I'm back in Mexico nearly a week but haven't posted til now because of typical frustrations with Mexican keyboards and cybercafe computers.
There's also the not insignificant problem that Google has completely redesigned the ¨dashboard¨ of Blogspot, and I find it extremely difficult to navigate my way around.
I guess this settles it: I'm going to have to get my own laptop! I can't afford to spend hours relearning to blog on strange machines everywhere I go.
I arrived in Veracruz yesterday following a five hour first class bus trip from the capital. Located on the Gulf of Mexico about halfway from Mexico City to destinations in the Yucatan, the climate here is hot and humid--a bit of a shock to my system following several temperate days and nights at Mexico City's altitude.
So I'm well on my way to the peninsula but already am leery of the idea of Cancun, where it's likely to be just as hot & humid as here. I already miss the cooler mountain air.
I'll stay here another day at least to get my bearings and figure it out: should I continue east where it will be just as muggy as here but where there are also ancient Mayan ruins to check out?
Or should I re-think this journey? Maybe with an eye on points further south, perhaps to Chiapas state and northern Guatemala?
I'll keep you posted!
Showing posts with label Guatemala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guatemala. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, July 12, 2010
Searching for a Church in Chichicastenango (Day 50)
All I had to go on was a name: Flavio Rodas. My aunt in suburban Milwaukee told me her church has one of its sister churches by that name in Chichicastenango, so I decided to look it up.
It was easy to find. . .well, sort of easy, that is. From the start, everyone told me there's no church by that name, only a school. The first man I asked sent me in the general direction of the school, so I started walking.
But Chichi is built upon some incredibly steep hills, and when I perceived that after walking down one hill I'd have to begin climbing another--but not entirely sure of the correct direction I should go--I flagged down a three-wheeled mototaxi.
"Sabes Iglesia de Flavio Rodas?" I asked the driver.
"Sure, I know it." And as he drove up the hill we passed a long wall with mural panels, one of which appeared to be painted by students of La Escuela Flavio Rodas.
"Is that the school?"
"The school is that way, " he pointed in one direction.
"How about the church?"
We reached a fork in the road. "Left for the school, right for the church, " he said.
"Go right." And soon we were in front of a church, but was it the right one? Assembly of God, it said, written on a sign above the door. Several women were seated in front with foods for sale.
The driver told me what everyone else had said: there's no church by that name, only the school.
So I walked down to the school and snapped a couple photos. On a Sunday there wasn't much to see. Then I walked back to the murals and shot some photos there. Then I walked back to the church and took a photo or two there.
Then I asked the women: "Is this the Iglesia Flavio Rodas?" Well, they said, there's no church by that name, only the school. But if you're looking for the church in Flavio Rodas (neighborhood), this must be the one because it's the only one around.
Based upon my extensive walk around the neighborhood, this appeared to be true.
I asked them if they have "sister churches" in the United States. "Oh yes," said one of the women, "I can think of one in California."
Any other states, I asked, perhaps Wisconsin? "Probably," she said, "but I'm not sure where."
This was good enough for me! Mission accomplished? Well, sure. . .
It was easy to find. . .well, sort of easy, that is. From the start, everyone told me there's no church by that name, only a school. The first man I asked sent me in the general direction of the school, so I started walking.
But Chichi is built upon some incredibly steep hills, and when I perceived that after walking down one hill I'd have to begin climbing another--but not entirely sure of the correct direction I should go--I flagged down a three-wheeled mototaxi.
"Sabes Iglesia de Flavio Rodas?" I asked the driver.
"Sure, I know it." And as he drove up the hill we passed a long wall with mural panels, one of which appeared to be painted by students of La Escuela Flavio Rodas.
"Is that the school?"
"The school is that way, " he pointed in one direction.
"How about the church?"
We reached a fork in the road. "Left for the school, right for the church, " he said.
"Go right." And soon we were in front of a church, but was it the right one? Assembly of God, it said, written on a sign above the door. Several women were seated in front with foods for sale.
The driver told me what everyone else had said: there's no church by that name, only the school.
So I walked down to the school and snapped a couple photos. On a Sunday there wasn't much to see. Then I walked back to the murals and shot some photos there. Then I walked back to the church and took a photo or two there.
Then I asked the women: "Is this the Iglesia Flavio Rodas?" Well, they said, there's no church by that name, only the school. But if you're looking for the church in Flavio Rodas (neighborhood), this must be the one because it's the only one around.
Based upon my extensive walk around the neighborhood, this appeared to be true.
I asked them if they have "sister churches" in the United States. "Oh yes," said one of the women, "I can think of one in California."
Any other states, I asked, perhaps Wisconsin? "Probably," she said, "but I'm not sure where."
This was good enough for me! Mission accomplished? Well, sure. . .
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ancient Market Town Chichicastenango Draws Big Crowds
My Rough Guide to Guatemala claims that Chichicastenango has hosted markets on Thursdays and Sundays for "hundreds, perhaps thousands of years." And since this town is so famous for its twice weekly market I thought I should cap off my seven weeks in Central America with a visit.
If you're claustrophobic or don't care to be squeezed into a slowly moving mass of people, you may want to give Chichi a miss. Yet though I prefer to observe things from the sidelines, there's no doubt that there's lots of fine stuff for sale, especially of the colorful, locally hand-woven textiles.
Despite my best efforts to fend off the hawkers--I'm not really "in the market" for anything--I have dropped about $20 total on a shirt and carved wooden flute. Probably I've paid a little too much, especially for the shirt, but there's no denying I bought a nice one.
In a sense I didn't buy anything at all but rather paid two sales people Q150 total for their friendly but persistent efforts to make me part with my money!
(Okay, I will admit that I was in the market for shirt. And as for the flute, well...I figured I might find a use for it in Suzuki group classes next year.)
Joking aside, today for the first time on this journey I have felt just a little bit nervous about pickpockets, so I have taken appropriate precautions.
I had hoped to take a few photos but the crowds make it difficult plus I'm dealing with the reality that the locals--largely from the indigenous tribes who live in Guatemala's western highlands--remain fiercely sensitive about being photographed without permission, so I don't want to cause unnecessary offense. I will address this issue in a future post about my ongoing "photography mission."
