price!

The Market, at the top of C./ Principal (Calle Real) on the outskirts of town, past the church. Perfectly wonderful local fresh fruit, veg, cheese, eggs…. plus fish from the lake – if you fancy it – all sold by locals. There are also some great looking, well-priced comedores here and some smelly meat / chicken stalls, plus clothing and house-hold extras, electronics and packaged goods galore.

At markets in Guate, get used to having weights and measurements in good-old imperial pounds and ounces, pints and gallons… not kilograms or litres, just to confuse things a llittle more…

In street opposite the market look for Super Pan, where you can get the cheapest bread and stodge-stocking cakes to accompany a nice cup of tea in your hostel. Also try the panaderia near the Church, which has a huge range of tasty cakes and breads at fair prices… try walking past without buying anything!

Sandra’s Supermarket, C./ Principal (Calle Real), past the top of C./ Santander. Great mini-supermarket with all the extras you can’t find at other tiendas, such as wheat- and gluten-free products, organic veg, soya milk, local produce, good herbal teas, sweet chili sauce, and lots more… a bit like IbiFoods in Ibiza, and expect to pay for those imports!

Calle Santander has a large number of restaurants, cafés, bars, street food stalls and cake shops to keep all mouths and pockets happy. A few good vegetarian options at fine prices – a meal for under a fiver easily possible. Beers oscillate around about a reasonable 10-20 Quetzales, and they are just a little bigger (335ml) than Europe bottled beers, but wine is expensive as there’s nada local and imports get a price hike as standard.

The Pana Health Food Store, at the “El Patio” commercial center, C./ Santander, about half way down, on your right. Tlf. (502) 5207 4974, www.panahealthfood.com. Colloidal silver is available here as are an abundant number of other fine healthy herbs, brews, creams, powders, pills and literature on well-being and good nutrition.

So, my recommendation is to stay in Panajachel, when visiting the area, but do check out the other towns and villages around the lake…each has its own atmosphere and specialities.

Next Chapter: volunteering and more Guatemala tales – the adventures continue!

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