I am so grateful for the last 10 days of my life staying at HeartFire Farm right on the magical lake ~ Lago Atítlan. There is a lot of history here of volcanoes, storms, civil wars, colonization, and the Tzutijil Mayans, who make up the majority of the population here in Santiago, one of the many villages on this lake. Walking down the street, I more often hear people speaking Tzutijil than Spanish.  At the same time, the local alternative school is making an effort to teach the children the Tzutijil language and other aspects of the culture, so they have Tzutijil Fridays for the children because many parents don't speak the language anymore.

It seems to be a fairly simple life here in Santiago, at least from my perspective as a visitor. Yes, there are internet cafes and fast food restaurants, but also, many people get around here by walking, taking the tiny 3-wheeled tuc-tucs, or standing in the back of a pick-up truck with 20 other people. There are women down in the lake washing clothes all day every day, and you see men hauling huge loads of firewood and other heavy items on their backs. They are not immune to the problem of plastic trash here, although many of the villages are starting to ban plastic bags and straws.

All of this is happening around one of the most beautiful places I've been, a lake made famous (at least to me) by the writer Martin Prechtel.  Although not everyone in this town he once called home and wrote about prolifically adores him as much as many adore his books and teachings, I must admit it is quite amazing to be reading passages from his book about the Elbow of the Earth volcano and the Thrones of the Clouds Mountains, and then look up from the book and see exactly what he is talking about in front of my eyes.  Or to be working on the farm, and hear a woman wailing in grief at the cemetery next door, and remember the stories he wrote in his book on grieving, that according to the Mayans here, it is our tears and songs that help those who have died row across to the land of the ancestors.
All of these thoughts fill my head as I immerse myself into life on this farm, in this town. It's only been 10 days, but it feels like forever (in a good way).

Just down the hill and across the road from the cemetery, live a wonderful family ~ mom, dad, and their 9-year-old daughter. And their 4 horses, 10-15 ducks (with ducklings on the way), 2 peacocks, 3 cats, and 8 dogs (two of whom are brand new puppies).  I found this family through Workaway, a website that connects people who need volunteers with travellers looking for this kind of experience.  Volunteers work 5 hours/day, 5 days/week for a place to stay and 2 meals/day, not to mention a one-of-a-kind experience.

Every weekday morning, we shovel the manure out of the horse corral and then get on to any number of needed jobs around the farm, from compost building for their compost-heated outdoor shower, watering the bamboo and gardens, or painting/rust-proofing these metal frames which will be used to hold colored glasses over people lying on top of these meditation beds, the colors associated with your chakras.  All of these meditation beds are surrounding the temple at the top of the property. The temple is a place for ceremonies, and was built on top of an old tomb.

Things take time here on the farm, and while there are so many beautiful buildings, gardens, and animals here, it is only the beginning. There is such a rich vision for this place, and although I won't see a huge effect from my work this week, I am so grateful to be a part in getting just a little closer, and enjoying what has already been accomplished.  There are beautiful super-adobe and ferro-cement buildings, tire sculptures, and a temescal (a traditional sauna).

One of my favorite days was being invited to attend a garden planning meeting at the local cooperative school, just a five minute walk down the road from the farm, where the 9-year-old goes to school.  They are creating school gardens and outdoor play spaces for the children, and we're talking about how to incorporate all of this into the daily school rhythms and curriculum for each of the grades and pre-school. I was honored to be included, and so inspired to see this kind of environmental education happening here.

Most of this meeting was in Spanish, and I found that I understood about 95% of what was being said. And now today, I just travelled a couple hours to the city of Xela to learn Spanish.  So I have left my days of swimming at the lake, getting cocovered in duck sludge and dust, hanging out with my great new friend from England, one of the other volunteers, and looking at the stars every night so I can gain a skill I have been working towards for a while now. I will be studying in class 5 hours/day, and living with a host family. I am very excited!

A week travelling so far... I sit in the Central Park of Antigua in Guatemala. The cool air is refreshing and I am surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, trying to avoid the tiny blessings from the pigeons in the trees above. A little boy with a t-shirt that says "Monster Rally" drives his remote control truck into the flocks of pigeons and yells at them. Really, this could be anywhere, but Mayan women walk by with baskets on their head, selling many beautiful things for tourists or just little bags of seeds to feed the pigeons. Bells ringing, and little wooden flutes are played to entice us tourists into buying them. Some guys are taking Christmas lights down from the trees. Backpackers meet up, and locals and tourists alike sit on the park benches eating, resting, meeting friends, and I sit and write in my journal.

