Writing a concise recap of a 38-day journey in any country is not an easy task. To capture the essence of my Guatemalan experience became particularly challenging when I liked every aspect of my experience. I have viewed the set of over 750 photos at least three times to try to select certain topics to expand on but to no avail. So I will just deploy a more long-winded chronological approach.
Instead of starting my Guatemalan journey in the capital like I normally would, I arrived in Livingston late November in the hope of attending the Annual Garifuna Festival. Unlike the other parades that I attended in Canada, I was part of this parade. It was definitely a lot more fun dancing with the people than just watching the parade.
Then the next unusual thing happened when I was staying in an eco-lodge on the river, Rio Dulce. After a night of heavy downpour, I went down early next morning to the dock to see if I could take some photos of the freshly replenished river. I saw what I thought was a river monster in the form of an over-sized snake. As I found out later, I actually sighted the elusive manatee at a close range.
My visit to Tikal would have been a standard, touristy affair if it weren’t for the fact that I got lost, trying to find the Group G Temples after a 4-hour guided tour. Even though most of the paths are paved, the distance from a group of structures to the next could be far. On that day, there was a triathlon in the national park. One of the tri-athletes ripped off a map from his tank top, and unexpectedly gave me the most unique souvenir.
When I headed off to Semuc Champey from Flores, I had no reservation for accommodation because I was in a hotel with no wifi in Santa Elena. On my way there, I met a group of young tourists and decided to tag along. I got lucky because the hostel that we stayed in is right outside the entrance of the national park and the setting is absolutely idyllic. It rained most of the night but I managed to crawl up to the peak the next morning to take pictures of the world-renown limestone pools. I rewarded myself with a cup of hot chocolate that was produced by the local kids at high tea.
Another amazing thing happened in Coban. I checked into a beautiful little hotel that is just half a block from the main square. My young friends from Semuc were raving about Antigua and said they could have stayed there the whole time instead. But I wanted to take a more unbeaten path and visit Huehuetenango in the west. I went down to the bus station where the luxury buses were parked only to find out that I would have to take a minibus in the early hours the next morning in the city square.
In Huehuetenango, I attended an open-air mass in the main square, visited a nearby Mayan ruins site and witnessed the burning of the devil on December 7th. I was glad that I made an effort to go to Huehue because I saw extraordinary landscapes. It was funny to see a shepherd girl with her flock waiting in front of a traffic light.
Lonely Planet has labelled Quetzaltenango (a.k.a. Xela) as the most perfect city in Guatemala. Well, it could well be for the large number of Gringos living there. There are several big box stores on the perimeter of the city. In addition, there are neighbourhood markets sprawling all over the city. Somehow the mixture of colonial buildings, Renaissance structures, modern stores and cobble stone streets blended quite well together. The highlights of my stay in Xela were actually a visit to Fuentes Georgina in Zunil and a day trip to San Marcos near the Mexican border.
Lake Atitlan took my breath away from the first glimpse. I based myself in Panajachel and visited several villages around the lake. Shopping and people-watching were my main activities at the lake. Lake Atitlan is one of the few places where traditional ways of life are prevalent. The residents prefer to carry their goods in a basin on their heads. Riding on the back of a pick-up truck is the public transportation norm.
Chichicastenango is about 1½ hour drive away from Panajachel by shuttle but it would take 2½ hours by chicken buses with 2 transfers. I went there on a Sunday. Their Sunday market is the largest in Central America. What really astounded me was how the locals worshipped Christian deity and saints in an indigenous way. Candles were placed in the aisles of the church. Incense was burnt as worshippers chant prayers in their mother tongue outside the church. Their cemetery is even more colourful than the houses for the living.
There are two ways of getting to Monterrico from places north of the village. I entered into Monterrico by way of a slow boat through the mangrove from La Avellana and exited via Iztapa on a highway four days later. One of my young friends from Semuc recommended Monterrico to me. I thought perhaps I should since Monterrico is a vacation spot on the Pacific coast and it would provide a change of scenery. It did give me a chance to take a break after two months of constantly on the move.
My last stop was La Antigua. This former capital city wowed me with its attention to details. Several people told me that it has the most beautiful McDonald’s restaurant in the world. And yes, it does. The city has put in so much effort to hide modern commercialism from sight. There are supermarkets, electronic stores, auto repair shops, etc. in the city but the signs are mostly inconspicuous. Tourists would just see the small grocery stores, ice cream parlours, bakeries, clothing shops and things you would find in an old small town. Flowers are planted everywhere even amongst the ruins and the streets are very clean.
Guatemala City is about an hour bus ride away from La Antigua. It is a modern city with many suburbs. I made two day trips to the city mainly to visit the city centre and the museums there. By coincidence, I was there on the last Sunday in 2014 and attended mass in the main cathedral. The Sunday market outside the cathedral was mostly a clothing market. Many people were buying new clothes for the new year that day, and the mood of the city was joyous.
My last day trip was a multi-destination one. I visited San Andres Iztapa in the morning. After lunch, I visited Tecpan and Iximche ruins. I managed to purchase a hand woven traditional skirt before vendors packed away their merchandise for the day. For weeks, I had been looking for a skirt to match the blouse that I bought in Chichicastenango. The villages around Lake Atitlan favoured blues and purples. Fortunately, Tecpan, like Chichi, favoured reds and oranges. I happened to stumble upon the right tribal colours at the very last minute.
If I could choose only one word to describe my Guatemalan experience, it would have to be “AUTHENTIC”. I ate mostly local food, travelled in chicken buses and pick-ups, shopped in local markets, and even was dressed in traditional Guatemalan clothing on New Year‘s Day.
