Blogs from Guatemala City, Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean

EARTHQUAKE columns lean like drunks apse and knave ass over tea kettle columns caught in mid flight by a saint an angel a savior a virgin in crypts below skeletons repose in a dust whose age is an impenetrable thought dirt made by a trembling earth grinding mortar and brick and frescoe here there are words that weigh the worries of the earthquake temblor and you're not to worry go under a desk or neath a lintel until it passes it happens all the time here where sometimes all that remains are facades where stone Franciscans keep watch over pigeons while inside arches are now etched against the bluest skies whereas the word terremoto the very word itself may cause you to stand startled at it's very sound raises a siren within while the tremble of ... read more

I arrived earlier than expected. Both Fabian and I had issues with our flights (he was going to Colombia). I was meant to fly via Costa Rica and El Salvador because I booked the cheapest but they cancelled my first flight which would have meant I would have missed my next two connections. So I went to complain to the lady at the airline desk and asked her to sort out my journey to Guatemala. I managed to land myself a direct flight and got there 5 hours earlier. Poor Fabian had no such luck, sadly... ended up much later in Bogotá than expected. I felt terrible because he came to Nica to spend time exploring with me and then this happened to him. I immediately met people at my hostel, again, quite a few GERMANS. ... read more

So I have arrived once again in Guatemala City to help the teachers teach in a 3-5 year old Montessori class in the area known as La Esperanza – The Hope. When I arrived, one large box full classroom materials was delayed in Houston and the people at the baggage counter said don’t worry we will deliver it tomorrow. I said, “Really? You’ll deliver it? The area is very bad.” They said that that was no problem and they would deliver it. I was amazed. When I got to UPAVIM of course they told me that there was no way it would be delivered directly to us because the police will stop them from coming down here. If the gangs see a delivery car, it would be stopped and robbed. So, we had to make arrangements ... read more

Cayos Cochinos is a group of 15 islands in between Roatan and Honduras. It is world famous for it´s marine life and is a UNESCO world heritage site. The reefs of Cayos Cochinos are military protected and visits are strictly controlled by the government of Honduras. The islands have been the site for the TV show Survivor Italy, Survivor France and Surivior Spain. The village on the island of Chachauate has been around since the 1800´s after a slave ship left them stranded. The Garifuna tribe who live on the island dwell in huts and survive off rain water and fresh fish they catch by hand line. Toi da di Honduras va den Roatan cua Bay Islands nam 2013 va toi thay ve dep noi day nen bay gio toi den lan nua. Lan nay toi ... read more

Distance driven today: 184 miles / 296 km Cumulative distance driven: 6,476 miles / 10,422 km Today’s trip: Huehuetenango to Guatemala City, Guatemala Indigenous masks bought for Christer’s collection: 1 Entering Guatemala, through the northwest region, also means that the entire road infrastructure quality dropped a few notches compared to Mexico. At the same time as the poverty level in the villages along the road became starkly visible. But perhaps the most noticeable change is the fact that the average driving speed immediately dropped to 30mph / 50km/h. This is primarily due to all the slow moving trucks, endless curves, constant grades thought the hills and mountains, and the complete lack of any chance to overtake other vehicles (even when driving a motorcycle!). Up until southern Mexico I could easily ride 250-400 miles / 400-650 km ... read more