Julie's Journey

Excursions

2010-08-16T22:03:00.001-07:00

AUGUST 16, 2010

Many weekends while I was living in Antigua, especially on Sundays, I would go on an excursion with friends to something interesting in the area. Sometimes we would walk, other times we would take public transportation. Here are some of the more interesting excursions I made...

EARTH LODGE

One of my favorite places is about 5 miles out of Antigua (20 minutes in a vehicle or 2 hours by walking). It is an eco-friendly mountain lodge and avocado farm owned by a kind, young Canadian/American couple who have really poured their heart and soul into it. http://www.earthlodgeguatemala.com/index.html

One of the times I went there we walked - a beautiful way to spend a lazy Sunday (although the walk there is anything but lazy – mostly uphill!) As we meandered through the lush countryside marveling at the stunning verdant scenery along the way, we were joined by some local chaperones.

Once you get to the ‘turnoff’ for Earthlodge, you have to carefully descend 900 feet on a slightly treacherous trail for about 10 minutes (20 minutes if there has been rain.) This photo shows one of the better, wider parts of the pathway:

This pathway really puts things in perspective and makes you appreciate the ruralness of the place even more - for everything has to be hauled down this path by hand (although they recently got a mule which does help a tiny bit!) And when I say everything is hauled in manually – I mean it – all building materials and supplies; no vehicles (even motorcycles) can make it down this trail.

Also to appreciate, is its unique location - perched high above a fertile coffee-laden valley - its intrepid visitors are definitely treated to spectacular vistas (you might want to click on this photo to enlarge it):

Its remoteness also rewards the visitor with a break from the “hustle-bustle” of Antigua! It provides the perfect setting to appreciate their delicious homemade meals on the patio or contemplate life while hanging in a hammock enjoying the views below.

This hammock I'm on is on the private deck of their famous treehouse:

Here is the view from inside the treehouse:

Other accommodations include a two level tree cabin and a rustic dorm. Besides two visits I made there as day trips, I decided to go for some ‘serious’ r&r. So I, (along with about 40 others) went there for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving:

Here I am gearing up for the feast with good friends Bonnie, Deet and Diane:

Two blissful days of tranquility and stuffing myself with yummy food! And I also partook in other fun activities like a traditional Mayan sauna (ooooh), ping pong and a beautiful hike. The hike was a ‘leisurely’ two hours of up & down in the surrounding mountains on tiny footpaths through the locals’ fields. Here is one of the locals tending to his crops:

I think you would agree that it is a pretty magical place!

"The Lake"

2010-05-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

MAY 1, 2010

“The Lake” – yes, that is how they refer to it here… just “The Lake” and everybody knows that they are talking about Lago de Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). A must see for all visiting Guatemala, it is one of the most attractive lakes in the world (so said Aldous Huxley in 1934) - exceptionally majestic, surrounded by 3 volcanoes, lush hills and culturally diversity with its 13 traditional Mayan villages which ring the Lake. Here is one of them:

The Lake offers endless activities; of course there are the obvious water options like swimming, kayaking and diving.

Regarding the diving, not only is it a fresh water volcanic crater lake, but, with such a high altitude (5118 feet), you can imagine how it provides a unique environment for divers. For example, on dive trips you can see things like massive volcanic rock formations, a fault line where you can plunge your hands into hot volcanic mud, a vertical swim-thru, sunken trees, and an abundance of fish, crabs and plant life. Landwise, you can partake in plenty of possibilities including walking between the villages or hiking up the steep hills to waterfalls and other delights. The adventurous can mountain bike too. Oh, and also, you can just kick back, take in the stunning scenery, relax in hammock, in a sauna or via a massage. In fact, one village, San Marcos la Laguna, is the ‘spiritual center’ of the Lake. There, besides massage, there are holistic centers offering courses in meditation, healing arts, yoga, etc. And they have great vegetarian food, too.

