I am in love.....

.......with Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce made in Belize! I bought a bottle and now wish I bought more. Avocado, lime, fresh tortillas and Marie's goes with everything!

Chocolate Factory

We also went to a small chocolate production place. See pics in side bar. The chocolate is some of the most  cacao tasting I have ever had. Very fresh - and such a small operation. They do only 150-200 3.5 oz bars a day. It takes three days for the chocolate to be mixed. We have been enjoying some interesting fruit slushies as well. Some fruits we have never heard of. All yummy!

Punta Gorda- Belize

This morning at dawn we got up and headed out from the jungle where we have been for the last several days. It rained last night and in the morning giving our last hours here at the agroforestry and permaculture farm a solid rainforest feel. The place is stocked with a huge number of food, medicine, fiber, and lumber trees. Its basically a rainforest filled with useful plants. The farm swirls with birdlife, many kinds of hummingbirds, parakeets, toucans, warblers, oropendulas etc etc. One night an agouti (smallish herbivore, a big rodent) came out of the jungle edge. The owner shot it and we cooked it up; quite tasty. We've been eating coconut, bananas, corn, greens, cabbage, cacao, and some other fruit which I cant remember names of. The project hosts students coming to research tropical agriculture and agroforestry. Its all to show that we can provide for our needs, quite easily in fact, and still have room for all the other plants and animals too.

Yesterday a young man led us through the jungle to a nearby Mayan ruins called Lubaantun. It was a smallish city sitting on a hill surrounded by villages and "suburbs". The remaining ruins of the city center were impressive, with temple mounds, the ruler's palace, ball courts (for the ceremonial ball game), market area, and various other buildings. We imagined the bustle and pomp of the city center with parades, ceremony, trading, incense, color, sound, all supported by the surrounding area. Very much like an urban center today. I bet the residents couldn't imagine a time when they weren't there, and yet now, 1000 years later its just empty except the stone structures and jungle. So much for permanence.

Tommorrow the boat back to Guatemala. Our last few days here.

Parrots at Sunrise

Woke to parrots over our palapa. Here is where we are - http://www.mmrfbz.org/Welcome_to_Maya_Mountain_Research_Farm.html

Check it out!
More later.

Next day in Livingston

We are too polite sometimes when we really mean no. Locals take our “tact” to mean we can probably be convinced to buy whatever they are selling.

Bus rides: With chx buses you know what you are going to get. Cheap, slow, crammed conditions – but full of local “flair”. We have been booking on the Primero class busses. When we asked about the amenities on the bus the “nice” bus has air conditioning, TV, bathroom and nice seats. Also there is the “primero” class for a little more money. We asked what you get with that. They said air conditioning, TV bathroom and nice seats. We then of course ask – what is the difference between the two? They say “the air  conditioning works on the premero class”.

Forests home-work is going OK. He is not too psyched to do it at times, as there are far too many other more interesting things to do, but is enjoying the journal and sketch part of it. We take “tourist” breaks and settle down somewhere and do work. Helps to slow us down a bit – which is nice. Forest is also becoming interested in birding. The birds here are pretty amazing. 

Of course during the course of this trip Jono and I are keeping our permaculture eyes and brains awake. We would love to take over the black water system in some of these towns. The sewage system is basically a pipe that runs to the nearest water source. It would be great to see a change but it is also so clear that they have many many other problems that take priority over that. Safety and security is one. The government does not have a handle on crime at all and we have heard a number of stories of the local “militia” (or maybe that is the local thugs) “taking care” of thieves and other trouble makers. Most people view this with caution as these same “helpers” can be indiscriminate in their targets and quick to judge. There is a mafia type relationship with the bus drivers in some cities where the drivers need to pay for “protection” and if they don’t…… As well, there is a healthy drug trade with its attached drug lords and minions. Some places just leave them alone and all is quiet until some competition comes in – like the ZETAS from Mexico which you may have been hearing about.

There is a strong hierarchy in class here. The whiter richer ladinos own most of the land and economic wealth and as peoples skin color darkens so do their prospects. The indigenous people are at the bottom. We have seen some indigenous people doing well (regularly employed that is) but it is hard to say if that is a continuing improvement or an anomaly. The complexity of the condition of the people is one we are not going to figure out this trip. Most of the locals seem to look at some of the “eco” projects with humor or simple acceptance while others are clearly fully on board with some progressive ideas. It is clear that there have been many “improvement projects” financed from outside that get going and then disappear due to lack of funding or lack of popularity in other countries. It is a case of the “yauda’s” – ya auda do this or you aught to do that. Lots of advice from outside with little stability within.

