http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/the-seventh-seal/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from the seventh seal en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:40:31 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:40:31 +0000 I've got only two days go until my flight to Mexico City. Despite having spent some good chunks of time abroad before every trip is very different in so many ways destinations finances available objectives plus the experience of the previous trips. I believe I've gonethrough an evolutionary process over the course of my trips abroad in converging upon what I want to take from my time abroad an http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Somerset/Bath/blog-28438.html Some photos from southern Mexico http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Chiapas/Tapachula/blog-70470.html The road from Guate down towards Reu is a fairly attractive one. The smog clears the road descends down hill and the environment turns tropical with lush vegetation palm trees and a increase in temperature. The land flattens out as we head to the coast zooming past chicken buses in a cousin's car. No more endless turns like on the road between Xela and Guate but a road where it's possible to http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Reu/blog-61327.html Religion is big in central America very big. So it came as no surprise that a event like Easter for christianity based faiths would be a big event. The week leading up to Easter Sunday is called Semana Santa are many places here celebrate it. The biggest celebrations are in Antigua where hotels are booked up well in advance. Subsquently I went to Santiago Atitlan for Good Friday where I was to http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/San-Pedro-La-Laguna/blog-54042.html At 430am the alarm starting ringing. I jumped out of bed more enthuastically than normal while my brother rolled over and tried to ignore my attempts at early morning conversation. We put a few things together and prepared to leave the room. I didn't feel as fresh I was making out but I was looking forward to the day ahead Rich still looked asleep although his eyes were open and he was standing http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Quetzaltenango/Volcan-Santa-Maria/blog-50928.html Whenever I plan to rise early on a free day somehow the alarm keeps moving on a little later until it's not so early. Saturday was no exception. Once I got going I found myself on a route I had travelled before with a choppy boat ride to Santiago followed by a pickup to San Lucas. From here some inprecise pronunciation on my part or too many names beginning with San meant the next journey was http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Santa-Lucia/blog-47523.html With my brother arriving from the UK just a couple of days previously I decided to make my longawaited visit to Antigua after dealing with visa formalities in the capital to extend my stay.Antigua is wellknown as a beautiful colonial style city with a large junk of tourists lining the streets. Because of it's reputation it was in many ways everything I expected which basically means it is unli http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Antigua/blog-47121.html With my girlfriend finally granted some time off work we somehow decided upon doing a mad trip to Antigua Volcan Pacaya and Guatemala City all in the one day. We had to start early and early in this case meant rising at 230am for the 3am Chicken bus. This bounced along uneven roads for a couple of hours as I drifted in and out of conciousness. We changed buses...somewhere... to get to Antigua http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Antigua/blog-43850.html Last Sunday I had the urge to do something a little different. I felt like moving around just for it's own sake. Trying to find a good loop or route is something often installed in a travellers' mind. Bearing in mind I only had a day I decided to set myself the target of trying to work my way around the lake stopping at every town along the way. I started off with the ferry to Santiago. On arriva http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-43639.html A few days ago I had two interesting discussions both coincedentally with Dutch Girls about voluntary work and development projects. I explained how I was trying to get going an English school with the idea of passing on the reins once it had got going and eventually trying to move the idea onwards and upwards. I have encountered more problems than I had anticipated mainly a mixture of the Ma http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-41246.html Several weeks ago on what appeared my last night in San Pedro I took what seemed my last walk around the place. The hippy pathways leading to all sorts of weird and wonderful bars the kids cloaked in traditional Mayan dress selling pan de banan pan de chocalate.... the semipermenant gringo residents selling jewellery in the street old men in full traditional dress armed with machetes etc e http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-40974.html Two weeks after ChiChi I toke a further threeday break this time in Xela. A little deflated from poor quality disorganised incorrect and unstructured teaching I've decided to return to private study and maybe resume somewhere else in a few months time only when I'm confident about the standard of teaching. Still keen to teach English and realising there was plenty of interest in San Pedro http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Quetzaltenango/Laguna-Chicabal/blog-39835.html As a break from Spanish lessons in San Pedro I decided to take a couple of excursions. First off I climbed to the peak of the hill that towers above San Juan. I started early that morning. Walking along the road between San Pedro and San Juan several guides offered up their services while older men armed with machetes ventured off in search of firewood. The morning light and low lying mist created http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-39695.html The day after visiting Santiago Atitlan I continued my mental rest this time with some physical exercise which required little thought tackling San Pedro Volcn. At 3020m high this would be probably the highest altitude I have climbed to although starting at just under 2000m made the task seem a lot easier. A hefty entry fee of Q100 about US13 less for locals was necessary with a rather unu http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-36028.html I finished my last article a little puzzled about the attitude of many a traveller with some more thought and help from a book I have come up with a way to shed a bit of light of this.A few defintions and terms are necessary first. Im going to borrow the terms from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance.A simplistic breaking down of human understanding gives two types Classical and Romantic http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35864.html ....I mentioned to her my idea of volunteering she dismissively responded saying she saw much volunteering and much charity given but little changing. I explained that its small potatoes for what is given with one hand and grab back twice over through the nearhidden means of business and economics. This isnt to say that it isnt worth doing the forementioned and the very fact many people thin http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35552.html Guatemalan history and the recent lengthy civil war is in large a story of perscution racism injustice and war. Many of its fellow Central American countries have suffered from the same fate.Following on from a previous point this this is the reason why some indigenous people mostly men dont wear the traditional dress to avoid persecution. Its typical in Guatemalan society for the men t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35549.html ... overshadowing the flaws in his thinking and his lack of actual achievements. A man to be liked more than admired he fought with passion and was honest towards his own shortcomings but has more fame than his 'achievements' deserve. A theme consistent in Latin American where the people are fond of lifting people to God like status untouchable by criticism. In many ways they become a symbol f http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35190.html Admittably I've plopped this in my current location bit although much of this relates to Chiapas Mexico. A book I'm reading at the moment has captured my political philosphical and moral imagination and I feel I need to write about it here.The Zaptistatas are named after Emiliana Zapata a prominient figure in the 1910 revolution in bringing rights to indigenous people after hundreds of years of http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35182.html After a day and a half of frustrating travel due to many reasons I arrived in San Pedro La Laguna via a overnight stop in Guatemala City. Within about ten minutes of arrival a guy had lead me to a hotel and language school and I had parted with money to both. Language schools are amazingly cheap here with 20hrs lessons 11 accomodation and food setting you back only about US90. The general co http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Lago-de-Atitlan/blog-35177.html