Guatemala –Tres Veces
2005, 2006, 2008
Cyndy in particular had always wanted to have a Spanish language immersion experience. We had taken a number of courses in the past (which included a Quincy Adult Ed class with Esternio a creative exchange teacher from Chile- which included the infamous la nerda MaryEllen/ “PREGUNTA???” , even continuing private classes at our home ) - and never seemed to make any substantial progress with retention and it became all the more desirable and useful for both of us in our care for Hispanic patients and families at the VNAB. After I hurt my back we bowed out of a 2 week volunteer effort with VNA RN Gail McArdle and her doctor husband Bob Bach who were very involved in the organizaton “Partners in Health” which Bob had founded in rural Nicuargua; we made a donation and kept looking . We considered Spain (where we traveled to Madrid and Segovia in the Fall of 2004 and loved the experience-but probably too expensive for a month),Dominican Republic, Costa Rica (having visited there before when Debbie and Jota-Jota were in residence ) and Panama for a visit to the home of Bob’s navidad. Cyndy found on the Net that Guatemala particularly in the city of Antigua and the Lake Atitlan region had numerous very reasonable schools. We were initially leery due to reports from the US State Dept characterizing it as a dangerous destination for Americans, and we were not up to anything increasing risk of life and limb. But Cyndy found chats on the web with recent rave reviews =” I was just there for 3 weeks with my grandmother and we all loved it!” We figured then that how much more risky could it be than the inner city neigborhoods where we regularly worked and each Saturday listened to a report of the “hot spots” where targeted gang and impulsive domestic shootings and stabbings tooks place. We had a minor communique with a friend of Sue McSweeney who lived there and vouched for it as a great place. And we had lunch a meeting of kindred spirits with Martin and Kathy Glynn –parents of Joe’s acquaintance Colin –who had been to Guatemala several times and loved it !.After researching further we settled on well advertised and reputed schools in Antigua and San Pedro la Laguna, secured our flights and the 4 weeks off from VNAB for the study/adventure.
Highlights of that first visit- 2005
The school arranged to pick us up right at the tiny airport along with another student who had worked on the Kerry Presidential Campaign She was staying at the school in rather comfortable accomodations while after registration we were brought to Patty and Luis our host family for the first two weeks who had two little boys one named Olli,the other David , ran a bakery ,took in students to send their boys to private school, they were very welcoming and we ate dinner with them and two fellow students from Eurpope. We went our for a walk around,got a bit lost,found our way back and turned in early in our rather simple room. Cyndy was off to sleep with her earplugs quickly and I soon followed but it seemed that in only a matter of minutes I was awakened by the din of trucks passing by relentlessly in the street below our window. I finally dropped off and next thing I knew there was this huge honking…after I dropped off the church bells started. When Cyndy woke up about 6AM I was sitting on the side of the bed feeling shell-shocked like I had slept for about 10 minutes the whole night- and we had 29 more nights in this country! I said to Cyndy I don’t now if I can do this with all that noise at night! Soon we were down to early breakfast,things get rolling very early in Guatemala. We explained about the noise to Luis and Patty. They explained that their bakery/home was on the main road to the city market and the trucks started rolling every night just after midnight over the cobblestones . The birds turned out to be a flock of “trente ganzos” = 30 geese who lived on the other side of the wall from them. And the church bells were traditional vespers from Le Merced the cathedral around the corner. The church bells and the geese could not be controlled but Patty and Luis had another room on the first floor ,farther back in the house,which promised to be more peaceful and bonus it has its own bathroom so we would not have to share with the other students on the second foor. Now we felt like we really had it made, went to class , a slow but hopeful start with our young teacher Luisa , had lunch and supper back “home”, checked out the very cool Rainbow Reading Room with its bookstore ,restaurant and great music. After a very full 2nd day we walked through the quiet less alien,less shabby seeming streets to our home feeling like this is going to be a great experience. We let ourselves in,our hosts were seeping ,settled into our room and read for a bit til about 10:45. I went into the bathroom to use the toilet and as I was sitting there I spied a huge beetle-like bug seemingly running on the floor toward me. Two thoughts flashed through my head: could this be one of the dreaded Guatemalan killer insects I had read about on line that borroughed under the skin of hapless victims and could only be extracted with a corkscrew ? Or at the very least would Cyndy or I run into this bugger later in the night? So I ,who normally would only kill pestillence bearing mosquitos, grabbed a piece of toilet paper and squashed that sucker pre-emptorally. Thinking to flush him/her/it down the toilet with my free hand I barely leaned on the bathroom sink and BOOM! ,the whole sink came right off the wall and fell with a crash on the floor! Shut-offs? These had been sheared clean off too and water immediately begun to shoot up to the ceiling. I clamped my hand over the broken pipe to hold it down as it sprayed all over me and the room . Alarmed from the racket and fearing that I had Valsalva’d myself into collapse while on the toilet Cyndy threw open the door on the scene and shouted in disbelief to turn the water off. I can’t I yelled –go out in the outer hall and see if you can find a shut-off! None was obvious to her desperate search and within moments Luis appeared with Patty behind having been shaken out of their sleep. ,He quickly ran out and shut the water off .I tried to explain what had happened , as Cyndy could barely hold her laughter in – it had been so ridiculous. Luis got a mop ,a towel on a stick to sop up the inch of water on the floor. He did not appear mad ,just like this was another problem to fix after a very long day and in about 10 minutes wished us Buenos Noces. When he and Patty returned to their room we got into bed and went back and forth between laughing uncontrollably and wondering if they would throw us out in the morning. At least with earplugs this room was quieter and we slept pretty well and somewhat timidly came to breakfast at 6:45. To our relief Luis and Patty were not angry, in fact laughed as we related the details to our fellow student lodgers. Luis even good naturedly told us that this was not the worst water mis-adventure ever. Another European student had claim to that. Seems that frequently the city turns the water supply off after midnight and does not turn it on for several hours. This student had got up in the wee hours to pee, and when no water came out of the tap to wash her hands she had gone back to bed without closing the faucet. About 6AM Luis came out of his first floor bedroom to see water cascading down the stairs from the oveflowing 2nd floor sink with some dripping through the ceiling. This necesitated a much more laborious clean up due to the volume- but Luis chuckled as he recalled that overnight flood. In fact he said on the weekend he’d fix the sink in our bathroom-but it remained in the non-functioning tub until after we departed and may still be there yet! As for us we laughed hysterically every time we thought about that sink and are ever careful not to lean on sinks Guatemalan or otherwise!
The first weekend with arrrangements made by our man Nigel at Reds Arco we took and excursion to Tikal…van pickup at 4 AM, 6AM jet out of G-City to Flores …then van to the park for excellent tour of the incredible jungle ruins abandoned since @800AD for unknown environmental/war/health crisis and cleared from the enveloping jungle starting in late 1800s ..amazing monumental stone work and a city for 25,000. supper and relaxation in the lodge,up at 530 AM Sunday to tour the ruins again on our own, fortunate to see group of Mayan worshippers, truly a awesome site from Mayan antiquity…van back to airport and rather than wait the 2 hours we took a cab into island city of Flores , took a boat tour with Cynthia and her Dad, saw the kids Ragged Ann and Andy ,Easter Bunny costume parade …arrived back at the bakery about 9..full but so very worthwhile fundamental cultural , historical,mystical experience!
Other random treasures …
Our first teacher Luisa was very young and not super engaging but we feel we made the classes interesting…and it was a nice group of folks…one young guy came to study to keep his mind and memory active as his Mom was experiencing dementia/Alzheimers …another older woman did this solo as an adventure…a group of us went out for a dinner on Friday comparing Guatemala and life experiences.
On a field trip in a packed chicken bus we met a couple –the gy a chiropractor- who had sailed down the Mississippi from quite far up- we did not even know the river went up that northerly …and they kept their boat in Livingston.
Movies –every year amazingly we have seen very powerful movies in Guatemala=-“Hiya de Puma” about the violence perpetrated against the indiginous during the 36 year civil war which just ended in 1996 after 32 years and perhaps 200,000 killed or disappeared “Habla Con Ella”-Pedro Almodavar film of woman bullfighter in coma… Side trips from school= to Maximon –part brutal conquistador Alvaredo and Snidley Whiplash and Kentucky Colonel attire to whom is offered gifts of cash, cigars and shots of booze with plaques attesting to milagros-miracles …some confredias took turns hosting Maximon’s shrine in their homes for a year at a time. Macademia Plantation – a truly amazing and beneficial plant from cosmetics to food and utterly sustainable. Coffe finca and Music exhibit …the need is for Fair Trade…the Mirimba is the national instrument .
