San Pedro / Lake Atitlan:
24th July - 13th August 2025

24th July – Thursday

Catching the ferry this morning was easy. I walked to the pier as it was 7am and cool outside. I also only had 40 quetzals in change so thought it best not to get a tuktuk. There was a ferry waiting to leave and enough space on it for me, it was only 25 quetzals, which was half the price of the ticket online. However, it was not the direct boat, it stopped at 5 beautiful Lakeside villages before we got to San Pedro, but still only took 45 minutes. I’m glad I got the slower boat as I got to see more of the Lake and a little glimpse of some of the villages that line it. It’s so beautiful, mountainous, green and lots of houses, some very modern looking and some in remote areas, looked quite quirky and rambling. I’ve read that some of the villages are only accessible by river, with no roads leading to them – sounds perfect if you want to run away from civilisation.

I was hoping that the boat went to San Pedro pier but it didn’t; it stopped at Sababa Restaurant pier which is quite a distance from the Community School, too far to walk. The tuktuk driver wanted 20-quetzals, but he accepted 15 as that was all I had in change. San Pedro looks awesome, lots of street art and artisan looking shops, I look forward to exploring it.

The school is in a stunning location on the Lake and with beautiful gardens. The classrooms are all outdoors in small open huts and set up for either one to one or two to one tuition. A guy called Luke, who is one of the founders of the school, showed me around, he was very nice and once he realised that I could speak a little Spanish, stopped speaking English to me. He talked very slowly and used basic Spanish so I understood most of what he was saying and he understood my limited Spanish. He said the two most important things I need are confidence and practice – perfect, as that is exactly why I enrolled in the school.

My homestay mother, Lilly came very quickly to collect me. She seems lovely and does have some English, but spoke to me mainly in Spanish and I responded in Spanish as much as I could 😊 We chatted most of the walk to her house, this made me relax and feel more comfortable with her, exactly what I needed. She lives a 10-minute walk from the school, that’s 10 minutes at her very slow pace ,I found it a struggle to slow down my pace to match hers’. Maybe that’s why I sweat so much, I walk too fast and then get too hot. Lilly’ husband is called Phillipe, he seems

lovely too. They have 3 daughters, one is 20 and at university, the other two are 12 and 7. I have yet to meet them, I expect they are school.

My room is basic, with a small en-suite, but it more than adequate. I am sure I will be happy here, especially with the view I have of the lake and mountains and a hammock outside of my room to savour the view from. Lilly also has a pot of organic coffee on the go all day as Phillipe loves his coffee, and I love mine. Breakfast is at 7:20, lunch at 12:20 and dinner at 7. I’ve had no breakfast so I’m really looking forward to my first home cooked Guatemalan lunch, after which I have my first Spanish lesson. 1-5 pm today and then, starting from tomorrow, they will be in the mornings, 8-12.

Later: Shite, that was intense. My first impressions of Luis, my teacher, are good, but he did seem to use his mobile a lot, which was a little disconcerting. Once he realised that I know quite a few Spanish words, and after 2 hours of going over basic greetings, (hello, good morning/afternoon/ evening, how are you, what is your name, where are you from, what do you do, how old are you) he spoke less English and started talking to me manly in Spanish, but nice and slowly. He explained the 4 categories of masculine and feminine words and then we went over the alphabet. For the final hour we covered simple questions, for example, I have a question, how do you say… in Spanish and, most importantly I don’t understand, please speak slowly. I’ve come away with 2 lots of homework and brain ache, but then the afternoon is the hardest time of day to learn and it was hot.

My homework is now done, although I will still go over the conversational bits and bobs, probably even in my sleep! I am now really looking forward to tomorrow and am glad I have chosen morning lessons; it won’t be so hot and hopefully I won’t come away felling so exhausted.

I’m back to Lillys’ but there is no one here. However, there is a church opposite, so I have a strong feeling the family is there. The aroma coming from the kitchen is making me salvate. For lunch we had tortillas with meat and guacamole, which were delicious, so I am very much looking forward to dinner and also meeting their daughters. Conversation over lunch was a bit stunted, but then so is my Spanish. I am sure that will improve over time.

Even Later: Uhm, that aroma was not from Lillys’ dinner. We had tortillas, fried eggs and asparagus soup. The soup was delicious, I was disappointed with the rest, but was polite and said it was ‘mucho bien’. We spoke a fair bit of Spanish over dinner but I didn’t have the words to tell them I got lost on the way back from school, I took the wrong fork in the road. However, Lilly understood my English and found it very funny. It was lovely to meet her daughters but they didn’t stay long at the table or say much to me – children are the same the world over – lol.

25th July – Friday

I woke up very happy and feeling very positive but am now in tears and feeling extremely miserable about this whole experience and its only day 2! It all started at breakfast, I had fruit and toast, which was fine. There was no butter and Lilly kindly went to the shop and bought some. However, as we were eating, I noticed that she had moved the jug of water and all the condiments in front of her plate and was surreptitiously eating a cake with her breakfast. When Philippe came back from dropping the girls at school, he also had cake with his breakfast but made no attempt to hide it. Where was my cake?

I know this may sound a little petty, but it dawned on me that even yesterday they had slightly different, more substantial, meals to me. I am too upset to remember how mine differed, but it did. This was also repeated at lunch and dinner today. At lunch we had king prawn soup, it was very delicious, however they also had fish in their soup and a juicy piece of beef on the bone which they both sat there sucking away at. I didn’t have any fish but I did have a small piece of tough overcooked beef, which didn’t resemble what they had what-so-ever. It was so tough I had to pull it apart with my fingers and had problems chewing it. For dinner I was given a cheese quesadilla with a small portion of guacamole and some tortilla crisps, they all had ham in theirs, no ham for me although I was allowed to have a bit more guacamole and a couple more crisps. Am I being treated like a third-class citizen? Why are my meals inferior to theirs? FFS, I am paying for this!