Apart from the beautiful textiles, you can buy an array of fine leather goods, hammocks, handbags, shoulder bags, indigenous costumes, wallets, purses, belts, shoes, household items, hand-made jewelry and silver items, and much, much more. There is a whole section of "wet" market as well with fresh meats, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains.
If I have time I want to find my Wisconsin aunt's church's sister church which is here in Chichi. All I have is a name, so I'll have to ask someone and hope they can direct me.
If you're claustrophobic or don't care to be squeezed into a slowly moving mass of people, you may want to give Chichi a miss. Yet though I prefer to observe things from the sidelines, there's no doubt that there's lots of fine stuff for sale, especially of the colorful, locally hand-woven textiles.
Despite my best efforts to fend off the hawkers--I'm not really "in the market" for anything--I have dropped about $20 total on a shirt and carved wooden flute. Probably I've paid a little too much, especially for the shirt, but there's no denying I bought a nice one.
In a sense I didn't buy anything at all but rather paid two sales people Q150 total for their friendly but persistent efforts to make me part with my money!
(Okay, I will admit that I was in the market for shirt. And as for the flute, well...I figured I might find a use for it in Suzuki group classes next year.)
Joking aside, today for the first time on this journey I have felt just a little bit nervous about pickpockets, so I have taken appropriate precautions.
I had hoped to take a few photos but the crowds make it difficult plus I'm dealing with the reality that the locals--largely from the indigenous tribes who live in Guatemala's western highlands--remain fiercely sensitive about being photographed without permission, so I don't want to cause unnecessary offense. I will address this issue in a future post about my ongoing "photography mission."
Apart from the beautiful textiles, you can buy an array of fine leather goods, hammocks, handbags, shoulder bags, indigenous costumes, wallets, purses, belts, shoes, household items, hand-made jewelry and silver items, and much, much more. There is a whole section of "wet" market as well with fresh meats, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains.
If I have time I want to find my Wisconsin aunt's church's sister church which is here in Chichi. All I have is a name, so I'll have to ask someone and hope they can direct me.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
La Antigua: Busker Central in Central America
I haven't written much about buskers or musicians in Central America mainly because there hasn't been anything to write about. Unlike in Mexico where there is a whole mariachi troubador culture on the streets of its colonial cities, in El Salvador or Honduras you can go many days without seeing someone with a guitar or violin. When you do encounter street musicians, as you do in Granada, Nicaragua, it's somewhat of a pleasant surprise. And when I do bump into the occasional street band, as I did in Gracias, Honduras, I always donate something to the cause.
But in Antigua we are in a whole different league. It helps if you can picture the massive crowds here--not only of weekend trippers from Guatemala City and other parts of the country, but also foreign tourists from Europe and North America, high school and college kids from America, and denizens of the large expatriate Western community who now make Antigua their home. With crowds like these on a typical Saturday, it can pay very well to play on the street.
This city just reeks of cosmopolitan prosperity with its restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, travel agencies, boutique stores, and regular markets. In a region where bookstores are oases and second hand English language books sell for $10 or more, there are so many books in English available, and for almost nothing, that I'm close to hyperventilating as I type this dispatch. La Antigua definitely has anything you could possibly want, especially for someone like me who has come from a markedly much poorer place such as western Honduras. If you want McDonald's or Burger King or Subway or almost any kind of pizza you desire, it's all here.
With crowds the way they are and with the sort of conveniences you can find here, maybe that's partly why the local buskers can do so well in this town. And it seems even foreign travelers can hang their hats for awhile and make a living with a song and a guitar, or--as in the case of "Takeshi"--by painting Japanese calligraphy.
Check out the following website from a young Japanese guy I just saw on Antigua's streets who had a huge crowd around him:
http://takeshi.henjin.com/
Takeshi sings original songs, plays guitar, and sells his CDs, but his main attraction is he paints your name in katakana/hiragana (Chinese/Japanese script) on a strip of white paper for five quetzales (60 cents). He has a big sign written in Spanish telling of his voyage around the world which encourages donations, and he wears a baseball cap and t-shirt promoting his website. Flyers ("take one!") are available so you can look him up on the web. . .and link him to your blog!
I can report that the kids loved this guy, and their (mostly) affluent local parents were fascinated by him. Of course I was pretty fascinated too.
When I think back now to my experiences in France and Switzerland of the 1980s, I regret that the CD was barely invented then, that there was no such thing as a "world wide web", and that it didn't seem economically feasible to busk one's way around Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa, or any other so-called "third world" area.
Now it looks as if maybe "third world areas" are among the only interesting--and lucrative--places left to go as an itinerant troubador in this increasingly homogenized, globalized world.
But in Antigua we are in a whole different league. It helps if you can picture the massive crowds here--not only of weekend trippers from Guatemala City and other parts of the country, but also foreign tourists from Europe and North America, high school and college kids from America, and denizens of the large expatriate Western community who now make Antigua their home. With crowds like these on a typical Saturday, it can pay very well to play on the street.
This city just reeks of cosmopolitan prosperity with its restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotels, travel agencies, boutique stores, and regular markets. In a region where bookstores are oases and second hand English language books sell for $10 or more, there are so many books in English available, and for almost nothing, that I'm close to hyperventilating as I type this dispatch. La Antigua definitely has anything you could possibly want, especially for someone like me who has come from a markedly much poorer place such as western Honduras. If you want McDonald's or Burger King or Subway or almost any kind of pizza you desire, it's all here.
With crowds the way they are and with the sort of conveniences you can find here, maybe that's partly why the local buskers can do so well in this town. And it seems even foreign travelers can hang their hats for awhile and make a living with a song and a guitar, or--as in the case of "Takeshi"--by painting Japanese calligraphy.
Check out the following website from a young Japanese guy I just saw on Antigua's streets who had a huge crowd around him:
http://takeshi.henjin.com/
Takeshi sings original songs, plays guitar, and sells his CDs, but his main attraction is he paints your name in katakana/hiragana (Chinese/Japanese script) on a strip of white paper for five quetzales (60 cents). He has a big sign written in Spanish telling of his voyage around the world which encourages donations, and he wears a baseball cap and t-shirt promoting his website. Flyers ("take one!") are available so you can look him up on the web. . .and link him to your blog!