Tuk-tuks like an amusment park –“Wild Mouse “ like ride/3 wheeled golf cart imported from Singapore which would rocket from one to any other point in Antigua for $1 with from one to seven passengers crammed in .
Elizabeth Bell-American born but in country for many years,gives comprehensive historical’/cultural tour of Antigua with portion to local restoration/preservation and is major benefactor of this cause in Antigua …tour ended in Hotel Santo Domingo one of best in world complete with Art and Archeology museum, rooms from $125 night.
Clara Luz- who could see Cyndy coming a mile away and stopped her everyday outside La Merced to buy her woven wares…
“Mono Loco”- had a free drinks for medical personnel and I had brought a copy of my RN license so I was handed 4 free beers at once!
Semana Santa- the conquering Catholic churches were brazenly built upon the foundations of the destroyed Mayan temples but the Mayans ever the survivors and still with the most indigenous natives 6 million in a country of 11 million- anywhere in the Americas- combined their ancient traditons (Popul Vuh) with the new religion …but every year “holy week” is a massive passion play in the churches and streets, the city jammed with pilgrims and tourists with huge processions, massive altars with bleeding christs carried through the streets on the shoulders of the biblically dressed devotees , with Roman soldiers and Jewish peasants and characters beside through the fombres –impossibly intricate colored sawdust flower and sacred symbology designs created in the street just for the day…
Sol Latino -we saw first at the Rainbow Reading Room ,have been playing in Antigua with some country and travel for over 25 years , headed by drumer and flutist Paco ,a whatever the tiny guitar is called Tocci like virtuoso …they are local music and community legends, committed to the joy and heart of this music …we have 3 of their CDs –see year #3 references…
Opera in the ruins –tuned out that this year was the every other year festival which included Aida with a Spanish troupe , old mission ruinas as a backdrop, terrific fireworks for a surprise finale , and as we walked back we asked what was that fire on the horizon and were amazed through our binoculars to see that it was actually lava being thrown high into the night sky from active Pacaya in the distance!
Lake /Lago Atitlan took the bus in to Panajachel this time and boat to the closer to Pana dock in San Pedro and a couple of local kids grabbed our bags along with the Canadian group they were helping and headed up to the bare bones Paradiso Hotel where we decided to stay for one night as a starting place , next morning an English speaking kid gave us a tour of possible on/near the water places to stay and we settled on the Gran Sueno , a cute little family run place and our brightly colored room #5 on the second floor was very clean,lots of windows, a private bath and color cable TV and we stayed for 8 nights for about $56
We finally found -Casa Rosario the Spanish school in the garden run by el jeffe Vincente and had a week of classes with Floridama –
Great places = D’Noz named for the reclining Indian’s nose peak across the lago, a combination restaurant with great food, films at night –where we saw the fabulous “Chocolate” on Cyndy’s birthday,internet café and small library and community clearing house … “Trippies” =’nuff said ; Munchies, then a hillside garden overlooking the lake with terrific food where we ate many mornings, took drumming classes with Jesse the 2nd year and had massages ,fires at night; Tin-Tins, another wonderful breakfast place with General notes ;lower village along the lake is the hippie area with small hotels and restaurants ,shops ,schools ,mostly off a twisty dirt path from dock to dock; la gente indigina live in the upper town where the market,ATM,church more hotels,businesses ,restaurants and sometimes open post office are and the “pic-ups” = small Chevy Love style open pick up trucks with racks to stand up and lean against ,packed in with 20 or more passengers take off from one village to the next for about 50 cents a ride as an alternative to the lanchas the about 20 foot long ,roofed slightly v bottomed skiffs with 70hp 4 stroke Hondas that fly and pound between pueblos. We took several excurions this first year to San Marcos: the highlight Hotel Jinava with its own dock, carved out of the steep hillside by the Dino and Che loving Austrian Jean and wife Elizabeth; great gardens and flowers and lakeview first visit we only had time for snacks and Long Island Ice Teas =Wow! ,but got to see the inside of their place, decorated with Jimi Hendrix posters …unforgetable to have Jean put on the turntable the music that really moves him = “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” and he put his hand to his heart and sighed … I plegded to send him some Dino CDs and we would return both of which we did .
Always amazing to us the ability to communicae with email and by cell phone from here.
We took a van excursion to the Sunday market at Chichicastango where Cyndy felt tall surrounded by a foot less indiginas pro salesfolk and we came away with some wonderful textiles for our home. We try to be good/respectful American visitors and are boosting the economy with our dollars.
Back to Antigua we took another splurge the Lago Isabel and Rio Dulce cruise on the catamaran Las Serinas (the mermaids). The 6 hour bus ride for about $5 each from Guatemala City to the coast was an absolutley hilarious adventure - an old US Peter Pan bus with all the signs in English “no standing beyond this line and no talking to the driver” ,well we had a front row seat and it was Guatemalan free style = at each of the many stop vendors would run on hawking sodas, remedies, shouted testimonial evangelism or snacks and meals from baskets giving samples to the driver who would eat a whole meal off the dashboard while talking on his cell phone and driving 70mph ,passing cars and trucks up and down precarious turns and grades, one colleague sitting on a 5 gallon plastic bucket (in front of the on board shrine) taking fares and the other hanging out the always open door keeping a sharp eye out to stop for more passengers ,when the old vendors/hawkes would run off and a new group run on…and the driver would yell out the open door or his widow to many compadres as he passed ,even once getting out of the bus to go have a cold drink until the hot and tired passengers began banging on the side of the bus and yelling come on let’s go! We had a “sanitario” stop once with the toilets with no doors right out on the highway and totally plugged up and disgusting so that folks just went out behind the wall.
The diverse group of 13 Canadian,American and European couples and individuals bonded over the next 3nights/4 days along with the pleasant captain and cook –one Canadian couple Tup and ‘Roe (she was a dramatist and alternative teacher was constantly singing, and trying to engage the group in various jubilant theatrics would send us emails updates of their continued travels throughout Central America until they returned to Canada more than a year later- Though the berths were small for two –I slept on the deck a time or two for the air , the cruise itself was great (very reasonable price maybe $300 and good sailing here on the more placid inland waters rather than the more open coastal and “rocking” sailing done on alternating weeks to Belize) with perfect sunny and warm weather,stops to swim off the boat, up jungle lined Rio Dulce (sweet river) passing natives sometimes single,couple or family in skillfully paddled tiny ,shallow dug-outs, down to very tropical Livingston the Rasta/Garifina community .. then we sailed back ,visited a warm spring in the jungle after a short hike,a proyecto Ak Tenamit where we had a tour with an explanation of the schooling and health work done by and with the residents of widespread villages ,including the boat dental clinic; we bought some had made items from the shop ( starting that Christmas we made donations in our nephews /nieces names to support this great work…as we learned the government here as everywhere represents the well off and does little for the native poor and most relief assistance comes from indigenous leaders in concert with American and Canadian folks/often medical professionals who come to help and raise funds ongoing…we donate as best we can and perhaps someday we will volunteer here or elsewhere with our nursing skills …after we have had enough fun –because we can so fortunately for us balance our privileged life with the good we do for work and can support.
The food was good but perhaps less than stringently prepared and we did have a subsequent GI bug partly treated with capsules from the antigua pharmacy…
After we had docked kind of impropttuly comparing how we each planned to return to Antigua as most of us were going there with one young fluent amiga making the arrangements we agreed to share a private van for the return….what a ride! –9 of so of us packed in the new model voyager style vehicle and at the first turn he turned the wrong way explaining he had to get gas ,went to a gas station and filled up then kept going in the wrong direction because he said he had to stop at his house to get his lunch and when he did –this is now about 15 miles in the wrong direction another guy ,maybe his brother came out and got behind the wheel and finally turned around to retrace our steps –all the while our amiga protesting at each delay no,no,no! While the drive back was not as exciting as the bus adventure we were pulled over once by the police –a practice per the driver as rather common with the police frequently requiring a payment=bribe just to assure that everything is in order and no “safety violations” are problematical. With the usual passing on up and down curves and related risk taking we were relieved to arrive without further incident in Antigua, made our fond farewells and as I said earlier received email updates from Tup and Ro for a year or more.
Back in Antigua we treated ourselves to Casa Azul just off the Parque very nice for about $75 a night with a large.lovely room ,breakfast and pool.