I also felt that Lilly did not want to make conversation with me at lunch or dinner time. I tried hard to speak to her but was met with very little response and she rarely corrected my speech errors. I also found it very uncomfortable when she and Philippe were talking very quietly to each other. It was like they were concerned I would hear and understand them.

But this is not the only thing that has made me upset to the point of tears. Today Luis spent so much time on his phone and it really felt like he didn’t want to be there teaching me. It felt like it was a chore for him to be there and he hadn’t really prepared for the lesson and went off twice, once for a coffee refill and to refill his marker pens and a second time to print a worksheet and my homework. Being a teacher myself, I know this is very poor practice – very poor indeed. During the lesson he also told me that he had been teaching for 16 years and is now studying to be a lawyer and hopes to qualify this year. I wonder if he was doing his studies on his phone while he was teaching me? Yesterday he showed a lot more enthusiasm, today it was like he was a different person.

I came away from my lesson very disheartened, especially with my homework. On my student form I ticked

the boxes for speaking and grammar lessons, not reading and writing. For my homework I have two reading and writing exercises and one translation exercise. I don’t think he has even bothered to read my student form.

I am so upset and so unhappy. Part of me is asking if I am making a mountain out of a molehill. Yet another part of me is telling me that I have paid good money for this and am not getting what I was expecting from either my homestay family or my teacher. I really don’t know which part of me to listen to. I feel very lonely and confused, I have no-one to share my experience with, to explain my feelings to and reassure me either way. I just want to leave and put this experience behind me and it’s only been two days!

26th July – Saturday 

I sent my mum a WhatApp message today regarding the family. Both her and Mike were totally disgusted with what I told them and said it was despicable that they give me inferior food and that they are treating me like a third-class citizen. I was in tears telling them, I really do feel hurt by their attitude toward me. Phillipe doesn’t seem as cold as Lilly, he always has a smile for me and tries to converse with me but has no English. He was happy to give me coffee this morning. However, being the weekend, it is their time off from hosting and I have to cater for myself. I’m quite relieved as it has meant I have had minimum contact with them.

In saying all of this I did see Lilly in passing and she seemed happy to see me asked me what I was doing for breakfast. I was actually on my way out when this happened. After telling her where I was going, she informed me, in Spanish, that the shop may look shut but it won’t be and I

will need to open the door and not to worry about doing so. It turns out that I wouldn’t have had a problem as the shop, Victoria’s café, actually had an ‘Abierto’ sign on the door. Breakfast was lovely and I used G Translate to learn some new words that were on the menu.

I spent a fair part of the afternoon doing my website, it is taking ages to catch up but I am getting there. I also did most of my homework. I’ll write the essay about myself and my family tomorrow.

Late afternoon I took a stroll into town to get food. I forgot to mention that I also went into town yesterday and had a beer and got back just before the rain started. There has been no rain today. Today, I took a different route to the one yesterday which involved two extremely steep hills, this route was a lot flatter but longer. Half way to town I realised I didn’t have enough money on me for drink and food, so I decided to forget the food and just have a drink. I went to the Sababa restaurant pier and found a bar on the Lake side.

As I was ordering my drink a woman shouted out to me to come and join her, which I did. She had been sitting with the bar owner and, after making my gin and tonic, he came and joined us. Kaleesa, the woman, said she could feel a huge positive aura radiating from me from the moment I walked into the bar and that she just had to talk to me. It felt like we had known each other for ages, conversation came so easy and she totally lifted my mood. She is a circus acrobat from Lebanon and has such a free spirit about her. She didn’t stop talking and told me a lot about the history of her family and Lebanon. At one point she asked me which African tribe I have descended from, I felt very ignorant when I told her I didn’t know. However, she was certainly the tonic I needed and it was awesome to meet someone who is not under 25 years and has intelligent conversation in them. The bar owner was also awesome to talk to, told me a lot about the Maya culture and explained how there are 25 versions of the Maya language, but at times, due to his accent, I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, Luckily Kaleesa was more than happy to explain. We have swapped numbers, I hope we can meet up again before I leave San Pedro.

While chatting with Kaleesa a woman came round selling corn bread, so I bought two buns for dinner, they were £1 each, and on the way back I bought some rambutans, a bottle of Quezalteca, Guatemala’s nation drink made from sugar cane, which can be up to 50% proof. I bought a flavoured one, tamarind, it is only 17% proof and extremely delicious when mixed with a little lemonade. As I was deciding which flavour to buy an old guy came in and bought a bottle of the natural flavoured one and right there and then he opened it, took a swig then gave me a wink and huge naughty grin. We laughed together, it was nice.

I haven’t seen any of the family since I have been back and hope not to. I know they went out for dinner tonight. My room is on the second floor of their building, and their accommodation is on the ground and first floor. They’ve not come up here since showing me to my room, so I feel confident that I won’t see them this evening and my ‘happier’ mood will remain.

Mum advised me to message the school today and ask for a move to a new family on Monday. I haven’t done so. I’m not really sure what is stopping me, perhaps I live in hope that things will be different Monday. When I told kaleesa about all of this, she was shocked and said that this is not how typical Guatemalan families behave, she’s lived here for 5 years. She has a friend who runs a hostel and offered to get me a room there, I declined, but so appreciated the offer and hearing from another person, who agrees with my mum, that what I am feeling is not me being over irrational or over emotional. Our paths were meant to cross today.

27th July – Sunday

I’ve felt a lot happier today. I went to the kitchen just as Lilly was putting the coffee on, she invited me to sit down and wait. She was ever so nice and asked me several times ‘como estas’, I said everything bar ‘muy bien, gracias’ and she laughed her head off as it hadn’t clicked what she was asking. We had a little chat, she said she had a lovely time at the restaurant last night, that it was full of families and they didn’t get home until 10pm. My comprehension of Spanish is far better than my speaker skills, ‘poco poco’ as everyone keeps telling me.