I can report that the kids loved this guy, and their (mostly) affluent local parents were fascinated by him. Of course I was pretty fascinated too.
When I think back now to my experiences in France and Switzerland of the 1980s, I regret that the CD was barely invented then, that there was no such thing as a "world wide web", and that it didn't seem economically feasible to busk one's way around Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa, or any other so-called "third world" area.
Now it looks as if maybe "third world areas" are among the only interesting--and lucrative--places left to go as an itinerant troubador in this increasingly homogenized, globalized world.
Copan to La Antigua
Finding myself hardly in the mood Thursday morning for a six hour microbus trip I stayed in Copan another night, and I'm glad I did since my ticket to the ruins was also good for a secondary site further down the road, Las Sepulturas, which experts theorize may have been housing for the ancient Maya civilization's power elite.
Though smaller than the primary site, Las Sepulturas in its way is even more impressive. Almost completely shrouded in jungle growth along a couple dirt trails, these ruins capture the imagination in ways the more touristed main area doesn't. As I was busy snapping away with my camera, and filling my memory card in the process, it occurred to me that kids would love this place. In a setting out of an Indiana Jones flick, on ruins where one can easily climb to the top and be master of all one sees, children can fancy themselves warrior princes and princessess from another millenium.
The mosquitos, however, were vicious. Located on lower ground than the main site and close to the winding Copan River, swarms of them lie in wait for the instant you stop to take a photo. And these suckers can bite through denim! Experts remain puzzled about the reasons for the sudden decline of the Maya. Could the lowly mosquito have played a bit part?
Yesterday's bus ride was relatively easy and uneventful as I shared a micro with a British couple and a German woman. We had the whole van to ourselves, and apart from some Friday evening traffic snarls in Guatemala City, everything went smoothly and we were only half an hour late.
Antigua, yet another Central American capital, is a classic destination in these parts. Even though there are tons of tourists here and the prices are higher than elsewhere, I'm glad to be back for a return visit to swim in the town's lovely charms. Because this capital city had more staying power than other towns like Gracias, it's larger in area and has many more architectural marvels. If I can buy a new memory card I'll probably go hog wild with the camera here too.
The timing of my arrival here may be fortuitous as tomorrow, Sunday, is one of the market days of Chichicastenango, which is only a couple hours northwest of here. I'm looking into joining a $10 day tour so I can remain based in Antigua.
Though smaller than the primary site, Las Sepulturas in its way is even more impressive. Almost completely shrouded in jungle growth along a couple dirt trails, these ruins capture the imagination in ways the more touristed main area doesn't. As I was busy snapping away with my camera, and filling my memory card in the process, it occurred to me that kids would love this place. In a setting out of an Indiana Jones flick, on ruins where one can easily climb to the top and be master of all one sees, children can fancy themselves warrior princes and princessess from another millenium.
The mosquitos, however, were vicious. Located on lower ground than the main site and close to the winding Copan River, swarms of them lie in wait for the instant you stop to take a photo. And these suckers can bite through denim! Experts remain puzzled about the reasons for the sudden decline of the Maya. Could the lowly mosquito have played a bit part?
Yesterday's bus ride was relatively easy and uneventful as I shared a micro with a British couple and a German woman. We had the whole van to ourselves, and apart from some Friday evening traffic snarls in Guatemala City, everything went smoothly and we were only half an hour late.
Antigua, yet another Central American capital, is a classic destination in these parts. Even though there are tons of tourists here and the prices are higher than elsewhere, I'm glad to be back for a return visit to swim in the town's lovely charms. Because this capital city had more staying power than other towns like Gracias, it's larger in area and has many more architectural marvels. If I can buy a new memory card I'll probably go hog wild with the camera here too.
The timing of my arrival here may be fortuitous as tomorrow, Sunday, is one of the market days of Chichicastenango, which is only a couple hours northwest of here. I'm looking into joining a $10 day tour so I can remain based in Antigua.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Why Not Travel With Fiddle in Central America?
Now that I've arrived in a place that's crying out for some good oldtime fiddle music, it seems the ideal time to address the issue of travel with musical instruments, or in my case, why I haven't traveled with my violin on these recent trips to Central America.
Since we were kids in a growing "Suzuki violin family" I had always traveled with my instrument, whether to Disney World or on other family road trips, but especially to Grandma and Grandpa's. Our parents felt it was important for us to play impromptu concerts for our relatives and friends, but we also had a fairly strict rule in our family: we had to practice every day, even on family vacations, as Shinich Suzuki always urged Suzuki families to do.
As a young adult my fiddle became both my "passport and bank account" as I used my musical skills to earn money for travel, eventually becoming a globetrotting busker in 1980s Western Europe and 1990s Southeast and Northeast Asia.
My instrument and the music I played weren't only a means of earning a living, but also served as a great way to meet people of all stripes--especially other musicans and other buskers who traveled along the same routes that I did. This was a great advantage to me in my globetrotting as well as in life in general. My fiddle has taken me inside many situations which never could have happened without the very fact that I was a working musician, and mostly outside my home element in the United States.
These are some of the reasons I have always traveled with my instrument. But now that I've become a teacher, it's been possible for me to join a world of the ordinary tourist. I think of it as a type of "accidental tourism," to qoute from the novel and movie of that title, because in doing so I felt way outside of my usual element.
When I first started traveling in Latin America in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a couple trips to Mexico, I continued to take my instrument along even if I didn't use it very much. Colonial cities such as Guanajuato or San Luis Potosi were made for the itinerant musician, but I didn't do any busking there, preferring instead to hear Mexican groups in the streets and plazas of those cities.
When I returned to Thailand for visits in 2005 and 2006 I continued to bring the instrument because many of my friends there are musicians and it was always possible to sit in and jam with them while they worked. And on my 2007 visit part of my purpose there was to record some 22 fiddle tunes which I did with a couple collaborators on guitar.
So why not travel with the instrument now? Really it comes down to a couple logistical issues, starting with post-9/11 hassles and airline baggage restrictions. For a time in the mid-2000s musicians all over America were complaining that the airlines were, in some cases, forcing them to check their instruments in the cargo hold. Though that era seems thankfully to have passed, more recently the airlines have become very strict about the size and number of carry on bags they allow, and they charge about $25 for each bag over that they require you to check in.
