Guatemala

We put Dr. John in the hands of Ronnie, a boat sitter at Chiapas while we ventured inland to Guatamala for a few weeks, then home for a couple more before we continue our adventures further south.

My apologies for the cloudy photos and videos. Syd’s watertight test of my iphone in the pool at Chiapas failed. New phone on the way.

First stop: Panajachel

The adventure started with a dawn taxi ride to catch the bus which got us over halfway there. We had to get a taxi to take us up into the central highlands where Lago Atitlan sits in the crater of an ancient volcano and is now surrounded by more recent volcanos. The lake is home to a half dozen pueblos, Panajachel being the largest. The last taxi driver, Jorge, was a good tour guide as we wound through all the steep mountain villages, one he lived in and another he grew up in.

Eliminating the need for heavy equipment. Full employment demolition.

Our first view of the lake and Panajachel

Fresh thick Guatemalan tortillas for dinner.

Cooking our breakfast in a kitchen built for one cook

Syd couldn’t get over the fact that she was taller than all the locals.

Everything was served with tortillas so I naturally made tacos out of everything.

The view from our room in Panajachel

An yummy appetizer at “7 Caldos” restaurant that became a dinner for two. It was a sampler of different Guatemalan dishes.

Since we were in one of the coffee capitals of the world we naturaly started the day with a mocha or a latte.

‘The Tuk Tuk”, our primary method of transportation.

Reserva Natural Atitlan

This was a park with trails, waterfalls, a butterfly habitat, and a zipline course that had the longest and fastest couple of ziplines we’d ever been on. It was pretty spectacular when you add the lake, the volcanos, and a shear cliff. I dropped a You Tube video someone else did in here because my camera was still taking foggy photos.

My pirated video of our zipline tour.

We met a family from Colorado at the park and stopped by for drinks afterwards. They were staying at an apartment that looked like it started out as an old spanish fort from centuries past now tastefully remodeled and really cool.

Don’t store your pizza in a dresser

After a fun day at the park we thought we’d try a pizza for a change of pace. Susanna and I Shared a Hawaiian and Syd got her usual pepperoni. Syd went to the bathroom that was in the kitchen and said it was funny that they kept the pizzas premade in a drawer. Su thought to herself they must have a refrigerated lo-boy. Well, only after fighting each other for position in our tiny bathroom for the next two days did we learn that the pizza storage drawers were actually a set of dresser drawers in less than favorable repair.

Fly like a bird

Syd saw a paraglider drifting along a cliff face just east of Panajachel and decided this would be the next step in the seek thrills or die agenda. Apparently due to the lack of lawyers, not many questions were asked. She is only 10 but she was as big as any grown woman in their family. Concerning her plump american father, I would have thought their own sense of survival would have given them pause carrying someone twice their size strapped to their chest. At least I didn’t have to sign all those waivers that I never read anyway. Susanna got a pass on this one since she was still sick in bed. I felt like I could pull the senior card if I should have an accident during the flight, so we were off to the top of a mountain over a very bumpy road. If nothing else, jumping off a cliff will distract you from any bowel issues you were previously concerned with.

I went first figuring if I couldn’t walk away from the wreck it would end the activities for today. Well I needn’t have worried as it was a blast for both of us.

San Juan

We took the public launcha on an outing across the lake to see other places on the lake. The public launcha is great for seeing the lake and life on the lake. It is like the local chicken bus on the lake moving the workforce and their wares around the lake. We got to stop at all the little villages and eco-lodges on the lake.

Tuk Tuk to La Mirador

Syd loves her a good Tuk Tuk ride.

After climbing up the mountain the day before for the zip lines let’s see how the knees feel on this one.

Syd’s Tuk Tuk show

San Juan is full of color: The buildings, the streets, the Tuk Tuks, the many murals.

A break for a frozen banana.

Here is the tiny alleyway that led to the women’s weaving collectivo where Sydney took her weaving class.

They take you through the process from removing the cotton seeds(I guess they don’t have a cotton gin) to producing the finished product. In Oaxaca they used cotton, wool, and silk. Here we only saw cotton.

These are the little bugs that grow on the prickly pear they use to make the red, pink, and orange dyes. They add lime juice, baking soda or salt to vary the color. Each time it’s a little different which helps make each piece unique.

Of course you need to bathe the mannequins.

Antigua

The original Spanish colonial Guatemalan capital until the earthquake of 1774. After centuries of destructive quakes they moved the capital to Guatemala City. The colonial architecture/influence makes this such an interesting city. We could have used another week to just wander the streets.

Arco de la Santa Catalina. This is the Ruin of a convent. The arch was built so the cloistered nuns could cross from the convento to the iglesia without being seen by the public.

Mom with her kids selling trinkets to the tourists.

I enjoyed interacting with the vendors; usually just gave them some cash if I didn’t buy something.

Great little breakfast place across the street. Hecho en Casa Cafe.

A typical front door in these colonial buildings

This is where the locals would come to do their laundry. I could hear the guides saying they hadn’t used them in a hundred years but they were using it when I was here 20 years ago. It was really cool watching them socialize while they did their laundry.

Hobbitenango

This was a Hobbit themed park at the top of a mountain outside Antigua. A little off the wall if you’re looking for authentic Guatemala but it works. Best Hobbit themed park I’d ever been to;) The views were great. We watched Volcan de Fuego erupt over and over.

Volcande Fuego

The rope swing

Archery

Our second hotel in Antigua

Iglecia de San Francisco

This was one the most stunning ruins we visited. It still boggles my mind how the Spanish were able to coerce or enslave enough indigenous labor through the Encomienda, Repartimientoto and tribute systems to build these immense beautiful and doomed edifices. There were dozens in the area all with a weird mix of Mayan and Catholic culture and style at odds and at the same time enmeshed together.

Every time you looked at Fuego it was belching ash and lava.

Fincala de Azotea

Laborers bring their children to the fields to pick the coffee beans since childcare would cost more than they make. Lets try to only buy coffee that is sustainably grown and labeled Fair Trade.

They also had a class in making chocolate. From the tree to your mouth.

Tikal

An hour taxi ride to Guatemala City, an hour flight to Flores in the north, and an hour and a half collectivo brought us to the Tikal Inn in the heart of the National Park and a short hike to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, at one time the center of the Mayan empire. We wanted to stay in the park so we could hike into the park before sunrise and stay till after sunset to experience the life in the jungle and the majesty and solitude you only get when the crowds are not there. The Temples disappearing into the darkness as the jungle comes alive with the sounds of birds and the howler monkeys is almost deafening.

Howler monkeys at dawn

Montezuma’s Orapendola

Part of the Great Plaza

Ceiba tree, Guatemala’s national tree.

Temple IV in the distance where we sat at sunset

Temple IV. We sat on the temple steps beneath the opening. The temple reaches 200 feet below the canopy to the jungle floor.

The Spider Monkey Show

Sydney spent as much time as she could taking photos. This day it was all about the Spider Monkeys.

Spider monkey

Temples I, II, III, IV

Flores

ARCAS

This group does rescue, rehabilitation and release of wildlife. If an animal cant be rehabbed they live at ARCAS the rest of their lives. The Mission is great but it’s still hard to see these wild animals caged because they cant be rehabbed for what ever reason. I always wonder if they would prefer to be free for a few days as opposed to caged for life. But a lot of the animals can be released back after being rehabbed