I informed her of the dogs barking and keeping me awake but not about the bloody humongous ants coming in my room. I’d eaten one of the corn breads on the balcony and I think they must have cleaned up the crumbs and then smelt the second one in my room. One ant came in, I bushed it out – it was pissing with rain now – then another came in, I brushed it out. This went on for hours, it wasn’t until I put my cornbread outside that they stopped coming in. I finally turned the lights out at midnight only for the dogs to start barking – FFS.

This morning, I found my cornbread intact and ate it, as planned, for breakfast. I did my homework and worked on my website, I’m only ten days behind now, I should be all caught up by the end of the week. This afternoon I went for a short walk to a bar called Barrio and was pleasantly shocked to find they sell x2 GnTs for 25q. I will definitely be going their again, probably tomorrow. For the first time in a long time, I got a decent portion of French fries with the mushroom and bacon burger I ordered for dinner. However, I had a bit of a disastrous accident, both the ketchup and mayo squeezy bottles needed a good shake before I could get anything out of them. I picked up the chilli sauce bottle, and without trying it out first, gave it a good shake and ended up covered in chilli sauce, all in my hair, on my glasses, face and top – lol.

It’s an early night for me tonight, as long as the ants stay at bay, as I have school in the morning. I just hope it’s not a repeat of Friday, I’ll definitely have to say something to Luis if his phone is his main focus. I’m really not in the mood to put up with slack teaching and I don’t want any writing exercisers either, even though I did enjoy writing my essay this morning, it’s listening, speech and comprehension that I need most, I doubt I will have to write anything in Spanish on my travels and I find reading Spanish quite easy.

I researched about the Mayan traditional dress this morning, here is what I found out, courtesy of Google AI:

Mayan women in Guatemala wear traditional Mayan dress, known as “traje,” to express cultural identity, maintain traditions, and connect with their heritage. The clothing is a vibrant display of history, beliefs, and craftsmanship, with each piece reflecting the wearer’s community and social status. The traje is a powerful symbol of Mayan identity, connecting women to their roots and heritage. Each traje, with its unique colours, patterns, and weaving techniques, identifies the wearer’s specific Mayan community. Wearing the traje helps preserve Mayan customs and traditions, passed down through generations, including weaving techniques and natural dyeing. The designs often incorporate symbols representing local flora, fauna, and stories, reflecting the Mayan worldview and beliefs. In some communities, the intricacy and materials used can indicate the wearer’s social standing. The art of weaving the traje is traditionally a feminine skill, passed down through matrilineal lines, emphasizing the role of women in preserving Mayan culture. The traje is not just clothing; it is a statement of cultural pride and a way to honour ancestors and traditions. Many Mayan women continue to wear the traje daily, while men are increasingly adopting more modern clothing, particularly in urban areas. 

 

29th July – Tuesday

Everything feels a lot more positive now, although I still feel a bit down, but not as much as before. Yesterday was good. At breakfast and lunch, I asked Lilly what she was eating and both times she gave me some. At breakfast it was a round biscuit, it looked a bit like a doughnut but thinner and it tasted like a rusk but not as sweet and at lunch it was cheese. I didn’t have to ask at dinner because she gave me the same as everyone else, and rather than hiding behind her water jug condiments she sat directly in front of me.

School was really good, the work I put in to my learning over the weekend paid off and Luis was extremely happy with me. He actually said that I was terrible on Friday but excellent today. He also didn’t spend as much time on his phone, so I could say the same about him! During our break I sat with the other students and they informed me that students who stay for two or more weeks usually change homestay families half way through so they can have a new experience. One girl told me that her homestay felt like a hotel, whilst another couple feel that they really are part of the family and on Sunday their family took them out for the afternoon. Hearing all of this, at the end of the lesson I went to the office and asked for a new homestay family. I am moving on Thursday afternoon. I just hope my new family are not as distant as this this family. I spent the afternoon doing my homework which was to write 3 sentences using the sentence starters we had covered during the lesson. I didn’t mind this writing exercise as it helped reinforce my learning. After that I worked on my website.

Today I woke feeling sad, I really haven’t slept well since Thursday night, the dog across the road loves barking with the street dogs at 10pm and 4am. I also had a few sad dreams which is not surprising considering my current mood, and then to top it off reading the nasty words (on Face Book) that many Thai people have to say about Cambodian people really upset me. I am happy to say the Cambodian people do not tend to slag the Thai people in such a manner, this really goes to show the nature of each culture. Cambodians are a lot more graceful and polite than Thai people.

I enjoyed my learning today, but once again Luis spent too much time on his phone. I asked him if he was doing uni work, but he informed me that one of his younger brothers’ girlfriends is pregnant and he is using Luis for emotional support as he cannot speak to the other members of their family. After that he used his phone less and focused more on my learning. After informing him of my family move he asked if I was going to change teachers as well. I have decided to stick with Luis, we now have a good relationship and that is important for my learning, I don’t want to have to start again with a new teacher, Luis knows my learning style and we are beginning to hold proper conversations. I am happy enough with him.

I’m going to be boring again today and simply do my homework and work on my website. I messed up the page layout last night and couldn’t fix it, it just feels like one issue after the other. However, it should only be a two – three days, depending on fixing this issue, before I am caught up so It’s worth be boring for. Sorry, no photos tooday.

30th July – Wednesday

School was hard today and Luis was very off with me. When I arrived I said to him ‘Hoy no telephono y termina la actividad pronto porque es muy barrido repite por tres diaz, por favor’ You should have seen the look on his face – horrified. He probably wished I couldn’t string such a sentence together, but I had to. It’s really not right he is on his phone so much and he isn’t putting much effort into preparing for my lessons. He changed the lesson immediately and said we would continue the sentence starters tomorrow; I was very happy about that. However, several times during the lesson he tried to convince me that he had been using his hone to do his uni work, he even showed me a message he said his tutor had sent him at 5am this morning. The actions of a guilty man, trying to convince me that his phone use was important and after what he told me yesterday!