It was a truly amazing month in Guatemala- language lessons, Mayan culture, the beauty and poverty, the freedom and luxury we had as gringos – We figured out that the entire month minus the VNAB educational repay for Spanish classes was a mere $2800 (these prices increased for each of oursubsequent 2 visits
We made donations to a group cleaning up Lake Atitlan ,another group trying to help – children actually living at the dump in Guatemala City and yearly to ..Ak Tenamit the effective proyecto on the tribuatry to Lago Izabel which we visited on Las Sirenas-the government seems to do little for the needy here and serves the needs of the fortunate. …see summary letter to VNAB about our experiences.
#2 February 2006 –Several days before we left Cyndy took fell down Joe’s black iced front stairs and got the most incredible hematoma the size of a grapefruit over her left buttock –incredibley she could walk and sit but by the next day she looked like she was wearing a pair of purple shorts as the infiltrate wrapped around both legs in Guiness Book degree- it did not hurt and she waited several days to have it looked at ,too long to have it aspirated –but it would not interfere with her traveling-see the encounter below-
After a night in G-City and a next day visit to great Museo Ixtel we backpacked to the main bus station and headed as arranged by phone calls and emails to Xela/San Cristobal where we received the royal treatment from Robbie’s shipping friend Carl Sands and wife Martha-picked up in Xela at our hotel by Marta and man Friday Marco and driven to the Sands compound …Carl had met her in San Pedro and they fell in love and had 2 sons and a daughter now grown and living away. They have a compound with 2 houses, a pick-up and an SUV and are fairly well to do for the San Cristobal/Xela area. Carl is an absolutely extreme biker (also a soemwhat extremely devout christian with some anti-gay views ,but it did not get in the way though due to some absolutism he seems somewhat estranged from wife and kids…his stongest epithet =”I don’t give a flip!”) and they took us in his pickup above the tree line over 10,000 feet where he regularly bikes imposiblbly steep climbs. He also took us to his friend Luis’s “glass house”-rustic and artful elegance with panaramic valley views on the mountainside and on to his family coffee plantation where we got the full processsing tour and a gracious lunch and I had my first completely fresh and tasty cup of coffee. Just before we left Luis showed us the map of the area he is sellling off for very small house lots,yet another development in a naturally unspoiled area. As Carl had said the Sunday Market was literally just outside his door and amazingly bustling as we picked our way among the hundreds of vendors and stalls selling everything from handmade textiles, artwork, furniture, cheaps clothes and plastics ,fruit and vegetables meat of all kinds including whole donkey heads, and we have a picture of Cyndy holding a live turkey by the feet . In the afternoon there was a huge family dinner that actually lasted two meals (one featuring goat and the other a giant red snapper, lots of kids and Marhta’s family from youngest to oldest. Carl has an amazing garden and chicken plot and a full time gardener to supplement his efforts-in addition to an all around handy man Marco who is talented and funny. On Monday,having forged a very quick simpatico bond with Carl and Martha…Carl stated many times that Robbie was the best man he had met in his shipping career, very honest,trustworthy ,friendly and funny with solid values (and who shared his disire for good fesh food which they cooked and ate together) amidst the mostly troubled souls who ply the seas for a living,and of course he immediately took to Robbie’s twin “pelo riso” Cyndy with her passion for gardening so when we left it was a tearful one with pledges to visit again and an invite to Carl and Marta to Post Island so we could return the generous hospitality ( and it actually happened in 2008!) Martha and Marco drove us to the bus for San Pedro and Marco actually commandeered the bus to stop and pick us up as the “bus station” was just a long unorganized stretch of chicken busses !
What a descent in the old school bus down the steep and winding turns to Lago Atitlan…We stayed one night at a hotel Carl had recommended then in the morning checked into the large white lakeside Mikaso which had quite a story had been built by a Canadien couple who worked in the film industry she as a set designer and he as a set constructor –they had a 5 year old and a n’er do well 19 year old Michael …supposedly he and his Asian girlfriend were to run the restaurant and the name came from her ,but they had broken up and he was biding his time doing a bit of work at the hotel and goofing off until he took off for Africa so the folks were doing the bulk of the management with their cute Guatemalan staff of young women who serenaded Cyndy on her birthday with “las Mananitas” following me down with her morning coffee. (there was a theme with Carl whose dtr Nina had married a Mormon against his desire and moved to Idaho, Luis whose dtr did not want to ener the family coffee business but preferred to be a beautician in Mexico City, and now these folks “lost boy”…Kids- you do what you can and they make their choices be it ever so )It was the perfect place to stay with clean basic room with bath for $20 a night, and a great rooftop restaurant and patio from which to gaze out at the lake, study,read meet fellow travelers- each with an interesting storythat brought them to Guatemala and the Lago. Carl had had some dealings with the femlae lawer Maria Chaveyai to whom we brought Carl’s greetings an seeds and it turned out that her husband ran the San Pedro Spanish School where we took classes for 2 weeks- first with the very young Myra who took us to her home to meet her baby Jacki ,husband and parents (see pix) and next week in the afternoons with a more experienced maestra .
We attended a night time lecture at the school by a man who had survived abduction and torture during the civil war- we’d see him happily charging up the hilly cobbled street to the upper town and marveled at his resilience.
Per her injury above Cyndy got a “referral” by our teacher to a curandera = native healer specializing in treating trauma to bones and muscles. She lived in a simple shedlike home right off the main dirt lower village trail (like the school and many restaraunts) Cyndy’s complaint was explained and as she was bid she lay face down on the family bed and while several kids peeked and laughed from behind a curtain this tiny Mayan healer woman proceeded to press and kneed the huge hematoma with some serious strength until tears came to Cyn’s eyes ( watching I knew that there was no danger of dislodging a clot and would have intervened if needed) and she explained that Cyndy should return 2 more times which she did as it actually felt better even that night and much better overall. Curandera Maria would not take any money , only a traditional amount of real bread!
D’Noz-we were back for Cyndy’s birthday, made a connection with the Dutch partner Monique of the owner John who was pregnant….-see emails/pix when son Jaden was born –she made donatin/presentation to Children of the Lake group.
Took drumming lessons from Jesse, a really good teacher but declined to join him for dinner as we passed by and he was eating some street food as he sat on the less than appetizing sidewalk down by the dock.
Had a rigorous but slightly impersonal massage at the Munchies space and then a very therapeutic and heartfelt one from a woman down at the far dock edge…both for a fraction of the cost at home.
Had a great overnight at Hotel Jinava and ate with a visiting German couple and owner Gene joined us for conversation and turns out they had attended the same Dylan concert in Berlin in the early 70’s and sharing rock musical insights (beyond classic Dino of course ) Gene declared that he hated that “fuck now music”.
I had read Martin Prechtels book “Tales of the Jaguar” the journey of a dropoput American free and alternative spirt who landed in the pueblo of Santiagoimmersed himself in the Mayan traditions and eventually married a Mayan and became a shaman, and though it looked like it would not happen as we had tried to prearrange , as we settled down at the pool his former wife Dolores arrived and guided us on a wonderful tour of the village and her home over the next hours and she signed the book with a friendly message! (see our home library)
Met up with Martin and Kathy Glynn in Pana for lunch and a walk to see where they were staying for several months.
Back in Antigua
Stayed at small neat,convenient and very reasonable and friendly hotel Los Nazarenos near Merced Cathedral ,great rooftop views …owner Roberto =muy simpatico
We took a week of classes with Miriam, an excellent/corrective teacher and had a very powerful personal encounter as she explained how she had lost her last child –
Had a tour and made a donation to Pedro Hermano hospital –unable to commit to volunteer per our timeline-maybe in the future …very good care here and many volunteers –as we noted the government seems to do little for the average needy people.
…”Casablanca”- it was the 60th anniversary and we had a private showing with the original trailer at one of the small theaters…laughed and cried as with every viewing …beautiful friendship… see notes on why we go to Guatemala
#3- January 20 something to Feb 13th 2008 -Cyndy had her right rotator cuff repaired by Charlie DiCecca in Jan 2007 with a 6 month recovery so we skippped that year …not really a conducive rehab setting backpacking and climbing on and off packed chicken busses…(Noteworthy –many come to Guatemala ,including Cathy and Martin Glynn for dental work –see “Dental Tourism” a fraction of the price and a trip that’s so nice! ) Joe and Chris joined us for the 2nd and 3rd weeks for this adventure. We spent a lot of time and effort to make it a good experience for them –we had been very eager to share our appreciation of Guatemala with them – and overall they enjoyed it but were put off by the ecological deficiencies, and perhaps were unable to see beyond them…
We noticed immediately the vast improvements at the airport in gates and facilities – probably a factor of 4 expansion and modernization.
