Blogs from Panajachel, Western Highlands, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 4

Today we got up early. (We seem to get up early a lot on our vacations. We will have to go home soon to rest!) We had a great breakfast of huevos rancheros for Harold. He said they were the best he has ever had. All gooey and cheesy. I had a polenta with dried fruits and a hot tea. Our guide met us dressed in native clothes, which is not a surprise as in this out of the way village almost everyone dresses traditionally and most people live the lives of their ancestors. We see women carrying heavy burdens on their heads, and men carry slings of heavy cargo by their foreheads. The people engage in beautiful artwork and crafts as a livelihood. Our guide took us across the lake in his dugout canoe ... read more

Yes, fair reader you read that correctly, although I debated whether to title it silly gooses. The good news is that nothing of real value was taken, and we still have our sense of fun and adenture, and we are still having fun. (after kicking ourselves for our lapse.) What happened was that yesterday was a travel day, we did 2 taxi s, 3 buses and one airplane, and one tuc tuc. The first bus was out of Guat. City and it was a nice bus, not a "chicken bus." We had turned down a taxi and private bus for the experience of traveling with the locals. Well we got on this bus and the ticket taker, conductor graciously showed us to our seats like we were important guests. He was so friendly and nice. The ... read more

Have been in Guatemala for 4days now, it is great to be here.Anituga for new years was awesome dualing fireworks all night long.Took the time to climb volcan Pacaya was a good experince but way more then we planed for.Left the 2nd for lanquin to find a little slice of paradise would of loved to stay longer as it was beautiful senuc champey was stunning.So now here we are in flores getting up for a 5am bus to tikal tomorrow.Will try and again soon but there so much to do.... read more

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Today I took a bus to the old capital of Guatemala, called Antigua Guatemala. This colonial era capital still has cobblestone streets and lacks the bustle of the new capital. I was only here long enough to have a cup of coffee at Caffe Opera and catch a shuttle bus to Panajachel. The bus was scheduled to leave at 12:30 however we had to go to a garage and switch to a larger bus to accommodate all the passengers that had signed up for the trip. We traveled about 3 hours and the views of the lake from the eastern side were spectacular. I was not able to take any pics since I was squished in between some Swiss travelers. Upon arriving in Panajachel, I popped into a little cafe for a ... read more

Dear Friends, So never before have I written two letters within such a short proximity of each other. But alas, I am venturing to an area where I don't know what my next chance to write will be. Let me continue. A few weeks before I left on this trip, I read this story on the cover of the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/us/03deport.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=guatemala&st=cse&oref=slogin It tells the story of Luis Alberto Jiménez, a resident of Jolumcu, Gatemala. He was working, illegally, in Florida when he was hit by a drunk driver. After being treated, for a time, in an American hospital, he was deported, by helicopter back to Guatemala city. From there, he was soon returned to his village. The man suffers from brain damage reducing him to the mental capacity of a 4th grader. He cannot ... read more