Nebaj and the Cheese Hike

This past weekend I had the chance to visit a few friends in Nebaj, a city in the department of El Quiche, made famous by 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu and her work during the war. Before leaving I was little apprehensive about what kind of a reception we would get there, having heard rumors of people in the area strongly disliking Americans after such tumultuous times during the internal conflict. Located in the middle of an area many still refer to by its military name – the Ixil triangle - the municipality of Nebaj was hit very hard by the war and hard feelings still remain. Although I haven’t substantiated this rumor, nor have I heard of it happening to any of my acquaintances, I heard that it isn’t uncommon for children and/or adults to throw rocks and sticks at gringos in some areas around Nebaj.

The trip up there took about 5 hours from my site, but I met up with another volunteer on the way, so luckily I didn’t have to do it alone. We caught a bus to get to the capital city of the department, Santa Cruz del Quiche, but as soon as we boarded, we wished we had waited. Not only was every seat full – 3 people deep, with people crowding 75% of the aisles as well – but vendors were boarding the bus as we stalled at the bus stop for about 5 minutes, offering food, drinks and snacks, knowing that the bus had come from the capital and the people aboard were a captive market for such things. Standing in the aisle while a bigger lady trying to sell Chuchitos (Milled corn with tomato sauce steamed in a corn leaf) from an oversized basket attempted and eventually succeeded to squeeze through, my friend Kate and I looked at each other with the familiar, “Oh, Guatemala” expression that has come to represent resignation to some of the quirks of the culture down here.

After standing for two hours as the bus spun around tight curves and steep ascents and declines, we finally got to sit down about half an hour outside of Santa Cruz del Quiche, but we quickly got off and boarded a Microbus for Nebaj, which was still another 2 hours away via foggy mountain roads. Luckily we made a stop for gas along the way, during which vendors raced up to the microbus to peddle their various offerings through the windows. Kate and I broke down and indulged in a bag of neon colored popcorn balls, which I won’t admit to liking. Once we arrived, we met up with a friend whose site is Nebaj and went out to dinner at an ex-pat’s restaurant.

The following day we set out early to hike to a nearby village that boasts a cheese farm with some of the best cheese in Guatemala. Obviously, this was one of my main reasons for wanting to visit Nebaj – the chance to taste some fresh, well made cheese. After the two and a half hour hike through mud and spitting rain, we arrived at the cheese farm and sat down to enjoy gourmet grilled cheese and coffee – complete with fresh cream that was rich enough to eat by itself. We ate overlooking the pastures of the farm, and found ourselves constantly wondering how we had stumbled upon this strange oasis in the middle of the most war- torn region of Guatemala.

After lunch at the cheese farm we caught a ride back to Nebaj proper in a pickup truck and met up with more friends later that night. We ended up eating almost every meal at the same restaurant, mainly because he had fresh pickles (which I hadn’t had since before I left the states), peanut butter and a mean apple pie.

Although the weather was cold and miserable, it was nice to see a different part of the country and see another site. I hope to go back soon, if not to see my friends again that for the cheese alone. I bought some to take home, but as you can imagine, that didn’t last me very long.

Until next time..