John and Sarah Borgquist
We're spending 5 weeks in Guatemala to learn the language, enjoy the beauty, and get to know the culture. We will not take this opportunity for granted. This blog will help us keep friends and family updated. We arrive on Thursday, February 1st and we will be heading to Antigua, Guatemala to settle into our new home -- a little apartment near the marketplace. We will try to update this regularly with pictures and interesting experiences. JohnAndSarah
Travel Blog Posts
Atitlan
Published: February 28th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Western Highlands » Lago de Atitlán
February 22nd 2007
We took a shuttle from Antigua to Panajachel in the afternoon and arrived at the dock around 5pm. Unfortunately for us, the public boats stopped running around 4:30pm. So, people were trying to charge us 5 or 6 times the normal price for a boat ride to Santiago de Atitlan because we required a private boat ride rather than a public one. Eventually, and quite luckily, we met some people who actually LIVED in Santiago and were going to be going back there soon so we sat and had some drinks while we waited for them and they took us over there for a very reasonable fare. The boat ride in the dark was beautiful, with only the moon and stars for a light. The boat was very fast with only 7 people in it and ... read more
Climbing Pacaya
Published: February 27th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Capital Region » Pacaya
February 22nd 2007
On Thursday Ed, Elisa, and I (Sarah) headed for Volcan Pacaya while John went to language school (because of his bum ankle). It takes an 1 1/2 to get there from Antigua and costs about $8 per person round trip (including the park's admissions fee). We left at 6am and, due to some traffic and some slow folks in our group, we started climbing around 8:15. The climb was great. The scenery is amazing. What a science lesson! We didn't go all the way up to the crater at the top like I did last year, only about halfway up (by a different route). It seems that they just take the climbers to wherever they can get the best view of lava flowing. I think this explains why lots of people say that this volcano is ... read more
Rio Dulce and Livingston
Published: February 26th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Caribbean Coast » Livingston
February 17th 2007
We bartered our way onto a shuttle that left from Tikal directly for Rio Dulce. A Canadian couple who were both physicians shared the van with us and were nice enough to take a look at John's ankle and give their advice. Rio Dulce was not a particularly thrilling town but it did provide us with some tasty pizza and sea bass. We took a boat to Livingston and that was a wonderful experience. The Rio Dulce is a beautiful river and we loved every minute of that 1 1/2 ride. The river ends in the Caribbean Sea. Livingston is a town that you can only access by boat. The people that live there are Garifunas and they have a unique language and culture. It's a fun, funky town. They have loud music with great rhythm ... read more
We just had 10 PACKED days
Published: February 25th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Petén Region » Flores
February 15th 2007
We are so behind on this blog. I will start with Thursday, February 15th when our friends, Ed and Elisa Bricker arrived. They arrived around 2pm and we ate some Mexican at Frida’s Mexican Restaurant (yum). Then, before they could so much as catch their breaths, we hit the road on a night bus to Tikal, Guatemala. It cost $30 per person one-way (compare to $120 per person one-way for the plane) and was described as a “luxury bus” in the travel agency literature. And to us, it will be forever remembered as the “luxury bus” (must be said with a sense of incredible irony). Not only did we have to spend an hour of our night standing in a very sketchy bus station in Guatemala City (complete with a cat-sized spider siteing) but it was ... read more
Copan Ruins
Published: February 13th 2007Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Western » Copán Ruinas
February 12th 2007
On Saturday we took a little mini-bus sans air conditioning, seatbelts and comfort to Copan, Honduras. It was a 6 hour drive and it cost $10 per person. It left Antigua at 4am. It was worth it though. Customs between Guatemala and Honduras was funny. It was a little shack where we stood in line and told them we were going to only stay one night (good luck trying to get this across in English). Then they took about 6 dollars, gave us a form, stamped our passports and sent us back to our van to be driven about 5 miles across the boarder to Copan. We arrived to Copan Ruinas around 11am. Confusingly, Copan Ruinas is the name of the modern city and the ruins are about half a mile away from there. The city ... read more
Fin De Semana
Published: February 9th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Capital Region » Antigua
February 9th 2007
It's the end of the week -- Thank goodness! We've had a good week of leaning Spanish and getting to know the city. I (Sarah) have been sick for the last two days so that's put a damper on it but I'm feeling better now and ready to enjoy the weekend. The plan is to go to Copan, Honduras tomorrow morning and stay overnight and then come back here. ... read more
Bienvenidos a Antigua
Published: February 4th 2007Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Capital Region » Antigua
February 3rd 2007
We made it and we're so happy to be here! We love this town. We ended up changing apartments because we didn't like the apartment we had reserved once we got there (it was "a bit" misrepresented) so we ended up staying with our friends, the Kendalls, for two days while we found a place. They were so nice and helpful and fun. Today we found an apartment and moved in. It's great! It is in a good location near our school in a cute little building with 3 other apartments. We have a GORGEOUS rooftop terrace with a view of all three volcanos. We'll post pictures in the next blog. Tomorrow we start classes (just two hours) and then Monday we start our five hour classes. We're about to go shopping in the market for ... read more
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