24/08/2003

hi mums, cheers for all the latest - feel totally up to date and back in

loop now. We are currently in guatemala !- not sure how we ended up here -

something to do with being so close to the border and being given a very

cheap 'guatemalan lonely planet' by a couple of israeli girls...couldn't

resist temptation, so here we are. Palenque was great, we were staying in

cute little cabanas in the middle of the jungle, everynight we would eat and

drink at this beautiful restuarant there and be treated to great live music.

Met many an intrepid traveller and a lot of old hippies who have moved away

from the western civilisation and started a new anti- establishment life in

the mexican jungle. It was a very tranquil bohemian scene. Palenque the

Mayan site, was also incredible.

We left Palenque at 6am yesterday and caught a mini bus to the river

bordering mexico and guatemala, we then jumped on a boat heading up stream

and arrived on guatemalan territory  1/2 hr later. The chicken bus (so call,

because of the produce they cart around) driver who was to take us to

Flores, was having a dip in the river in his nice white y-fronts - he asked

us to wait up the hill for him to finish his swim (and it turns out- have a

little siesta too). We were handed out immigration forms by a young

barefooted lad while chickens and dogs poked around us. It was a very

relaxed border crossing.  After the driver had swam, been fed and taken his

nap, he was ready to tackle the dreadful road  to Flores. We averaged 25km

per hour there- 125 km away and it took us four hours! Arrived with

splitting head ache but was perked up by cute little town. We will be using

Flores as a base to explore nearby Tikal - which is supposed to be the most

impressive Mayan site in the central american area. Trying to work out if is

possible to stay nearby the site cheaply. That way we can watch the sun-rise

over it and see the the howler and spider monkeys when they come out in the

morning. After Tikal we dont have set plans - looking into studing spanish

for a week in Antigua. We will be living with a local family who will fed us

and studying for 4-7 hrs each day at a seperate institution. It's not enough

time to be able to speak it fluently but we will surely have a graspe of the

basics by the end ?

So tings are going well over in this part of the world and it seems all is

progressing well for you too. House will be up before you know it! World Cup

will be fantastic to see - mind you abit miffed about not being there for

the melbourne visit! Collingwood in top 4- let me know how they go this

weekend! Bren still romancing shaz talip and dad still enjoying his new

mammoth speakers I presume? Where is Koetong? It's good you are treating

yourselves! When's fathers day!?? You'll have to remind me...i'm losing

track of days, months and years now!

So what has been going on in the world? You mentioned not hearing about the

bad news..anything that should concern us? perhaps I should get on the

internet and get up to speed on current events...but it's nice being

blissfully ignorant too.

the colour schemes sound good. looking forward to seeing the end result. Did

Jane end up using the same architech as you? Will there be a common theme

between the two?

better go - lots of love Cara XXXXX

25/08/2003

hi mums, are you in? am feeling abit worse for ware and exhausted at the

moment. Woke up at 4am to go and check out Tikal. Was great - the highlight

was the wildlife. Monkeys galore. Howling and spider monkeys roaming about.

fantastic stuff. Also, dealing with gardia still, have decided to bite the

bullet and dosed myself up with antibiotics this arvo....should be ok by

tomorrow. Apart from tired and ill everthing is going well, this part of the

world is fantastic, we are off to visit a lake surrounded by 4 volcanoes

(active, i think) then to chichicastengo which is famed for it's sunday

markets and religious chicken sacrifices! Then Anitgua which gets rave

reviews.

glad you had a good weekend - send my love to the gang.

tonnes of love Cara XXXX

29/08/2003

hi mumsy, having an absolute ball here in Guatemala - very glad we came. so

much to see and do thinking of extending time here and shortening in mexico

- ohh decisions decisions! In Livingston at the moment off to antigua

tomorrow...have hook up with baptist christian backpacker for a few

days..people you meet on the road!

gotta run time on net is running out.  !

love me!!!

31/08/2003

hi mums, happy monday..groan! have arrived in Antigua and absolutley love

it. a beautiful spanish colonial city of cobbled streets with a massive

volcono looming over it. We have enrolled in our week long spanish course

and have met the family we will be living with. we move in tomorrow and

start school on monday - everything going to plan. In our spare time we will

be indulging in all the things we have gone without for 5 months,

cappacinos, haircuts, movies, lots of second hand book stores etc. A

civilised travellers paradise here. But there's also the stuff that can

excite even the most jaded traveller...crazy markets, mayan handicrafts and

mayan people, fiestas, salsa, hikes up volcanoes with the threat of being

mugged  !... etc Will be saying goodbye to our funny baptist friend this

evening as he flies back to the bible belt (we seem to attract the fanatics

!)....Have met lots of wonderful travellers here in guats. must be

destination de jour?

And dj dad...is he blowing canberra away with his tracks of choice? looking

forward to hearing his take on the new career. let him know i request an

email.

kitchen choice sounds funky and swish. not very mcgloin! aren't we usually

clunky and cluttered?

hope your weekend was relaxing (yeh right!). let me know how buckley and my

boys went. nothing worse than losing to the bombers!

well better go. will keep you posted about our week here. sooo looking

forward to staying put for 9 days!!!

tonnes of love caraXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From:    Cara McGloin [SMTP:caramcgloin@hotmail.com]

> > > > Sent:            Tuesday, September 09, 2003 11:28 AM

> > > > To:            Denise.McGloin@dva.gov.au

> > > > Subject:            how many people can a guatemalan bus hold??

