Monday Monday, so I just finished a nice day of work beginning a new week here at Maya Pedal. I got to Maya Pedal last Thursday I think and so I worked Friday and Saturday (half day) and then headed out to nearby colonial city of Antigua to be a tourist for the weekend...I figured 36 hours was too long to entertain myself in the bicycle shop so off I went. I spent most of Saturday afternoon looking at other tourists and walking around admiring the city, watching a movie, taking it easy in coffee shops, etc. etc. On Sunday I signed up for a tour group to hike nearby volcano Pacaya. We left at 2pm and took a minibus to the volcano where it was a 3km hike up and some awesome volcanic action at the top.
After signing up for the tour, I asked the tour guide if it would be alright to hike in my sandals and he told me absoultely not. So, I decided to get some more opinions and asked the other tourists in the hostel who had done it....and their response was that my sandals absolutely would not make it. You see, this is an active volcano, and supposedly very high up it got really hot and very sharp with the volcanic rock and my feet would burn and sandals rip into shreds.
So what is a girl to do who has only got one pair of shoes and a tight budget? So I headed to the market....where I triumphed victorious and emerged with a six dollar pair of knock off high-top converse all-stars....ready to tackle that damn hot sharp volcano.
So the volcano was awesome, once to the top, we could feel the heat pouring out and smell the sulphur (sp?) as well. Once to the volcanic part it was very difficult to walk as the only footing was very sharp volcanic rock that was hot as crap. There was lava rushing down the volcano and I was a little on edge to be honest, especially once my all-stars started melting and my feet starting burning. But I made it off with time to spare and ready for the hike back down. All together it was a beautiful hike and a nice relaxed weekend. I even got to do the hike with some nice people from Korea, Israel, France, Argentina and New Jersey. I did a little shopping and bought some luxury items to bring back to San Andres for the week....ketchup, mustard and coffee.
So today the work at Maya Pedal was very exciting as well. I finished building my first bike, although I had much help and guidance from the other volunteer George, and nevermind that when the kid came to pick it up Carlos (runs the shop) had to take the whole bottom-bracket apart because I had put something in backwards....nonetheless, a victory. Then this afternoon, I got to try my hand at welding as someone ordered a tricycle. I am not sure how welding helmets are supposed to work but I found it very difficult that I couldn´t see anything at all with the helmet on until the torch was shooting fire everywhere. The way the helmet works is that everything is black in the little window, and then once the fire starts, everything lights up and you can see what you are welding. I know the helmet is supposed to protect your eyes from the light...but wouldn´t it be more efficient if you could see to begin with so you knew what you were lighting on fire? I asked Carlos why the helmet was so dark, and he said it was because there were no batteries....so maybe batteries would fix this problem. Anyway, so I welded this afternoon and was super stoked about that and glad to be building a tricycle. (Just so you know....this is no kiddy tricycle, this is an industrial tricycle, for carrying loads of stuff....just to clarify)
So this is most of the action from these parts. I am half-way finished with the autobiography of Malcolm X which is so far very interesting although he has been a hustler in Harlem for about 200 pages at this point. Today on the bus ride home I heard some Brian Adams which also lifted my spirits and reminded me of another reason I am lucky to be an American, no matter how far from home we are, our music is alwasy very close by. So before I go I´ll leave you with perhaps the most impressionable sight of the weekend.....as the bus was pulling out of the station to bring me back to San Andres for the week, I spotted a young women running for a bus balancing a huge basket of about 15 pineapples on top of her head, with a baby strapped to her back, and doing it all in high heels......whatta woman
lata!
After signing up for the tour, I asked the tour guide if it would be alright to hike in my sandals and he told me absoultely not. So, I decided to get some more opinions and asked the other tourists in the hostel who had done it....and their response was that my sandals absolutely would not make it. You see, this is an active volcano, and supposedly very high up it got really hot and very sharp with the volcanic rock and my feet would burn and sandals rip into shreds.
