Semana Santa in Guate…

 

We never intended to go to Guatemala City, but it was semana santa (and every hotel outside the city was booked) and Ana had to fly out of there on Good Friday so on Wednesday we left our Jungle Tree house and headed for the city.

For anyone who like us didn’t educate themselves on Guate (as it is known in Guatemala), it started as a group of 13s mall pueblos but soon they grew together, instead of having 13 little cities they joined to become one city of 13 zones.  Anyone who has been to Paris is probably familiar with the arrondissement, the way that the different zones of Paris are defined, the difference between that and the zones of Guatemala are the way that the zones are arranged and the addresses in them.  In Paris it is still parts of one city, but in Guate each zone has a Main Street or a 1^st Street, therefore you can have 2 addresses that are exactly the same but one is in Zone 1 and the other in Zone 8.  Driving into a city like this, especially without having a clear idea of where you are staying or if any hotel will accept dogs, on the busiest weekend of the year, is well, CRAZY, but that is what we did.

The whole way from our Lodge in Tak’alik we were happy to see the lines of traffic going the other way, it made us hopeful that we would easily be able to find a room in Guate.  Never the less, once we arrived in the city we were completely overwhelmed.  Realizing that we had a snowballs chance in hell of finding a hotel that had adequate parking for us and would take dogs we did the only logical thing, we found a Taxi and put Sosa in it with the mandate of don’t stop until we have a place to stay.  The Taxi driver was happy enough to oblige and for the best bang for a buck took us to a small hostel in Zone 13 (next to the airport) that was certified in Fromm’s as being “safe”.  Unfortunately that hostel was full, but they called another and we were in.  The parking at the second hostel was great, BUT the rooms were really icky and they wanted our dogs to sleep in the yard.  One of the guys from that Hostel called another and finally we had a place to stay but we had to park at the airport.  Once we convinced Fritz that our house would be safe we moved in, shortly thereafter I succumbed to my 3^rd day of the Watermelon flu.

On Holy Thursday after about 11 hours of sleep I woke everyone up (with my coughing) at the crack of early.  I knew I was done for the day and wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and rest (and catch up on the blog) but I also wanted Fritz and Sosa to go out and explore.  They left the hostel around 10 and told me they would be back early.  Twenty minutes later they were back, there was a problem with our ATM card and we couldn’t get any money out… basically we were broke.   After what felt like 2 hours on the phone (but was closer to 20 minutes) with Charles Schwab the problem was resolved and off they went.  

As I rested in the comfort of my bed they waited for a taxi in the lobby for over an hour until finally the hostel owner Jorge took pity on them and took them down to Zone 1.  There (as I was told) they saw a procession and some other stuff but the Cathedral was closed and Jorge wasn’t too keen on taking them to the Mercado (we think for safety reasons).  That evening I was still feeling too yucky to go out so we ate in our room.

On Good Friday Sosa left (we miss her already), and we thought about going out to do some errands but everything was closed, and I didn’t really feel good enough to face the crowds at the procession so we literally spent the whole day in the hostel watching TV and catching up on emails, and napping, lots of napping.  I wish that I could write more about our time in Guate, but besides seeing at least 2 (I think 3) volcanoes erupting (smoke only) from the window, and tons of men carrying big guns guarding everything from the gas station to a chicken truck (not a bus but a truck selling chickens) I didn’t see much.  I would tell you Fritz’s version of the city but well I am writing the blog so you will have to ask him about it.

Reu… the Anaheim of Guatemala followed by a good dose of the Watermelon Flu

We left Antigua before 8 AM on Monday morning, not exactly sure where we were going but heading toward the Northwest Corner of Guatemala.  We have converted our Ford Excursion into a “camper” by removing all the back seats and replacing them with our bed (storage under it), a small fridge and dog crates.  While this works great for Fritz, the dogs and I, adding another human passenger into the mix gets a little tricky, the solution was to make a seat out of the dog crates that Sosa and I took turns riding in, at first the dogs loved having us in the back but by day two Kona was trying to move me out of his bed and into the back, back with Haole!