If you want to immerse yourself in the culture of Guatemala, besides plenty of Spanish schools to choose from, the many indigenous people who live at the Lake offer an exceptional experience for witnessing their way of life. A lot of them still wear traditional dress, speak in Mayan languages and practice age-old customs of producing things by hand like weavings, crafts or farming techniques. The villages have outstanding and very colorful markets and interesting religious and governing practices as well.

No wonder many come for a short visit and stay indefinitely! I have been to the Lake before, but since my last time was in 1997, I was due for a visit!

SAN MARCOS

In the first village where I stayed, San Marcos, I was lucky enough to get a room at this enchanting boutique hotel, Aaculaax, http://www.aaculaax.com/, designed and built by a German. Most of it is hand-crafted using recycled materials including thousands of glass bottles which he integrates into the design and uses to make it kind of like a gallery along with stained glass and even rocks – here you can see how a few were part of my shower:

Here are some of the details around the hotel grounds:

Here are a few videos of the hotel and my room:

From my room, which, like the rest of the hotel, is built into a hillside, I had remarkable views of the Lake:

With the exception of one ‘proper’ road which leads you into the town, tranquil San Marcos is unique in that it doesn’t have any streets. Instead, little footpaths are spread around in the lush, quasi jungle-like setting. It is, in my opinion, quite charming and adorable.

However, it can be a bit of a mini-treasure hunt to find anything - like, any of its approximately 15 hotels or 20 restaurants. Hmmmm, a bit different than Antigua (3 hours away) which has 200 eateries and 100 lodgings!

SAN PEDRO

In contrast, across the Lake from San Marcos, the community of San Pedro, which is much bigger and more of a city, wears the title “Party Capital of the Lake.” However, conversely it has many ‘chillout’ kind of places, including this one where I had lunch, “Zoola”:

And to visit “La Puerta,” a little coffee/café place, nicely located on the marshy edge of the Lake (with a Spanish school neighbor), one has to walk through a horse corral and on a horse trail to reach it. Sipping a coffee there affords one this view:

Along the way you can stop in one of San Pedro’s hot tub places where you can soak al fresco in soothing volcano-fed thermal pools while you view the Lake.

SANTA CRUZ

In another section of the Lake, I stayed for a few days at an “Eco Chic” lodge. A 10-15 minute walk from the lodge via a lazy walking path which skirts the lake, brought me to the tiny town of Santa Cruz la Laguna. This village is even tinier than San Marcos with just 3 hotels (in addition to mine). All have beautiful gardens and gourmet restaurants with set meals. One of the nights I ‘splurged’ and went to one of these restaurants, Arca de Noe, owned by a European couple. There they serve nightly candle-lit 7-course (!) yummy family-style dinners for about $13 including tip! They use fresh ingredients bought at the local market and everything is homemade including their breads & pastries, jams and sauces. She also prides herself on using recipes from all parts of the world which she has collected from years of travel; all are used in an innovative way. Judge for yourself, here is the menu from the dinner I had:

My eco-hotel, Isla Verde, http://islaverdeatitlan.com/ also has a gourmet restaurant & lounge in a beautiful lakeside setting:

The owner is from Spain and insists on being as sustainable as possible, ensuring minimal environmental impact; she calls it, “Ecology in Style.” And they also create healthy home-made creative, delicious and global cuisine. She tries to serve as much organic food as possible and buy everything locally including building materials.

Her 10 solar-powered cabins creep up through a small canyon/ravine all set in nature with lake views and solar showers. However, the bad news (or good news, depending on how fit you want to be) is that lake views are only achieved via many stairs! From the lodge/restaurant, it would take me about 10 minutes to reach my cabin, one of the highest perched ones:

Here I have made a self portrait in my eco bathroom which looks out at the Lake:

And here are some sunrise views from my cabin:

Although the rainy season had long since gone, the Lake has its own unique micro-climate and often has rain year round. One day while walking about, the skies grew dark:

I was going to head back home to avoid getting wet, but these gorgeous magical light rays appeared and graced my view of the village across the Lake:

I’m glad I stuck around!