So what is a girl to do who has only got one pair of shoes and a tight budget? So I headed to the market....where I triumphed victorious and emerged with a six dollar pair of knock off high-top converse all-stars....ready to tackle that damn hot sharp volcano.
So the volcano was awesome, once to the top, we could feel the heat pouring out and smell the sulphur (sp?) as well. Once to the volcanic part it was very difficult to walk as the only footing was very sharp volcanic rock that was hot as crap. There was lava rushing down the volcano and I was a little on edge to be honest, especially once my all-stars started melting and my feet starting burning. But I made it off with time to spare and ready for the hike back down. All together it was a beautiful hike and a nice relaxed weekend. I even got to do the hike with some nice people from Korea, Israel, France, Argentina and New Jersey. I did a little shopping and bought some luxury items to bring back to San Andres for the week....ketchup, mustard and coffee.
So today the work at Maya Pedal was very exciting as well. I finished building my first bike, although I had much help and guidance from the other volunteer George, and nevermind that when the kid came to pick it up Carlos (runs the shop) had to take the whole bottom-bracket apart because I had put something in backwards....nonetheless, a victory. Then this afternoon, I got to try my hand at welding as someone ordered a tricycle. I am not sure how welding helmets are supposed to work but I found it very difficult that I couldn´t see anything at all with the helmet on until the torch was shooting fire everywhere. The way the helmet works is that everything is black in the little window, and then once the fire starts, everything lights up and you can see what you are welding. I know the helmet is supposed to protect your eyes from the light...but wouldn´t it be more efficient if you could see to begin with so you knew what you were lighting on fire? I asked Carlos why the helmet was so dark, and he said it was because there were no batteries....so maybe batteries would fix this problem. Anyway, so I welded this afternoon and was super stoked about that and glad to be building a tricycle. (Just so you know....this is no kiddy tricycle, this is an industrial tricycle, for carrying loads of stuff....just to clarify)
So this is most of the action from these parts. I am half-way finished with the autobiography of Malcolm X which is so far very interesting although he has been a hustler in Harlem for about 200 pages at this point. Today on the bus ride home I heard some Brian Adams which also lifted my spirits and reminded me of another reason I am lucky to be an American, no matter how far from home we are, our music is alwasy very close by. So before I go I´ll leave you with perhaps the most impressionable sight of the weekend.....as the bus was pulling out of the station to bring me back to San Andres for the week, I spotted a young women running for a bus balancing a huge basket of about 15 pineapples on top of her head, with a baby strapped to her back, and doing it all in high heels......whatta woman
lata!
6 comments:
Happy Birthday Bree! 23.... wow I must be getting old! Have a good one and watch out for the fire! Wear that helmut!
Love you so much
Mom
I would like an artistic photo of melted, knock-off, high-top Converse sneakers. I sure am glad that you didn't fall in and melt. You're getting to be quite a jack-of-all-trades. Welding is probably the next craft I would like to learn, and now I know that to be successful I need a good helmet, and probably a battery charger. Please have someone take a picture of you on the industrial trike, and maybe scratch your initials on it for posterity. FELIZ Cumpleaños and happy travels forever.
Happy b-day Bree! Sorry, facbook told me, but I seem to remember getting a similar Feliz Cumpleanos shout from you on mine. I am kinda envious actually about this whole Maya Pedal thing. The bike co-op here is doing cool stuff sure, but THAT place is several steps above. I hope that you enjoy each moment and learn tons. Oh, and wear the helmet so as not to burn out your retinas.
Peace,
Ben-ha-meen
happy birthday, i hope you did something to celebrate! hmmmm, did your feet really BURN or are you just exaggerating? i think you are having too much contact with fire, it makes me nervious just thinking about it. secondly, i heat that brian adams song once a week, seriously.
ha, jessica says she 'heats' that brian adams song all the time...maybe it wasn't a premeditated pun on your blog, but it still works, doesn't it? good to talk to you on your birthday. please take post some more pictures, i'm just itching to see what you've been working on. love, carrie
carrie, will you be my personal editor? you are always finding my spelling errors, damn you. okay, bree, i demand more updates. love jessica
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