Friday instead of classes we had a “field trip” to the Markets at San Francisco El Alto which was an hour bus trip into the mountains from Xela. We took the “Chicken Bus” with the other student and our teachers. My teacher Alma sat on the seat in front of Sarah and I with Sarah’s teacher Fernando to start with but as the bus filled up she moved to the other side of the aisle!? I’m starting to suspect that rather than being anti-social it might just be unacceptable for her, a respectful married woman, to be socialising with single men. Guatemala (and I suspect much of Central and South America) is a funny mix of very conservative Catholic values combined with extreme poverty and the associated violence.

Back to the market…. Got to San Francisco El Alto and had a walk through the markets. The town is on top of a mountain (2610m) and had quite steep streets lined with shops and stalls. Lots of colourful clothing and blankets. Not many Gringos to be seen, all local people.
At the very top of the hill we came to the animal market and amongst the mud they were selling pigs and ducks, chickens, dogs, cats, geese, turkeys, and sheep. Probably other animals too but it was an incredible sight. Other stalls were selling the standard fare as well. Quite strange to see a stall selling mobile phones and DVD players amongst the mud and animals. (Mobile phones are very popular here.)



We headed back down the hill and had a look at the church. Some nice murals on the ceiling and more Jesus mannequins on the walls.







Back on the bus and we headed back to Xela with some great views down the valley. Took a few photos from the bus and realised that almost every one had corn growing in it. The Mayans had a Maize based diet and it’s a large part of the cuisine.





Back at school around noon we only did an hour of study and headed home.