Xela...the highs and the lows!

Zunil market.
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We left Coban at around 7am for Quetzaltenango (or Xela as it is known) on what has been described as part road, part hellish dirt track... and it did not disappoint. We took four packed chicken buses and arrived at 5pm. The roads or dirt tracks, many very steep, wound their way through the Cuchumatanes mountain range and dropped through many villages en route.

Unfortunately, trying to take a picture whilst wedged into a tiny corner of the mini bus proved very difficult and caused much amusement to the locals, most of whome spent the best part of the journey fast asleep, obviously a Central American art we have not yet mastered.

The incredibly hot springs.
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We arrived in the lovely Guatemalan town of Xela and found a great little cottage style apartement to rent for the next few days.The town is surrounded by volcanoes and many small Mayan agricultural villages and so the next day we made our way to the town of Zunil for the well known indoor market. The bus there was full of Mayan villagers wearing bright and colourful headwear and traditional dress which was only a taster of what was to come.

At Zunil we entered the market and just stood for a while taking it all in, textiles, meat, veg, hardware, everything you could imagine. Women sat on the floor or at makeshift stalls selling their goods and everyone was in traditional dress. We stocked up on food for the next few days and tucked into some bizarre local delicacies before making our way up to the natural hot springs. We managed to haggle with a pick up truck driver and get a ride up to the hot springs. The pools were all heated naturally by the volcanic rock and it was like stepping into a hot bath. The highlight of the day was watching the locals screaming as they stepped in....hot water is a luxury many aren´t used to. We spent the next few days hiking up volcanoes and visiting local villages and sampling Xela´s vibrant nightlife. We had the pleasure of being asked to join a local salsa instructor for drinks, who then threw us in at the deep end with some one on one practice. Unfortunately we also experienced the less pleasant side of Xela as Kate´s jacket was stolen in a salsa bar..... with the camera in the pocket, complete with over 300 unsaved pictures. Though Christian seemed pretty relivieved as there was some incriminating evidence on camera of his shocking salsa steps! Undeterred we set off to the beautiful Lake Atitlan, a lake in Western Guatemala surrounded by volcanoes.