Retalhuleu commonly known as Reu, is a top destination for Guatemalan tourists, it boasts the Guatemalan equivalent of Disneyland with a water park as well as a theme park and there is also a beach about an hour’s drive from the city.  Other than that it is nothing but Hotels and Restaurants. Our hotel in Antigua had recommended a resort called IRITA but it was booked so instead we found a “Motel 6” and stopped there for the night, our actual destination was Tak'alik but we didn’t want to arrive after dark as their website stated it was a difficult road.  So for the night we spent in Reu we visited the local town, ate some street churicos (ok not sure if that is even a word but they resemble mini gorditas or tosadas), and then returned to the hotel to drink cerveza and smuggle the doggies into the air conditioned room.  The hotel had a pool but I wouldn’t get into it, which is kind of weird because I will swim in a stream, but a pool filled with dead bugs is a no, I am weird like that.

The next day we woke early to make the trek to Tak’alik.  I was feeling a bit under the weather and at first I thought it was the cerveza from the night before but soon realized it was worse, the Guatemalan flu.  This is a bug that many travelers get in Guatemala and includes aches, pains, fevers and yuckiness for as much as a week.  When I told Sosa I thought that I was getting it she looked at me concerned and puzzled and asked “You can get the flu from Watermelon” I guess my pronunciation was messed up by my stuffy nose!

Tak’alik was less than an hour away and well worth the time to visit.  The Lodge sits on a Finca that used to grow coffee but when the price fell in 2002 the Don had the “dream” to turn it into a lodge.  There are 10 rooms with electricity and 2 rooms without, but the ones without electricity are more luxurious and expensive.  The whole place is a bit pricey but as we were playing “hosts” to our friend Ana we decided to splurge and go with the room plus ruin tour. 

Our first tour of the day was through the plantation down to a waterfall where they had created a swimming hole.  On the plantation they still grow coffee as well as Ulee.  Anyone who knows my family, my dad especially, knows what an Ulee is, it is strip of rubber usually cut from a bicycle tire.  These things are better than bungee cords in holding things in place and better than duct tape to fix holes in hoses and they have about a million other uses.  The funny thing is that everyone thought that Ulee was a made up word, it isn’t it means rubber! And I have pictures of the Ulee Trees to prove it!

In the afternoon we were supposed to ride horses to the ruins and take a tour of the site but couldn’t because my husband.  On the way to the waterfall he said that it would be great if it really poured while we were there, and Mother Nature gave him a belated Birthday present, a tropical thunderstorm compete with hail and a mini tornado! 

Ok I will admit it was awesome and since I wasn’t really feeling up to the horseback ride I was thankful too.

In the morning we did the horseback ride down to the ruins, not a very impressive ride or site and exactly the touristy thing we are supposed to be avoiding, but Sosa had fun, and we did too.

Palm Sunday in Antigua what a beautiful sight

Somewhere between Mexico and Guatemala we lost track of the dates.  We arrived in Antigua Saturday (not Friday) and spent the afternoon walking the streets with my sister and our friend Ana Sosa (referred to mostly as Sosa). 

That evening in their beautiful hotel we had a lovely dinner celebrating my hubby’s Birthday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not really having any idea of where we were going next, and knowing that driving anywhere on Palm Sunday would be next to impossible we arranged to stay on more night in the hotel.  Sosa and I slept in the room and my dear, sweet husband stayed with dogs in the parking lot. 

Palm Sunday is one of the most festive days in Antigua.  The celebration of Semana Santa really takes off on this weekend and there are two processions.  The procession is a parade of sorts with the faithful dressed in white and purple robes like Arabs carrying huge elaborately carved “Andas” or wooden floats, and let me add incredibly heavy floats.  The andas are carried down the city streets, which have been decorated with elaborate “Alfombras” or carpets made out of dyed sawdust, flowers, pine needles and fruits.  The sole purpose of the alfombras is to mark the path for the faithful to walk. 

We were lucky enough to get to the church before the procession started to get a good spot.  It was a good idea to get there early as soon the area filled up and it was pushing room only.

 

From start to finish the procession takes 4 hours which means that different parts of the city are closed down to cars depending on the time and then there was another procession which went from 6 to around 11 PM.

Unfortunately, we could only afford one extra night in Antigua as the prices for the hotel sky rocketed for the rest of the week, so we headed off to see a different side of Guatemala… Mayan Ruins and the jungle.