Our camera took a tumble on top of temple IV in Tikal so it is functioning intermittently. We hope it holds out for the duration.

Today Forest and I took a trip to a river with a section of 7 waterfalls. We walked up a ways and enjoyed a dip in a lovely pool. The jungle was so tall and thick all around – it was moist and cool. After that the boast took us to a small clean and quiet beach with hammocks, soda, beer and lunch. We stalked around and found  some pig-like tracks, some really cool lizards and beautiful shells. The plan was to go snorkeling but there were no boats full enough with folks wanting to go. We will try again on our return trip through this area. It is one of the best snorkeling/diving areas in the world outside of the Great Barrier reefs in Australia. Hope it works for us to go!!

On the Caribbean

After traveling south from Tikal, we took a boat down the Rio Dulce to Livingston on the Caribbean. The boat ride was beautiful with mangrove forest on the edges, abundant bird life, and rolling hills and cliffs. Brown pelicans, great egret, cormorants, and more. There are no roads in this area, only water traffic. All products and people travel vis the Rio Dulce and ocean. We saw young kids paddling the river on small dugout canoes. We are staying in a somewhat low end place called the Iguana Inn. An open are palapa cafe with rustic cabins around it. Our slatted walls keep out some elements but not the late night bar scene and bugs. But the fan on high helped with both. Forest and I are off to explore the area today with Jono does some work from home.

To the Jungle we go

Food. For a week we cooked our own at IMAP. Beans, rice, bananas, mangos, locally grown vegetables (real local like 10 steps away) – usual things we find in the US and also a perennial veggie called chaya. It is harvested by cutting the stalk and it regrows from that stalk. Salt, lime and other citrus we picked from the property, hot sauce made by one of the local women who cook at IMAP when they have groups, and to pull it all together, fresh handmade tortillas everyday by Andrea. At lunch we would all break work and put all our food on the table to share with everyone. There were some things the guys brought that I couldn’t identify but was wonderful. I asked what was in some of the dishes but my language skills didn’t quite stand up to the task. I made a dish of stewed chicken in tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onions, and some tasty hot chili powder I bought one day at a HUGE packed market. One of the fellows said he thought it would be better with coca-cola in it. I just smiled and said “well, I will try that next time”. He also said pineapple would work too (a more likely addition on my part).

We took the boat from IMAP back to Panajachel and stayed with a new friend Rebecca. She has been living in Guat. for 15 years on the IMAP project and other community outreach and health issues. She suggested we go to a local eatery they frequent. Her description was accurate. “Go down this road past all the tourist restaurants and look for a smoking grill out on the street – just down that ally is the place to sit and eat from the grill” And it was some grill! For 15 Quetzales (about 2 US dollars) a plate we had grilled chicken or beef, grilled young fresh onions, grilled fresh tortillas, beans, fried plantain and of course the ubiquitous hot sauce from the table. The homey local atmosphere added much to the experience. During the day there is no grill and it is simply an alley, by night a hopping joint.

The market scene I just mentioned was intense. Bigger than we could get around and so packed it was hard to see where we were. Most of the people were selling dry beans, rice, corn meals, fruit (we have tried just about every fruit we have come across – most delicious, some curious), veggies (many we did not know) – and most people sell it by weight using the classic hand held scale with metal weights on one side to balance the product on the other. One woman could not find the metal weight she wanted for some chicken I was buying and calibrated with a handful of chicken heads. There were many kinds of meat to buy, some looked like small animals that I think was squirrel – we were not so adventurous in the meat tasting as with the fruit.

I will not go into too many details about the long and overnight bus ride to Tikal outside of the detour road that had us driving through a river, the screaming baby, and a bus driver that seemed to think he had to get there ahead of time. We slept well the following night.

We are in the jungle now in the national park of Tikal, one of the largest of the Mayan cities. We awoke this morning to the sounds of Howler monkeys and Aurupendulas (large loud birds). Yesterday, after we arrived in the afternoon, we went into the park and met a couple who told us about an amazing guide they hired the day before. We took the tour today with that guide starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending around 12:30. It was one of the best guided tours I have ever been on! He grew up in the park and has been leading tours for many years. He was extremely knowledgeable about the mayan ruins and the history as well as the local plants, animals and birds. We saw things we would have missed on our own for sure. 

