Las Gran Adventuras de las Hermanas Valorosas Villars y su Amigo Colocho!

The Great Adventures of the Valient Villars Sisters and their Curly-Haired Friend!

Las Hermanas...y...

su amigo colocho!

Giant nativity in Xela!

...Just because we're cute

We toured the local market, La Domocracia, to see all the Christmas decorations for sale!


Dyed sawdust used to add color to Christmas décor!
Crab apples tied together on string for use as garland

My very own villa navidena (Christmas village)!

Our Christmas tree!



Trip to Fuentes Georginas! These hot springs are nestled halfway up a volcano.
Fuentes Georginas

The pick-up ride back down the volcano

Zunil, the town at the base of the volcano, right outside Xela

more Zunil
Zunil

Agriculture is cool! (Zunil)

Hiking Santa Maria Volcano (3772 m)

Setting the Scene:
Santa Maria is an active volcano about 7km outside of Xela. It erupted in 1902, killing 1,500 people. Santiagito, usually visible from the top of Santa Maria, is a relatively new volcano that formed out of Santa Maria’s crater. Santiaguito erupts daily, spewing ash all over Xela (it looks like it’s snowing, but it’s just ash), and is considered on of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. GASP!

Step 1. Woke up at 4:30 am
Step 2. Walked to the Quetzaltreker office. Quetzaltrekkers is the trekking group we hiked with. This non-profit organization is a group of hippies that lead hikes and donate all their profits to 1. The clinic where Bryce and I work 2. a school for homeless children and 3. a shelter for abused women. Basically, they are awesome and extremely hardcore.
Step 3. Rode in the back of a pick-up for 7km in freezing cold darkness to the base of the cone
Step 4. Started a “gentle climb” (as the Quetzaltrekkers like to call it) for about 45 mins.

Jillian started to feel ill and had to stop the group to use the “shit kit” several times throughout these 45 minutes. She strongly considered turning around, but was too bad ass. (Actually I just kept reminding myself that if I chickened out now I would have to repeat steps 1-4 on another day because I will not let myself leave Guatemala without hiking this f$%#ing volcano).

Step 5. The “gentle climb” progressed steadily to a “steep climb” for the next um…4 hours! Jillian continued to use the “shit kit” and drank oral re-hydration salts while panting and holding back tears.
Step 6. We got into the rhythm of the climb and began to enjoy ourselves! Jillian’s illness passed. We could see the peak…so close and yet so far away! Beautiful views that can’t be described or accurately depicted with a camera (unless maybe you are Tom Dooley).
Step 7. VICTORY!
The View
From the top you can see Santiaguito erupt, which according to my guidebook is “an incredible and memorable sight” as it “spouts a great grey cloud of rock and dust hundreds of meters into the air”. To the east you can see the 4 volcanoes above Lake Atitlan and two more above Antigua. To the west, you can see the cones of Tajumulco and Tacana, marking the Mexican border. You can see all of these things...in clear conditions. We did not have clear conditions, just a blanket of clouds. Santiaguito, which constantly erupts about every half hour, did not erupt. Oh well. Maybe I’ll just have to climb it again!

Jingle Buddies
So there weren’t views, but there was a Christmas Eve piñata, jingle buddies candies and the victorious sense of accomplishment that comes from climbing 3,772 meters (con diarrhea!). Just look how happy I was!

jingle buddies!

Christmas Day!
Feliz Navidad!
Wearing cozy PJ’s brought all the way to Guatemala by Kate, from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jimmy! xoxo

We were matching girls for Xmas! The skirt was a Christmas gift from me to Kate (note that I bought myself one too). Frosty the Snowman just magically appeared in Parque Central on Christmas morning.

Next it was off to Lake Atitlan! TO BE CONTINUED...