 

 

A powerfully spiritual place to rest

 

We arrived at Lake Atitlan, Panajachel around 3ish, confused and tired after an extremely long day.  It only took two tries before we found a cute little hotel that would let us stay with our doggies.  The woman who owns and runs it is a German, American, Guatemalan who speaks perfect English and Spanish and (she says) German (but we have no way of knowing if that is true). 

 

Once settled in we emailed and then called my sister and friend to let them know where we were and see if we could meet the next day.

At nine, just after a lovely breakfast my sister showed up at the hotel and we spent the next few hours wandering around the town, until she had to leave for her “Mayan Reading”. 

 

Their retreat was a short boat ride across the lake to the Sumaya Yoga Resort.  Fritz and I spent the rest of the day relaxing and napping and walking around the town with the doggies and had our first Guatemalan street food… Tacos that are more like chimichangas and enchiladas that look like veggie tostadas, both delicious.

The next day we took the boat out to meet my sister and friend and spent the morning talking and catching up on our adventures.  Around 2 the skies were turning dark and the wind on the lake was picking up so Fritz and I headed back to Panajachel, the trip was very exciting and bumpy with wind created waves.  For dinner we found a great Mayan Vietnamese restaurant where I had Guatemalan Pho (oh how I miss my Pho on this trip) which was different but still delicious. 

On Friday we left for Antigua following my sister and friend in their shuttle which navigated us very nicely to their hotel.  Yes this is where they stayed, Fritz the doggies and I slept in the parking lot!

The Guatemala Border… we thought we were prepared!

So I have read just about every blog site that I could about the Guatemala Border and I thought that I knew what I was in for… First Exit Mexico cancel your vehicle import whatever and then get ready for the rush and wait of the Guatemala Border. 

 

We chose to cross at La Mesilla the interior border with Chiapas Mexico about an hour outside of Comitan, most people who I had read about had either crossed from Belize or Bejule De Campo or Tapacula Mexico.  We hit the border around 10 AM, well before lunch time but after the morning rush, vehicle exit paperwork was a breeze and then there was the drive through “no man’s land” to Mesilla. 

We saw the Aduana office and pulled over for the vehicle fumigation and agriculture inspection where we showed our paperwork for the doggies and waited for the tons of helpers to rush the car.  All we got was 3 people asking us if we wanted to exchange money, knowing it was a trick I said “No Gracias” and entered the office.  In the office they told me I needed to pay the $30 or so Quetzals and that they didn’t take pesos, so I timidly exited, exchanged only a few pesos and ran back into the office.  Once done the very helpful man at the counter directed me next door to the Aduana and migracion.  Hesitantly I peeked outside knowing that now was when I would be bombarded by the masses of “helpers” looking to take advantage of us gringos, but again only 1 man asking if I needed to change money.  Suspiciously I walked up to the window expecting this to be the trick, that this wasn’t really immigration, but low and behold it was.  The very helpful man behind the counter gave me some forms asked for our passports, copies of the vaccination forms for the dogs, directed me to the office where I needed to pay and in less than 30 minutes we were done.  We exchanged the rest of our pesos at a slightly lower than bank rate (1 peso for .55 quetzal instead of .60) and drove through the border. 

Once across smiling from ear to ear we hit the Pan Am and set off for Lake Atitlan and the reunion with my sister and friend. 

Immediately we noticed the difference from Mexico, the streets were much narrower, the colors seemed much brighter and the children were not only waving a few were blowing kisses!  I think we are going to really like Guatemala!

Mexico… Robberies, Kidnappings, Murder’s Oh My!

So this will be a post without many pictures, it is the obligatory post about our time in Mexico, that goes against everything you hear on the news about the “Dangers of Mexico”.  We spent a total of 6 ½ weeks in Mexico and didn’t get robbed, kidnapped or murdered even once, nor were we stopped by police for a bribe.  Our experiences were quite the opposite, the police and military were friendly and helpful and on more than one occasion someone followed us out of a store (or stand) to give us the rest of our change after we left. 

Is Mexico dangerous? Yes, but no more than Los Angeles (or any big city in the world for that matter), and as long as visitors use commonsense, humility, smile and wave, it is my belief they will be fine in Mexico (as you will just about everywhere). 