Our departure date of today is being put off till tomorrow – it is just so amazing here. Forest and Jono are right now watching sunset on temple IV. The top stands above the jungle canopy and you can see for miles as well as some of the other temples peering over the green tops. From there, yesterday, we saw falcons and large parrots. We have seen spider monkeys regularly and today our guide called to a sleeping band of howler monkeys and we heard a hearty response. Not too long after we saw a troop of howlers moving and feeding in the trees in one of the more open clearings within the temple grounds.

Violacious Trogons, keel billed toucans, ant birds (that follow the army ants and eat the insects that the army ants stir up), and a few species of large parrots are just some of the long list of birds we have seen since being here. The more we look, the more we find.

We are learning a few things from the general travel experience too. Like:

-you can go without a shower for longer than you think you can

-Always – Always carry some toilet paper in your pocket (as many bathroom have none!)

-Local people are generally friendlier that the tourists

-Remember that Guatemala time is three times as long as regular time. Everything happens at a much slower pace. Whenever we try to rush it makes us really crazy.

-Plans change

-Sometimes the road is not open

-People here can bend the truth a little to make a good story (or a sale)

-American culture is crazy – but maybe we knew that already.

- Never bring anything with you on a trip that you cant leave behind - like a favorite sweater that I will not need but won’t give away.

-And dirty socks need not be washed – circular file!

Chuak-chic lake Atitlan Hola Tikal

We have left Lake Atitlan. “Chuak-chic” means good-bye in the local Mayan language. We enjoyed getting to know all the folks working at the project and one of the local families. We visited and saw Andrea’s weaving, met the kids and chickens and left with empty pockets as we bought some of their homemade crafts and local seeds.

We are now on our way to Tikal and then to the east coast and on to a project in southern Belise.

More later!

Permaculture on Lake Atitlan

We are here now at a project on Lake Atitlan called IMAP. It is a 10 year old permaculture installation and educational center right on the south side of the lake. They are working with local Mayan people to learn and share practices from both the mayan culture and permaculture. The shore land all around the lake is mostly owned by rich people from Guatemala City and elsewhere so there is vary little access to the lake by the local population. IMAP has made their shore front open to all as well as access to prime growing land in exchange for some of the seed each year. Much of the land around us is in coffee production but right close by there is an organic avocado orchard.

Our trip in was interesting. We rode a tourist chicken bus (supposed to be a direct route to the lake from Antigua but we did pick up quite a few local passengers too) through the mountains for about 2 ½ hours. While it was a bit brisk and cramped at times, I was glad for the very new road we were on as the cliffs down one side were steep! It is still in construction and we viewed some fairly large machinery at work. This is a sign that this area of Guatemala anyway is doing better. We arrived at Panajachel (big tourist town on the lake) to be instantly pressed on all sides to buy various wares. We made the mistake of talking to a fellow who wanted to know if we needed a boat anywhere. As we were not sure about how to get to IMAP – though we knew it was at a different port on the lake – and asked him some questions. He stuck with us as we walked through town and it was hard to shake him. After regrouping over a liquado (fruit smoothie) and talking with our contact at IMAP on the phone we made our plans and took a public water ferry across the lake to Santiago. It was a beautiful ride with the volcanos all around us on this highland lake.

Once in Santiago we grabbed a “pick-up” which is more or less what that sounds like. Pickup trucks with open beds and a bar down the middle for holding on to, drive through towns and pick people up along the way. It was a gorgeous ride along the side of the mountains along the lake through coffee plantations and forest. The coffee groves look much like a open forest and one wouldn’t know they were a production area if not for the people picking coffee and waiting at the side of the roads with their sacks full for the coffee purchaser to come. Otherwise the canopy is varied and gives visual description to what “shade grown coffee” means.

We had a very nice tour of the project from Goyo and Stephanie. Goyo is a local person, lives nearby and works here. He  spoke in Spanish and Stephanie translated. She is here on a 7 month stay as part of an education sharing project from Canada. This group formed to stand witness to the civil war in the 70’s and 80’s and continue to do human rights work here. Stephanie and others like her go to learn at projects around Guatemala, and monitor and report on human rights issues. They bring all this back to share with others.

Today I am laying low with a headache. Forest was droopy and had a fever last night so I guess it is my turn. He is fine today to I hope to be up and at it tomorrow at the latest.

.....a few days later. We have been out of internet range for nearly a week and assume we will be so again so the blog posts may be spotty. In town for a short stop now so picture uploads will have to be later.