Antigua's Architecture

2010-04-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

MARCH 18, 2010

The best way to describe the buildings in present-day Antigua, is to liken the colonial city to an open air architectural museum.

Although so much was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1773, there are plenty of remaining structures which have either been fully restored to a state where they are currently inhabited, or they have been preserved as ruins.

RUINS

I pass by these ruins, San Jose el Viejo, usually at least twice per day:

You would probably would never realize it from the outside, but they are one of the most sought-after locations for events in Antigua, the destination wedding capital of Central America. One day while they were setting up for an event, I took advantage of this rare opportunity and I walked in to photograph the interior:

I think you would agree that being able to attend an event in 400 hundred year old ruins would be a pretty special experience:

Here they are at night with atmospheric decorations and lighting:

Everywhere you turn in Antigua there are beautiful ruins; these ones, Santa Clara ruins, are on the outskirts of town and often have big concerts in front of them:

During the weekends, a crafts market takes place in front of the El Carmen ruins:

Here is a close up – notice the flowers growing right through:

Columns and the arches they connect to play a big part of the colonial architectural style:

Here are some column details:

CHURCHES

At the peak of the Spanish colonization, Antigua (which is only 10 x 10 square blocks) had over 50 churches. Here are a few of my favorites; the first one, La Merced Church, I shot from a restaurant rooftop:

Here is San Pedro Church at dusk:

Here a man is locking up one of the two entrances to San Francisco el Grande Church:

And here, on the south side of town, is El Calvario Church:

DOORS

Elaborate and intricate designs are found on doorways, doors and door details. Here are a few examples around town:

This doorway is good for napping:

This one wins the award for most creative entry – a stepping stone course in a pond will bring you to your front door!

Gorgeous hand-carved wooden detail on door leading into La Merced church (yellow one above):

Doors are ornamented with beautiful knockers and handles:

INTERIORS

One of my favorite features of colonial style architecture are the interior courtyards; for all kinds of stunning things are hidden away inside, like fountains and flora:

Here is my all time favorite in town, the colossal fountain at the La Merced church:

Volcanoes

2010-04-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

MARCH 13, 2010

Guatemala has more than 30 volcanoes and three of them are active! See this really cool map for details (active ones are red):

http://josemonzongt.com/guatemala/mapas/mapavolcanes.html

FUEGO

Of the three active ones, two are pretty close to Antigua. In fact, from certain places in Antigua, including many rooftops, “Fuego” (which means “fire”) can be seen smoking VERY frequently. Here is a nice view of it from one of the entrances into town:

And, if you get a little bit out of town, towards the next community, Ciudad Vieja (the first capital of Guatemala), you can see Fuego even better, along with its volcano companion (to the right), Acatenango:

By the way, the reason that Ciudad Vieja ceased being the capital is because in 1541, it was destroyed by volcanic eruptions that engulfed the town. Shortly thereafter is when Antigua stepped in as the new capital for the next 200 years… that is, until it was demolished by an earthquake in 1773. Hence, the capital was moved, yet again, to its third and present location just 45 minutes away – today’s Guatemala City. By the way, when I say, ‘new capital’, back then, Guatemala (rather ‘The Spanish colony of Guatemala’ which was then known as “Santiago de los Caballeros”) was not just present-day Guatemala, rather it was a large region that included almost all of present-day Central America and Chiapas, the southernmost State of Mexico. So yes, for one capital to be destroyed by a volcanic eruption and then the second to be demolished by an earthquake was a really big deal! You would think that Guatemala has a hex!

Anyways, back to our friend, the active, Fuego. One of the best places to view it, is where it serves as an amazing backdrop to a brand new private golf and country club; there you can really get up close and view it in all its splendor (and play golf in front of it). Here it is starting to erupt at the entrance to the club:

here is a video I shot of it shortly thereafter:

Here you can see how it is situated in front of a golf area - not too many golf courses can claim unique scenery like this!