We spent the lesson looking at verb endings, which, on Duolingo, I find very confusing because I am not willing to pay for the entire package, so I don’t get grammar explanations. The hardest thing is when to add ‘amos’ and ‘en’ to a word and some words have different spellings for the same ending. I got really frustrated with myself and also couldn’t focus because of the mood Luis was in. During my break I went down to the lake front and went over it all several times until I finally got it. When I went back I insisted I write it out properly before we started again. This actually cheered him up and his mood lifted. I think he realised that I am very serious about my learning, and really do want to get it right, and wasn’t just being picky or moody with him. The lesson ended well, but I think he gave me extra homework as a means of getting back at me. However, I didn’t mind as it is good for my learning.

I can’t say the same for my homestay. This afternoon I went into town and bought a present (a hand-painted picture of sweetcorn) for Lilly and Philipe as well as presents (bracelets) for the girls. I went down for my last dinner with them and took the presents, but they were not there. They had gone to their restaurant for the evening! I had dinner with the home help and two girls. I think that sums up their feelings towards me and the way they have been towards me. I have left their present on the table for them. I am now feeling 100% happy that I am leaving tomorrow, I am doing the right thing, they are not nice people and their actions tonight showed it. I just hope my new family are not the same or even worse.

 

I went on a little trip this evening with two of the other students. The school arranges three activities a week, yesterday was a lecture about the old Maya villages, which I did not attend and tomorrow is a cooking class 😊This evening we went to see how chocolate is traditionally made in Guatemala. It was very interesting, well at least the parts that I could understand were, for example they use the juice from oranges to help preserve it and they add raw sugar from sugar canes to sweeten it.  The benefits of natural chocolate are quite amazing. It’s good for the nails and hair, it helps ward of cancer and aids asthma. They even make a face cream from it which is good for acne and pimples, the lady said it would also help reduce the marks on my face. However, the face cream was a large heavy block and cost £20, so I didn’t buy any, but I did buy two small bars of pure chocolate, one with milk and cashew nuts, the other with coconut.Before the trip, I was in my room and heard this horrendous squawking noise. I ran out to see these pigs being forced off the back of a truck by their ears and tails. They were herded a little way up the hill and then refused to move, some even tried to run back down the hill. The men then forced the pigs, again by their ears and tails, into a doorway opposite. The pigs were petrified, their squawking noise loud and continuous and I could see them shaking uncontrollably. I am presuming they were being taken into a slaughter house and they could probably sense or even smell their death looming. It was heart-wrenching watching and for a moment I thought I’ll never eating pork again, but why lie to myself, sadly it’s my favourite meat. I could hear the pigs for quite some time after. I can’t shake the image of these poor petrified creatures being forced into their death chamber from my thoughts.

Later: I cried when I tried to open my website this evening. All the pages were there but all the content gone! It took two hours and a whole heap of research to resolve. All the information on the internet was so complicated, it was hurting my brain cells. Then I came across a guy that had had exactly the same problem and in layman’s terms he said, go to here, do this and then do this and it will all come back. OMG, I wish I could give him a hug, it was really that simple. I spent the rest of the evening sorting out the home page, I started it again as I couldn’t get the header to appear on it, nor the logo. It made me think that I should make a website on how to make a website – a jargon and technical detail free method for people like me.

31st July – Thursday

Lilly was the perfect host this morning. Yesterday I told her that in the UK for breakfast I usually had fruit, yogurt and muslie. Guess what I had for breakfast this morning, and there was so much fruit, it was delicious. She told me she was sad I was leaving and asked why, I told her it was for a new experience. I didn’t have it in my heart to tell her the truth, but I think she knows anyway. She talked to me all the way through breakfast, it was the way it should have been from the beginning. It is such a shame. She was so stunted towards me for so long, but such is life.

My new ‘mother’, Rosa, came to pick me up from Lilly’s at 12:15. She lives two minutes further up the hill – lol – I will have to walk past Lilly’s every day going to and from school! Rosa is so lovely, her husband passed away 5 years ago in the pandemic. I could see her eyes well up as she told me how much she missed him. She has a live in house keeper, Juana, who is 17. It is just the two of them here, all her children are grown up and left home but they come and visit her regularly, two came this evening. Rosa has one granddaughter, Danna, who is absolutely adorable. Rosa said to me that her and Juana love to talk, she was not lying, she has no English and Juana’s English is very basic and she is shy using it. I feel like I have spoken more Spanish, as well as had it continually corrected, in one afternoon here than I did all week at Lilly’s. I love it and have already thanked Juana for being my second teacher!

School was good, Luis stayed off his phone most of the time and we managed to have a joke about it today. He is now making me write, and repeat back, sentences using at least three verbs. It is so hard to make up sentences and I had to tell hm to bugger off and take time out with his phone so I could focus – lol.

I also went on the cooking trip today, it was fun. The mother let us have a go at making the tortillas, not the dough bit, but the shaping of them. It was so hard, especially without flour to stop them sticking to your hands. You have to slap them in a clapping manner while turning them. Mine kept ripping and when we put the bean mixture in, they ripped even more and basically fell apart. The mother was in hysterics. But they tasted quite nice, especially with the salsa mix on top of them. It was great timing from the wonderful Anthea, she did a video call just before we started cooking. Bless her, I showed her round the room and then said a quick goodbye. I must remember to give her a call back tomorrow.