Secondly, my first two trips to Central America in 2008 and 2009 were only two weeks in length. Because of some uncertainty regarding the difficulties of bus travel in the region, and since I anticipated that I wouldn't use my instrument very much--if at all-- I decided then to leave the violin home and travel only with a small backpack and a day bag. This turned out to be the most convenient way to get around, but especially on the airlines and on some of the notorious "chicken" buses (they just keep packing them in like Colonel Sanders) in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and neighboring countries. I have to admit that questions of security also weighed heavily in my mind: would I lose my instrument to forgetfulness (a life-long nightmare of mine)? Even worse, would I lose it to theft? It didn't seem to be worth the risk for trips of such short duration. Yet I also must admit that I felt very strange traveling without my fiddle on those two occasions.
What about this trip now, which is seven weeks long? Well, I'm still dealing with the issues outlined above, but a major difference now is I'm taking a lot more time with this journey, so now the question has reasserted itself. And with my arrival in Perquin, it seems a shame that I won't be able to get to know the villagers and their children by offering up some fine impromptu fiddle music for their entertainment and enjoyment. Music has always been a cross cultural way to break the ice and form some connection with strangers. And that I'm not doing so on this trip is indeed a bit disconcerting for me.
This question certainly will pop up again whenever I decided to take more than a week or two in a given region. I would like to find a way to travel again with a backpack, a day bag, and an instrument, but for the moment I'm glad I don't have to worry about an expensive violin, and how I'm going to transport it safely on the next crowded, rattletrap of a bus I board.
Since we were kids in a growing "Suzuki violin family" I had always traveled with my instrument, whether to Disney World or on other family road trips, but especially to Grandma and Grandpa's. Our parents felt it was important for us to play impromptu concerts for our relatives and friends, but we also had a fairly strict rule in our family: we had to practice every day, even on family vacations, as Shinich Suzuki always urged Suzuki families to do.
As a young adult my fiddle became both my "passport and bank account" as I used my musical skills to earn money for travel, eventually becoming a globetrotting busker in 1980s Western Europe and 1990s Southeast and Northeast Asia.
My instrument and the music I played weren't only a means of earning a living, but also served as a great way to meet people of all stripes--especially other musicans and other buskers who traveled along the same routes that I did. This was a great advantage to me in my globetrotting as well as in life in general. My fiddle has taken me inside many situations which never could have happened without the very fact that I was a working musician, and mostly outside my home element in the United States.
These are some of the reasons I have always traveled with my instrument. But now that I've become a teacher, it's been possible for me to join a world of the ordinary tourist. I think of it as a type of "accidental tourism," to qoute from the novel and movie of that title, because in doing so I felt way outside of my usual element.
When I first started traveling in Latin America in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a couple trips to Mexico, I continued to take my instrument along even if I didn't use it very much. Colonial cities such as Guanajuato or San Luis Potosi were made for the itinerant musician, but I didn't do any busking there, preferring instead to hear Mexican groups in the streets and plazas of those cities.
When I returned to Thailand for visits in 2005 and 2006 I continued to bring the instrument because many of my friends there are musicians and it was always possible to sit in and jam with them while they worked. And on my 2007 visit part of my purpose there was to record some 22 fiddle tunes which I did with a couple collaborators on guitar.
So why not travel with the instrument now? Really it comes down to a couple logistical issues, starting with post-9/11 hassles and airline baggage restrictions. For a time in the mid-2000s musicians all over America were complaining that the airlines were, in some cases, forcing them to check their instruments in the cargo hold. Though that era seems thankfully to have passed, more recently the airlines have become very strict about the size and number of carry on bags they allow, and they charge about $25 for each bag over that they require you to check in.
Secondly, my first two trips to Central America in 2008 and 2009 were only two weeks in length. Because of some uncertainty regarding the difficulties of bus travel in the region, and since I anticipated that I wouldn't use my instrument very much--if at all-- I decided then to leave the violin home and travel only with a small backpack and a day bag. This turned out to be the most convenient way to get around, but especially on the airlines and on some of the notorious "chicken" buses (they just keep packing them in like Colonel Sanders) in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and neighboring countries. I have to admit that questions of security also weighed heavily in my mind: would I lose my instrument to forgetfulness (a life-long nightmare of mine)? Even worse, would I lose it to theft? It didn't seem to be worth the risk for trips of such short duration. Yet I also must admit that I felt very strange traveling without my fiddle on those two occasions.
What about this trip now, which is seven weeks long? Well, I'm still dealing with the issues outlined above, but a major difference now is I'm taking a lot more time with this journey, so now the question has reasserted itself. And with my arrival in Perquin, it seems a shame that I won't be able to get to know the villagers and their children by offering up some fine impromptu fiddle music for their entertainment and enjoyment. Music has always been a cross cultural way to break the ice and form some connection with strangers. And that I'm not doing so on this trip is indeed a bit disconcerting for me.
This question certainly will pop up again whenever I decided to take more than a week or two in a given region. I would like to find a way to travel again with a backpack, a day bag, and an instrument, but for the moment I'm glad I don't have to worry about an expensive violin, and how I'm going to transport it safely on the next crowded, rattletrap of a bus I board.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Projected Itinerary Beyond Perquin
Following Perquin I may re-enter Honduras and travel by back roads to re-visit the Mayan ruins at Copan. This is worth another look for me because this time I will be able to take photos, unlike when I made the journey there in August 2008. Alternatively, I can reach Copan by traveling to the El Salvador/Guatemala border near Esquipulas then cross to Honduras from there.
At that point I anticipate traveling by microbus from Copan to La Antigua de Guatemala, a six hour trip which is the reverse of the one I did in 2008. From Antigua I can make connections to Chichicastenango and other towns further northwest.
That will pretty much wrap things up for me for this round of Central American travel. As of today I have just over three weeks to catch my flight back to the U.S.
At that point I anticipate traveling by microbus from Copan to La Antigua de Guatemala, a six hour trip which is the reverse of the one I did in 2008. From Antigua I can make connections to Chichicastenango and other towns further northwest.
