Chichicastenango is THE market city in Guatemala. It has been an important trading town since the 15th century, so it makes sense that it has become the market hot spot for the country. Thursday and Friday are the big market days. I plan to return...and if you get a gift from Guatemala, chances are, I got it in Chichicastenengo.
Our first stop was to visit the nicest hotel in town full of bubbling fountains, eating parrots and blossoming plants around every corner. Welcome to Hotel Santo Tomas, where rooms go for about $90 a night.
They have a pool, jacuzzi, bar, restuarant and pleny of nucks to take a breather and enjoy the day.
At the sounth end of the market stands proudly and honorably the pure white Eglesia de Santo Tomas. The marble steps fill up with flower vendors from different pueplos. On Sundays Mayan prayer leaders from Chichi and abound swing their cans of incense of copal resin as they chant prayers on the steps and entrance of Santo Tomas.
The streets fill up quickly by dawn with vendors from the surrounding areas. You can buy pretty much anything in Chichi...now, when I say anything, I don't mean anything like in Bangkok or Phnom Pen where drugs and women and everything in between could be bought.
It's a market with handicrafts, art, clothing, spices, food, fruit, machine parts, pathroom products,...but mostly it's for tourists, because we are the ones with the money.
If you feel brave enough, you can compare prices for hours until you bargain for the best one. Or buy some hanging meat.
You'll find brightly colored stalls with wool blankets, colorful animal masks, hand-embroidered clothes, and scarves of every color and weave in pretty much every stall. If you have requests, please send them soon:) The market starts breaking down between 2 and 3pm, which is when you can get the cheapest goods. Would you want to carry all that stuff back home with you? Exactly.

Only a short truck/bus ride away lies the worshipped Laguna Chicabal. It is a pond in the crator of the old Volcano Chicabal, and is a very spirtual place for the surrounding Maya.

Home? Casa Jaguar?

Maybe it's me. My excitment for my own place and cooking my own food quickly transformed when the landlady, a hippy type named Sandra, raised the price of the room. I also got a much better look at the shower. Holy Moly! It's quite gross. And, although Sandra said I could get wi-fi through the travel agency below, after their response to me this afternoon was "no es possible," I felt frustrated. I had been had!
Trying to straighten out my "comforts" and what I want to balance my five hours of Spanish lessons a day has been tough. I really like blogging. I really like taking photos and discovering new places. I am on a budget. Going to a cafe everyday for a cup of coffee (real coffee, not instant) get's pricey. And generally after an hour sitting and sipping, the cafe's get antsy. Please order more they say in a suble phrase every 15 minutes of: "algo mas?" "Something more?" they ask. It's just uncomfortable generally.
Yes, I suppose this is a blog-bitch session. I don't want to move again. There is a hostal that is REALLY nice where I would speak Spanish to the owners and get free wifi. And free coffee and tea all day. Maybe that's where I'm headed on Friday...ughhh. It's not right down-town, but none of the students are. And as most of you know, I am not a huge partier, so if I go dancing once every two weeks, I don't mind paying the cab fare of $2 back to the hostal.
I'm open to advice. I'm open to suggestion. I'm open to support.
On that note, there are always positive points to every experience. Casa Jaguar, my current residence, is right downtown. I live on the second floor of the building above. If you were any more downtown you would be a bum sleeping in the park. Or the guy that was sleeping in the street most of Saturday after a rough night and brawl the night before. Note: I was amazed at my willingness to walk past him without a concern. And yes, I did question: Is that guy dead?"

Second positive: my room is right next to the kitchen. After experiencing the Sunday market where I got a heaping bagful of fresh fruits and vegetables (mangos, papayas, bananas, cucumbers, green beans, tomatos, onions, garlic, melon, pineapple, potatos, peanuts, fresh bread, etc. etc. etc), the ability to eat healthy and cheaply is going to be easy. And I have LOVED cooking and eating on my own with the kitchen right next door.
Lastly, the colors are bright and funky, which I always love. Plants sit waiting around every corner that light is available. And they live in any vessel available, from old 5 gallon jugs to plastic bags. The below photo is a personal favorite of mine.
Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe I'm picky. Maybe I just want a cheap, nice, downtown location that where people keep things clean...and it would be nice to be a block or two off the park because everytime a large truck or a pumping bass goes by I think we're having another tremor. Do I get out after a week? Or do I stay two weeks and then move to a nicer hostal? This is traveling after all. Oh, there's a T.V. with cable too. Little and cute. It keeps me company while I do my homework. And although I could watch T.V. in English, generally National Geographic or Discovery is on in Spanish. And generally the programs are about huge volcanic eruptions or earthquakes that, if occurred, could wipe out the entire East coast of the United States. Maybe that's why I haven't been sleeping well...