Generally prices seem about 1/3 more than the incredible bargains of 2 years ago-and still very good buys.
Took Antigua tour with Elizabeth Bell’s partner Roberto and it was another tour de force…notice since last trip many more motor bikes and fewer tuc-tucs…
We celebrated Chris’s birthday with great food and music at Sol Latino’s performance restaurant “La Pena” ( a place for friends to come and eat and share music) Next day went on an excursion to climb Vulcan Pacaya damned near killed us- really steep, Cyndy got very clammy and winded and needed to take a horse up and I sweated and panted my very strenuous way up to a great view above the clouds; opted out for a potential ankle breaking /flesh shredding trek on the lava which Joe and Chris undertook; we just watched the world with a gent from Mexico City older than we but much better acclimated to the elevation ,we guessed- could we really be so out of shape? At any rate when the sun disappeared everyone was off like a shot downward,twice as fast as the ascent –Cyndy did much better going down and I just wanted to get down in the fading light without a fall and fracture and did.
To Carl and Martha’s -we took a van part way and waited for the bus at the crossroads,one of those chaotic stopovers complete with unsanitary sanitation “facilities” and not seeing a Peter Pan Style coach our bags were swept up on the roof and we into the back door of an absolutely packed chicken bus complete with standing room only and top of the lungs shouting evangelist…Chris horrified,Cyndy oh no here we go again and Joe and I laughing hysterically,it was hot and uncomfortable standing for an hour but we arrived at San Cristobal.called Carl and he dispatched Marco to pick us up and bring us to his hacienda where again we were treated royally,went with Carl to the saved trees in the highland area, checked out the market on Sunday-Cyndy did a well baby visit to their daughter Nina who had moved back with Husband Joshua Angel and cute daughter who lived and worked at his Mom’s clinic which we had visited in 2006…there is an extremeist estrangement between Carl and them.
Carl’s (see letters over past year –Hemlock Society death of his mom- he is a really good and very intelligent man,very generous, fanatical about gardening and biking …he took us to his version of the “glass house” where he had planted many trees within 5 enclosed acres and this may become a home/restaurant for one of his sons and wife.
Overall it was a very good visit/reunion and per below Carl and Martha actually did visit us in May!! And he passed on to us one of his favorite pieces of music = Concerti by Gemeniani which became the morning soundtrack for the first part of our RV trip up into the Maritimes in 2008…
Chicken bus to Lago Atitlan-paved streets in San Pedro instead of the old dirt trail stayed at Mikaso again for a few nights saw “US vs John Lennon” which brought on the tears where creativity and peace met with oppression and then his so sad and senseless murder and “The Motor Cycle Diaries” story of Che’s south american journey to social awareness and revolution.
Joe and Chris stayed a night over at Aculax and we waved them off on a lancha so they could rendez vous for a Tikal/Livingston trip with entrepreneur Colin who through luck and persistence got a fantastic piece of lakeside land closer to Santiago between 2 very high end properties and is having a house built
As we said the old main dirt path has been amazingly covered nearly the full length with pavers and what a difference! - We also have pix of a sustainable precast cement stove program which can greatly decrease the need for cooking wood/deforestation and provide much better home safety ..
Spanish classes this time with just 2 hours in the AM with Tosho –very good English and he explained about the litter = when he was a kid snacks were fruits so when kids were finished the bio-degradable peels would go on the ground but now the tiendas are filled with chips and candy wrapped in plastic and it still is discarded on the ground and very few receptacles are available and emptied These were very good and enjoyable Spanish lessons and American/Guatemalan cultural comparsions
While walking along the main now paved path we heard called out “Cyndy” and it was our teacher from 2 years ago Myra with her dtr Jackie-she had managed to borrow enough to start a small 5 computer internet café and seemed to be doing well (we took her to lunch and gave her a little money gift –but months after we returned home got an email from her that she had been sick, lost the business and could we send along a small amount of money to help her out-which we did turns out best to send mloney orders form Stop and Shop and we hope she will be OK)…
We had a nice night at Jiniva –picture of that spectacular view is on ourdinding room wall - but Gene and Elizabeth were away…
Tried for the 2nd time to book at Casa del Mundo and the reservation was goofed up by them –what a climb up ! so they facilitated a lancha to Pana and a good hotel there…saw a terrific touring Celtic Band at the café where we had met Kathie and Martin but they were not there ; they had unbelievably RVd down through Mexico to Pana –we actually were not to connect until a sad event back home when Colin’s partner died suddenly..
We vanned back to Antigua for the remainder of our time more Spanish this time at the school where our teacher from 2006 husband taught …we did not have him (seemed like a nice fellow but with a drinking problem) but a lovely young woman whom we bonded with and took to lunch at the courses’s end at the restaurant ( ) where Miriam now worked…we came back for lunch again to give Miriam a small monetary gift ,with Joe and Chris when they returned from their advanture = much driving over the 3 days but got to see with friend Colin Tikal and Livingston and some other ruins.
Again we had put quite a lot of effort into organizing accomodations and excursions = a big part of our trip and hope to share this land and experience with them. (see above for reactions)
On one of the weekends ,and we really don’t remember which one, we took a rather rickety van(almost anything could show up ,but something always would) to the coastal town of Monterico,rather vagabondy, black beach tropical town ,stayed at Las Brisas= basic clean room with bath and fan, nice pool, upper deck to relax undedr the thatched roof overlooking the beach several hundred yards away…we tended to go to the left to find restaurants,to the right was the town with more restaurants and shops and a good size pig who had free reign. Down on the beach was the turtle research/rescue center and at sunset a large number of tiny several week old turtles would be lined up for a “race to the sea” really just a way for the bettors to contribute money to fund the center by rooting on their favorite…at least under these circumstances all the turtles make it the short distance to the ocean. We had heard that the bird refuge here was terrific and so made an agreement with a local guide for a tour early Sat AM…we were up and ready in the dark by 5:30 and he arrived and we joined the stream of folks heading down to the river …our guide was expert, poling us along in his shallow and narrow craft as the sky began to lighten and color and the birds began to call and fly- and we stopped just at the moment of sunrise and it was truly and naturally sacred… in the distance were 3 volcanoes, the scenery was spectacular,the river traffic picking up, fishing boats and tiny ferries with cars or pickups and mucha gente with what seemed like only inches of freeboard keeping the water out. It was so great an experience that we repeated it Sunday morning again!
We rendez-vous’d with Joe and Chris and friend Colin who had had a full several days of driving and exploring Tikal and Livingston.
After shopping at Nim Pot and checking other favorite spots we flew back with J&C this time to celebrate another memorable Guatemalan adventure and Cyndy’s birthday at home.
Misc.
The Mayan calendar ends 12/21/2012…there’s a great postcard of flying saucers buzzing in over the volcanoes and lakes on that day…were/are the Mayans on to some mystic insights about the end of our planet…Whitly Streiber of “Communion”- UFO /alien abduction fame has written about a parallel anti-earth to be released beginning on that day from the Pyramids and other earthly mystery sights from antiquity ..”they” are there and waiting-but in his story humanity wises up thanks to novel courage and prevails…we’ll see-but this is just one more reason to hit the road per our plan asap.
Read “I,Rigoberta Manchu” –who received the Nobel Peace Prize, her story that of her family and the Mayans so victimized and impoverished by crushingly subsistence conditions and the civil war- her father killed in a demonstration…through sheer determination she was able to get an education and advocate for her people.
See the letter we sent Carl regarding linking up with other kindred spirits to save the trees and environment of Guatemala.
And amazingly Carl and Martha did visit us in May , taking the train from NYC where they were visiting some other friends…just a full 36 hours of meeting Lois,seeing Joe and Chris’s home, going to Legal Seafood and shopping at the plaza (Martha is a pro) and a visit to the Gardiner Museum and drive around Boston before dropping them off at the train again. (Robbie and Kathy have to visit them!)