AGUA

Ahhhh, yes, Agua. It is always there, everywhere you turn... Well, at least when you turn to the south; you can usually see Agua looming on the south side of Anitgua. That is, when it is not covered by clouds.

Here it is lurking behind Antigua's main market, as well as from a rooftop at dusk:

Also, you can go back to my second posting, "Signs, Arches and Hills", for an example of how Agua looks from up high a hill with and without cloud cover:

http://trulyjuliesjourney.blogspot.com/2009/11/signs-arches-and-hills.html

PACAYA

For 5 months I lived in Antigua contemplating climbing this ACTIVE volcano. And finally, my last week in the country, I took the plunge!!! This volcano is nothing to joke about; here is a warning sign which appears close to the final ascent:

Pacaya is reaches 8370 feet, although we did not go that high for obvious reasons! I could have taken a “taxi” for the first half of the way up like my friend, Susie, did:

As my legs started aching, I frequently was looking her way, eying her, slightly green with envy ;-) But, with the help of my walking stick and hiking boots, for 3+ hours, I climbed up all 2.4 miles (1600+ ft. elevation gain) of the route. Not easy – especially since, at this elevation, the air is quite thin and there are many other environmental battles (wind, sun, possible shooting lava rocks…and you are breathing in sulphurous fumes). The lava continuously is reforming the valley below – in fact, the local guides might take one group up in the morning via one route and in the afternoon they might choose a completely different route since the lava is actually moving all the time. You can see a new-ish flow which we climbed up here; note the little people on the left side:

It is really important to have a local guide because they know about the seismic activity, hence they are able to guide you as to where to walk and avoid danger (i.e. stepping onto a area which is too thin and subsequently falling into a hole or stepping where it is too hot and molten lava lurks underneath). Also, due to the heat of the ground, it is very important to wear proper hiking boots - one guy’s regular shoe soles (non-hiking boots) melted - thank god for duct tape! It is so hot up there that people are roasting hot dogs and marsh mellows! Here is proof that I was actually there:

As though the ascent isn’t hard and tricky enough, another danger and scary thing is walking too far to the edge; there are steep drop-offs and no guardrails, of course! The tumble down the slope full of sharp volcanic rocks would be an excruciating way to die!

Although quite a stark landscape due to the absence of any color - just black volcanic rock, ash and soil - somehow it is hauntingly beautiful in its own way. The highlights for me were the views; especially when we could see the other three other volcanoes which I mention above (Fuego, Agua, and Acatenango); it is a pretty rare and impressive thing to be on one volcano when another (Fuego) is erupting at the same time with its steam and ash cloud rising up from its summit.

I chose to do the afternoon “Sunset and Dinner on the Volcano” trip –what a cool way to see the sun set! Absolutely stunning views from up there:

And as dusk came, it became quite cold & windy; an interesting contrast to have cold breezes blowing around yet feel underground heat radiating up through the rocks. Good thing I brought lots of layers of clothes! After eating a yummy dinner on the lava (a VERY unique eating experience), we started the real challenge… The Descent!

Although the sky was filled with stars, for over an hour we, scampered down on sharp lava in the total darkness (thank god for the inventions of flashlights and gloves!) The volcanic ash is very loose, so you slip and slide quite a bit, making it a pretty demanding descent both via using muscles you don’t normally use and also the acute concentration required to make proper footing. It was very eerie to think how it would play out had there been a real eruption! Eeeek!

The reward? At the end of the lava section of the descent, I was able to shoot this photo:

The orange/pink glow to the left is actually the clouds being illuminating by the lava flow way up high which we had been hovering over,

In case you still want to know more, here are some more factoids about Pacaya:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacaya

Processions and Parades

2010-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 31, 2010

Guatemala is known for its Patron Saint fairs (every town has at least one patron saint and likewise an annual festival to celebrate it). And each of the churches also have their own unique celebrations throughout the year. During these festivities, there are feasts of all sorts, processions where they parade the Saint around town, traditional dances (with costumes, of course) and an assorted array of other colorful activities. The Guatemalan version is an interesting mix since each town will usually include some specifically local element. Furthermore, these fiestas often include somewhat of a melding of original Spanish influences incorporated with Mayan traditions as well.

