Blogs from Western Highlands, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 11

Easter (or Semana Santa) is no small thing here and this week has been a lively one. After various events for Cuarismo (Lent), the Semana Santa celebrations began last Thursday with a small children's parade which I saw in passing in the Parque Central. Things got more lively on Thursday with the Huelga de Dolores. This 115-year-old event is organised by the politically minded students at San Carlos, Guatemala's public university, which has an arm in Quetzaltenango. During the many years of conflict, the students adopted full body masks to avoid repercussions (though the death toll on university students was still high), although now in Xela at least things are taken less seriously. However, the politics was not completely forgotten, as they were dancing and skipping around floats bearing megaphones and posters with many slogans, such ... read more

Geo: 14.56, -90.74Antigua is considered the crown jewel of Guatemala's tourist offerings, and it's easy to see why - it offers history, natural beauty, both ruined and beautifully-restored colonial architecture, and though quite expensive by Guatemalan standards, is still relatively reasonable for North American travelers. Also, don't forget the dining scene in Antigua, which not only has some of the best restaurants in all of Guatemala, but also countless cafes and coffee shops that are the perfect place to while away an afternoon or two. And it gets even better - many of these establishments are located in spectacularly atmospheric courtyards, full of greenery and colonial ruins.It's a tourist Shangri-La - the type of place that backpackers seek to chill out for a week, a location where you can do as much, or as little as ... read more

Geo: 14.6335, -91.2313Despite being overrun with backpackers, Pana has been a fun place to relax for the past couple of days; however, today was all about escaping from it all, to the smaller towns that surround Lake Atitlan. These other towns are still touristy, but nowhere near as overdeveloped as Pana - but what they lack in amenities, they more than make up for with charm. There are those that would avoid Pana altogether in favour of Santiago Atitlan, San Pedro, or San Juan, and its easy to see why - they simply offer something different from Pana, be it tranquility, or some shred of Guatemalan cultural authenticity. For all the fun of Pana, there's nothing quiet or real about it; it exists solely to service the constant procession of backpackers passing through. It's a shame ... read more

Geo: 14.73, -91.15Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but tortillas are best served hot! That's perhaps the best guide book quote ever, and it's a statement that only begins to hint at the importance of corn tortillas to the Guatemalan kitchen. Seen on the table during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a meal simply would be a meal in this country if there weren't any fresh, warm tortillas.We've only had fresh corn tortillas a few times before back in Calgary but weren't fans, despite foodies raving about the varieties made by local Latin markets. Dry, bland, and crumbly, they made better coasters than accompaniments to a meal. But here in Guatemala, you can find some pretty fine tortillas, usually hand made and arriving at your table fresh off the grill. Every meal is like Christmas, ... read more

Geo: 14.6367, -90.5383Less than a week after returning from Italy, and having finally digested the remainder of food consumed during that epic orgy of food, the next set of random ramblings begins, this time in a another far-off and exotic land - Salt Lake City, Utah!  It may not be at the top of anybody's list of exciting travel destinations, but it was Tam's stag, and he wanted to hit up the epic snow in Utah - but unfortunately, we found more fresh snow had formed in our condo's freezer than had fallen in any of the nearby ski resorts!  Luckily for us this was a stag weekend, so the lack of snow meant we could focus on other activities that Salt Lake City is known for - such as drinking and strippers!  Oh, wait ... Utah ... read more