The Tough-isimo-ocity of our Fearless Heroines
There is a natural hot spring outside of Xela called Fuentes Georginas. We were there over the weekend. We stayed the night with our friends Zil, Cori, and Trika in the little bungalows that dot the perimiter of the springs and at night we were the only people there. It doesn´t need any help being absolutely gorgeous… but, being human, we tried anyway. We turned off the lights, lit candles, and floated to our hearts content under a starry sky. It don´t get much better than that.
There´s another natural hot spring outside of Xela called Aguas Amargas (we are in volcano country, after all). We went there today. Here, the pool is lukewarm, but there is the promise of calientísimo (super freaking hot) baths just up the hill. Since we´re tough-isimo (super freaking tough), we decided to take “the plunge.” Well, it turned out our plunge was more of a “toe-dip.” They weren´t lying about the -isimo of the caliente. When our big toes took their first timid venture into these baths, we were surrounded by the older Mayan folks who run the place. They were very amused at our feeble attempt and suggested that we go get a bucket of cold water. Three buckets later, we were bathing away. Later, a woman by the lukewarm pool applauded our efforts, only half-sarcastically. Who´s tough(isimo) now? Dulce.
-Las Dos
Tags: Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, Travel, Xela
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Dulce indeed! Sounds great. I would love a little hot spring about now.
Remember the hot springs we went to on the Wind River up along the OR/WA state line with Bob and Kathy many years ago? Also muy dulce.
How long will you be in the Xela area? Do you think you’ll still be in Guatemala on December 8?
I have my reasons for asking…
Love you. Hope you washed behind your ears in the springs, you tough girls!
OK, now I’m officially jealous. The only hot springs experience I have ever had was at Saratoga Springs, where the Roosevelt Baths are built over the springs, and they pipe the water into giant bathtubs under fluorescent lights. You climb in and it looks and feels like you’re climbing into a giant bath of hot ginger ale. You bob around until a matron comes and hoiks you out and wraps you in a hot sheet. Nice, but far from mystical or studly. Kate on the other hand has been to many eastern european hot springs, which are apparently mildly radioactive and inhabited by tiny black fish, huge pink water lilies, and dozens of elderly German ladies in flowered bathing caps. But I wanna know why Bill wants to know whether you’ll be in Guatemala on the 8th. Is he coming down for a birthday visit? What about ME? Let’s all go! Let’s have a blog-commenters convention down there! It can be like trekkie conventions. We can reinact our favorite blog moments (who plays San Marco?)! Who’s in?
WHEEEE! we’ll make the nametags! And maybe reenact the broccoli….. (and a note from the Ceej: Kirby is ready for a hot spring about now, since cold and wet is not her idea of a party)
but yeah girls, is there an address or something?
Yes, we will both be in Xela for the 8th. Currently planning to leave the 16th for a month of travel til our flight out of Costa Rica (to Ecuador) in the middle of January.
-Sarah and Megan
so….. do we address the birthday card or early Xmas present Sarah & Megan in Xela, Guatemala? Help out the dumb gringas, por favor!
I don’t know how long it takes for things to get to Guatemala. Also, I think that things get lost in the mail a lot… so… don’t send anything that you wouldn’t mind ending up god knows where without me ever seeing it… But we’re studying at a school called Sakribal, if you want to send me anything, you should send it there. The address is on their website. Google Sakribal Spanish School and it’ll be there. We’ll be studying there until the 16th of December. Woot.
-Sarah
To save all the commenters some time, the address for the school, as noted on the web site, is:
6 calle 7-42, zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala 09001
And, assuming that is a photo of the school, it is fun to see where you go everyday. I always like to visualize where you are — this helped.
We have almost a foot of snow today. The birds are attacking the bird feeder; the icicle under the gutter is about 7 feet and I’ve been in my jammies for a day and a half. Welcome December.
Bethany and Laurel-nrnrI’d like to say yes, that I’ll be traveling in person to present birthday treats… but unfortunately my pockets aren’t full enough to do that yet. I’m hoping that maybe by the time the trip makes it to Peru I will have filled a little travel kitty… let’s all meet there! Maybe a blog commenters trip to Machu Pichu?nrnrSarah and Megan— Your Mame and Pape and Linda and I would like to treat you two to two lovely nights in honor of Sarah’s birthday in Antigua, Guatemala. I looked up a place called Hotel Posada Hermano Pedro there that looks really nice. Let us know if you’d like me to book it for the weekend of Dec. 8-9 or Dec.15-16… or if neither of these will work, maybe another weekend later in the trip. We’d love to help you enjoy a little side trip and I hear that Antigua is a cool colonial town about 40 minutes from Guatemala City. Maybe that’s too far away for you and you’d prefer we find a spot in or around Xela. Your call. Good times, as you’d say.nrnrHappy Birthday!nrnrLove,nrnrAll
Ummm . . . Bill, you need to work on that nrnrnr tic of yours! Wow . . . can I come along on the weekend getaway? I need one just about now. We received 500 files for the job we’re hiring for, and life has become an endless and depressing slog through other people’s hopes and aspirations. Kate has responded by writing a blog entry — everyone should check it out at syllabub.blogspot.com — and then promptly getting very sick. Alas. So she’s tucked up in bed and I’m supposedly writing writing writing . . .well, it’s true . . . just on your blog! nrnrnrnr . . . . Happy impending birthday, anyway!