I really cannot express how happy I now am. It is such a relief to be away from that negative atmosphere and to actually feel welcome and not in the way. Juana said she will show me how to do the tortillas properly, Lilly never offered to do anything with me. Anyway, enough of Lilly, I need to caste her and that experience to the back of mind and focus on the here and now and my new family. Rosa has gone to the Evangelical church in front of Lilly’s. I cannot hear it from here; my room is set so far back from the road that I cannot hear any traffic and best of all I cannot hear any dogs barking. I better set my alarm clock; this is the type of room that is designed for sleeping in 😊

1st August – Friday

I think I acted like one of my students today, especially when I was given 4 pages of homework. Luis complicated my thought processes, not deliberately, by adding in endings to a couple of verbs that I thought I had the hang off. It actually gave me a headache and I became quite despondent to the point that he said, ‘don’t do it if you don’t want to, I’ll still get paid’. I had hysterics and told him that that is exactly what I used to say to my teenage students when they moaned about their homework – lol. I put it all down to being Friday!

This afternoon I went to San Marcos. I felt a bit sick on the boat ride over; the lake was not as calm as last the last time I was on it. The walk up to Stary Mountain Hostel was horrendous, 20 minutes up a very steep hill, but I made it and it was worth it, and not just for the view. Kaleesa was delighted to see me and it was good to see her too. I watched her teach her students aerial acrobats on silks, a pole and a hoop. I was very impressed; she is amazingly strong in her arms and core. It made me feel really unfit, which I am. After her lesson we all sat around a log fire and chatted about the world at large. I got talking to a guy, who is a circus clown and juggler from Chillie, he was telling me how beautiful and Jurassic like the country is with over 60 lakes. He said the best time to go is January and February, otherwise it will be extremely cold and I will need to wear many layers to keep warm. The advice has been duly noted. I now wish I had booked a room and stayed the night as, as I was leaving a lot more interesting, hippie looking people started to turn up. But such is life. Before I left, I made the decision to go horse riding with them tomorrow morning, I’m already feeling nervous about this, but want is life without a little nervous excitement thrown in. One of the students, Emily, walked back down the hill with me, she has only been doing the silk aerial training for three days and is already quite good. She must be around my age and has never done anything like this before, I think I should get into something, but not aerial acrobats, I don’t think my shoulder would thank me for it.

San Marcos is stunning with a much older, hippy clientele. Lots of dread locks and tie died clothing around every corner. The street from the pier to the main road is narrow, traffic free and lined with many retro/hippie clothes and gift shops. It is a shame I am not here for longer; I would love to have the opportunity to stay and explore it properly. I think I need to divert my travels from the well-trodden backpacker routes to the more laid back ‘hippie’ trail, I’ll probably meet more people that I have more in common with than the younger ones that I find myself in the midst of at the moment. I need to do some research before I book my next hostel in Antigua, maybe it is not the next place to go?

2nd August – Saturday

Shite, life is not easy, my aunt Nessa has been moved to a hospice. It doesn’t sound good. I feel so bad not flying back home to see her, but there is nothing I can do to change the outcome. I will pray for her and try to give her a video call.

I love my new family so much, I am going to stay anther week, I just need to check in with the school on Monday, I have made so much progress in two days, it has been inspirational. But I am going to ask for another teacher and specify my needs. I am determined to come away from this experience with exactly what I planned to. Rosa and Juana are delighted that I am going to stay, they really are sincere and caring people, I so wish I could have said this about Lilly and Philipe, but I just didn’t get that feeling from them.

Today was excellent, I went horse riding with Kaleesa and a few other people. The ride was a little expensive but I didn’t mind too much as I have not really spent that much since being at school. But saying that the day turned out expensive. Horse riding is definitely out of my comfort zone and I am not sure I want to do it again. It was fun, but very painful especially in the inside top of my right thigh. I’ve not had much sideways movement in that leg for some time now and to sit straddled across the horse hurt like hell, especially on the way back. Everyone else could canter along comfortably but I had to go at a slow trot most of the time. The way to our viewpoint wasn’t too bad, and the discomfort in my leg bearable. It took me a long time to settle my nerves and get used to the horse but I did eventually, especially after I was shown how to hold the reins properly and sit so that I wasn’t bouncing up and down. We had a nice long break at the viewpoint, did some stretches and Kaleesa showed us some of her horse acrobats, which were very graceful. Getting back on the horse and returning was my main problem and my inner thigh pain became so unbearable that I couldn’t keep up with everyone else. In the end, but only 10 minutes from the stables, I had to get off and the stable owner (who had been on a bicycle for the duration of the trip) and I walk the rest of the way. As much as I wanted to, I really couldn’t continue on the horses back. Immediately after I dismounted the horse, her name was Waterfall, she lifted her front right leg and waved it around. It was as though she was saying to me ‘I understand your leg is hurting you’, and then on the walk back, a couple of times, she put her head on my shoulder and rubbed my face with hers – I am sure she knew I was in pain and was trying to give me comfort. Later Kaleesa concurred and said horses are very intuitive and she would have known something was wrong from the way I was sitting and the vibes I was giving off. How lovely is that.

After the ride a few of us went for a drink, everyone had smoothies but Kaleesa and I drank rum, neat rum. I drank far more than I should have and ended up borrowing the money from Kaleesa to buy a leather hip bag that is really lovely, but not my kind of accessory. I was hoping Kaleesa was going to get me a good discount, especially as she knows the guy who made the bag, but she didn’t. I was quite disappointed as she got one of the other girls a discount on a phone case, but such is life and I know the guy who made the bag is happy, even if I am not. I really mustn’t make purchases when I am drunk, especially such expensive purchases – it was just under £30! And to think I may never use it! I also bought some coconut oil, which was a good purchase and only £3.50, and am so looking forward to treating my locks tomorrow. After the purchases we stumbled around a few back streets and went into a couple of herbal shops which smelt delicious.