That will pretty much wrap things up for me for this round of Central American travel. As of today I have just over three weeks to catch my flight back to the U.S.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Nica´s One of My Favorites
Leon is a premier destination for me on this trip, but I gotta admit that Nicaragua itself is a prime destination for me.
With all due respect to my Costa Rican Suzuki mother and her beautiful country and people, I have to declare that Nicaragua might be my favorite Central American country. However, I´m not sure I can explain why. There´s something about it I immediately notice once I´m past the formalities and on a bus moving toward my destination, but as I write this I´m still trying to put my finger on it.
It´s not only that Nicaragua, compared to Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras, seems so much less menacing, though that truly seems to be the case. Lonely Planet claims El Salvador has 16,000 shotgun-toting private security guards, and it´s clear that Nicaragua is not nearly as obsessed with basic security as the other countries I´ve mentioned.
And like the others, in Nicaragua there is poverty, broken infrastructure and the usual political conflict and controversy.
Yet it seems that Nicaragua has better tourist facilities and more features for ordinary joes like me. For example, I love a good cup of coffee, and El Salvador was almost completely horrible for getting one. Nearly every day last week I struggled in the morning just to feel awake with the muddy water that passes for coffee in that country. But in Leon I´ve counted at least three espresso shops so far and I´m sure there are more. The infrastructure here is already set up to get me moving on a daily basis.
In El Salvador at least so far there are very few entrepreneurs stepping up to provide guiding and other services to places like Volcan de San Miguel. As the Lonely Planet points out, if you want to go there you have to do all the legwork yourself. But here in Leon, there are plenty of businesses geared toward meeting the needs of the foreign visitor.
I´m not saying that espresso shops or guide services make it for me. El Salvador is a fascinating place with very hardworking people who generally are quite welcoming to foreigners, and I still want to swing back there to visit Perquin on my way back north. But I gotta say the Salvadoreans have a lousy cup of coffee, and after 10 days that´s wearing for me, on top of all the usual chores I have to do just to get around and be around in safety.
Here in Leon and other Nicaraguan towns I feel there are many people in a nascent tourist industry who care about what I need, about where I want to go, and about how I might get there. At the same time the local scene isn´t spoiled to the point where the visitor feels any pressure to kick up bucks to an industry. Most importantly, the security situation here doesn´t feel nearly as ¨edgy¨ as in other places in the region. Altogether that´s a most basic definition of hospitality, and my impression is the Nicaraguans have it in spades.
With all due respect to my Costa Rican Suzuki mother and her beautiful country and people, I have to declare that Nicaragua might be my favorite Central American country. However, I´m not sure I can explain why. There´s something about it I immediately notice once I´m past the formalities and on a bus moving toward my destination, but as I write this I´m still trying to put my finger on it.
It´s not only that Nicaragua, compared to Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras, seems so much less menacing, though that truly seems to be the case. Lonely Planet claims El Salvador has 16,000 shotgun-toting private security guards, and it´s clear that Nicaragua is not nearly as obsessed with basic security as the other countries I´ve mentioned.
And like the others, in Nicaragua there is poverty, broken infrastructure and the usual political conflict and controversy.
Yet it seems that Nicaragua has better tourist facilities and more features for ordinary joes like me. For example, I love a good cup of coffee, and El Salvador was almost completely horrible for getting one. Nearly every day last week I struggled in the morning just to feel awake with the muddy water that passes for coffee in that country. But in Leon I´ve counted at least three espresso shops so far and I´m sure there are more. The infrastructure here is already set up to get me moving on a daily basis.
In El Salvador at least so far there are very few entrepreneurs stepping up to provide guiding and other services to places like Volcan de San Miguel. As the Lonely Planet points out, if you want to go there you have to do all the legwork yourself. But here in Leon, there are plenty of businesses geared toward meeting the needs of the foreign visitor.
I´m not saying that espresso shops or guide services make it for me. El Salvador is a fascinating place with very hardworking people who generally are quite welcoming to foreigners, and I still want to swing back there to visit Perquin on my way back north. But I gotta say the Salvadoreans have a lousy cup of coffee, and after 10 days that´s wearing for me, on top of all the usual chores I have to do just to get around and be around in safety.
Here in Leon and other Nicaraguan towns I feel there are many people in a nascent tourist industry who care about what I need, about where I want to go, and about how I might get there. At the same time the local scene isn´t spoiled to the point where the visitor feels any pressure to kick up bucks to an industry. Most importantly, the security situation here doesn´t feel nearly as ¨edgy¨ as in other places in the region. Altogether that´s a most basic definition of hospitality, and my impression is the Nicaraguans have it in spades.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Grilled Meat--Made for Wisconsinites!
I tell people I´m from Wisconsin--often they know someone who lives in Milwaukee or someplace else in the dairy state. And so I tell them that Wisconsin people like to eat grilled meat, which they do very well here.
Last night I had an excellent meal of grilled beef & sausage with the usual staples: refried beans, tomatos, cheese, avocado & tortillas. The tortillas they make here are smaller but thicker than what you find in Mexico or Guatemala--just two of them were enough with all the other grub that came with it.
They love their fried breakfasts here, too--eggs many styles and all the extras that go with it. But maybe my favorite meal is the big lunch (the main meal in these parts), usually featuring soup and choice of meat with rice, beans, salad, juice or coffee (and sometimes dessert). Expect to pay $4 to $6 for a great feed in this part of the world! Yum. . .
Last night I had an excellent meal of grilled beef & sausage with the usual staples: refried beans, tomatos, cheese, avocado & tortillas. The tortillas they make here are smaller but thicker than what you find in Mexico or Guatemala--just two of them were enough with all the other grub that came with it.
They love their fried breakfasts here, too--eggs many styles and all the extras that go with it. But maybe my favorite meal is the big lunch (the main meal in these parts), usually featuring soup and choice of meat with rice, beans, salad, juice or coffee (and sometimes dessert). Expect to pay $4 to $6 for a great feed in this part of the world! Yum. . .