Thanks, Bill, that´s a very nice present. Sarah is away at Lago Atitlan right now, while I´m toiling away on grad school applications, so we´ll have to wait until she gets back to see what she has to say about timing and location. In the meantime, I wouldn´t worry about booking the weekend of the 8-9… I´ve got my reasons.
-Megan
THanks Connie for that info — being such a web luddite it’s great to have a little help — it IS good to be able to visualize the place that educates big heads! And hmmm, your nomadism does challenge the elves, ladies, espcially since Bill and the Kavs have brilliantly trumped Ceej’s big idea…. so, back to the NP for a red-flannel committee meeting…..
Wow. As nephew Natty used to say: Sarah and Megan are two “yucky yucky goowahs” (lucky lucky girls). Bill, are you going to Xela? On the weekend of the 8th? Everyone is being so coy… I’m stuck here in little rhody, fer sher, completely broke and down on my luck (wittew viowin mewsic pweese), but perhaps as lool and ceej say there can be some planning for some kind of birthday/christmas something… maybe i can make an ice sculpture and mail it. a little piece of winter.A reminder of the huge snow storm sarah was born into. If it doesn’t arrive, it will only be a reminder of how warm and lovely it is fir Sarag 24 years later. If it does arrive we can all be shocked and amazed… kind of like the turkey escapade. And isn’t Megan’s birthday in some weird proportion to Christmas, just like Sarah’s? Isn’t it just after Christmas? Hmmmmmm… inquiring elves, busy ice scuptresses, so hard at work!
love, beccamom
Oh the lot of you,
I the luckiest.
No need for any elfishness, we’ve got all the presents we need just being on this fabulous escapade. I love you all enormously.
And dad, as for your proposal of the hotel… whewhy! How fab! I might want to take you up on that offer, but perhaps a fabulous hotel in a different location. There’s a hotel called Aaculaax in San Marcos La Laguna. I stayed there last weekend without Megan… but I’d love to back her (even though there are a lot of huge spiders… ew). I will get back to you about the dates….
YAY! birthday birthday birthday.
Oh… any, mom, you are correct, Megan’s birthday is January 6.
love you all,
Sarah
Yes indeed, Megans birthday is January 6 and she too, was born in the middle of a most unusual snow storm. But, first things first. SARAH, happy happy birthday. This may be the one you most remember the next time Aunt Connie asks about “most memorable birthays.” Whatever it is you do, may it be lovely.
mom
OK, so Sarah was born back before it was possible to know the sex of the fetus before it’s even conceived, like it is now. So there was much speculation and wondering about that. For a long time. Because she was something like a month and a half late. I guess this was back before they induced labor if the creature is more than half an hour late. Or maybe it was just New York. Who knows. Anyway, finally one day she was BORN, and she was Sarah, and everyone was extremely extremely EXTREMELY excited. I was eleven. Which is mind boggling. That I was so young and Sarah was so young and now that seems like not that much difference. I mean, now she’s turning 24 and I’m 35, and how different is that, really? But back then, when they first put Sarah in my arms and were very grown-uppy about how I had to be careful and hold her head. And I remember looking very, very intently into her funny little scrunched up just-born face and thinking, “I’m going to know you for the rest of my life!” And now, like, another quarter of a century has gone by, and it’s just TOO trippy! You’re all grown up and travelling the world and you’re so cool and amazing. I’m going to get all emotional here . . . sniff sniff . . .
In other news, Kate met someone who taught Megan at Wesleyan and says you’re fantastic! She knew you, too, Sarah, and thought you were both amazing. NOt that that’s any big revelation — you are. But cool to hear it on the street, so to speak.
OK– enough smarmy rambling. And there are still days and days left until the birthday!!
Dear Megan and Sarah, As Pat is typing this, I am licking her thumbs to express my appreciation. Needless to say, that’s making her typing a bit strenuous, but the moving fingers do sort of stroke my whiskers which is an added benefit. If I bite her she dumps me on the floor, so I seldom bite, but licking seems to be acceptable.I have a bloody, stinky, mouse for each of you for your birthdays. Where shall I mail them?