Hieronder volgen alleen foto´s! Ik zal deze pagina steeds blijven vernieuwen! [View Full Entry]

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Finca Ixobel may be a bit of a splurge, but what looks like total luxury is actually really affordable. The only time we ever actually saw the city of Poptun itself was when we passed through it to get to the Finca and back through it to grab an overnight bus to Guatemala. It's a bit of a shame really, and I kind of regret it. But the real draw for most backpackers in this town is the Finca Ixobel. (I've told you before, we can be predictable.) The place is massive. I'm not sure how many acres of land they [View Full Entry]

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Mmmm...Guatemala. At this moment I feel that I might be beginning to have a love affair with this country. "Third time´s a charm," right? Even though I am blasting through here at lightning speed and visiting cities I´ve already seen, I am totally captivated. Not that Guatemala is an idyllic paradise...its flaws are perhaps even more glaring because of the extreme beauty that it contrasts...but it is impossible not to be won over by this country. Both Antigua and Xela are colonial cities with all the European charm of cobblestoned streets, Baroque facades, lively plazas, and flowering gardens [View Full Entry]

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Robbed on our way to the world's most famous pick pocket festival Antigua during Semana Santa is known for thieves and pick pockets. One of the locals told me that the number of "tourists" from El Salvador and other parts of the country that congregate here in the week prior to the festivities is getting more and more alarming. "They aren't here for the parades or the parties and anyone who lives here can tell exactly who they are," she told me. "Antigua is so small, everyone knows one another. It makes me nervous to see all these shifty types everywhere." [View Full Entry]

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Double-Duty: Spanish school and Semana Santa in Antigua in the same week! The Academia de Espanol de Sevilla set us up in a house where I was never sure how many people were permanent residents. Eduardo and Camilla, a lovely older couple in their early sixties were the heads of the household. They'd been having kids from the school stay with them for about three years and you could tell they were accustomed. They spoke slowly and clearly, making sure you understood what was going on. Their daughter Carolina was often around with her two children Maria and Diana, who were [View Full Entry]

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Now I understand why people came here in the seventies and never left. We spent the first night in Panajachel in a little room in a hostal down some random little alleys. Geared to tourists and gringos, this place is hippie and granola central. Every restaurant has vegetarian options, rare in this country, if they aren't completely vegetarian. There are artisan and clothing merchants lining the entire main drag ready to sell you everything from traditional Guatemalan blankets, to purses to jewelry. If you're looking for something, you'll find it here, but the price might be a l [View Full Entry]

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Hoi allemaal, ik zal proberen om mijn afgelopen twee weken kort samen te vatten. Ik zal beginnen met de paasdagen! Dat noemen ze hier dus de heilige week "Semana Santa", ik heb jullie al verteld dat het geloof hier in een hele heftige mate plaats vindt! Je kunt je dus wel voorstellen dat de paasdagen hier een hele happening zijn! Met de meiden van mijn schooltje en de lerares hebben we afgesproken dat iedereen die dat wilde in traje(originele kleding) op school mocht komen, om een speciale dag te hebben! Ik heb vervolgens mijn camera meegenomen en heb prachtige portret foto's [View Full Entry]

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In travel, as in art, as in life, it is the small details that etch themselves into your heart and mind. The simple things are the ones that create a smile that radiates from inside all the way to my uplifted face that is staring at the sky thanking the heavens for dear sweet life. That is the feeling of Antigua. I swear I woke up with a smile on my face this morning, completely fascinated by the warmth of my blanket and the quiet of the dawn. The crisp cool air was a sensation I haven't experienced in a while, [View Full Entry]

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A little difficulty getting to and staying at the Guatemala's most famous Mayan ruins made finally seeing them that much more rewarding. As I said in my previous entry, after the splendour of Semuc Chempey, the town of El Remate on the Lago Peten Itza was a bit of a let down. I'm not sure if it was just because it was the low season for tourism and the place looked like a ghost town, or whether we just had high expectations due to all the hype we had heard from other travellers. The Hostal El Mirador admittedly had a wonderful [View Full Entry]

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Over the course of the last couple nights, I was befriended by one of the longer term gringo inhabitants of Lago de Atitlan. We'll call him Joe. I think Joe liked me primarily because I was able to go head to head with him and not fall down, resulting in a couple of expensive nights and a couple of rough mornings. Nevertheless, as the Dirty Willies flowed (Dirty Willies - rum and ginger ale, known elsewhere as Quebec Libres), Joe told me a bit about himself and a few of the odder denizens of this navel of the world. Among the [View Full Entry]

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