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tropical Storm Agatha Devastates Guatemala
Check out the link to the upper right for some facts on the recent storm in Central America which hit Guatemala particularly hard, leaving at least 145 dead, 53 missing, and more than 100,000 homeless. Tropical Storm Agatha was the first major storm of the season and it also hit southern Mexico and the area of El Salvador where I´m writing this now.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Ahuachapan, El Salvador (Day 8)
The news was fairly grim today in Guatemala as flooding, mudslides & roadside avalanches were reported all over the country this past weekend. Although my Spanish is extremely lame I was able to catch the gist of things on the TV news and so discovered that damage wasn`t limited to the poor village of Los Esclavos but was even worse in areas near Lake Atitlan. I am told that up to 80 people were killed nationwide but I haven`t confirmed that from news sources.
This morning I caught a ride south toward El Salvador with some water engineers who were on their way to a town about halfway to the border on business. The older of the two spoke some English and he was the one who told me of the fatalities. I don`t usually hitchhike in Latin America but I have experience at it in Europe and Southeast Asia. These guys were leaving at the same time I was from the hotel. Hitching can be a good way to get around if you`re friendly but cautious.
The Guatemala-El Salvador frontier is one of the easier ones in the region because by treaty the Guatemala 90 immigration stamp is also good for El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua. A couple of short bus rides late this morning and I was quickly over the border and at my destination, Ahuachapan. The cheap hotel I was looking for has gone out of business--oh well! But I found another place, just a little more expensive, that will do just fine.
El Salvador has dollarized its economy--greenbacks are the legal tender here which is good since I have some cash dollars and am uncertain still about my ability to get cash from my account at home. One of my first chores here today is to check the ATMs.
This morning I caught a ride south toward El Salvador with some water engineers who were on their way to a town about halfway to the border on business. The older of the two spoke some English and he was the one who told me of the fatalities. I don`t usually hitchhike in Latin America but I have experience at it in Europe and Southeast Asia. These guys were leaving at the same time I was from the hotel. Hitching can be a good way to get around if you`re friendly but cautious.
The Guatemala-El Salvador frontier is one of the easier ones in the region because by treaty the Guatemala 90 immigration stamp is also good for El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua. A couple of short bus rides late this morning and I was quickly over the border and at my destination, Ahuachapan. The cheap hotel I was looking for has gone out of business--oh well! But I found another place, just a little more expensive, that will do just fine.
El Salvador has dollarized its economy--greenbacks are the legal tender here which is good since I have some cash dollars and am uncertain still about my ability to get cash from my account at home. One of my first chores here today is to check the ATMs.
Sun May 30 Los Esclavos (Day 7)
So I take another day here in this quiet & beautiful corner of the world but I`m really not in any hurry (unless I`m in a hurry to get to Merida, Venezuela). Saturday was impossible because of the rain & I had to wait longer for some laundry I`d sent out--clothesline in the wind is still their primary dryer in this part of the world.
Then I`ve been vexed by what`s turning into a major annoyance with my bank during what happens to be a three day weekend in the States. I cannot call them til Tuesday; meanwhile do I stay in Guatemala to do that or should I soldier onward & see about it in El Salvador?
Finally the local area has experienced a natural disaster--if not of epic proportions, then it`s been enough for crowds of local Sunday tourists to stream in all day long to rubberneck like me. Although at least three houses were badly damaged or destroyed, I am not aware of any injuries or loss of life. Most places in the area, including my hotel, still have electricity--although the owner told me the telephone is out & now he has to accept credit cards manually, the old fashioned way, with carbon copied slips. Remember those?
Some local people are busy cleaning up at the stone bridge, which was partly damaged last night. By the ferocity of this roaring muddy, swollen river I`m amazed that the whole bridge wasn`t swept away. The guilt-plagued "wealthy" Western tourist in me wants to help them if I can, but the pragmatist in me says I don´t have appropriate footwear for the task. These people are wearing rubber boots or real shoes.
Then I`ve been vexed by what`s turning into a major annoyance with my bank during what happens to be a three day weekend in the States. I cannot call them til Tuesday; meanwhile do I stay in Guatemala to do that or should I soldier onward & see about it in El Salvador?
Finally the local area has experienced a natural disaster--if not of epic proportions, then it`s been enough for crowds of local Sunday tourists to stream in all day long to rubberneck like me. Although at least three houses were badly damaged or destroyed, I am not aware of any injuries or loss of life. Most places in the area, including my hotel, still have electricity--although the owner told me the telephone is out & now he has to accept credit cards manually, the old fashioned way, with carbon copied slips. Remember those?
Some local people are busy cleaning up at the stone bridge, which was partly damaged last night. By the ferocity of this roaring muddy, swollen river I`m amazed that the whole bridge wasn`t swept away. The guilt-plagued "wealthy" Western tourist in me wants to help them if I can, but the pragmatist in me says I don´t have appropriate footwear for the task. These people are wearing rubber boots or real shoes.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Los Esclavos in the National News (Day 7)
Well, there`s plenty of excitement here today with Los Esclavos on national TV, and the locals are gathering at the bridges to check out the devastation caused by yesterday`s rains--which never really let up until early this morning.
Rains, flooding, and mudslides took out a number of trees and sections of a road in the village down by the old stone bridge and power plant. These in turn pulled down several electric lines and poles, which did further damage to homes nearby. The police and ambulances are here, as is the electric company--and everybody from the village.
The scene has also drawn gawkers from Cuilapa and other nearby settlements. Many of these people have come to take photos and to telephone their friends and relatives. A couple of them have professional looking cameras, so I take them for local media.
I also took some photos but I`m still unable to upload to this site. I hope to be able to do so sometime in the not-too-distant future.
I should be leaving for the border today but the excitement has caused some delay in those plans. And for the record, I still can`t get cash from the ATMs!
Rains, flooding, and mudslides took out a number of trees and sections of a road in the village down by the old stone bridge and power plant. These in turn pulled down several electric lines and poles, which did further damage to homes nearby. The police and ambulances are here, as is the electric company--and everybody from the village.
The scene has also drawn gawkers from Cuilapa and other nearby settlements. Many of these people have come to take photos and to telephone their friends and relatives. A couple of them have professional looking cameras, so I take them for local media.
I also took some photos but I`m still unable to upload to this site. I hope to be able to do so sometime in the not-too-distant future.
I should be leaving for the border today but the excitement has caused some delay in those plans. And for the record, I still can`t get cash from the ATMs!