Will we ever return? We have plans to live the RV life =casa rodente/mobile starting in the Fall of 2008 and for at least the next 5 years ..so maybe next time we will return having had such rich experiences to this land of “eternal spring” with its natural beauty and Mayan culture and strength ,it’s cosmo-hip centers in Antugua and Lago Atitlan , to study and volunteer our nursing skills for a longer period…sometime after 12/21/2012 …
2005, 2006, 2008
Cyndy in particular had always wanted to have a Spanish language immersion experience. We had taken a number of courses in the past (which included a Quincy Adult Ed class with Esternio a creative exchange teacher from Chile- which included the infamous la nerda MaryEllen/ “PREGUNTA???” , even continuing private classes at our home ) - and never seemed to make any substantial progress with retention and it became all the more desirable and useful for both of us in our care for Hispanic patients and families at the VNAB. After I hurt my back we bowed out of a 2 week volunteer effort with VNA RN Gail McArdle and her doctor husband Bob Bach who were very involved in the organizaton “Partners in Health” which Bob had founded in rural Nicuargua; we made a donation and kept looking . We considered Spain (where we traveled to Madrid and Segovia in the Fall of 2004 and loved the experience-but probably too expensive for a month),Dominican Republic, Costa Rica (having visited there before when Debbie and Jota-Jota were in residence ) and Panama for a visit to the home of Bob’s navidad. Cyndy found on the Net that Guatemala particularly in the city of Antigua and the Lake Atitlan region had numerous very reasonable schools. We were initially leery due to reports from the US State Dept characterizing it as a dangerous destination for Americans, and we were not up to anything increasing risk of life and limb. But Cyndy found chats on the web with recent rave reviews =” I was just there for 3 weeks with my grandmother and we all loved it!” We figured then that how much more risky could it be than the inner city neigborhoods where we regularly worked and each Saturday listened to a report of the “hot spots” where targeted gang and impulsive domestic shootings and stabbings tooks place. We had a minor communique with a friend of Sue McSweeney who lived there and vouched for it as a great place. And we had lunch a meeting of kindred spirits with Martin and Kathy Glynn –parents of Joe’s acquaintance Colin –who had been to Guatemala several times and loved it !.After researching further we settled on well advertised and reputed schools in Antigua and San Pedro la Laguna, secured our flights and the 4 weeks off from VNAB for the study/adventure.
Highlights of that first visit- 2005
The school arranged to pick us up right at the tiny airport along with another student who had worked on the Kerry Presidential Campaign She was staying at the school in rather comfortable accomodations while after registration we were brought to Patty and Luis our host family for the first two weeks who had two little boys one named Olli,the other David , ran a bakery ,took in students to send their boys to private school, they were very welcoming and we ate dinner with them and two fellow students from Eurpope. We went our for a walk around,got a bit lost,found our way back and turned in early in our rather simple room. Cyndy was off to sleep with her earplugs quickly and I soon followed but it seemed that in only a matter of minutes I was awakened by the din of trucks passing by relentlessly in the street below our window. I finally dropped off and next thing I knew there was this huge honking…after I dropped off the church bells started. When Cyndy woke up about 6AM I was sitting on the side of the bed feeling shell-shocked like I had slept for about 10 minutes the whole night- and we had 29 more nights in this country! I said to Cyndy I don’t now if I can do this with all that noise at night! Soon we were down to early breakfast,things get rolling very early in Guatemala. We explained about the noise to Luis and Patty. They explained that their bakery/home was on the main road to the city market and the trucks started rolling every night just after midnight over the cobblestones . The birds turned out to be a flock of “trente ganzos” = 30 geese who lived on the other side of the wall from them. And the church bells were traditional vespers from Le Merced the cathedral around the corner. The church bells and the geese could not be controlled but Patty and Luis had another room on the first floor ,farther back in the house,which promised to be more peaceful and bonus it has its own bathroom so we would not have to share with the other students on the second foor. Now we felt like we really had it made, went to class , a slow but hopeful start with our young teacher Luisa , had lunch and supper back “home”, checked out the very cool Rainbow Reading Room with its bookstore ,restaurant and great music. After a very full 2nd day we walked through the quiet less alien,less shabby seeming streets to our home feeling like this is going to be a great experience. We let ourselves in,our hosts were seeping ,settled into our room and read for a bit til about 10:45. I went into the bathroom to use the toilet and as I was sitting there I spied a huge beetle-like bug seemingly running on the floor toward me. Two thoughts flashed through my head: could this be one of the dreaded Guatemalan killer insects I had read about on line that borroughed under the skin of hapless victims and could only be extracted with a corkscrew ? Or at the very least would Cyndy or I run into this bugger later in the night? So I ,who normally would only kill pestillence bearing mosquitos, grabbed a piece of toilet paper and squashed that sucker pre-emptorally. Thinking to flush him/her/it down the toilet with my free hand I barely leaned on the bathroom sink and BOOM! ,the whole sink came right off the wall and fell with a crash on the floor! Shut-offs? These had been sheared clean off too and water immediately begun to shoot up to the ceiling. I clamped my hand over the broken pipe to hold it down as it sprayed all over me and the room . Alarmed from the racket and fearing that I had Valsalva’d myself into collapse while on the toilet Cyndy threw open the door on the scene and shouted in disbelief to turn the water off. I can’t I yelled –go out in the outer hall and see if you can find a shut-off! None was obvious to her desperate search and within moments Luis appeared with Patty behind having been shaken out of their sleep. ,He quickly ran out and shut the water off .I tried to explain what had happened , as Cyndy could barely hold her laughter in – it had been so ridiculous. Luis got a mop ,a towel on a stick to sop up the inch of water on the floor. He did not appear mad ,just like this was another problem to fix after a very long day and in about 10 minutes wished us Buenos Noces. When he and Patty returned to their room we got into bed and went back and forth between laughing uncontrollably and wondering if they would throw us out in the morning. At least with earplugs this room was quieter and we slept pretty well and somewhat timidly came to breakfast at 6:45. To our relief Luis and Patty were not angry, in fact laughed as we related the details to our fellow student lodgers. Luis even good naturedly told us that this was not the worst water mis-adventure ever. Another European student had claim to that. Seems that frequently the city turns the water supply off after midnight and does not turn it on for several hours. This student had got up in the wee hours to pee, and when no water came out of the tap to wash her hands she had gone back to bed without closing the faucet. About 6AM Luis came out of his first floor bedroom to see water cascading down the stairs from the oveflowing 2nd floor sink with some dripping through the ceiling. This necesitated a much more laborious clean up due to the volume- but Luis chuckled as he recalled that overnight flood. In fact he said on the weekend he’d fix the sink in our bathroom-but it remained in the non-functioning tub until after we departed and may still be there yet! As for us we laughed hysterically every time we thought about that sink and are ever careful not to lean on sinks Guatemalan or otherwise!
The first weekend with arrrangements made by our man Nigel at Reds Arco we took and excursion to Tikal…van pickup at 4 AM, 6AM jet out of G-City to Flores …then van to the park for excellent tour of the incredible jungle ruins abandoned since @800AD for unknown environmental/war/health crisis and cleared from the enveloping jungle starting in late 1800s ..amazing monumental stone work and a city for 25,000. supper and relaxation in the lodge,up at 530 AM Sunday to tour the ruins again on our own, fortunate to see group of Mayan worshippers, truly a awesome site from Mayan antiquity…van back to airport and rather than wait the 2 hours we took a cab into island city of Flores , took a boat tour with Cynthia and her Dad, saw the kids Ragged Ann and Andy ,Easter Bunny costume parade …arrived back at the bakery about 9..full but so very worthwhile fundamental cultural , historical,mystical experience!
Other random treasures …
Our first teacher Luisa was very young and not super engaging but we feel we made the classes interesting…and it was a nice group of folks…one young guy came to study to keep his mind and memory active as his Mom was experiencing dementia/Alzheimers …another older woman did this solo as an adventure…a group of us went out for a dinner on Friday comparing Guatemala and life experiences.
On a field trip in a packed chicken bus we met a couple –the gy a chiropractor- who had sailed down the Mississippi from quite far up- we did not even know the river went up that northerly …and they kept their boat in Livingston.
Movies –every year amazingly we have seen very powerful movies in Guatemala=-“Hiya de Puma” about the violence perpetrated against the indiginous during the 36 year civil war which just ended in 1996 after 32 years and perhaps 200,000 killed or disappeared “Habla Con Ella”-Pedro Almodavar film of woman bullfighter in coma… Side trips from school= to Maximon –part brutal conquistador Alvaredo and Snidley Whiplash and Kentucky Colonel attire to whom is offered gifts of cash, cigars and shots of booze with plaques attesting to milagros-miracles …some confredias took turns hosting Maximon’s shrine in their homes for a year at a time. Macademia Plantation – a truly amazing and beneficial plant from cosmetics to food and utterly sustainable. Coffe finca and Music exhibit …the need is for Fair Trade…the Mirimba is the national instrument .