May God protect this unique country and keep its genuine, loving people safe.
Instead of starting my Guatemalan journey in the capital like I normally would, I arrived in Livingston late November in the hope of attending the Annual Garifuna Festival. Unlike the other parades that I attended in Canada, I was part of this parade. It was definitely a lot more fun dancing with the people than just watching the parade.
Then the next unusual thing happened when I was staying in an eco-lodge on the river, Rio Dulce. After a night of heavy downpour, I went down early next morning to the dock to see if I could take some photos of the freshly replenished river. I saw what I thought was a river monster in the form of an over-sized snake. As I found out later, I actually sighted the elusive manatee at a close range.
My visit to Tikal would have been a standard, touristy affair if it weren’t for the fact that I got lost, trying to find the Group G Temples after a 4-hour guided tour. Even though most of the paths are paved, the distance from a group of structures to the next could be far. On that day, there was a triathlon in the national park. One of the tri-athletes ripped off a map from his tank top, and unexpectedly gave me the most unique souvenir.
When I headed off to Semuc Champey from Flores, I had no reservation for accommodation because I was in a hotel with no wifi in Santa Elena. On my way there, I met a group of young tourists and decided to tag along. I got lucky because the hostel that we stayed in is right outside the entrance of the national park and the setting is absolutely idyllic. It rained most of the night but I managed to crawl up to the peak the next morning to take pictures of the world-renown limestone pools. I rewarded myself with a cup of hot chocolate that was produced by the local kids at high tea.
Another amazing thing happened in Coban. I checked into a beautiful little hotel that is just half a block from the main square. My young friends from Semuc were raving about Antigua and said they could have stayed there the whole time instead. But I wanted to take a more unbeaten path and visit Huehuetenango in the west. I went down to the bus station where the luxury buses were parked only to find out that I would have to take a minibus in the early hours the next morning in the city square.
In Huehuetenango, I attended an open-air mass in the main square, visited a nearby Mayan ruins site and witnessed the burning of the devil on December 7th. I was glad that I made an effort to go to Huehue because I saw extraordinary landscapes. It was funny to see a shepherd girl with her flock waiting in front of a traffic light.
Lonely Planet has labelled Quetzaltenango (a.k.a. Xela) as the most perfect city in Guatemala. Well, it could well be for the large number of Gringos living there. There are several big box stores on the perimeter of the city. In addition, there are neighbourhood markets sprawling all over the city. Somehow the mixture of colonial buildings, Renaissance structures, modern stores and cobble stone streets blended quite well together. The highlights of my stay in Xela were actually a visit to Fuentes Georgina in Zunil and a day trip to San Marcos near the Mexican border.
Lake Atitlan took my breath away from the first glimpse. I based myself in Panajachel and visited several villages around the lake. Shopping and people-watching were my main activities at the lake. Lake Atitlan is one of the few places where traditional ways of life are prevalent. The residents prefer to carry their goods in a basin on their heads. Riding on the back of a pick-up truck is the public transportation norm.
Chichicastenango is about 1½ hour drive away from Panajachel by shuttle but it would take 2½ hours by chicken buses with 2 transfers. I went there on a Sunday. Their Sunday market is the largest in Central America. What really astounded me was how the locals worshipped Christian deity and saints in an indigenous way. Candles were placed in the aisles of the church. Incense was burnt as worshippers chant prayers in their mother tongue outside the church. Their cemetery is even more colourful than the houses for the living.
There are two ways of getting to Monterrico from places north of the village. I entered into Monterrico by way of a slow boat through the mangrove from La Avellana and exited via Iztapa on a highway four days later. One of my young friends from Semuc recommended Monterrico to me. I thought perhaps I should since Monterrico is a vacation spot on the Pacific coast and it would provide a change of scenery. It did give me a chance to take a break after two months of constantly on the move.
My last stop was La Antigua. This former capital city wowed me with its attention to details. Several people told me that it has the most beautiful McDonald’s restaurant in the world. And yes, it does. The city has put in so much effort to hide modern commercialism from sight. There are supermarkets, electronic stores, auto repair shops, etc. in the city but the signs are mostly inconspicuous. Tourists would just see the small grocery stores, ice cream parlours, bakeries, clothing shops and things you would find in an old small town. Flowers are planted everywhere even amongst the ruins and the streets are very clean.
Guatemala City is about an hour bus ride away from La Antigua. It is a modern city with many suburbs. I made two day trips to the city mainly to visit the city centre and the museums there. By coincidence, I was there on the last Sunday in 2014 and attended mass in the main cathedral. The Sunday market outside the cathedral was mostly a clothing market. Many people were buying new clothes for the new year that day, and the mood of the city was joyous.
My last day trip was a multi-destination one. I visited San Andres Iztapa in the morning. After lunch, I visited Tecpan and Iximche ruins. I managed to purchase a hand woven traditional skirt before vendors packed away their merchandise for the day. For weeks, I had been looking for a skirt to match the blouse that I bought in Chichicastenango. The villages around Lake Atitlan favoured blues and purples. Fortunately, Tecpan, like Chichi, favoured reds and oranges. I happened to stumble upon the right tribal colours at the very last minute.
If I could choose only one word to describe my Guatemalan experience, it would have to be “AUTHENTIC”. I ate mostly local food, travelled in chicken buses and pick-ups, shopped in local markets, and even was dressed in traditional Guatemalan clothing on New Year‘s Day.
May God protect this unique country and keep its genuine, loving people safe.
