Blogs from Capital Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 8

February 28th, 2015 Yesterday, over pancakes -that were less of the breakfast variety and more so on the dessert side of meal courses- I had an extremely satisfying conversation with myself that lead to an identity epiphany. As I sat at the dining room table with a steaming cup of black coffee, and two pancakes the size of tectonic plates, drizzled with chocolate sauce and heath pieces (and a banana on the side, to lessen the guilt factor) I started to talk to myself, out-loud. It all stemmed from one day when I was living in Virginia and I had made french toast on a Saturday morning, just for myself. A neighbor came over and said I was an old-soul because he didn't know "any 18 year old who makes french toast on a Saturday morning, ... read more

Sunshine and blue skies greeted us in Antigua. In 1543, this little town became the Spanish capital - a beautiful place, set amongst green mountains. The town thrived, with huge churches and public buildings. But three of those mountains are volcanoes and in 1773 the underground rumblings became a catastrophic earthquake. Practically everything fell down and the Spanish moved their capital once again. Two hundred years later, in 1976, another huge earthquake hit the town. It destroyed much of the restoration work that had been carried out. Today, one or two of the destroyed buildings have been restored once again. Most have just been left or only partially restored. For example, the cathedral's entrance hall has been restored to become the local church but the rest is untouched - the ruins sprouting green vegetation. Most of ... read more

Oh no, it's snowing. It must be time to head off into some sunshine. We plan to visit three Central American countries that are all new to us - Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Each country spans the width of Central America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and each country is about the size of England. Guatemala is the most northerly. Here we will be staying in the old capital, Antigua before heading to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan. A bit like the English Lake District but the mountains are volcanoes! Travelling east, we will cross into Honduras. Our first planned stop is at Copan and its ancient (1500 BC!) Mayan ruins. Copan is also in the middle of the jungle, so we'll be looking out for monkeys, sloths and parrots too. Then onward to the Atlantic ... read more

We were dropped off at the bus by Carlos the owner of Casa Verde hostel in the morning with our friend from Norway. The bus arrived from San Salvador an hour late and we headed to Guatamala City sitting at the back of the bus by the toilet. On the bus we met another kiwi and the four of us caught a local chicken bus to Antigua. As we were first on the bus we ended up sitting towards the front which turned out to be a bad idea, as the locals would prefer to squeeze onto an already full seat rather than walk a couple of rows further back to an empty seat. Let's just say at times it was rather cozy. Antigua is a beautiful city with cobblestone streets and some stunning buildings. It's ... read more

So here I am sitting on the roof of the UPAVIM building, looking at the beautiful view of the volcanoes off in the distance, and eating a dinner of black beans, a roll, and fried plantains. I can hear several evangelical preachers around the neighborhood blaring their amplified sermons and songs. Ladies are in the street calling out the wares they are selling… “¡Aguacate!” (Avocados), “¡Elotes!” (roasted corn on the cob), “¡Tamales!” and so forth. There are dogs barking, roosters crowing, and children playing in the streets. The heavy base beat from music coming from nearby homes permeates the air. This is no longer exotic for me, but an atmosphere to drink in when I arrive. Ah, yes, I’m back in Guatemala! I’ve been treated very well here. This makes me think that the picture we ... read more