living la vida!
here i am sitting literally in paradise, finally updating this journal. we have been traveling around guatemala for about 6 weeks now. though we did have a great little long weekend in new york with dan and
dabblersupreme on our way down. it is warm and gorgeous here. a couple of weeks ago we were in a small village called san pedro on lake atitlan, and we ran into an old friend of mine i had met in thailand 7 years ago. she has a hotel and restaurant here on the lake but in a village called santa cruz. islaverde and her manager and cook were going home for the holidays, so here we are helping out. thomas has turned to be an excellent chef. he has always been at home, but we did not know how it might go in a restaurant, but all is well.
however i have to say we had quite the night last night. it was our first official day on the job, and we managed to get back to our bungalow around 2230, and when we were going to bed, we heard a really strange noise, but thomas convinced me it was only the water running in the bathroom. however about an hour later our phone kept ringing and when i went outside to answer it in the light of the moon. i found an amazing site. there was a huge ring of fire burning in the hillside about 100 meters from the hotel. and it was spreading fast. it was an incredible site to behold, basically in the passing of two hours and entire mountainside was consumed. due the quick thinking and acting of some of the locals here the hotel was saved, completely, but it is strange to see a huge black mountainside beginning only a few meters from the hotel. we are all very grateful that nobody was hurt and no buildings destroyed.
so now it is into the christmas season in a tropical paradise. my friend ana even has a little boy a few months older than zoe so they are having christmas together. should be a lot of fun. though zoe will probably just get empty packages, one, because unwrapping them is always far more interesting than what is inside, and second because there is just no more room in our backpacks! on the zoe note, i have been updating her website, with a few videos (courtesy of papa) and more photo galleries, though admittedly i am bit behind on her diary. but the hotel here has wireless internet, so i should have time not only to finish updating but also to check our what you all have been doing these last couple of months. but anyway, feel free to check out her site scubazoe. hope this finds everyone well, and enjoy your holidays!
dabblersupreme on our way down. it is warm and gorgeous here. a couple of weeks ago we were in a small village called san pedro on lake atitlan, and we ran into an old friend of mine i had met in thailand 7 years ago. she has a hotel and restaurant here on the lake but in a village called santa cruz. islaverde and her manager and cook were going home for the holidays, so here we are helping out. thomas has turned to be an excellent chef. he has always been at home, but we did not know how it might go in a restaurant, but all is well.
however i have to say we had quite the night last night. it was our first official day on the job, and we managed to get back to our bungalow around 2230, and when we were going to bed, we heard a really strange noise, but thomas convinced me it was only the water running in the bathroom. however about an hour later our phone kept ringing and when i went outside to answer it in the light of the moon. i found an amazing site. there was a huge ring of fire burning in the hillside about 100 meters from the hotel. and it was spreading fast. it was an incredible site to behold, basically in the passing of two hours and entire mountainside was consumed. due the quick thinking and acting of some of the locals here the hotel was saved, completely, but it is strange to see a huge black mountainside beginning only a few meters from the hotel. we are all very grateful that nobody was hurt and no buildings destroyed.
so now it is into the christmas season in a tropical paradise. my friend ana even has a little boy a few months older than zoe so they are having christmas together. should be a lot of fun. though zoe will probably just get empty packages, one, because unwrapping them is always far more interesting than what is inside, and second because there is just no more room in our backpacks! on the zoe note, i have been updating her website, with a few videos (courtesy of papa) and more photo galleries, though admittedly i am bit behind on her diary. but the hotel here has wireless internet, so i should have time not only to finish updating but also to check our what you all have been doing these last couple of months. but anyway, feel free to check out her site scubazoe. hope this finds everyone well, and enjoy your holidays!