Tuk-tuks like an amusment park –“Wild Mouse “ like ride/3 wheeled golf cart imported from Singapore which would rocket from one to any other point in Antigua for $1 with from one to seven passengers crammed in .
Elizabeth Bell-American born but in country for many years,gives comprehensive historical’/cultural tour of Antigua with portion to local restoration/preservation and is major benefactor of this cause in Antigua …tour ended in Hotel Santo Domingo one of best in world complete with Art and Archeology museum, rooms from $125 night.
Clara Luz- who could see Cyndy coming a mile away and stopped her everyday outside La Merced to buy her woven wares…
“Mono Loco”- had a free drinks for medical personnel and I had brought a copy of my RN license so I was handed 4 free beers at once!
Semana Santa- the conquering Catholic churches were brazenly built upon the foundations of the destroyed Mayan temples but the Mayans ever the survivors and still with the most indigenous natives 6 million in a country of 11 million- anywhere in the Americas- combined their ancient traditons (Popul Vuh) with the new religion …but every year “holy week” is a massive passion play in the churches and streets, the city jammed with pilgrims and tourists with huge processions, massive altars with bleeding christs carried through the streets on the shoulders of the biblically dressed devotees , with Roman soldiers and Jewish peasants and characters beside through the fombres –impossibly intricate colored sawdust flower and sacred symbology designs created in the street just for the day…
Sol Latino -we saw first at the Rainbow Reading Room ,have been playing in Antigua with some country and travel for over 25 years , headed by drumer and flutist Paco ,a whatever the tiny guitar is called Tocci like virtuoso …they are local music and community legends, committed to the joy and heart of this music …we have 3 of their CDs –see year #3 references…
Opera in the ruins –tuned out that this year was the every other year festival which included Aida with a Spanish troupe , old mission ruinas as a backdrop, terrific fireworks for a surprise finale , and as we walked back we asked what was that fire on the horizon and were amazed through our binoculars to see that it was actually lava being thrown high into the night sky from active Pacaya in the distance!
Lake /Lago Atitlan took the bus in to Panajachel this time and boat to the closer to Pana dock in San Pedro and a couple of local kids grabbed our bags along with the Canadian group they were helping and headed up to the bare bones Paradiso Hotel where we decided to stay for one night as a starting place , next morning an English speaking kid gave us a tour of possible on/near the water places to stay and we settled on the Gran Sueno , a cute little family run place and our brightly colored room #5 on the second floor was very clean,lots of windows, a private bath and color cable TV and we stayed for 8 nights for about $56
We finally found -Casa Rosario the Spanish school in the garden run by el jeffe Vincente and had a week of classes with Floridama –
Great places = D’Noz named for the reclining Indian’s nose peak across the lago, a combination restaurant with great food, films at night –where we saw the fabulous “Chocolate” on Cyndy’s birthday,internet café and small library and community clearing house … “Trippies” =’nuff said ; Munchies, then a hillside garden overlooking the lake with terrific food where we ate many mornings, took drumming classes with Jesse the 2nd year and had massages ,fires at night; Tin-Tins, another wonderful breakfast place with General notes ;lower village along the lake is the hippie area with small hotels and restaurants ,shops ,schools ,mostly off a twisty dirt path from dock to dock; la gente indigina live in the upper town where the market,ATM,church more hotels,businesses ,restaurants and sometimes open post office are and the “pic-ups” = small Chevy Love style open pick up trucks with racks to stand up and lean against ,packed in with 20 or more passengers take off from one village to the next for about 50 cents a ride as an alternative to the lanchas the about 20 foot long ,roofed slightly v bottomed skiffs with 70hp 4 stroke Hondas that fly and pound between pueblos. We took several excurions this first year to San Marcos: the highlight Hotel Jinava with its own dock, carved out of the steep hillside by the Dino and Che loving Austrian Jean and wife Elizabeth; great gardens and flowers and lakeview first visit we only had time for snacks and Long Island Ice Teas =Wow! ,but got to see the inside of their place, decorated with Jimi Hendrix posters …unforgetable to have Jean put on the turntable the music that really moves him = “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” and he put his hand to his heart and sighed … I plegded to send him some Dino CDs and we would return both of which we did .
Always amazing to us the ability to communicae with email and by cell phone from here.
We took a van excursion to the Sunday market at Chichicastango where Cyndy felt tall surrounded by a foot less indiginas pro salesfolk and we came away with some wonderful textiles for our home. We try to be good/respectful American visitors and are boosting the economy with our dollars.
Back to Antigua we took another splurge the Lago Isabel and Rio Dulce cruise on the catamaran Las Serinas (the mermaids). The 6 hour bus ride for about $5 each from Guatemala City to the coast was an absolutley hilarious adventure - an old US Peter Pan bus with all the signs in English “no standing beyond this line and no talking to the driver” ,well we had a front row seat and it was Guatemalan free style = at each of the many stop vendors would run on hawking sodas, remedies, shouted testimonial evangelism or snacks and meals from baskets giving samples to the driver who would eat a whole meal off the dashboard while talking on his cell phone and driving 70mph ,passing cars and trucks up and down precarious turns and grades, one colleague sitting on a 5 gallon plastic bucket (in front of the on board shrine) taking fares and the other hanging out the always open door keeping a sharp eye out to stop for more passengers ,when the old vendors/hawkes would run off and a new group run on…and the driver would yell out the open door or his widow to many compadres as he passed ,even once getting out of the bus to go have a cold drink until the hot and tired passengers began banging on the side of the bus and yelling come on let’s go! We had a “sanitario” stop once with the toilets with no doors right out on the highway and totally plugged up and disgusting so that folks just went out behind the wall.
The diverse group of 13 Canadian,American and European couples and individuals bonded over the next 3nights/4 days along with the pleasant captain and cook –one Canadian couple Tup and ‘Roe (she was a dramatist and alternative teacher was constantly singing, and trying to engage the group in various jubilant theatrics would send us emails updates of their continued travels throughout Central America until they returned to Canada more than a year later- Though the berths were small for two –I slept on the deck a time or two for the air , the cruise itself was great (very reasonable price maybe $300 and good sailing here on the more placid inland waters rather than the more open coastal and “rocking” sailing done on alternating weeks to Belize) with perfect sunny and warm weather,stops to swim off the boat, up jungle lined Rio Dulce (sweet river) passing natives sometimes single,couple or family in skillfully paddled tiny ,shallow dug-outs, down to very tropical Livingston the Rasta/Garifina community .. then we sailed back ,visited a warm spring in the jungle after a short hike,a proyecto Ak Tenamit where we had a tour with an explanation of the schooling and health work done by and with the residents of widespread villages ,including the boat dental clinic; we bought some had made items from the shop ( starting that Christmas we made donations in our nephews /nieces names to support this great work…as we learned the government here as everywhere represents the well off and does little for the native poor and most relief assistance comes from indigenous leaders in concert with American and Canadian folks/often medical professionals who come to help and raise funds ongoing…we donate as best we can and perhaps someday we will volunteer here or elsewhere with our nursing skills …after we have had enough fun –because we can so fortunately for us balance our privileged life with the good we do for work and can support.
The food was good but perhaps less than stringently prepared and we did have a subsequent GI bug partly treated with capsules from the antigua pharmacy…
After we had docked kind of impropttuly comparing how we each planned to return to Antigua as most of us were going there with one young fluent amiga making the arrangements we agreed to share a private van for the return….what a ride! –9 of so of us packed in the new model voyager style vehicle and at the first turn he turned the wrong way explaining he had to get gas ,went to a gas station and filled up then kept going in the wrong direction because he said he had to stop at his house to get his lunch and when he did –this is now about 15 miles in the wrong direction another guy ,maybe his brother came out and got behind the wheel and finally turned around to retrace our steps –all the while our amiga protesting at each delay no,no,no! While the drive back was not as exciting as the bus adventure we were pulled over once by the police –a practice per the driver as rather common with the police frequently requiring a payment=bribe just to assure that everything is in order and no “safety violations” are problematical. With the usual passing on up and down curves and related risk taking we were relieved to arrive without further incident in Antigua, made our fond farewells and as I said earlier received email updates from Tup and Ro for a year or more.
Back in Antigua we treated ourselves to Casa Azul just off the Parque very nice for about $75 a night with a large.lovely room ,breakfast and pool.
