Blogs from Cobán, Verapaz Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 5

So I wanted to do an entry just on the mundanities, because thats a good way to really know what travelling in Guatemala is like. So, Food I love black beans. Which is good. Because the typical Guatemalan breakfast and dinner is eggs, rice and black beans. Lunch includes chicken or even beef instead of the eggs. Which means I eat eggs instead with rice and beans. 3 meals a day. For the past 2 1/2 weeks. Mom, make me a brisket for Shabbos when I get back and I promise you I'll never forget mothers day again. Showers There are two kinds of showers. Cold Showers. And Not-as-cold showers. A cold shower is just a showerhead on a cold water pipe. Any hostel that has this system is also cheap, dirty, and poorly lit. ... read more

Note Posting pictures requires: 1) a USB port, 2) Windows XP that isn't locked down or admin access to Win2000, and (preferably) 3) a speedy internet connection. No such luck this stop. When we are lucky enough to encounter all the preceding conditions, we'll be sure to post pictures. Intro to CobanCoban was once a stronghold of the Rabinal Maya. In the 19th century, German migrants moved in, founding vast coffee and cardamom fincas and give Coban the look and feel of a German mountain town. The era of German cultural and economic domination ended during WWII, when the USA prevailed upon the Guatemalan government to deport the powerful finca owners, many of whom supported the Nazis. Today Coban is a pleasant town, despite the chilly, rainy weather. Our ExperienceWe hopped on our bus for Coban ... read more

From San Pedro we took a bus to Chimaltenango, where we got another crazy bus to Antigua. In Antigua we found a hotel where we spent the night, and began a search to a way to summit the Pacaya Volcano. We found Sergio Garcia who another traveler mentioned on the internet. We signed up for a tour with them, and they took us to the trail where we walked a total of 3km. After 1km we saw the lake produced by the Pacaya volcano, a clear blue ery pretty sight. We got to the top of the walk where you could look up and see this Huge lightly smoldering volcano. And look down to see Flowing rock, thats right lava, red hot, straight out of Dante´s Peak lava. And i was thinking oh my goodness i ... read more

Hola mi amigos, que tal? I´m doing good as usual. It´s been a great few days since my last update. We went to Tikal of course, which was pretty amazing to see. The ruins were beautiful and it´s was crazy to think of what it might have looked like thousands of years ago when it was at its peak. The last night we were in Flores there was some great lightening over the mountains across the lake, and we were serenaded by a very innebriated man singing in the distance. After Tikal it was down to Coban, which is a nice little city. We spent the afternoon in Coban, checked out a little Mayan museum and a church up on a hill with great views of the city. Guatemala is a real mixture of tradition and ... read more

So after another marathon trip across Guatemala, I find myself in Lanquin, just outside of Semuc Champey. I made it to Copan yesterday, but since there was so much rain the shuttles had stopped running to Lanquin. I stayed in a beautiful little place called Hostal de Dona Victoria. It has a nice garden courtyard which is surrounded by an overhang filled with wooden sculptures and a collection of masks and other unique items. This morning I hopped a shuttle up to Lanquin. Now here's the thing. When you jump on a chicken bus you expect to be pummeled by as many bodies as they can cram into the damn thing. On a shuttle it should be a straight shot to your destination, no extra passengers, supposedly a great little trip. However, this is Guatemala. How ... read more