The bird life and plant life has been amazing. There is an office space that looks out into the canopy and there are more birds there than we have identified yet. It has been fun looking them up and learning some new and extraordinary names! The view of the lake and volcanos is just amazing and we do not get tired of sitting and looking out. We have been working with the folks here on the forest garden on the volcanic slope. Citrus, Papaya, avocado, a fruiting cactus and other edible plant. Peaceful and beautiful as it is, we are getting ready to move on to visit Tikal and then the lowland jungle to the east near the caribbean coast. At half-time on our trip it is starting to feel like not enough time to get to all the places we want. I keep saying to my self that we should just enjoy what we do get to experience and forgot the rest. 

Love to all.

Two steps forward one step back

Another day of challenging spanish study. Our teachers admonished us for not studying more over the weekend. I even went back in study to review some of the earlier lessons on beginner verbs. My teacher fell asleep while I was struggling with the conjugations. I am equally sorry for and relieved that tomorrow is the last day of language school (unless we choose to pick up some more classes elsewhere). We continue to try out and make mistakes with our conversations with others. We laugh with the other students over our mispronunciations and misuse of words. Many of the spanish words are like english ones but with an "ito" or "udo" or "ando" at the end of it. It can get you into trouble though when you make wild leaps. A fellow student asked at a restaurant for the "menudo"(menu) which actually means innards or gizzards!
Finally found the post office and found a place to put minutes on our travel phone. We asked a number of people where the correo (post office) was and each one said two blocks down on the right, even though we asked a person a block in between. This reminded us that often in central america people do not want to say that they don't know where something is so instead they give some random directions. Like "sure, it's two blocks down on the right". In this case though, the directions were correct if a little vague (or maybe our understanding was vague) and we made it there just fine. A fairly long wait behind a women helping her mother mail a package while keeping track of a little one. Change purses dropping, slow writing, kid putting his fingers in the wall socket....... I smiled inside as I know this to be a common reality across the world - including mine!

We visited a factory/shop for jade which was really fascinating. The founders of this modern jade commerce made a specific point of keeping the manufacturing and finishing of pieces in the country and with the local workers. The jade is only slightly softer than diamonds and so the cutting, carving, shaping is labor intensive. The use of jade goes back to Olmec times and the Mayans considered it more valuable than gold. The spanish conquistadores saw the human sacrifice tied to the jade and forbade it's use in trade. It's beauty and uniqueness gained popularity again in the 70's with discoveries of jade masks in mayan tombs. See National Geographic mags.

We all hope to have a good nights sleep to be fresh for our last full day in Antigua. Wednesday morning we will travel to Lake Atitlan. It is not too far from here and we plan on staying at a permaculture site located on the lake for a few days of learning, sharing, volunteering and bird watching. We are looking forward to being out of town and seeing a new place. The lake region has a wide variety of small towns and some mayan ruins not too far off. I am still in search of chili rellenos....

-

Volcanos!!!

Here are some pictures from the hike Jono and Forest did yesterday. Since the volcano was active recently they got close but not TOO close. They got to walk over the recent lava flow, stand in a lava tube, and roast some marshmallows over a hot-air vent!!
We were able to find some tamales late in the day yesterday and enjoyed them with delight today! Having made them a few times, I know how much work they are. Happy to buy them for 50 cents a piece.
We took off out of town today for a place called Earth Lodge just up the mountain side nearby. We went up up up for 20 minutes in a little truck. Forest and I rode in the open back - a big thrill for Forest as of course it is too dangerous to do back home.... The Lodge is run by some american and english gringos. They have elaborate tree houses for overnight, a nice lodge with a kitchen, bar, couches, take and leave bookshelf, hammocks, bag toss game and an avocado orchard - which we took advantage of. Yum.
With a very sketchy and not to scale map we headed off for a hike. After some wrong turns we got on the right path and did some bird watching and checked out the way the folks there are living off the land. Most of the birds were strangers to us and we didn't get a great look at them but it was great seeing all the different trees, shrubs and amazing epiphytes all over the trees. Flowers for market, corn, beans, and coffee plantations were both up and down slope of us as we treked. Finally we realized just how off of reality the map was and returned the way we came. The loop trail looked to be a bigger hike than we were ready for. Good thing too as we had spanish school homework to catch up on back at the picnic table at the lodge. That didn't last too long though as there was a pickup soccer game with the local kids. I took pictures.
Back down the mountain to town in time to see the sunday evening activities at the Parque Central. The buildings were lit up and a pan pipe band was playing. A wonderful end to a fun day.

