In which Bob and Bing assess the situation and take command I awaken Saterday morning and surprisingly it is misty and drizzling. It is surprising because this is the dry season and it has not rained here in several months. This is my first chance to see my surroundings by daylight. It is truly a […]
Or Not Your Bing and Bob Movie Friday morning four intrepid travelers depart for a weekend in Lanquin and Semuc Champey: Manuel of Quetzalroo, Katrina of Australia, Lucas of Switzerland and your humble and sometimes corny writer. Our destination is deep in the highland jungles of Guatemala. Our friendly taxi deriver Otto, aka Mario brothers, […]
Here are some of the locals that have kept my heart open and made my stay in San Pedro so enjoyable. This is the young fellow who shows up every day to see if I want to buy any cashews or macadamia nuts. He holds a string attached to a homemade balance scale to weigh […]
There is a town in the western highlands of Guatemala called Chichicastenango. Every Thursday and Sunday they have the largest market in the region. People come from all over the highlands to set up their stalls, booths and tables to sell mostly textiles as well as food and other items. Every pueblo and village has […]
Quetzaltenango, or its Mayan name Xela, is Guatemala’s second city. Although at just over 300,000 inhabitants, it is considerably smaller than Guate. It is located high in the western highlands and gets very cold at night. For the most part, there is little to see in the city itself which is mostly dirty, noisy and […]
So I figured, let’s checkout Santiago today. Santiago is a 45 minute boat ride past three volcanoes to the east side of the lake. It is a place of contradictions. First noticeable thing is that the hustle is really on there. As soon as you set foot on solid ground you are immediately asked to […]
Preface: During my second week of school, I caught a cold. It came on fast and strong, but only lasted two days. The following Saturday, I decided it was time to attempt the climb to Indian Nose. There were four students from the school. The school’s gardener, Delfino, agreed to be our guide. We left […]
On Monday I decided to visit Santa Cruz La Laguna on the other side of the lake. Santa Cruz can only be reached by boat as there are no roads leading there. As a result, there are no cars, tuk-tuks or trucks. Santa Cruz is strung out along the lake for a couple kilometers. There […]
I finished two weeks of school and debated on a third. I decided that I had absorbed about as much as my brain could handle for the moment and that I would take some time to integrate and converse with my new Espanol. I had a heartfelt farewell with my adopted local family, but decided […]
Saturday I walked from San Pedro around the northern shore of the lake to San Carlos. First stop, 2km away, was the town of San Juan which has an intense rivalry with San Pedro. They have some cooperatives that specialize in dying fabrics with natural pigments. Leaving town I walked past this casa which I […]