Summing it up in Antigua (Day 51)

Having just passed seven weeks on the road in Central America and now having only two days left in Guatemala before I return home this Thursday, I find myself cooling my heels in Antigua--I've run a bit over budget this week--and mentally summing up my journey.

My trip was successful in many ways.  First, and most importantly, I allowed myself enough time to get truly immersed in the local culture.  Though my original, vague goal of reaching beautiful Merida, Venezuela via Costa Rica and Panama was probably unrealistic given my penchant for taking things slowly and my unwillingness to spend more than four hours in a bus on any given day, I did achieve an important secondary goal of visiting several new places--notably Leon (Nicaragua), Perquin (El Salvador), Chichicastenango (Guatemala), and the beautiful countryside of the Ruta de Lenca in western Honduras (Los Cipreses, Marcala, La Esperanza, Gracias, and Santa Rosa de Copan).  Also new for me were my brief stops on the Pacific coasts of both El Salvador and Nicaragua.

It was very important for me to give this trip a lot of time.  My initial trips here in 2008 and 2009 were too brief--and too rushed--for me to do much more than take a quick glance at a region I'd found I liked at least as much as Southeast Asia--if not more so.  One of the joys of traveling in Central America is the geographical fact that all these countries are very small, so the backpacking tourist can cover quite a lot of ground in relatively little time.  Despite their size, however, these countries together boast an incredible diversity of peoples, languages, food, climates, and geographical features such as mountains, volcanos, cowboy countryside, beaches, two very different sea or ocean coasts, and numerous lakes--from the huge Lake Nicaragua to the large Lake Atitlan in Guatemala--and numerous smaller lakes and rivers between. 

Secondly, once I'd postponed the Costa Rica leg of my journey, that opened up the possibility for revisits of Copan Ruinas (Honduras) and Antigua (Guatemala) this past week.  Despite the fact that they were second time visits for me, they definitely remain highlights of this trip since I was able to capture hundreds of images of these beautiful places on my "photography mission."

My photography mission itself was a third important goal  for me.  I was able to take the time I needed to seek out and note photo subjects, mostly of city/town/village buildings and streets, and return later to take photos as unobtrusively as possible.  There were three main reasons for this approach.

First, up until this time I had almost no experience taking hundreds of digital photos, so I considered this to be a learning experience for me.  Early in my trip I didn't take very many photos at all, preferring instead to get the lie of the land.  Later, after I'd become more sure of myself, I began to shoot much more, but with a strong emphasis on experimentation with light, shadow, composition, and subject.  My aim here was to try to improve my skills shooting pictures with the modern equivilent of the old "instamatic".

Second, I didn't want to make myself a target for beggars and hustlers, or worse, thieves and muggers, by walking all over the place with a camera around my neck.  Whenever I did shoot photos, usually I kept the camera in my shirt pocket or in my daybag until I found a likely subject.

Third, when it comes to photographing people, it pays to be discreet, especially in this region.  Guatemalans in particular (but this goes for people all over the world) don't appreciate foreigners taking photos of them without permission.  Consequently, I was very careful not to be too aggressive with the lens.  Since I had almost no experience shooting candid photos of people, I was particularly careful to tread that path cautiously.  I have probably improved a little bit in this area.  But readers will notice that--once I get my photos posted--there aren't very many good photos of people apart from some typical street scenes.

Another important goal I achieved with this trip was the establishment of a credible travel blog which I can continue to build in the months and years to come.  Committing myself to writing something almost daily was important in that it kept me on my toes, forcing me to wander--not aimlessly as I might have done two decades ago--but with some specific destinations in mind, always remembering that I had to be loyal to a readership (no matter how modest).  This helped me to focus everyday on seeing things with a writer's eye.  Everyday became a different story for me, and the challenge was to try to improve at creating a daily story that would be compelling to the general reader.  I'm not sure how well I succeeded in that, but I think I've definitely made a good start.

Gracias a Dios! Another Highlight. . .

After two nights in Gracias I feel the pull of its magnetic charm sucking me into itself with the plea:  stay here for at least another night!  This place is making me want to stick around nearly as much as Leon captured me this year and Granada/San Juan del Sur did in 2009.

According to legend the founder of Gracias, a 16th century conquistador, struggled his way through the rugged country of the region looking for a suitable site to build a Central American capital city.  When at last he stumbled upon this relatively level but small valley, he is said to have fallen to his knees crying:  "Gracias a Dios!  Finally some flat land!"

Its attributes were immediately apparent to me once I was checked into my room at the Guancascos.  My room is on the top level of a multilevel edifice built into a high hill overlooking the entire town.  The terrace outside my door therefore offers one of the most stunning private views in the area.  Rocky forested hills surround us but in stark contrast to the typical hot and dusty towns of western Honduras, this place is enveloped in multiple hues of green foliage. 

