its hard to get internet here. very trying on my patience. there are computers at the hostel but they are super slow, most likely due to how far away we are from anything. then there's the power that keeps going out, we didn't have power for over 24 hours after a crazy thunderstorm. not only bad for internet but no hot showers either (not like they're actually hot to begin with, more like less freezing). and after a long time without power the water stops running as well. i'm not sure why but that's what it is.
i did find wifi today at my spanish school and will try to take my computer there tomorrow to update.
the other day kat and i decided to hike to san marcos. not too hard, walk the rickety board walkways, find the mountain trails, pass 2 small towns and after 3 hours there we are. or should be. everything started out very well, we found the trails, got a little direction here and there, no problem. we stopped at a seemingly deserted hotel for strawberry ice-cream, they said they had wifi but they lied. we had the choice after that to take a small windy upward mountain trail or a wide cobblestone road. i was leading at this point so of course i chose the wrong path that wound straight up. mud, rocks, i kept thinking that if i got to the top i could tell if this was the right way. every turn i took led to more uphill so i went faster, and that's when the day ceased to be so much fun.
i jumped onto a rock, slipped, and sliced open my little toe. yes, i was hiking in slippers. for that initial moment i stood there staring at my toe, that moment when you can see a little bit inside your body where you shouldn't be able to, and thought, oh good i'm not bleeding. not so much. it started gushing blood. in a few seconds i was standing in a puddle. great.
i found a tissue to wrap up my toe and let kat know that i didn't think i could hike anymore. she went back down the trail to ask at the hotel where the nearest public boat dock was located. i got down at about the time she was returning and had gotten directions, past the pool, go down the stairs. so we start down the stairs, it seemed like it took hours. there's a sign at the bottom that says there's only 350 steps to the hotel so no wonder.
we wait and try to flag down boats but obviously this isn't a dock that anyone ever goes to. so up we go, all 350 stairs again. and find the cobblestone path that was the one we should have been on anyway. we find the town and ask directions, we are at the right place. now its been about 30 minutes since i cut myself, we have about 10 minutes to wait for the next boat. the dock is partly underwater and waves are rolling in, wind is picking up, all we can do is sit there and watch some men working on the new dock.
finally the boat shows up, we board and take off, and 50 feet from the dock the boat breaks down. great. at least my toe has stopped gushing blood. they get it fixed and we're off again. by this time we've missed the cut off for having lunch at the hostel so we decide to get off the boat at a restaurant nearby. then the rain starts. thunder. lightning. and we're going to have to walk back to the hostel, this wasn't a regular stop. but whatever, at least we'll be fed.
that's the sort of day that was made for tequila.
otherwise everything else has been great. i started my spanish class, my teacher is pedro, a cute young guatemalan guy. we're mostly covering things i've done but need help with and starting a bit of past tense. its about time that i can talk in anything but the present.
my last class is on monday so i think that i'll move to antigua on tuesday. lately i've been feeling an extreme desire to have a set place in a bathroom for my toothbrush, and i'm tired of the same clothes every day. at least its cold here and i can wear something other than my beach clothes. but to have a closet, more than one pair of shoes, the same friends to talk to every day. that sounds good right now. i don't really want to go home but living out of a backpack is getting old. so maybe i'm half way done with my trip. 6 months is a respectable amount of time to travel alone, i think.
i have to resolve in the future to spend my vacation time wisely. if i'd ever gone anywhere maybe i wouldn't be dying for adventure. so no more sitting at home when i have free time, save money and go somewhere new for a couple weeks. and if i'm training for something? screw it, there's gotta be more important things than a race. i can always bring my running shoes and get a workout carrying them around like I'm doing now.
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