As we head increasingly further south, it becomes necessary to be able to converse in spanish (rather than to speak loudly and slowly in english at people!)
So we decided to go back to school....for a week to learn a little bit more spanish than our current rudimentary skills. Antigua in Guatemala is a really popular place to learn as there are heaps of foreign students and lots of schools to choose from. Whilst we were at school for a week we did a homestay with a local family - including room and 3 meals a day. It wasn´t quite the authentic experience (that we had dreaded), as the family was hosting a number of foreign students so at mealtimes it was all students, and so we weren´t forced each evening to endure confusing conversations in our pidgeon-spanish with the family!
We had a great week and learned some spanish, enough to argue with bus drivers and the like. It was actually quite hard work - 5 straight hours of speaking only spanish in lessons per day and using our brains for the first time in ages! and we also had homework !
Other than for learning spanish, the town is also quite a nice place to relax. It has been quite gringofied and has nice cobbled streets, places that show english movies and some excellent cookies.
Also nearby is the extremely impressive and active volcano Pacaya. We did an early morning scramble, in the rain again!, up to the lava flows - quite the odd experience being wet and cold one minute and then baking next the lava the next when the wind changes.