This procession I saw in Antigua was very somber; I perched myself on top of a rooftop restaurant terrace to effectively show the scale of the event:

The participants actually have to pay the church to enable them to share in the honor of carrying the 5-6 ton float for one block. About 80 people carry it at a time. And after each block they will switch to a different crew who will take over for the next block.

Here it is on the next block after they switched; in this block it is now all men carrying it.

It keeps moving along like this all over town for a duration of perhaps 8-10 hours. Here it is later that night; passing by the Central Park:

Here is a short video of it that night in the very crowded park:

CONFUSED DANCING DEVILS

This Patron Saint fair which I attended in a neighboring town (Ciudad Vieja) was a total party. The festival goes on for a week and they have one of the more elaborate celebrations in the country with parades, floats, processions, traditional food, fireworks and folkloric dances which include ‘dramas’ (little skits). Here is a video overview of the scene:

Most dancers/actors are men, but they play the part of women as well. Majority of the performances is “The Dance of the Devils and Death.” As I mentioned in a previous blog, Devils are REALLY big here! These performances are about 3 hours long and they will do them 3 times this day as well as once/day for the rest of the week. As you can see, this festival featured some interesting versions of ‘Devils’; they had black faces, yet blond hair; devil outfits, yet wings (like angels have). Talk about having an identity complex!

The Devils begin their skit; they start the Devil Dance. This video is a close-up of two devils dancing; notice their fangs!

In this video, one of the Devil's maidens is stating her case to the King Devil:

And there are many other skits besides the devils... warriors, pirates, cowboys... even Rastafarians!

Here is a video of a skit/dance of some kids dressed as cowboys, accompanied by the Marimba, the national instrument of Guatemala:

ROLLING OUT THE "RED" CARPET

Many times, in honor of the processions, church members will create elaborate and beautiful artistic “carpets” made of dyed sawdust, pine needles, flowers and other things like little statues, fruits and vegetables. These carpets adorn the processions' path. Yes, people spend hours constructing these intricate designs, only to have them destroyed as the processions trample all over them! These carpets (alfombras) were part of a procession welcoming priests from many Latin American countries during their annual conference at Antigua’s San Francisco church:

Here is a close-up to show the detail of one with sawdust:

And here is one of flowers and pine needles:

DANCE OF THE BIG HEADS AND THE GIANTS

This annual roving parade is unique to one of Antigua's churches, La Merced. The "Big Heads" and "Giants" roam the streets of the city for most of the day, stopping in some of the more public places (churchyards, parks, etc.). Their arrival is announced via a blast of some explosive firecrackers (extremely common down here) and then they proceed to dance around for a few songs until they move onto to the next place. This celebration is not religious in nature, rather its purpose is to celebrate the different cultures which exist in the world - notice that some of the paper mache heads are of differerent races. And the giants represent the different kings from different continents.

'Tis the Season to be Festive!

2009-12-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 1, 2010

LIGHTS LIGHTS AND MORE LIGHTS

Mexico has it’s Zócalos (public squares), and every town in Guatemala has a Central Park. The Central Park of Antigua (Parque Central) is one of the most beautiful in all of Guatemala. And it is the epicenter of the action down here; a focal point for couples, friends and families to meet, hang out and to watch the world go by. The park is one square city block and is in the center of the city.

