Semuc Champey

What a weekend…Semuc Champey was absolutely AWESOME. Matt and I left Cobán after work on Saturday with Br. Augustine, Br. Lionel, and the monastery’s two employees that help in the aldeas, Oscar and Alberto. We got a later start then expected, which made things difficult because we ran into bad fog and the road has no lights – in addition to being a scary mountain road with limited guardrails. We finally arrived in the pouring rain. After a quick meal at a restaurant called Shalom, we meandered back to the hotel for a nightcap or two. It was Halloween after all, or Dia de los Brujas.

In the morning, we got an early start up the jeep trail to the actually falls of Semuc Champey. Near the entrance, there is a German Eco-hotel where we sat and ate breakfast outside. It was really a cool/relaxing place, with bungalows and hammocks all over the place. If I go again, this is where I will be staying.

The actual falls and pools were absolutely beautiful. The area is still very undeveloped, creating an extremely natural setting – but kind of dangerous too if you’re not careful! We spent a couple hours just floating in the pools under the sun, what a great morning.

We headed back to the Monastery in Cobán in order to celebrate Dia de los Santos – or All Saints Day. It is celebrated here much more than at home. There are lavish decorations around altars to honor all the Saints and clergy that have passed, as well as a large feast of traditional "turkey soup" and "sandwich Maya."

On a completely unrelated note, something really funny happened during my Spanish class tonight. My teacher had made it clear at the beginning of my course that she didn’t speak any of the Mayan dialects. Well in comes one of the monks, Rolando - a close friend of mine, and calls me a womanizer in Q’ eqchi’. I bark back and tell him to “eat s*&$” in Q’ eqchi’. Apparently this is the ONLY phrase my teacher knows, because she immediately turned to me in dismay. Despite the moment of awkwardness with my teacher as I just cursed a religious, Rolando and I couldn’t stop laughing…it was the story of the monastery all night.

More to come soon. Dia de los Muertes and my trip to the circus with two monks.

Go Phillies! Please beat the Yankees…

PD