Not long after this we walked down to the pier and we departed company, the horse ride was actually in San Pedro, so it was Kaleesa and the others that had to get the boat. I stumbled back up the hill and home. Rosa found it quite funny when I stumbled through her front door and almost fell onto the kitchen floor. I just looked at her, giggled and explained the rum situation, then headed straight to bed.

4th August – Monday

Considering how drunk I was Saturday evening I should have slept well, but I didn’t. I was awake and messaging Glenn in Cambodia from about 2am for a good couple of hours before I managed to get a little more sleep. I woke with a hang over which I quickly cured with water, a brisk walk and a solid breakfast. I spent the afternoon doing my hair, (and homework), which felt awesome. I haven’t oiled it since I left London and my grey roots are no longer grey, they are white! I really want to get them dyed but it will cost me £30. I can’t do it myself as I am scared the hair dye will turn my shower room black, I don’t think Rosa would appreciate that. In the evening a new student arrived at Rosa’s residents. His name is Brynd, he is 23 and from Australia. He didn’t arrive until quite late so we only had a little chat before he disappeared to unpack and settle into his room.

This morning Brynd was down for breakfast early and I had to stop reviewing my homework as Rosa was calling me. He seems really nice and it was good to have someone to walk to school with. After school we both sat up on the top floor landing and did our homework together. I think his Spanish is at about the same level as mine, he certainly seems more confident speaking it however, he thinks I am far more advanced than him. Maybe it’s an age thing?

School went amazingly well – the words seemed to flow out of me with ease and I got all of my verbs and nouns right more or less the first time. Luis hardly had to correct me and he also didn’t seem so phone oriented today either. I was quite impressed with myself and especially pleased when he got a new book out and I saw it was level A1.2😊During break I booked another week. It was all a bit confusing because I said I wanted to stay with Rosa but the young guy at reception said I wouldn’t be able to have a room with its own bathroom. I was quite disturbed by this as I have been getting up for the loo every two hours recently, so I really do need my own bathroom. But he was confused, he thought I wanted a new teacher and a new family. It turns out that Rosa’s is the only place next week with a room with its own bathroom, what a relief as I don’t want to move, I just want a new teacher. After the break I felt so guilty about not wanting Luis as my teacher any more, and thought it better that he hears the news from me and not from reception. He seemed fine with it and said he was pleased he had time to get my notes together for my teacher.

After school I researched about going to the loo so much; I monitored myself today and I am peeing every two hours day and night. Frequent peeing is called polyuria and can be an indication of diabetes, a urinary tract infection, an overactive bladder, pregnancy, old age, kidney problems, bladder stones, or prostate issues. I know I really shouldn’t self-diagnose but there isn’t a good doctor that speaks English in San Pablo

or any of the other nearby towns so I feel I have no choice until I get to Antigua. My first diagnosis is a urinary tract infection from the cheap fibrous toilet paper that I was using at Lilly’s and that the school has. I believe it is what gave me the cists the first time I used it in Mexico, as when I stopped using it the cists more or less disappeared but returned recently when I started using that toilet paper again. Now I have stopped again they are going again. So, I bought some amoxicillin from the pharmacy, £12 for 30, which is over a weeks’ supply. If that does not work then as soon as I get to Antigua, which won’t be until after the 14th of this month, I’ll go and see a doctor. According to the internet, if my peeing returns to normal in the next 3 days or so then my diagnosis was probably right. I have normal toilet paper here; I’m going to take some to school with me so I don’t have to use that fibrous stuff they have. I really do hope I’m right and it nothing more serious.

It’s really great having Brynd here, even if he has changed all of our eating times. Not only because I have someone to talk to but also because we have been helping each other with our Spanish. Rosa seems very happy and is laughing a lot as we try to correct each other. This is a happy home with a really positive vibe to it, and Brynd is a positive happy young man. I feel full of positivity and happiness again.

6th August – Wednesday

Rosa’s friend passed away during Monday night, in her sleep. She lived just down the hill, almost opposite Lilly. The mood in the house is very sober, not just because of Rosa’s friend but also because of all the bad news I have been getting from the UK. Bela is mourning the sudden loss of a dear friend and X, Errol’s daughter is in hospital in a critical state, Denis is in hospital, Evert’s sister had a heart attack and passed away, my aunt is now in a hospice and Julianne has been diagnosed with cancer – it can’t get worse, can it? I pray it doesn’t.

Yesterday at school, Luis gave me the attention and focus that he should have done from day one. I was on the verge of cancelling my new teacher and staying with him, but chatting to Glenn clarified the situation, too little to late! It is a shame because we do have a good relationship and I have learnt so much with him. I just hope my new teacher tomorrow is better and not worse.

I know this will sound awful but Rosa’s friend passing away has meant I have learnt a lot more about Guatemalan culture. For funerals they hang a white tarpaulin across the street where the diseased lived and everyone sits out on the street. The diseased is in a coffin in the house with flowers and the relevant religious effigies. The first day is very quiet, but the second day, which is today, is a lot more ‘vibrant’, there is food for the mourners, music and the loud firework bangs to indicate their passing. I am not sure how long the mourning period is for, I ned to ask Rosa. The loud firework bangs are extremely common and happen every day. They are used to mark, not only deaths, but also wedding, birthdays and all other celebratory events. So, as you can imagine they happen virtually every day and take a lot to get used to.

Yesterday, after school, Brynd went off with all the other students, into town and they made jewellery. I wasn’t invited, it kind of hurt my feelings, but then I do have to remind myself that I am older than their mothers and, for some, old enough to be their grandmother – lol. But I do still feel left out. Today wasn’t so bad, Brynd and I went to the Artist Mirador, which was so colourful and the view across San Pedro and the Lake outstanding. The artist was their and showed us his work, I so wish I could have bought some but carrying extra items is not an option. Brynd did seem a little off, I got the feeling he was with me out of obligation, but that could also be my paranoia. On the way back we passed by a little park that contained a very beautiful and very white church. Soon after this it started to rain so Brynd decided we should head back. The rain only lasted 10 minutes, I think he went out after. I did some of my homework and then took the rest to Burrios, which is a bar with an older and more relaxed clientele. I finished my homework there while sipping on a couple of very cheap GnTs. It certainly put a smile on my face, and changed my dour mood.