Here is a typical scene in the Park; a band from South America playing music from the Andes:

Here is the park on a Sunday afternoon late in the day, but with a special twist, since it is all lit up for the holidays (2 parts):

And here are some photos I took which feature the pretty lights; this one is one side of the park looking down the "main street" of Antigua:

Yours truly by the main fountain

AL FRESCO CONCERT IN THE PARK

On one side of Antigua’s Central Park is the stunning Cathedral; originally built in 1670 and then rebuilt after the great earthquake in 1773. On a normal day, it looks like this:

And at night it looks like this:

But, this one particular night about 2 weeks ago, something special took place. It was the annual Christmas Festival performance by Guatemala’s National Symphonic Orchestra; and they were accompanied by the Modern and Folkloric Ballet Troup. You have to admit, with this backdrop, it is a pretty splendid setting to see a concert - al fresco, amidst the beautifully lit ornate Cathedral. And it was especially nice because it was free ;-) And, since I only live 5 blocks away, it is a very convenient location - I didn't have to arrange any transportation or deal with any parking hassles!

Here is an overall view of how it looked that night. Yes, that’s right, the tiny little guy at the bottom in red is….. you guessed it… Santa was conducting the concert!

Here is a close-up of our friend from the North Pole:

Here are the dancers:

At the end, this guy lit himself (rather his “wings”) on fire and danced around (this is a tradition down here):

Here is a really good photo of what these on-fire “Wing Men” look like up close:

http://revuemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Revue2009-12Cover5.jpg

THE DEVIL BURNS

Speaking of lighting oneself on fire, I attended the annual “Burning of the Devil” festival here a few weeks ago. Devils are big down here, and so is burning stuff (especially firecrackers). The belief is, that just before Christmas time, everyone burns things (specifically Devils) to make way for a safe holiday. So people will buy small versions of the devils and cast them out on the street in front of their houses and burn them. Or they will just look around their houses and gather up stuff from their junk drawers and burn that. Many towns in Guatemala have some sort of Devil-burning celebration, of course Antigua is not without its own.

I couldn't get up close to photograph the Devil very well nor have I been able to find online photos or a video of the actual Devil in Antigua this year, but here is a good photo of the Devil from last year's burning in Antigua:

http://revuemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/24-holidays-f1.jpg

And this video will give you an idea of what an actual burning is like. I think this Devil burned in the Capital (Guatemala City):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4BUimcTMD0

Here are some photos I was able to take - I took this of the crowd so that you could see the surrounding scene:

Here are 2 photos of the Devil burning that night -kind of wimpy if you ask me! But I am a burning snob since I've seen the "Burning Man" burn twice in Northern Nevada!

And here is some random guy who was ‘lit’ on fire (same sort of “wings of fire” like I mention above in the Concert section) and he was running down the street:

All in all, given that they light this Devil on fire on a residential street between 2 gas stations and therefore are prohibited from making a really big explosive event (no pun intended), I would say that it was a fun and festive evening!

WELCOMING IN 2010

For New Year’s Eve, thousands of people gather in Antigua’s streets, congregating in two main places: the Central Park and around the famous arch. There are multiple stages with lots of entertainment (a huge variety of different musical groups and dancers) or some of the action is just taking place in the street, like the ever-present “wing-man” on fire, this time he is more like a dancing human firework launching station:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnb-Mr7yn-k

I couldn’t really find a good video or photo which shows the scale of how many people were in the streets, but at midnight they launch tons of fireworks and here is a mediocre video which kind of shows this. If you watch the whole thing you can see that every now and then they will pan down to show the park where the fireworks were launched:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsmNkiFEiyw

Scenes from my life in Antigua

2009-12-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 27, 2009

SCHOOL

A few weeks ago, I decided to augment my classes with my private Spanish teacher by taking some classes at a ‘proper’ Spanish school. I think it is one of the prettier schools down here plus they also have a great reputation for the quality of instruction. Here is a link to my school's website:

http://www.sanjoseelviejo.com/index-2.html

I thought you might enjoy it if I gave you a tour of it so I took some videos (3 parts):

HOME

And here you can (finally!) see where I live. This 10 minute video gives you a little tour of the complex I live in, Olgas’s house (where I have my meals), and my cottage (casita).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W34C7AUo_lo

Enjoy!