It was a truly amazing month in Guatemala- language lessons, Mayan culture, the beauty and poverty, the freedom and luxury we had as gringos – We figured out that the entire month minus the VNAB educational repay for Spanish classes was a mere $2800 (these prices increased for each of oursubsequent 2 visits
We made donations to a group cleaning up Lake Atitlan ,another group trying to help – children actually living at the dump in Guatemala City and yearly to ..Ak Tenamit the effective proyecto on the tribuatry to Lago Izabel which we visited on Las Sirenas-the government seems to do little for the needy here and serves the needs of the fortunate. …see summary letter to VNAB about our experiences.
#2 February 2006 –Several days before we left Cyndy took fell down Joe’s black iced front stairs and got the most incredible hematoma the size of a grapefruit over her left buttock –incredibley she could walk and sit but by the next day she looked like she was wearing a pair of purple shorts as the infiltrate wrapped around both legs in Guiness Book degree- it did not hurt and she waited several days to have it looked at ,too long to have it aspirated –but it would not interfere with her traveling-see the encounter below-
After a night in G-City and a next day visit to great Museo Ixtel we backpacked to the main bus station and headed as arranged by phone calls and emails to Xela/San Cristobal where we received the royal treatment from Robbie’s shipping friend Carl Sands and wife Martha-picked up in Xela at our hotel by Marta and man Friday Marco and driven to the Sands compound …Carl had met her in San Pedro and they fell in love and had 2 sons and a daughter now grown and living away. They have a compound with 2 houses, a pick-up and an SUV and are fairly well to do for the San Cristobal/Xela area. Carl is an absolutely extreme biker (also a soemwhat extremely devout christian with some anti-gay views ,but it did not get in the way though due to some absolutism he seems somewhat estranged from wife and kids…his stongest epithet =”I don’t give a flip!”) and they took us in his pickup above the tree line over 10,000 feet where he regularly bikes imposiblbly steep climbs. He also took us to his friend Luis’s “glass house”-rustic and artful elegance with panaramic valley views on the mountainside and on to his family coffee plantation where we got the full processsing tour and a gracious lunch and I had my first completely fresh and tasty cup of coffee. Just before we left Luis showed us the map of the area he is sellling off for very small house lots,yet another development in a naturally unspoiled area. As Carl had said the Sunday Market was literally just outside his door and amazingly bustling as we picked our way among the hundreds of vendors and stalls selling everything from handmade textiles, artwork, furniture, cheaps clothes and plastics ,fruit and vegetables meat of all kinds including whole donkey heads, and we have a picture of Cyndy holding a live turkey by the feet . In the afternoon there was a huge family dinner that actually lasted two meals (one featuring goat and the other a giant red snapper, lots of kids and Marhta’s family from youngest to oldest. Carl has an amazing garden and chicken plot and a full time gardener to supplement his efforts-in addition to an all around handy man Marco who is talented and funny. On Monday,having forged a very quick simpatico bond with Carl and Martha…Carl stated many times that Robbie was the best man he had met in his shipping career, very honest,trustworthy ,friendly and funny with solid values (and who shared his disire for good fesh food which they cooked and ate together) amidst the mostly troubled souls who ply the seas for a living,and of course he immediately took to Robbie’s twin “pelo riso” Cyndy with her passion for gardening so when we left it was a tearful one with pledges to visit again and an invite to Carl and Marta to Post Island so we could return the generous hospitality ( and it actually happened in 2008!) Martha and Marco drove us to the bus for San Pedro and Marco actually commandeered the bus to stop and pick us up as the “bus station” was just a long unorganized stretch of chicken busses !
What a descent in the old school bus down the steep and winding turns to Lago Atitlan…We stayed one night at a hotel Carl had recommended then in the morning checked into the large white lakeside Mikaso which had quite a story had been built by a Canadien couple who worked in the film industry she as a set designer and he as a set constructor –they had a 5 year old and a n’er do well 19 year old Michael …supposedly he and his Asian girlfriend were to run the restaurant and the name came from her ,but they had broken up and he was biding his time doing a bit of work at the hotel and goofing off until he took off for Africa so the folks were doing the bulk of the management with their cute Guatemalan staff of young women who serenaded Cyndy on her birthday with “las Mananitas” following me down with her morning coffee. (there was a theme with Carl whose dtr Nina had married a Mormon against his desire and moved to Idaho, Luis whose dtr did not want to ener the family coffee business but preferred to be a beautician in Mexico City, and now these folks “lost boy”…Kids- you do what you can and they make their choices be it ever so )It was the perfect place to stay with clean basic room with bath for $20 a night, and a great rooftop restaurant and patio from which to gaze out at the lake, study,read meet fellow travelers- each with an interesting storythat brought them to Guatemala and the Lago. Carl had had some dealings with the femlae lawer Maria Chaveyai to whom we brought Carl’s greetings an seeds and it turned out that her husband ran the San Pedro Spanish School where we took classes for 2 weeks- first with the very young Myra who took us to her home to meet her baby Jacki ,husband and parents (see pix) and next week in the afternoons with a more experienced maestra .
We attended a night time lecture at the school by a man who had survived abduction and torture during the civil war- we’d see him happily charging up the hilly cobbled street to the upper town and marveled at his resilience.
Per her injury above Cyndy got a “referral” by our teacher to a curandera = native healer specializing in treating trauma to bones and muscles. She lived in a simple shedlike home right off the main dirt lower village trail (like the school and many restaraunts) Cyndy’s complaint was explained and as she was bid she lay face down on the family bed and while several kids peeked and laughed from behind a curtain this tiny Mayan healer woman proceeded to press and kneed the huge hematoma with some serious strength until tears came to Cyn’s eyes ( watching I knew that there was no danger of dislodging a clot and would have intervened if needed) and she explained that Cyndy should return 2 more times which she did as it actually felt better even that night and much better overall. Curandera Maria would not take any money , only a traditional amount of real bread!
D’Noz-we were back for Cyndy’s birthday, made a connection with the Dutch partner Monique of the owner John who was pregnant….-see emails/pix when son Jaden was born –she made donatin/presentation to Children of the Lake group.
Took drumming lessons from Jesse, a really good teacher but declined to join him for dinner as we passed by and he was eating some street food as he sat on the less than appetizing sidewalk down by the dock.
Had a rigorous but slightly impersonal massage at the Munchies space and then a very therapeutic and heartfelt one from a woman down at the far dock edge…both for a fraction of the cost at home.
Had a great overnight at Hotel Jinava and ate with a visiting German couple and owner Gene joined us for conversation and turns out they had attended the same Dylan concert in Berlin in the early 70’s and sharing rock musical insights (beyond classic Dino of course ) Gene declared that he hated that “fuck now music”.
I had read Martin Prechtels book “Tales of the Jaguar” the journey of a dropoput American free and alternative spirt who landed in the pueblo of Santiagoimmersed himself in the Mayan traditions and eventually married a Mayan and became a shaman, and though it looked like it would not happen as we had tried to prearrange , as we settled down at the pool his former wife Dolores arrived and guided us on a wonderful tour of the village and her home over the next hours and she signed the book with a friendly message! (see our home library)
Met up with Martin and Kathy Glynn in Pana for lunch and a walk to see where they were staying for several months.
Back in Antigua
Stayed at small neat,convenient and very reasonable and friendly hotel Los Nazarenos near Merced Cathedral ,great rooftop views …owner Roberto =muy simpatico
We took a week of classes with Miriam, an excellent/corrective teacher and had a very powerful personal encounter as she explained how she had lost her last child –
Had a tour and made a donation to Pedro Hermano hospital –unable to commit to volunteer per our timeline-maybe in the future …very good care here and many volunteers –as we noted the government seems to do little for the average needy people.
…”Casablanca”- it was the 60th anniversary and we had a private showing with the original trailer at one of the small theaters…laughed and cried as with every viewing …beautiful friendship… see notes on why we go to Guatemala
#3- January 20 something to Feb 13th 2008 -Cyndy had her right rotator cuff repaired by Charlie DiCecca in Jan 2007 with a 6 month recovery so we skippped that year …not really a conducive rehab setting backpacking and climbing on and off packed chicken busses…(Noteworthy –many come to Guatemala ,including Cathy and Martin Glynn for dental work –see “Dental Tourism” a fraction of the price and a trip that’s so nice! ) Joe and Chris joined us for the 2nd and 3rd weeks for this adventure. We spent a lot of time and effort to make it a good experience for them –we had been very eager to share our appreciation of Guatemala with them – and overall they enjoyed it but were put off by the ecological deficiencies, and perhaps were unable to see beyond them…
We noticed immediately the vast improvements at the airport in gates and facilities – probably a factor of 4 expansion and modernization.