I really do need to find the ‘older’ travellers, there must be some somewhere out here, I can’t be the only one – lol. All these youngsters don’t want my company, it’s sad and making me feel isolated and down. However, I am not going to let that damper my experience, it’s their lose not mine 😊

I am also feeling quite anxious about getting a new teacher tomorrow. I hope it doesn’t keep me awake. Taking of sleep, I slept a lot better last night and have been to the loo far less today, although still a lot more than I should be doing. I think the antibiotics are kicking in.

OK, enough from me for now, it’s dinner time and, although I am still full from lunch and the GnTs Rosa’s cooking is so delicious I will squeeze in my dinner. Luckily it is the Guatemalan culture to eat a big meal at breakfast and lunch and a smaller one for dinner. It is so much healthier than the UK way, however, the Guatemalan women all seem to carry extra pounds, and from their teens, I think it must be from eating at least 4 or 5 tortillas with every meal. I must stop doing this as I can feel my waist line enlarging again – lol

7th August – Thursday

I started with my new teacher today, Wendy, she seems very nice and has a good sense of humour. We reviewed a lot of what I’ve already learnt which made me realise how much I have already forgotten. I must keep reviewing and practicing out loud, even to myself, so I don’t forget. I’m glad to have a female teacher as her conversation is very different, more positive, and she has a two-year-old son whom she obviously adores. We did a lot of talking, and not so much writing. To begin with she spoke mainly in English but I tried my best to respond in Spanish. By the end of the 4-hours she was using a lot more Spanish, which I preferred as it makes me focus more and it good for my learning.

I got very upset this afternoon. I sent a message to Aunt Nessa and ended up in tears. I would love to give her a cuddle, but have decided to stay here.  Juana caught me crying and gave me such a lovely hug. She then sat with me for a good half hour and, although I was still feeling so sad, not just for Nessa but for everyone I know who is going through pain at the moment, she cheered me up and we ended up laughing. She is such a lovely caring soul, I hope she has a happy and fulfilling life.

9th August – Saturday

School was difficult yesterday, that Friday feeling! I was quite relieved when it was all over. In the afternoon Rosa took me and Brynd to San Juan. We visited the honey factory, which had the smallest, non-sting bees that I have ever seen, as small as fruit flies, but we were told that they bite. I was given some face cream to try and told it would help with the marks I have, just like with the chocolate! After that we went to the fabric factory, it was very different from the one I visited in Mexico, they use the cactus insects but only for red colourant and seem to use a greater variety of plants for other colours. However, the biggest difference was that they don’t use tradition weaving looms, instead they have a much smaller hand loom that they use, strapped in, from a chair. It looked a lot more complicated than a traditional one. To make something wide, like a blanket, they sew together several thinner woven strips of material together. Finally, we went to an herbal factory, I really liked this one and all of the plants they had to make the herbal products. Each factory had a shop and it was quite funny how Rosa behaved. She had no interest in the honey shop, but followed me around the fabric shop pointing out things that I might like to buy, at one point she even got a skirt off the rack and held it up against me. She also followed us around the herbal shop and mentioned a few things she needed, but we both ignored her. Our last stop was a shop that sold dolls and pots and pans, Brynd wondered if she was hinting. At the time I didn’t think so, but now that I’m thinking about it… anyway, we decided that we would go back in the morning and buy her a joint present of the large frying pan with a lid that she had been looking at.

10th August – Sunday

This morning Brynd and I went for breakfast at Victoria’s Cafe, the lady in the shop suggested that we have a look in San Pedro market for a frying pan before heading to San Juan. OMG, that was a hike, my calves were killing me by the time we got to the top of the hill and market didn’t have what we were looking for, but there were lots of second-hand clothes and fruit, meat and vegetable stalls. And we bumped into Rosa and her friend there – lol. After that we continued up the hill to the viewing point, the view of San Pedro was quite breathtaking, it was definitely worth the extra effort. From there we walked to the boarder of San Juan and got a tuktuk the rest of the way. It’s quite funny as tuk-tuks don’t cross into different towns. So yesterday, with Rosa, we got a San Pedro tuktuk to the border and then a San Juan Pedro one into the town centre.

I think Rosa must have walked us around a lot of back roads and only a couple of the prettier roads because today it looked like a different town. Yesterday it seemed quite drab, but today, whilst looking for frying pan shops we came across a really colourful and vibrant roads full of ‘tourist’ shops and places to eat and drink. It was quite stunning and we stopped and had lunch of BBQ white sausage, rice and beans; it was extremely delicious and very cheap. We didn’t buy the frying pan that Rosa had been looking at as when we looked at it properly it was very scratched and a lot of the nonstick surface was brazed off. Yesterday I saw one other pot and pan shop but for the life of us we couldn’t find it. That was until after Brynd had bought her a purse from the fabric factory and we were in the tuktuk on the way back! So, I think I may return Monday morning (my lesson is the afternoon) or Tuesday

morning and see if there is something kitchen related that I can buy her.

I’m feeling quite sad and left out tonight. Brynd is leaving tomorrow and this evening he has gone out with some of the other students from the school and I was not invited (again!). These youngsters certainly know how to hurt other people’s feelings. If it had been the other way round, I would have invited him. I know I could have gone out on my own for a drink, I have no problem what-so-ever with doing that, but my stomach is hurting, I think it’s constipation from the antibiotics so I am going to lay of the drinking for a couple more days, although I did have one beer with my lunch. I was supposed to meet up with Kaleesa but after this mornings’ adventure and with not feeling too great I cancelled. I will see her tomorrow instead.