Sat May 29 (Day 6) & the Rains
When it rains it pours! And it`s really coming down today. I took advantage of a brief lull & grabbed a bus into town so I could check the ATMs again. I still can`t get cash from my account, though I`m still able to use the card for debit/credit. This is very inconvenient long term because I have only a limited amount of cash dollars which are a hassle to change and which I need to preserve for emergencies. I can last a few days but I hope I don´t have to call the bank.
The rain is so relentless today that I really didn`t feel like dealing with any travel at all, but I took advantage of the time to research the next leg or two. One option, which I`ve just about rejected, is to make my way to Guatemala`s nearby Pacific coast. The town of Monterrico in the coastal preserve Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii looks kind of interesting for the turtle sanctuary but the hatching season doesn`t start til June. Meanwhile the guidebooks tell me that Guatemala`s Pacific beach towns are either run down or sleazy (or both). Much more interesting would be the stretch of beach towns just west of La Libertad in El Salvador. Apparently this little corner of Central America has some of the best surfing in the world--and lessons for $10!
Tomorrow, rain or shine, I think I`ll make straight for the El Salvador border and then to Ahuachapan, a pleasant colonial city I visited in 2008. This town is close to a couple Mayan ruins sites & some little-touristed mountain villages in El Salvador`s western coffee plantation region. From there I can visit the beaches then proceed to the capital San Salvador & points beyond.
The rain is so relentless today that I really didn`t feel like dealing with any travel at all, but I took advantage of the time to research the next leg or two. One option, which I`ve just about rejected, is to make my way to Guatemala`s nearby Pacific coast. The town of Monterrico in the coastal preserve Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii looks kind of interesting for the turtle sanctuary but the hatching season doesn`t start til June. Meanwhile the guidebooks tell me that Guatemala`s Pacific beach towns are either run down or sleazy (or both). Much more interesting would be the stretch of beach towns just west of La Libertad in El Salvador. Apparently this little corner of Central America has some of the best surfing in the world--and lessons for $10!
Tomorrow, rain or shine, I think I`ll make straight for the El Salvador border and then to Ahuachapan, a pleasant colonial city I visited in 2008. This town is close to a couple Mayan ruins sites & some little-touristed mountain villages in El Salvador`s western coffee plantation region. From there I can visit the beaches then proceed to the capital San Salvador & points beyond.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Days 4 & 5 in Los Esclavos
Yesterday I opted for the relatively short journey from the capital south to Cuilapa so now will save Antigua and points north for a later date.
I´m revisiting the fine Hotel Turiscentro Los Esclavos which has an excellent restaurant and very good rooms for about $16 per night--the off season rate--and is only a five minute walk from the famous old stone bridge which I walked across today.
It´s definitely off season here because the rainy season has arrived with a vengeance. Last night it poured almost non-stop and today it´s been on & off all day. And it´s so quiet around here I suspect I might be the only guest in the hotel.
The restaurant is another matter though. It´s obviously very popular with the local road traffic on this portion of the Pan-American Highway. Yesterday´s lunch crowd was large and this morning´s breakfast crowd was even larger, and the parking lot was full. This afternoon, however, I had the swimming pool just outside my door all to myself--if I´d wanted it. . .
Despite the rains, it´s very beautiful around here with lush, green jungle covered foothills and a couple standout volcanos nearby. The muddy brown river races in the gorge below the bridges after passing through a small hydroelectric dam and power plant.
I´m cooling my heels a bit because today I was unable to access cash from the ATMs in Cuilapa and hope this electronic inconvenience is only a temporary annoyance and not some problem with the bank at home.
But at least I´ve started on my journey: looks like I´ll proceed to the El Salvador frontier in a day or two then see how my itinerary might progress from there.
I´m revisiting the fine Hotel Turiscentro Los Esclavos which has an excellent restaurant and very good rooms for about $16 per night--the off season rate--and is only a five minute walk from the famous old stone bridge which I walked across today.
It´s definitely off season here because the rainy season has arrived with a vengeance. Last night it poured almost non-stop and today it´s been on & off all day. And it´s so quiet around here I suspect I might be the only guest in the hotel.
The restaurant is another matter though. It´s obviously very popular with the local road traffic on this portion of the Pan-American Highway. Yesterday´s lunch crowd was large and this morning´s breakfast crowd was even larger, and the parking lot was full. This afternoon, however, I had the swimming pool just outside my door all to myself--if I´d wanted it. . .
Despite the rains, it´s very beautiful around here with lush, green jungle covered foothills and a couple standout volcanos nearby. The muddy brown river races in the gorge below the bridges after passing through a small hydroelectric dam and power plant.
I´m cooling my heels a bit because today I was unable to access cash from the ATMs in Cuilapa and hope this electronic inconvenience is only a temporary annoyance and not some problem with the bank at home.
But at least I´ve started on my journey: looks like I´ll proceed to the El Salvador frontier in a day or two then see how my itinerary might progress from there.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Los Escalvos Stone Bridge in Cuilapa
Just a couple miles south of the town of Cuilapa is the resort hotel Turiscentro Los Esclavos where I stayed for a few days in August 2008. For $25 per night you get a first class class room next to a swimming pool and an excellent restaurant featuring typical Guatemalan food for very reasonable prices. If I decide to bite the bullet and begin my journey south to El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua, then Cuilapa would be a great place to stop for some ease, luxury & comfort before I hit the harder road ahead.
Cuilapa doesn´t have very much to offer apart from the surrounding natural beauty of the mountains and Los Escalvos River valley. Just nearby is a 16th century stone bridge, remarkably preserved, over that river which is named for The Slaves.
I´ve posted a random link to the Los Esclavos bridge on the upper right hand side of this page. Check it out. . .
Cuilapa doesn´t have very much to offer apart from the surrounding natural beauty of the mountains and Los Escalvos River valley. Just nearby is a 16th century stone bridge, remarkably preserved, over that river which is named for The Slaves.
I´ve posted a random link to the Los Esclavos bridge on the upper right hand side of this page. Check it out. . .
Cuilapa & Points Southeast or Antigua & Northwest?