Generally prices seem about 1/3 more than the incredible bargains of 2 years ago-and still very good buys.
Took Antigua tour with Elizabeth Bell’s partner Roberto and it was another tour de force…notice since last trip many more motor bikes and fewer tuc-tucs…
We celebrated Chris’s birthday with great food and music at Sol Latino’s performance restaurant “La Pena” ( a place for friends to come and eat and share music) Next day went on an excursion to climb Vulcan Pacaya damned near killed us- really steep, Cyndy got very clammy and winded and needed to take a horse up and I sweated and panted my very strenuous way up to a great view above the clouds; opted out for a potential ankle breaking /flesh shredding trek on the lava which Joe and Chris undertook; we just watched the world with a gent from Mexico City older than we but much better acclimated to the elevation ,we guessed- could we really be so out of shape? At any rate when the sun disappeared everyone was off like a shot downward,twice as fast as the ascent –Cyndy did much better going down and I just wanted to get down in the fading light without a fall and fracture and did.
To Carl and Martha’s -we took a van part way and waited for the bus at the crossroads,one of those chaotic stopovers complete with unsanitary sanitation “facilities” and not seeing a Peter Pan Style coach our bags were swept up on the roof and we into the back door of an absolutely packed chicken bus complete with standing room only and top of the lungs shouting evangelist…Chris horrified,Cyndy oh no here we go again and Joe and I laughing hysterically,it was hot and uncomfortable standing for an hour but we arrived at San Cristobal.called Carl and he dispatched Marco to pick us up and bring us to his hacienda where again we were treated royally,went with Carl to the saved trees in the highland area, checked out the market on Sunday-Cyndy did a well baby visit to their daughter Nina who had moved back with Husband Joshua Angel and cute daughter who lived and worked at his Mom’s clinic which we had visited in 2006…there is an extremeist estrangement between Carl and them.
Carl’s (see letters over past year –Hemlock Society death of his mom- he is a really good and very intelligent man,very generous, fanatical about gardening and biking …he took us to his version of the “glass house” where he had planted many trees within 5 enclosed acres and this may become a home/restaurant for one of his sons and wife.
Overall it was a very good visit/reunion and per below Carl and Martha actually did visit us in May!! And he passed on to us one of his favorite pieces of music = Concerti by Gemeniani which became the morning soundtrack for the first part of our RV trip up into the Maritimes in 2008…
Chicken bus to Lago Atitlan-paved streets in San Pedro instead of the old dirt trail stayed at Mikaso again for a few nights saw “US vs John Lennon” which brought on the tears where creativity and peace met with oppression and then his so sad and senseless murder and “The Motor Cycle Diaries” story of Che’s south american journey to social awareness and revolution.
Joe and Chris stayed a night over at Aculax and we waved them off on a lancha so they could rendez vous for a Tikal/Livingston trip with entrepreneur Colin who through luck and persistence got a fantastic piece of lakeside land closer to Santiago between 2 very high end properties and is having a house built
As we said the old main dirt path has been amazingly covered nearly the full length with pavers and what a difference! - We also have pix of a sustainable precast cement stove program which can greatly decrease the need for cooking wood/deforestation and provide much better home safety ..
Spanish classes this time with just 2 hours in the AM with Tosho –very good English and he explained about the litter = when he was a kid snacks were fruits so when kids were finished the bio-degradable peels would go on the ground but now the tiendas are filled with chips and candy wrapped in plastic and it still is discarded on the ground and very few receptacles are available and emptied These were very good and enjoyable Spanish lessons and American/Guatemalan cultural comparsions
While walking along the main now paved path we heard called out “Cyndy” and it was our teacher from 2 years ago Myra with her dtr Jackie-she had managed to borrow enough to start a small 5 computer internet café and seemed to be doing well (we took her to lunch and gave her a little money gift –but months after we returned home got an email from her that she had been sick, lost the business and could we send along a small amount of money to help her out-which we did turns out best to send mloney orders form Stop and Shop and we hope she will be OK)…
We had a nice night at Jiniva –picture of that spectacular view is on ourdinding room wall - but Gene and Elizabeth were away…
Tried for the 2nd time to book at Casa del Mundo and the reservation was goofed up by them –what a climb up ! so they facilitated a lancha to Pana and a good hotel there…saw a terrific touring Celtic Band at the café where we had met Kathie and Martin but they were not there ; they had unbelievably RVd down through Mexico to Pana –we actually were not to connect until a sad event back home when Colin’s partner died suddenly..
We vanned back to Antigua for the remainder of our time more Spanish this time at the school where our teacher from 2006 husband taught …we did not have him (seemed like a nice fellow but with a drinking problem) but a lovely young woman whom we bonded with and took to lunch at the courses’s end at the restaurant ( ) where Miriam now worked…we came back for lunch again to give Miriam a small monetary gift ,with Joe and Chris when they returned from their advanture = much driving over the 3 days but got to see with friend Colin Tikal and Livingston and some other ruins.
Again we had put quite a lot of effort into organizing accomodations and excursions = a big part of our trip and hope to share this land and experience with them. (see above for reactions)
On one of the weekends ,and we really don’t remember which one, we took a rather rickety van(almost anything could show up ,but something always would) to the coastal town of Monterico,rather vagabondy, black beach tropical town ,stayed at Las Brisas= basic clean room with bath and fan, nice pool, upper deck to relax undedr the thatched roof overlooking the beach several hundred yards away…we tended to go to the left to find restaurants,to the right was the town with more restaurants and shops and a good size pig who had free reign. Down on the beach was the turtle research/rescue center and at sunset a large number of tiny several week old turtles would be lined up for a “race to the sea” really just a way for the bettors to contribute money to fund the center by rooting on their favorite…at least under these circumstances all the turtles make it the short distance to the ocean. We had heard that the bird refuge here was terrific and so made an agreement with a local guide for a tour early Sat AM…we were up and ready in the dark by 5:30 and he arrived and we joined the stream of folks heading down to the river …our guide was expert, poling us along in his shallow and narrow craft as the sky began to lighten and color and the birds began to call and fly- and we stopped just at the moment of sunrise and it was truly and naturally sacred… in the distance were 3 volcanoes, the scenery was spectacular,the river traffic picking up, fishing boats and tiny ferries with cars or pickups and mucha gente with what seemed like only inches of freeboard keeping the water out. It was so great an experience that we repeated it Sunday morning again!
We rendez-vous’d with Joe and Chris and friend Colin who had had a full several days of driving and exploring Tikal and Livingston.
After shopping at Nim Pot and checking other favorite spots we flew back with J&C this time to celebrate another memorable Guatemalan adventure and Cyndy’s birthday at home.
Misc.
The Mayan calendar ends 12/21/2012…there’s a great postcard of flying saucers buzzing in over the volcanoes and lakes on that day…were/are the Mayans on to some mystic insights about the end of our planet…Whitly Streiber of “Communion”- UFO /alien abduction fame has written about a parallel anti-earth to be released beginning on that day from the Pyramids and other earthly mystery sights from antiquity ..”they” are there and waiting-but in his story humanity wises up thanks to novel courage and prevails…we’ll see-but this is just one more reason to hit the road per our plan asap.
Read “I,Rigoberta Manchu” –who received the Nobel Peace Prize, her story that of her family and the Mayans so victimized and impoverished by crushingly subsistence conditions and the civil war- her father killed in a demonstration…through sheer determination she was able to get an education and advocate for her people.
See the letter we sent Carl regarding linking up with other kindred spirits to save the trees and environment of Guatemala.
And amazingly Carl and Martha did visit us in May , taking the train from NYC where they were visiting some other friends…just a full 36 hours of meeting Lois,seeing Joe and Chris’s home, going to Legal Seafood and shopping at the plaza (Martha is a pro) and a visit to the Gardiner Museum and drive around Boston before dropping them off at the train again. (Robbie and Kathy have to visit them!)
Will we ever return? We have plans to live the RV life =casa rodente/mobile starting in the Fall of 2008 and for at least the next 5 years ..so maybe next time we will return having had such rich experiences to this land of “eternal spring” with its natural beauty and Mayan culture and strength ,it’s cosmo-hip centers in Antugua and Lago Atitlan , to study and volunteer our nursing skills for a longer period…sometime after 12/21/2012 …
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