12th August – Tuesday

I have been so ill the last few days, and still am. It started to come on Saturday night and I woke Sunday with full on sinusitis in the left of my face. My head was pounding, the skin on my back creeping and over sensitive and my nose blocked. I spent the day lolling around feeling very sorry for myself. I couldn’t do my homework I was that unfocused, I had to cancel meeting Kaleesa yet again, in fact all I did all day was hobble to the Farmacia for paracetamol and ibuprofen, which are so expensive here – £4.5 for 12 paracetamols! The only positive was that I hadn’t lost my appetite. A new student arrived, her name is Ranja, we shook hands and then she disappeared in her room for the entire evening.

I took the day off school yesterday, although my head ache had gone I still felt like shit. This morning, I felt a little better, but not that much, so I messaged school and asked if I could have my lesson in the afternoon. This was not a problem. It was good to get out of my room, get some fresh air and see some different faces but my head was hurting by the end of the fours hours and I was also getting everything wrong. Wendy was cool about it but still gave me homework. It’s my last day tomorrow, I just hope I am up for it. I told Wendy I may come in an hour late as mornings are always worse when I’m ill and that will also give time for the ‘drugs’ to kick in. Rosa made a delicious vegetable soup for dinner – perfect for my ill state.

Ranja seems nice, she is very focused on speaking Spanish so, even though her English is good, she is German, we spoke a lot of Spanish together. Juana isn’t as shy with her as she was with Brynd and tried to speak some English. I’m actually feeling quite proud of myself as I am now able to translate what Juana says and also offer Ranja sentences to say and correct her mistakes. Just a shame I still keep making so many mistakes, hopefully that’ll change over the next few months when I’m out there chatting to the people I come across. I think I am going to join WWOFERS and volunteer on a farm while I am in El Salvador, I’ll definitely need all of my Spanish then as I don’t expect many El Salvadorian farmers speak English. But the main thing is that I have made so much progress in the last 3 weeks and my confidence to speak has grown immensely. It has definitely been time and money well spent.

13th August – Wethdnesday

Happy Birthday Titus!

I woke feeling so much better this morning, but still not quite right. I was able to wait until breakfast before taking any ibuprofen, which is so much better for the stomach than taking it on an empty stomach. As soon as I woke, I opened the bedroom door, as I usually do, and there right in front of me was a beautiful sunrise about to happen. I grabbed my phone and run up to the roof terrace – it was stunning, and the first I have seen since being here even though they happen every morning right in front of me – lol.

After breakfast Rosa dressed me the Guatemalan national dress, it is traditional for students on their last day of school. The outfit was so beautiful and the belt hand embroidered. I think Rosa gave me one of her tops as the first one, which was very basic, was so tight around my bat wings that I had problems taking it off. The one I ended up wearing was beautiful and very ornate with yellow, purple and maroon strips and embroidered blue and purple flowers round the yolk. School should have been easy but my head is still full of flu so it was difficult to recall anything and I made so many basic mistakes – but such is life. I have the rest of the year to perfect and increase my learning. I saw Luis, he didn’t seem that thrilled to see me, but that didn’t put me off. After the break I disrupted his lesson and asked his new student to take a photo of us. I ‘bigged’ him up to the new student which put a smile on his face, the fact is he was a good teacher, but just used his phone too much for my liking. And I must admit I have thought over the last week that I should have stayed with him. Wendy is good but she doesn’t have the ‘push’ that he has / gave me. However, it has been nice having a different teacher and different learning experience and we did a lot of talking in Spanish, which is what I wanted for my last week.

It was good to chat to Titus this afternoon, and mum, dad, Macey and Connall. I really do miss everyone. I must give Yas a video call.

After lunch I went shopping and learnt the art of walking away from a haggle. The first was for a dress and pair of shorts, I tried them but the lady wanted 120q (£12), so I offered her 100q, she said no. As I returned them, she said £110, so I said no and walked off, she stopped me and said ‘ok 100 but don’t tell anyone’ – lol. Similar happened in a tourist gift shop – I was buying a couple of hairbands for Juana, the lady wanted 50q, I offered 40q, she went down to 45q. I walked off, she called me back and I got them for 40q 😊I’m very proud of myself as I really don’t like haggling but actually didn’t have much choice as I didn’t have much money on me. I bought Rosa a new stove top kettle, it is only aluminium, there was a ceramic one for the same price but it was half the size. Anyway, I showed it to Juana and she was delighted with it and promised me it will get used. I hope so as I hate buying gifts that go in the bottom draw, it’s just a waste of money.

Whoop whoop, I’m off to Antigua tomorrow. I do feel a little sad about leaving Rosa, Juana and Danna as I have had such a fantastic homestay with them. But at the same time I am very much ready to move on. I’m not really that keen on San Pedro, it’s nice enough but there is something about it that I find a little cold, a little fake. It is definitely fully geared towards the gap year gringo backpacker with the pretence of being authentic, which is a total turn-off for me, and it’s not really that beautiful. It’s certainly not another Siem Reap, which I still miss immensely.

Uhm, I am not happy with my look, the photos I had taken of me today at school – totally ug! The ones with Luis are not too bad but the ones with Wendy I would just love to delete. I’m so showing my age and look short and dumpy, which I am. And as for the grey/white hair, it simply has to go, it’s horrendous. As soon as I get to Antigua I am finding a hair dresser, regardless of the cost I am not staying gey/white. And as for my neck, it’s aging rapidly and there is not much I can do about that. Grow old gracefully springs to mind, yep, I will but if I can knock a year or two off then I will happily do so. Oh my god, I’m not liking this aging process what-so-ever.

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