Greetings from Guatemala

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(Note: I'm sorry this blog is nearly a month overdue! I haven't had reliable internet in ages, so I was unable to update software necessary for uploading photos. I'll work on getting more blogs from my travels up soon, but since I'm so behind, they may be sort of lumped together. I do apologize! But all is well...Mom made it home safely over two weeks ago, and I'm currently in San Salvador, El Salvador and will be home in a few days!)


¡Hola, amigos! Greetings from Guatemala!

We've been here for a few days now, and I already love this country. The landscape is beautiful (and reminds me a lot of Nepal), the colors are vibrant, and the people are so friendly (and willing to put up with my bad Spanish). It's currently the beginning of the rainy season, but so far it's really only rained in the late afternoons. The temperatures are surprisingly temperate, and it gets downright chilly at night.

We landed in Guatemala City, which is a city most tourists skip. I wanted to give it a shot, but I hate to admit it wasn't really worth it. The city is huge and spread out, with lots of traffic, confusing public transportation, and a reputation of danger. We were in the city just long enough to get quetzales, buy a bus ticket to El Salvador, and eat dinner. I'll be back in and out of the capital a few times for the rest of the trip, so maybe I'll find something worthwhile to do there.

We spent two and a half days in Antigua, which is the old colonial capital city. It was destroyed by numerous earthquakes in the 1700s, and the city was pretty much abandoned when everyone moved to Guatemala City. Eventually people moved back and built it up, but it still has crumbling buildings scattered around. Even the newer buildings are wonderfully shabby and colorful, so every block is unique and beautiful. The people are a mix of old and new, as well, as you're just as likely to see a Guatemalan in traditional clothing as a pair of jeans.

I had booked several tours in advance so we had more to do than just wander the streets (though that would have been an excellent way to fill our time). Friday morning, we were up before the sun rose in order to go hike Pacaya Volcano. The guy at the travel agency assured us we'd see lava and that it was so easy that it was hardly a hike. He must be a new employee because it turns out there hasn't been a hint of lava since the volcano last erupted thirteen months ago. Also, the hike was also most definitely a hike, and the altitude made it a bit more difficult. Fortunately, we had an awesome guide named Jose. He didn't speak much English, but his Spanglish was amazing. He told us we had to stick together like a puma family and made it clear that we were the baby pumas of the family.

We hiked through beautiful forests, past cornfields, and eventually ended up at the edge of the lava rocks. It looked like the world had ended and we were looking at what survived the apocalypse. The top portion of the volcano was barren, covered in volcanic rocks, dust, and gravel. The vegetation stopped several hundred meters from the top, and we walked through the black wasteland, which is still releasing a lot of steam. Jose took us on a more difficult route so that we could still have amazing views and also see the sauna (which is an underground chamber that is very hot inside due to the steam still coming out of the active volcano). He set up some sticks over a crevasse releasing super hot steam, and the wood caught on fire from the heat alone. Some others in our group had brought marshmallows, which they proceeded to roast over our fire. In the end, we had hiked up to 2300 meters (roughly 7500 feet) and had gorgeous views of the surrounding volcanoes, valleys, and lakes.

Back in Antigua, we explored a half-ruined monastery, a photo exhibit in the parque central, and hiked up a nearby hill to get views of the city from a clearing where they had put a giant stone cross. We also paid a visit to the artisan market, which was huge. So many tempting woven cloths, bags, ceramics, etc. and so little space in our bags. They have a ton of tiny clay animals for sale, presumably for the Noah's arks and nativity scenes that you can purchase pre-assembled. I'm contemplating making my own nativity scene with penguins, pandas, and cows...

We didn't have nearly enough time in Antigua, but we'll be back in a week or so for a few short hours. We got to Panajachel this afternoon, which is located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. Upcoming plans include biking around (part of) the lake and visiting a huge market in Chichicastenango.

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Photos

on the streets of Antigua

Comments

[Karin aka:Mom]

Just as I remember it.