Blogs from Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 106

Antigua, Guatemala is in the throes of preparing for Semana Santa. It is as if the entire city is planning one HUGE surprise party for about a million visitors who are expected to attend. The pre- Holy week processions have already begun. Alfombras are being made in the streets. These are either very simple arrangements made out of pine needles and flowers or in one case pine needles and hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces of foil from used potato chip and snack food bags. Or elaborately planned and executed paintings made from colored sawdust that stretch for a hunded feet. It doesn't seem to make any difference how big the WOW! factor is. Everyone just seems to appreciate the effort. Plans for the carpets are kept secret and neer repeated from oe year to the ... read more

Hola Chicas y Chicos, Today was moving day. Val and I left our lovely little Hotel Aurora in Antigua( highly recommended for price, location and great breakfasts!). We moved into the home of Senora Consuelo Lopez. Her home is located just behind the La Merced Church which is one of the most beautiful old buildings in Antigua. It is part of our week of Spanish study at Casa de Lenguas. Well, actually, we opted to do it. It is not for everyone as you have to share a bathroom and fit into the routine of a family. But it gives you an intimate glimpse into how people live in other countries. It also is an incredibly inexpensive way to travel. I have done this now in Oaxaca, Mexico, Seville, Spain, Monteverde and San Joaguin de Flores ... read more

In the culture of 'machisimo', women are taking control of their destiny. In Chile, they just elected the first woman President. It was with a twist of irony as her father had been killed by Pinochet in the CIA planned and funded 'coup' that overthrew their democratically elected goverment and replaced it with a cruel dictator. In the tiny agricultural village of Santiago Zamora, which sits on the outskirts of Antigua, a group of 30 women took economic matters into thir own hands about 12 years ago. They formed an association called Ixoqui Ye Samej, which means Women Workers of Kaqchikel. The women are all weavers. true artisans. But they had to sell their work to a middle-man for only a few quetzals( the local currency) more than what the raw materials cost. The buyer would ... read more

Monday morning, and my friends returned around noon from their lake visit to Panajachel. I asked how it went, but all they wanted to know was what I had been doing, and how the wedding was! A few of us went and had lunch at the sports bar Reds, where we watched Man City lose to West Ham. Then Internet, and just some more walking around the beautiful cobbled streets of the City. Later that night I was discussing with my friend John, who is semi retired. He has seen a lot of the world, and of the places we had visited on our trip so far, he too was impressed by Antigua, its authenticity, and nice relaxed culture, and preffered it to other towns and Cities we have crossed so far. And I agree, its ... read more

Friday night and St Patricks day. We had dinner, and then made our way to the Irish bar Reillys, to take in the party atmosphere. The bar was packed out, and they were charging to get in! No way, so we made our way in to the main square, and found a really busy bar, packed with locals and a few gringos. In the bar I met a beautiful local girl! She was from Guatemala City, and was with friends from Antigua. Sher was going to a wedding the next day in Antigua, and she invited me to come with her! We were all supposed to be travelling to Panajachel the next morning for two days, to see the lake and markets. I took me two seconds to make my mind up whether to go with ... read more