Thinking back over the last week. Qué viaje! What a journey.  From the very first minutes at the Cancún airport losing my little folder of very important papers, putting my spotty Spanish to the test in a stressful moment, reminded of the challenges of travelling.  Even when you plan ahead, you buy your bus ticket to make your arrival smooth and easy, things happen and you lose the ticket, so you have to wing it. It's fine though, as long as you are flexible. And this is something I am quite practiced in. So I got to my hostel a little later than planned, hot and sweaty, knowing what true gratitude feels like, gratitude for a simple bed and safe shelter.

Arriving in Tulúm in the peak of peak tourist season was a bit overwhelming at first, but I got the hang of it. The first day walking a couple miles to the ancient Mayan ruins, sometimes in the pouring rain which was welcome on such a hot day...walking back along the beach, beautiful but full of hotels and their guests. 

The next day, after renting a bike, I found myself on side streets, where the locals live, where everything does not exist solely for tourists. The bicycle gave my feet a rest, and rode out to a cenote to do some swimming. This part of the country is full of these cenotes, limestone sinkholes filled with cold fresh water where you can swim into caves, bats flying around you. I'd say this was my favorite part of my time in Tulúm.

After 4 days and nights, I ventured to Belize with a long, but comfortable, bus ride. Crossing the border took a little longer than expected, and I got off the bus at a town called Orange Walk, so I wouldn't have to backtrack from Belize City. My next stop was Crooked Tree Village. I caught a local bus to the road to Crooked Tree, which is a small island surrounded by lagoons and rivers, reminding me so much of my island home, except that instead of berries, pumpkins, and corn, cashews and mangoes were the main crops here (although sadly not in season).  And instead of sandhill cranes and geese, there were ibises, egrets, jacanas, and the elusive jabiru storks, which can be 5ft tall with a wingspan of 7ft! I did not see these storks, but saw many other beautiful birds, butterflies, and turtles... Even those lizards that run on their hind legs. The museum here taught me that Belize is the birthplace of Creole culture, as well as some of the history of the Mayan people, as well as the people living there before the Mayans, and European colonization.

After one full day here, I was already off to Guatemala. Another long bus ride, but this time my bus driver dropped me off right in front of my guesthouse, when we weren't even supposed to stop in that town.  While I never expect people to go out of their way like this, I have learned not to be surprised by these acts of kindness, especially when travelling. It had not even been a week, and this was the second time someone had helped me get where I was going without even being asked. (I can't tell you all the stories here😉 I have to leave some for when I get home.)

So this first stop in Guatemala - El Remate - was my home base for visiting Tikal, which I believe is one of the biggest sites of Mayan ruins. What an amazing place with huge stone temples and buildings hiding in the jungle, with spider monkeys and howler monkeys and toucans in the trees, knowing the jaguars were sleeping somewhere nearby too. I imagined a Humming Hive in Tikal as I walked through the jungle, with the howler monkeys screaming - it sounded like dinosaurs or some other large and dangerous creatures calling back and forth to each other.

 The view from the top of the tallest temple:

Another short stay, followed by the longest bus ride yet, all the way down through tiny rural villages, through Guatemala City, a giant city where we sat in the worst traffic I've ever experienced, and finally arriving here in Antigua. Today is my only day here, but I'm so glad I stopped here, colorful cobblestone streets with the volcano towering overhead.

I am looking forward to my next stop being longer - 10 days on a family's permaculture farm next to Lago Atitlan, and then a month in Xela at a language school.

Thank you for reading. Everyone always asks if I am travelling alone. Yes, I am. But even when I am not connecting with people on my travels, I feel my friends and family are with me in spirit.

A long time coming

I'm starting up my blog again, the one I began when I went to Europe for about 8 months, back in 2006, which I continued while working on a farm in Western Virginia, and into my first year living in Portland, Oregon.

After this, I got a little distracted opening and running Humming Hive for over 7 years.

 That was quite the journey itself, and I am so grateful for the experience, the community that grew out of it, and all of the memories shared in the forest with the children, their families, and other teachers.

Well, I've made a big loop, or a spiral of some kind and now I've decided to head down a trail that I passed by a long time ago. In fact, I was contemplating, planning even, choosing this trail when all of a sudden the option came along of free airfare to Europe and a lovely invitation for a bus tour through Germany with family. If you want to know how that trip turned out, go back to the first post. If you're just here for current events, follow along from here.

So I've been dreaming about this Southern journey for almost 15 years. The full vision is visiting all countries in Central and South America, beginning with Mexico. I loved to imagine myself taking years to complete this journey.  Well, it seems that this is a hard vision to get started on, perhaps a bit overwhelming.  So I'm taking baby steps. 3 months in Southern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Will this inspire me to continue farther? Or will I wait a few years for the next leg of the journey? Or will this fully satisfy my wanderlust? (Ha! That one is doubtful!)

I'll be documenting my journey here with pictures and stories. Thank you for reading! Please enjoy!