Infrastructure

2009-12-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 21, 2009

Often time my life down here will be humming along and then something comes along that reminds me, “Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore.” People in third world countries are often incredibly resourceful with things they repair, build and/or create. Frequently, laws, rules and regulations don’t exist for constructing things like the way we are used to back home in The States. I thought I would share some of these ‘creative’ infrastructure examples with you.

Here are some interesting electrical configurations - you see these ALL OVER HERE. I can only wonder what the electrical ‘code’ here is supposed to be…that is, of course, if there is one:

So many of the outlets I have seen are old and out-of-date. And most don’t really accommodate plugs very well; you might actually have to tape them in so that the plug doesn’t fall out! I saw this interesting group the other day:

And here is an extension cord I brought with me. Obviously the old electrical system fried it!

Many stores/families use their roofs as exterior storage areas like this example which I saw in Alotenango:

Here is my shower. Most showers here are electric. You can see how they’ve taped my wires down:

And here you can see how the path of the wires is kind of makeshift; on the left it goes out through my window:

La Madre Naturaleza – Mother Nature’s Broken Heart

2009-11-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

NOVEMBER 20, 2009

As I mentioned on one of my previous blogs, it is the rainy season here in Guatemala. The season goes from June through October. They tell me that before I arrived here, they had had staggeringly low levels of rain; in fact, I have personally seen many failed crops - dried out corn stalks to be exact. And this drought has caused thousands of deaths. Well, as luck would have it, Mother Nature decided, better late than never. So it has been raining almost continuously since I arrived six weeks ago; and they tell me that just the rain we have had here over the last 2 weeks was more rain then they have had over the last 4 months.

I joke about it at our table during meals. In Spanish, I propose, “I think that some guy has broken Mother Nature’s heart and she continues to cry. Well, I am going to have a chat with her; I think she needs some girlie advice on this matter. Because enough is enough - the rainy season was supposed to have ended already!”

So about 2 weeks ago, I was out to dinner with Bonnie and Ana who both live at the same complex as me. About half way through our dinner, it started to rain. And then it was REALLY pouring. We were quite far (about a 15 minute walk) from where we live and even though we were looking for about 20 minutes, there weren’t any taxis passing by. Luckily, I had the phone number of a taxi driver in my phone. I called him, and, although he was in Guatemala City, he sent by another driver who reached us in 5 minutes. WOW, it was raining so hard!!! None of us really wanted to leave the restaurant and go to the taxi since it was pouring so much.

As we started to near our side of town, we noticed increased amounts of water in the streets. And on our corner the water was GUSHING down the street, flowing swiftly like a river. Ana noticed a ‘bubbling fountain’ in the middle of the street. Later on we determined that the sewer cover had burst, causing pressurized water to spew out.

The taxi somehow, miraculously, made its way down through this rapidly rushing ‘river’ to Olga’s door. We were actually terrified to get out of the taxi – it was pissing down with rain and the water on the street was about a foot high - maybe more – we couldn’t really tell. In front of Olga’s door, which is where we were going to enter our complex, there is a barrier:

I never really understood why it was there, rather, I just considered it an inconvenience since always we have to step over it to get in & out. However, I now know why it is there and I now know why I call it a ‘barrier’! The racing water was just a few inches from the top of this barrier.

I mentioned before in a previous post about all of the various things jutting into the sidewalks and all of the holes, etc. Well now, swirling in my head, were visions of me slipping on the cobblestone or falling into an open sewer, loose street grate or drainage ditch. As you can see by this photo, there is a long drainage ditch on our street:

It was so dark, there was so much water and none of us could remember exactly where these deep ditches were. I’m sure that the others were thinking the same as me – that we would either be swept up and carried away by the rushing water or the other frightening proposition - that we would step in or get caught in some sort of a hole.

