May 20, 2010 - Guatemala & El Salvador

Queridos amigos,

For the last month we've been on the move. However, in our typical style, we have not moved very far. Before leaving our apartment we did have a few adventures in and around Xela. An hour bus ride outside of town we hiked up Volcan Chicabal, then down into its caldera to the lake that has formed there. It is a Mayan sacred site which to us meant we could enjoy the tranquil, natural setting along with the sounds of explosives and trash on the ground. While eating our picnic on the shore the lake would one moment be obscured by fog and a couple later be clear, then fog, then clear. The hike was steep and by the time we reached the bottom we could barely walk up the final hill to the bus stop. You´d think carrying 50 pounds on our backs would put some muscle on the legs but in our defense we don´t carry those things much. At least we didn´t need the horses. Another afternoon with our friend Rob we shuttled to Fuentes Georginas, some very hot hot-springs nestled in a jungle valley and bustling with tourists. It wasn't until we were submerged in 100+ degree water that we realized we hadn´t taken baths in over half a year (we have showered). Other day-trips included market day in San Francisco el Alto waaaay up on a hill, frequent trips to our favorite bar to watch futbol, and one live futbol match of their pride and joy, Xelaju MC. Back in Xela we switched apartments to one with a balcony and a window in our room, until then we´d been living in what was essentially a cave devoid of all natural light. Emily kept up her work at the shelter and got really cheap yoga classes every morning before work ($12 for the whole month). By the time she got home from those things Tyler may or may not have been awake.

Our time in Xela ended on May 1 and we were faced with our common question, "where to next?" One immediate mission was to get another three month CA-4 visa. A few years ago they created the CA-4 which consists of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua which makes it easier to travel amongst those countries. Unfortunately they only give you three months to do it and we were already half-way through them. The closest border was Mexico so we hopped a chicken bus and five hot, wet, stinky, crowded, uncomfortable hours later we were across the border. It was lying in a sweltering hotel room during a thunder storm that Tyler made his decision. He´s been gone too long, yearns to be amongst his people, and just doesn´t fit in down here (culturally and physically). It was not an easy decision but after it had been made he felt a lot better. But it's not like he could hop a flight the next day so with a renewed passion we set off back into Guatemala.
Guatemala has a lot to see, and we had seen almost all of it, except the lake. Seven more chicken bus hours later we were at Lago Atitlan, basically an enormous volcano filled with water ringed with smaller volcanoes. When it blew thousands of years ago, forming the lake crater, chunks of it landed in Michigan and Peru. Craving company, we asked someone to take us to where all the young people were. At Yo Mama's Casa we found a great group of friends and ended up staying a week. We kayaked, walked to the beach, (almost) climbed a mountain, drank iced coffee, ate cheap meals and Tyler made his return plans. Eventually we moved to a private room in a hotel with our own bathroom for $1 more than staying in the dorms. We were staying with sisters from Petaluma whom we really enjoyed and now Emily is continuing her adventure with them. They have access to a condo on Roatan, an island in Honduras known as the cheapest place in the world to get scuba certified. Since Emily is already certified she will just have to take advantage of cheap outings to dive with the world's largest fish, whale sharks. After Tyler booked a flight we were in search of one more adventure before he left.
So it was off to country #4, El Salvador. What we'd heard about the smallest but most populated country in Central America was that it had nice surf, zero wilderness, and one of the highest murder rates in the world. What we discovered there shattered our expectations. Upon arrival in the capital, San Salvador (a city, like all Central American capitals, we hadn't heard a good thing about), we thought we'd somehow driven down the 101 into Los Angeles. The streets were clean, wide, and lined with trees. Huge modern shopping centers bearing American brand names and slogans in English lit the night. The Salvadoran people, being of mostly Spanish descent in contrast to Guatemalans who have mostly indigenous features, are tall, fair-skinned and downright gorgeous (NOTE: they're not attractive because they are tall and fair simply in addition to; there are plenty of tall, fair, ugly people around).
For our only full day in the city we bussed to the Zona Rosa to check out the modern art museum which consumed the entire afternoon. Afterward we found our way to the University of El Salvador which, even on a Saturday, was alive with academic activities.

We were enthralled by the art that seemed to cover every possible surface. As we explored the campus filled with trees of mangoes, bananas, avocados and cashews accompanied by the calls of tropical birds we attempted to document the political art—art that wouldn't survive 24 hours on any wall in the USA—art that captures the legacy of war, disappearances and exploitation in Latin America. We left that school, that revolutionary training ground, feeling like all our American university education did for us was get us high (on exceptionalism). To study in such an environment must surely be to honestly engage ideas—to acknowledge reality.

After getting schooled (and drunk with a bunch of heavy metal college guys) we thought we'd check out what El Salvador is world famous for, its beaches. Fifty kilometers of some of the world's best breaks attract a lot of surfers from all corners of the world. We teamed up with a couple from Australia and a UCSB alum for one day and night of swimming pools, hammocks and beer. After 24 hours at the beach and with less than 48 hours until Tyler's flight it was back to San Salvador for a date night at the cinema. We thoroughly enjoyed the new Robin Hood so we decided to stay and watch Iron Man 2 as well, all for less than the cost of one flick in the states.
Now, Tyler is en route or already home. Emily has returned to the lake to meet up with her island adventure gang. Our time together on this trip has been priceless, it has brought us closer to each other and revealed things that remain hidden amongst the comforts and customs of home. Emily is following her dream and Tyler is doing what he has to do. New and exciting solo missions await us both. To our fans and followers thank you for your feedback and encouragement. Updates should continue from Emily's POV and Tyler is going to get to work on some more in-depth stories for our and his blog. We love you and we love each other. Stay tuned. Besos y brazos, Tyler y Emily
PS - Check picasa for the recent photo update including the university murals.

PPS - Yes, it is weird to write in the third person but we didn't want to portray our trip in just one voice. FYI Tyler has done the bulk of the writing with Emily as his memory and editor, making sure to temper any cynical slant that may sour our attempt at uplifting, unbiased(ish) narrative.