Original post date: September 16, 2007
Hola Damas y Caballeros!! (That´s you btw)
First of, let me preface this with the fact that the keyboards here are configured for Spanish with accents and everything, but no one has changed the actual symbols on the keyboard. I just spent the last 10 minutes looking for the frikkin close bracket.
ANYways, just wrapped up things in Mexico – yes, Mexico!! after two weeks of training. What have I been up to you may ask (can´t find the question mark key)
I spent a week in Antigua, Guatemala doing some admin training. It´s a cute little town nestled in between 3 volcanoes, with a ton of churches and various ruins scattered about. Every morning I walked down the cobblestone streets to have Nutella and banana crepes for breakfast (they are going to have to roll me onto my flight home), and had a full view of the breathtaking Agua Volcano. 
Before training started I had a chance to hike up Pacaya Volcano – hi, did I mention it was ACTIVE? At the top you can actually SEE lava ooooozing out of the volcano all over the place. It was so hot I thought my shoes might melt. Sweating like a whore in church. We roasted some marshmallows over the lava then set the stick on fire by touching it to the lava. Jack Handy from SNL said it best: If you ever drop your keys in molten lava, let them go – cause Man, they´re GONE.
We managed to avoid the hurricane, although torrential downpours in were a daily occurrence. My last night here I almost drowned crossing the street. On that note, saying I´m ´tall´ may be a stretch (pardon the pun) but I´d be nearing almost average on the height bell curve here (for women anyway).
With admin junk more or less done, we boarded a shaky little two prop and flew out to Flores. It´s a tiny little island attached by a causeway to the town of Santa Elena. Right behind our hotel was a dock from which you could jump out into the lake. We swam out about half a kilometer when we realized the other island wasn´t ´so close´ after all.
Interesting fact: Elections were on Sunday and the whole country has a ban on alcohol from Saturday noon until Monday morning. Police officers were in the streets in full effect making sure this was enforced. (no – this time they didn´t let me hold their gun – or the handcuffs)
From Flores we went to Tikkal to learn about Mayan history and check out some massive temples. Safety apparently isn´t really an issue as I walked out on some barely there scaffolding (as in 2x4s) looking down a 150 or so foot drop.
Next stop: Chill Mon…..We´re in Belize! Spent the morning tubing down some rapids, and enjoying the lush forest on either side. Right above me on a branch I saw a ginormus Iguana and still couldn’t believe I´d be getting paid to do this.
The same thought crossed my mind the next night when I was walking on the beach under the moonlight in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Wishing I had someone special there with me, although apparently there is no shortage of mexicasas offering to play the part. On my trips I´ll be able to take day trips out to Cozumel for snorkeling and diving, so more on this later.
Transportation:
For the longer travel days we take buses similar to Greyhound buses with a TV screen and a washroom (which never seems to work). You have no idea how hilarious to watch Men in Black dubbed over in Spanish. On the ride to Cancun from Merida when the driver thought we were all passed out, he rocked out to the Flashdance soundtrack, Cindy Lauper, and I´m sure there was even a little bit of Tiffany in there. 
For local trips we take ´Chicken buses´ – tricked out school buses painted crazy colours, outputting enough black smoke to make the chainiest of chain smokers cough up a lung. Everyone piles in like sardines (sardine bus)? and occasionally you may find – yes, chickens, on board. When these puppies hit the local road (super hilly) – MAN do these suckers fly!! There are no ´oh my god handles´ so it´s every man-woman-child-chicken for themselves.
Weather:
Antigua was pretty cool – pants or a sweater at night. In Mexico it´s hot like a MO FO. If I had any male genitalia I´d have long sweat them off by now.
Food:
Beans: Not musical, nor a fruit, and present at every meal.
Horchata: My new favourite drink. Rice and almond mix or something like that.
Accommodation:
One stop had ‘bio organic’ toilets where ´flushing´ meant dumping some wood chips down the same hole as your doodoo, out house style. Very interesting.
Aside from one of the other trainees (oh joy, my roomie) being the most socially retarded, mentally incompetent person I have ever met (by two weeks, I think I might have actually gotten dumber due to spending time with her) it´s been a great decision to be here.
Up next: 1 week intensive Spanish school with a side order of family homestay. My shadow trip (tag along with a senior leader with real peeps) starts on September 27. First solo trip is October 20th.
Stay tuned for more adventure updates.
Peace out.