For me coming back to Mexico was amazing, it has been over 20 years since I have spent any time here, and the changes to the country astound me.  Yes there is still poverty, yes the water is still unsafe to drink, yes there are still problems with the plumbing, but the growth of the cities and the middle class are both something for this country to be proud of.  Just about everywhere we went we saw people sweeping the streets, public trash cans (even on the side of the road), clean bathrooms in every Pemex (yes sometimes you had to pay for them), and kids walking to or from school. 

 

In Oaxaca and Guadalajara we also saw political protests, and these made me really think about the changes that have occurred in both Mexico and the US, in both countries we now have protests against the corruption of the political class, while this has always been the case in Mexico it is something new in my life time in the US.  Another set of similarities between the two countries is the growth of Big Box Stores and Farmer’s Markets.  In Mexico you now see Super Megas and Electras that look surprisingly like Costco and Best Buy but now in the US Farmer’s Markets are found in almost every town that resemble the Mexican Mercado.  As Mexico races to catch up with the US, we are becoming for good and bad more like Mexico.

As for it being safer in the US, yes for most of us it is, but for the first time today I was able to watch CNN, and after 3 months they are still discussing the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School, so maybe our dangers are just different and harder to predict.

Our Last and Possibly Best Day in Mexico

 

Once we found the Cabanas Esmeraldas and got settled in watching the group play soccer and had been invited to the lake with our new friends we decided to spend one more day in Mexico, what a good choice it was.  We woke up kind of late and after taking care of the dogs and a few errands we joined the rest of our new group for breakfast.  We munched on a type of Gordita with a long indigenous name that I will not attempt to spell, and asked for eggs but the manager of the kitchen explained that they were out of eggs… no problem I ran out to the truck to get ours out of the fridge.  We then hopped into the truck and followed everyone to their property on the lake.  The drive was short maybe 15 minutes of dirt and cement road followed by another extremely hilly red dirt road, on the way I commented to Fritz that this is not a road I would like to drive after a rain.

Once at the spot we couldn’t believe the spectacular view of the lake bellow.  The area of Monte Bello is made up of 58 separate lakes fed by springs and rain.  They are perfect for kayaks, canoes or paddle boards as motorized boats are prohibited to keep them from becoming polluted.  The day was perfect, blue skies and no wind. We walked the boards and kayaks the others had brought down a steep path to the lake (with the dogs exploring every inch of the area) and then got into the crystal blue water.  With Kona and I on one board and Fritz and Haole on the other and the kids and family in kayaks we set off from our spot to an island across the lake.  

After our paddle each of the kids took out a board and loved it so much I think they will soon be getting their own.  Once everyone was properly tired we returned up the path to a great lunch of gorditas, watermelon, hard boiled eggs and avocado. 

 

As we were sitting there Fritz asked me if I heard the thunder, when I looked up I saw the dark menacing clouds and we all quickly headed back down the path to get the boards and kayaks before it became too slippery to climb.  With boards and kayaks loaded back up and rain falling with big tropical drops we headed out.  We were the third of 4 cars, the first one made it out fine, the second wasn’t so lucky.  We pulled up behind it and offered to push it up one of the hills but it was clear that our bumper would destroy the other trucks bumper.  We edged around them hoping that once past we would be able to hook up a tow rope and pull them out, only to realize we might not make it out ourselves. 

Slipping past the truck we barely made it up hill, the ground had literally turned to red clay during the 15 to 20 minutes of rain that had fallen.  Knowing that we would be no help and possibly become a bigger problem our hosts urged us to return to the Cabanas.  Once back we waited anxiously for the rest of the crew to arrive, the first to get there was the stuck truck followed shortly thereafter by the truck hauling the kayaks. 

We said goodbye to our new friends as they had to return to San Cristobal and Tuxtla and headed to bed early ourselves.  After 6 weeks in Mexico the generosity and friendliness of everyone we have met still amazes us.  To be invited to one of the prettiest places we have seen and to be included on a family outing by people we had only known for a few hours touched us so much that I tear up with joy and gratitude when I think about it.  Thank you Mexico and all the amazing people we have met, words can’t express how wonderful our trip through your country has been, we realize that it isn’t luck that we have had, it’s just the way it is here.