The hotel--maybe the finest in town--is owned and managed by an expatriate Dutch woman, Frony, who oversees a capable staff of locals who run the good restaurant (with excellent local coffee) and keep the place beautifully clean.  At around $20 nightly, this place is one of the best values I've encountered on a six week journey of hotels which runs the complete gamut.  I believe most of my readers will not blame me for feeling that another late afternoon with a cold drink on "my" terrace as the sun goes down, enjoying the beauty of this place, is definitely in the cards.

On the recommendation of Rachel, the intern I met in Marcala, I ate at the restaurant of the Posada de Don Juan where I ate a sopa de tortilla that absolutely was to die for.   (A common regional dish, sopa de tortilla has a curry-type soup base with fresh cheese, avocado, and baked tortilla chips--like Doritos without the MSG.)

The town has the usual cathedral, in this case a small colonial structure, and a well-kept parque central plus a couple very good supermarkets as well as the usual bustling local markets and dusty bus terminals.  Despite the obvious signs of poverty in some of the residents (my post yesterday was partly inspired by the unusually high number of beggars I've bumped into here) there are also unmistakable signs of prosperity, notably in the many young people.  Perhaps this bodes well for the area's future.

A somewhat unusual feature of this beautiful little town is the 19th century castle which is perched even higher than my hotel and has absolutely stunning views for miles around.  In the cool interior of the castle are informative placards in Spanish and English, one of which tells us that the local kids grow up playing here and "many fall in love here."  This confirmed my initial impression that the site has all the best characteristics of a lovers' lane. 

The foreigners one meets here are mostly young volunteers of various NGOs and of the Peace Corps which, in Honduras, has its largest delegation (of about 260) of any other country in the world.  But here and there one can meet other backpacking tourists like me.  It's well worth the effort it takes to get to this remote settlement--which maybe is yet another good reason for me not to push onward too quickly.  Of course, the longer I stay here the more remote my chances of getting to Chichicastenango, at least this year.

I have eleven days to get to Guatemala City for my return flight home.

In Gracias!

I had a pleasant surprise today when I found that the road from La Esperanza to Gracias is paved nearly all the way, cutting an anticipated four hour trip down to three.  The 25 mile stretch from La Esperanza to the halfway point San Juan was so new that the painted lane markers couldn't have been more than a week old.  For the locals this must make their lives a bit easier, at least for getting around more conveniently.  And it occurred to me that with this new road, the area suddenly goes from being very underdeveloped, to having one of the best roads in all of Central America--a "first world" perk!

I'm realizing now that my Lonely Planet guide definitely needs an updated edition, at least for this part of Honduras, since their stated travel times around are no longer valid.  And whereas three or four years ago, when my edition of LP's Central America on a Shoestring was published, there were no hotels in San Juan, today I counted three as we passed through.

How quickly things can change, even in a very impoverished place like western Honduras.

Gracias is a lovely town but much hotter than in La Esperanza.  I'm staying at an excellent place, the Hotel Guancascos, which is perched on a hill overlooking the town and features a large terrace restaurant.  I will stay here for at least two nights which will take me to Sunday July Fourth.  I now have just a little less than two weeks--about 12 days--to get back to Guatemala City.

La Esperanza

There were no rains today and the sun came out for first time in many days, so the bumpy road was relatively dry and hazard free all the way to La Esperanza.  The Lonely Planet tells me that this town of 6000 is the "highest in Honduras" so I expect the weather to be chilly tonight.

Despite the fact that this town is smaller than Marcala, it seems to be more prosperous.  Some of the streets are recently paved and there are a number of thriving markets here.  And while there's a wider choice of ATMs,  also there are many more hotels here than in Marcala.  The reality of that fact seems to have driven the average room price down to around $12, which I will pay tonight.

Still there is a sense here of being almost completely outside the "civilized" world.  On the Marcala-La Esperanza road there was nothing but high pine forest and a winding dirt road with almost no settlement between points.  I had a bit of a secret thrill when I caught a ride in a micro with a woman driver--highly unusual in Central America.  At the end of the journey I thanked and complimented her with my kindergarten Spanish:  "Usted tienes el poder de mujer!"  You have the power of woman! (for which I was rewarded with a hearty laugh).

Although I'll be comfortable here tonight, tomorrow's leg promises to be a bit wearing:  it's four hours by bus to my next destination, the old colonial capital of Gracias.  Between here and there is the town of San Juan which has no proper hotels, but my trusty LP says I can get a $4 per night homestay if I decide to stop.