Quezaltenango (Xela), Guatemala

I've been in Quetzaltenango ("Xela"), Guatemala for a little over three weeks and Ginny's been here for a bit over two weeks now. We've been doing an immersive Spanish program to try to improve our Spanish as much as possible. We study Spanish one-on-one for five hours per day Monday - Friday in addition to speaking as much Spanish as possible in our homestay. It's working well as our Spanish has really improved leaps and bounds (well, at least mine has) since we arrived.  We have one more week left in the program so hopefully we continue to improve! 

During my first two weeks in Xela, I stayed with my homestay family which was a very cool experience. I stayed with Maria (see photo below) and her family, which consisted of her husband Mario, her two adult daughters and their kids and five dogs! I ate all of my meals with the family and it felt really authentic. I was missing Ginny though so I moved over to her homestay last weekend which is a much less crowded house - just a mom and her daughter. We also eat meals with them so we know Guatemalan food quite well by now - lots of beans, eggs, plantains and tortillas!

Compared to Mexico, Guatemala is much poorer and the food is not nearly as good. However, the people are unbelievably friendly and their traditional indigenous clothing is gorgeous! While many Guatemalans don't have many material possessions, they appear to live a rich, full and happy life. It's a largely Christian country with roughly 40% of the people being Catholic and 40% being Protestant. Family is extremely important in Guatemala as I witnessed firsthand in my homestay. It's quite common for three generations to be living together. In my homestay, the two daughters had their own small kitchens so they still had some autonomy while still sharing the house with each other and their parents. 

Chicken buses are ubiquitous throughout the country and are often brightly painted, tricked out with chrome and almost always have a bumping sound system! I was told that they're called chicken buses because passengers are often crammed onboard not unlike a load of chickens. We did experience one ride where it was super jammed to the point where Ginny's ass was up against the stick shift! The bus hardly comes to a complete stop to let people (or goods) on and off the bus. The bus operators take a lot of pride in their buses and are constantly cleaning and polishing their buses.

Vegetables are a primary export of Guatemala, which was quite clear on our first trip out of Xela last weekend where we saw some of the healthiest looking crops we've ever seen! They grow carrots, lettuce, cabbage, onions, beets, potatoes, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, coffee, sugar, bananas and the list goes on and on. It seems like virtually everything grows well (and big) here!

The street dogs here are no joke! They are all over the place (which means you really need to watch where you are stepping) and while most of them are friendly, a few of them are not and are to be avoided at all costs. I've noticed that there are numerous food and water bowls set out for them around the city so that people can put out their leftover food. I'm sure living as a street dog in Guatemala is tough work but at least they get to sleep a ton! 

We've got another three weeks in Guatemala before heading to Nicaragua so stay tuned for another blog post soon! 

Maria, my homestay host, and me at the market where she sells vegetables

Chicken buses are the backbone of Guatemala's transportation system...ride at your own risk

There are many beautiful doors throughout Xela

Sculpture of a White-Nosed Coati above a sink at the hot springs

Hot springs at Fuentes Georgina outside of Xela

This one is taking security (and agility) to the next level!

A little less agility required

Dried goods at the market

Local market with lots of fresh fruit

Chicken and onions roasting in Zunil, a small town outside of Xela

Tuk tuk in Zunil - our transport to the hot springs

Scarf that Ginny made using a backstrap loom

Street dogs with a chicken bus in the background

Ampara, part of the 100% worker-owned cooperative of women weavers across Guatemala, getting Ginny set up to weave

Cathedral at the Plaza Centro de Americas

About 30 women were carrying this Virgen de Guadalupe statue during a procession

Woman with handmade crutches navigating one of Xela's many cobblestone streets

Produce is the primary export in Zunil

Lots of colorful buildings throughout the city

Beautiful church in Zunil

More celebrations during the Dia de Virgen de Guadalupe

Flor de Navidad growing in the fields of Zunil

Cabbage field in Zunil


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