I sensed that the taxi driver really wanted to leave so I took a deep breath and finally braved it since I had my key ready (which I was tightly grasping, afraid that I would lose it to the rapid river). I made my way, pretty much knee high in water, to the door. My shoes were squishing all over the place. I guess that in all the commotion, I was really clasping my key hard because later on, in the morning, I realized that it had broke in half; the remainder had gotten stuck in Olga’s door!

I snapped this photo of the taxi leaving our street to go ‘upriver’:

Once ‘safely’ inside, I realized that the adventure wasn’t over yet. For our whole complex had been invaded with water and I had no idea how hard it would be to wade through it to get to my cottage. Here is a photo of what the entryway outside of my cottage usually (when dry) looks like:

Here it was the night of the flood:

It continued to rain strongly on & off all week. But the good news is... we haven’t had rain in more than a week now (yeah!) I think that my chat with La Madre Naturaleza worked –for it appears as though she is finally over him…whoever he was!

Halloween – Latin American style

2009-11-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER 16, 2009

The Latin American ‘equivalent’ to Halloween is called “Dia de los Muertos” –Day of the Dead; specifically in Guatemala it is called “Día de los Difuntos” - Day of the Deceased. And here, in Guatemala, they certainly have some unique customs and ways of celebrating their Deceased.

There are two places in the whole country which are really famous for elaborate celebrations and it just so happens that both of them are pretty close to Antigua (“La Antigua”). So I decided to go to one of them to check it out personally. After a beautiful 30-40 minute drive from Antigua through a countryside of lush, green rolling hills, I arrived at the Mayan town of Sumpango (Tzumpango is the Mayan name). There, I was met with a swirl of colors, a flurry of activity and quite a lively celebration. The first stop was the bustling cemetery to view the locals, who literally are partying in the cemetery! They bring food, music and all types of intricate decorations, which they use and enjoy around the gravesites of their dearly departed. The cemetery definitely comes alive and gets a vivid facelift this day as it is literally ‘littered’ with hundreds of people; many wearing their finest clothing (especially the hand-woven huipiles – traditional blouses of the women) as well as colorful fresh flowers, new paint jobs on the graves and mausoleums, incense, food smells and all sorts of other delights for your senses. Most people are mingling about, but for people with recent losses, the day can obviously be quite somber.

Here are some cemetery scenes (I highly recommend that you double click on these to enlarge them so that you can see them with better detail):

The second stop was just a 5 minute walk through town to the local football (soccer) field. The tradition is for locals to build massive and extravagant kites, display them for public viewing (oohing and aahing) and fly them – both parts are judged in separate competitions. In some cities/villages, they will fly the kites high above the local cemetery and in others (as is the case in Sumpango), they use an alternate location, like the football field. They view the kites as a symbolic link between the living and the Dead; a way to communicate with the Dead as well as a way to release of the souls of the Dead from agony.

Here are 3 excellent links which explain the festivities, traditions and customs more in detail:

http://revuemag.com/2009/10/dia-de-los-muertos/

http://revuemag.com/2009/10/traditional-kite-making-in-santiago-sacatepequez/

http://revuemag.com/2009/10/high-flying/

Here is a video which I took from a rooftop; including the cemetery, kites and surrounding land; this should help you to understand the scale of the event:

And here are some of the photos I took of the kites:

They are about to lift this kite up and put on display as part of the exhibition.

Here I am in front of the festival’s tallest kite – 18 meters (54’ high).

Each participating kite has a sign telling how big, how many people worked on it (this group has 21 people), number of years they have participated, etc.

Each kite takes months to construct due to their size and design detail; here is a close-up of the workmanship and materials (the kites consist of pieces of tissue paper which are taped together and affixed to bamboo sticks).

Some of the spectators (including Ana, Bonnie and me).

The “Miss Kite Festival” finalists lineup.

This is a kite that one group is bringing over to the completion to see if it will fly.

The first batch of kites (the smaller ones) are all lined up (on the "runway") and ready to take their turn to try to fly.

Here is YouTube video of one of the kites in flight; just imagine how many people it takes to get them in the air:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pimrZyjvwuM