> > > >

> > > > 5 more.

 hi mums, great to hear your weekend was tops. how are you doing at

the

 moment? hope you're coping. what's doctor said?

 we are at lake atilan at the moment. we left anitgua on saturday

with basic spanish under our belts...travelled by beserk crowded chicken bus to

chichicastengo - hit it on saturday night, in time to watch all the

mayan

villagers set up their stalls for the market, the following day. The

market

was great - people from all the surrounding villiages come into

chichi to shop and sell. The traditional clothing worn by the mayans was

incredible colourful and intricate. Being saturday the villagers were trooping into

church for services and prayer. their relgion is a bizarre mix of

pagan and catholisism. they give offerings up to god,  sacrificed chickens for

example...nice one.

 now on the lake will be relaxing for a few days in holistic village

of san marcus..will do some yoga...have cold at the moment so feeling under the

weather. Am blaming the trek up active volcano the other day. It was

absolutely freezing on top..but view was amazing. bloody tuff hike

it was.

 were are my boys on the ladder at the moment? does it look like a

>pies grand final??!!

> > > >

> > > > Thankyou very much for package - you rock!

> > > >

> > > > all my love caraXXXX

15/09/2003

morning chicas, I too missed last week's up-dates. spring should be in the

air now, so aren't you all feeling renewed strength, revitalised and

brimming with enthusiasm? write and tell all.

arrived back in mexico from guats last night. journey from hell...finally

reached san cristobel 12hrs and 8 different modes of transport later.

amongst others: chicken buses, pick-up trucks, luxury buses -where we were

forced to sit in the isle and watch very amusing bruce lee movies ( the man

was a god, i swear) got us around. most memorable mode being the chicken bus

from huehuetanago to the fronterria, crammed on as usual..family of 5 mayans

delegated to a seat meant for 2 american school children (they're old yank

school buses), chickens squawking all around, blind guatemalan practically

sitting on top of me, eating obnoxious smelling meat of some sort, spraying

saliva and obnoxious smelling meat all over me as he initiates convo which I

cannot comprehend. falls asleep on my shoulder...greasy hair had not seen

shampoo in it's lifetime. trying to untangle myself from blind, smelly,

carnivore while driver is negotiating terrifyingly bad road along cliff top.

dirt road is so narrow the bus is having a hard time weaving itself around

corners and past on-coming traffic. most disconcerting are the rows of

memorial crosses lined up along side edge of cliff. one can only assume

quite a few poor souls fell to their fate in the gorge below ?....All along

road the driver will halt to a screaming stop to let on more and more

machete wielding guatemalans and mayan woman with their bundles of babies.

but there's no more room ? doesn't matter. they cram and cram until your

bones have compressed. which brings me to the local joke...how many people

can they fit on a guatemalan bus? 5 more! hmmm..made us laugh anyhow...

last couple of weeks in guats were action packed, after finishing spanish

school with honors (me not greg) we celebrated by climbing the pacaya

volcano, a three hour strenuous trek up volcanic rock, right up to the

crater where we were nearly choked to death of sulfuric gas. The view was

wonderful,l but thought perhaps we'll celebrate at a comfortable pub next

time? We than left antigua and headed up to chichicastengo for the famed

sunday market. Mayan villagers from all around troop into chichi to sell

their handicrafts there. The colours and goods were incredible and the

atmosphere was phenomenal. the  market also coincides with the sabbath, so

services and worshipping are occurring at the two colonial churches in the

market place. the mayans have fused the conquestor's catholism and their own

pagan beliefs into one bizarre religion. which means there are chicken

sacrifices and the like going on at a catholic alter. fascinating stuff, if

not a bit off....

from chichi we headed onto lake atilan, which is formed from a collapsed

volcano cone..it's a beautiful massive lake surrounded by mountains and 3

volcanoes. there are mayan villages dotted around the lake which sadly we

didn't get to explore because I was struck down with food poisoning

(apparently undercooked guatemalan chicken should be viewed with suspicion?)

However we got a great $6.00  room with a view..so I laid in bed for days

taking in the beautiful surroundings in between bolts to the baño...

now back in San Cristobel, mexico, which is a gorgeous town above the clouds

in the highlands. the architecture again is colourful colonial, cobblestoned

streets etc. It's also the place of rebel uprisings and massacres by the

local zapatistas group who hide out in the surrounding mountains. Apparently

if you listen closely you can hear their target practise at night ! The

balaclava wearing leader is viewed as a mexican hero but is a thorn in the

side of the mexican government. it's an interesting part of the world here

girls.

we are off to explore some nearby mayan villages tomorrow and find ourselves

a shaman who can perhaps prescribe a remedy for my brittle nails.....

16/09/2003

have spent they day arranging bits and pieces..have run out of time here in

mexico (only 2 weeks left) and as we are right down the bottom still..the

overland trip up to LA was going to be impossible and expensive (it's a

massive country!). so we have booked a flight which will take us from mexico

city to la airport..it'll get us there on the day of our outward flight to

bangkok. This means i wont be able to catch up with pia, which is

disappointing, but otherwise we'd be spending the next two weeks travelling

non-stop. and the bus costs the same as a flight! to be honest, not that

keen to see LA anyway...The trip to Guatemala took all our time but glad we

did it..one of the biggest highlights so far...

off to check out surrounding area tomorrow, then overnight bus to Oaxaca

tomorrow night.

all my love caraXXXX