I´m stuck here ´cause I can´t make up my mind about the basic direction of my travels. Should I head south/southeast so I can get started immediately on an itinerary leading to Costa Rica, Panama & Venezuela? Or should I go revisit beautiful colonial Antigua de Guatemala--just an hour from here--where there is good tourist infrastructure and from where I can continue my travels further into Guatemala's interior?
If it´s the latter, then I should plan on a visit to the famous market town of Chichicastenango, only 2-3 hours by bus from Antigua, where my aunt´s church in Wisconsin has its sister church in Guatemala.
Logistics dictate that if I want to visit the large Mayan site in Tikal, then organizing the trip from Antigua makes a lot of sense.
Cuilapa, about 50 miles southeast of the capital, is a small town I visited in 2008. There´s not much there except a fine resort-type hotel with an excellent restaurant where I stayed for a couple days on my way back home that year.
No, I´m not here to do resort travel, but this place has great value, as I recall, with almost luxurious rooms for $25 or so. Sounds good, doesn´t it? But there´s virtually no tourist infrastructure for planning other legs of the journey. From Cuilapa there´s really only one place to go: El Salvador.
The fact is, the capital city isn´t much to write home about. I needed a few days to get my bearings, set up the blog, finish some other business, and get plenty of good food and rest for the next leg of my journey. So now, on Day 3, it´s time to make a move.
Yet my basic predicament remains: should I head south immediately, or chill out for a bit nearby? And where´s the bus station for Antigua buses?!
If it´s the latter, then I should plan on a visit to the famous market town of Chichicastenango, only 2-3 hours by bus from Antigua, where my aunt´s church in Wisconsin has its sister church in Guatemala.
Logistics dictate that if I want to visit the large Mayan site in Tikal, then organizing the trip from Antigua makes a lot of sense.
Cuilapa, about 50 miles southeast of the capital, is a small town I visited in 2008. There´s not much there except a fine resort-type hotel with an excellent restaurant where I stayed for a couple days on my way back home that year.
No, I´m not here to do resort travel, but this place has great value, as I recall, with almost luxurious rooms for $25 or so. Sounds good, doesn´t it? But there´s virtually no tourist infrastructure for planning other legs of the journey. From Cuilapa there´s really only one place to go: El Salvador.
The fact is, the capital city isn´t much to write home about. I needed a few days to get my bearings, set up the blog, finish some other business, and get plenty of good food and rest for the next leg of my journey. So now, on Day 3, it´s time to make a move.
Yet my basic predicament remains: should I head south immediately, or chill out for a bit nearby? And where´s the bus station for Antigua buses?!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
As the Sun Goes Down I Follow the Locals
In the tropics people start their day pretty early, and their day tends to end earlier too, as it basically following the progress of the sun.
There are many good reasons for this, especially on travel days when I like to get a bus to my destination between 7-9 a.m. in order to arrive at the next town & get settled before it gets too hot in the afternoon.
And though I used to be a night owl when I was a journeyman musician working the bars & clubs, these days I'm not at all into the nightlife scene when I'm at home or on the road. When I'm traveling it definitely helps keep the budget balanced if I'm not spending very much on drinks & nightclubbing.
At sundown people here head home, and all over the city the gates are coming down--not just on businesses & restaurants but on the one & two star hotels where I hang my hat, and the gates are coming down on people's homes too.
Given that most guidebooks advise foreigners to avoid walking the streets after dark and to take taxis everywhere (for even a short trip to the wealthy Zona 10 from the hotel in my less-wealthy Zona 9--just a ten minute walk--it is recommended that you take a taxi), I tend to follow the locals when in Rome. So here in GC after dark I prepare to take an evening meal somewhere nearby and pretty much call it a day after that.
There are many good reasons for this, especially on travel days when I like to get a bus to my destination between 7-9 a.m. in order to arrive at the next town & get settled before it gets too hot in the afternoon.
And though I used to be a night owl when I was a journeyman musician working the bars & clubs, these days I'm not at all into the nightlife scene when I'm at home or on the road. When I'm traveling it definitely helps keep the budget balanced if I'm not spending very much on drinks & nightclubbing.
At sundown people here head home, and all over the city the gates are coming down--not just on businesses & restaurants but on the one & two star hotels where I hang my hat, and the gates are coming down on people's homes too.
Given that most guidebooks advise foreigners to avoid walking the streets after dark and to take taxis everywhere (for even a short trip to the wealthy Zona 10 from the hotel in my less-wealthy Zona 9--just a ten minute walk--it is recommended that you take a taxi), I tend to follow the locals when in Rome. So here in GC after dark I prepare to take an evening meal somewhere nearby and pretty much call it a day after that.
Great Place for a James Bond Movie Chase
The Lonely Planet´s 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences Guide lists Guatemala City among the ten best cities in the world to film a James Bond-style movie chase scene.
I think I know what they're saying if they mean this city's perfect backdrop for it includes the horrendous traffic and the wide variety of motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks & buses; the gridlocked grid system of numbered squalid streets & wide photogenic avenues; the modern skyscrapers next door to the two story shacks; the hustle & bustle of the Mercado Central with its shoe shine boys, CD peddlers, street food stalls, and beggars; the armed guards at the entrances of not only banks & jewelry stores but also most businesses, higher end restaurants, and even supermarkets; similarly armed guards literally "riding shotgun" in every delivery van to discourage old-fashioned highway robbery; fat cats & their entourages who exude wealth & power on the street as you've never seen it in a rich country like America while the vast majority of ordinary people--indigenous and mestizo alike--go about their ordinary, difficult everyday lives.
I think I know what they're saying if they mean this city's perfect backdrop for it includes the horrendous traffic and the wide variety of motorcycles, cars, vans, trucks & buses; the gridlocked grid system of numbered squalid streets & wide photogenic avenues; the modern skyscrapers next door to the two story shacks; the hustle & bustle of the Mercado Central with its shoe shine boys, CD peddlers, street food stalls, and beggars; the armed guards at the entrances of not only banks & jewelry stores but also most businesses, higher end restaurants, and even supermarkets; similarly armed guards literally "riding shotgun" in every delivery van to discourage old-fashioned highway robbery; fat cats & their entourages who exude wealth & power on the street as you've never seen it in a rich country like America while the vast majority of ordinary people--indigenous and mestizo alike--go about their ordinary, difficult everyday lives.
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