Busy here on the weekend

Today Jono and Forest climbed Pacaya Volcano today. They left at 6 a.m. and returned at 1:30 with shoes filled with black volcanic dust. Apparently they could not go all the way to the top due to recent eruptions but got to toast some marshmallows over a hot air vent.

This morning and for the rest of the weekend, there are no meals served by the family for us. I had a nice sleep-in and enjoyed a breakfast of fresh papaya and avocado and lime. Perfect! After washing some of our filthy travel clothes and hanging them on the upstairs patio with a backdrop of Vulcan Agua, I headed out to town to find a few things we need and few things we don't! I went in search of tamales that are sold especially for Saturday meals. I went out too late and missed them at the close by stores. We will look again later by the large outdoor market. I was able, though, to find some homemade tortillas for our lunch of tortillas, avocado and lime. The tortillas alone are wonderful.

I scoped out some of the small hotels and hostels for our possible return trip the day before our flight out at the end of the month. Most places are nice, but some seem to be geared towards the party crowd. We will try and find a quiet place on the edge of town I think. It has been perfect staying with a family for our first week here. It has lend a feeling of comfort and stability as well as a secure "safe" zone when overwhelmed by the culture adjustment and busy town experience. We have not though been in touch with many other travelers. On our last trip down here we enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and gathering and sharing tips of where to go and what to avoid. While we have connected with a few people including a very nice middle aged single woman traveler from Quebec, we look forward to striking out next week and meeting more travelers.

I am glad to have washed our clothes as we are very aware of how shabby the american and other travelers look compared to the residents. Even though it is a poor country, everyone here dresses very neatly and cleanly. All ages come out in their best. White shirts, pressed pants and buffed shoes on even the small boys is common. The tourists are easy to ID even without seeing their faces. I feel embarrassed for America when I see how some of them dress. 15 years ago the indigenous people wore their traditional dress. Today all of the men have put away their traditional wear in exchange for european style collar shirts and pants. Jeans are not common. The indigenous women wear their pueblo woven skirts and sometimes the matching wiupels (shirts) but more often we see a t-shirt or other dress shirt with it. I imagine this may reflect the women who come to town for the day vs. those who live here now. Some of the residents have adopted more european/american clothing and we see many more women wearing shorts and jeans.
The traditional wear of the indigenous people came from a time when the Spaniards enforced a code that each village have a different weaving pattern so they could tell where people were from. This was one method of keeping the people from organizing and rising up against the invaders. After that the patterns were taken up as local custom and pride. There is a long and sad history of how the indigenous peoples have been treated.

Antigua has changed much in 15 years. There are more people, more shops and a wider variety of amenities. Apparently the standard of living has increased quite. Many people have moved out of town as it has become too expensive. Including Jono's spanish teacher.

We plan to eat out at a nice restaurant tonight but I doubt it will be better than what we have been enjoying at our home-stay. It will be fun, though, to be out and about in the evening. The town is extra busy as many people come to Antigua for the day or the weekend. Not sure what we will do tomorrow....

Sunburned today

We continue to stretch our language skills, and the patience of the locals, with the hopes of improvement. I think I can see some. Antigua revealed more of her beauty to us today on our long trek around the east and north sides of the city. We visited a few churches and attempted to visit a set of museums inside of a large and beautiful hotel compound. We only managed to enjoy the view of the volcanos and have a cup of coffee there but that is just fine as it means life is slowing down. Back to studying our spanish verb conjugations.....

A full day of Antigua

What a full day we have had! Went to bed last night at 10 and the next morning we slept right through the TWO alarm clocks I set. But we made it for the 7 a.m. breakfast of local fresh fruit, granola and toasta de francaise.
School started at 8 o'clock. We each have our own teacher who is gauging what to teach us as we go. 4 hours is a long time for a class! Our minds were very full by lunch time. Back to the Reyes home for an amazing meal of a local dish, chicken stewed in a red chili sauce and served over savory rice. A large bowl of guacamole for the home made tortillas was on the side as well as some hot sauce that they claimed was not very hot but that was pretty warm in my book. It was delicious and it thrilled me to my toes to be eating such lovely home cooked regional food.
After a short siesta we walked around town and visited the outdoor market looking for what the folks here have to sell. Everything! You name it. Just have to find it, that's all. Many many small booths right next to each other all making up a maze of alleys to wander through. We found some interesting fruits and may have blundered by eating some that was freshly cut. Our home-stay Mom didn't look excited to hear of our snacks on the road. We took some of our anti-bug medicine and now hope for the best! Los gringos estan muy stupido!
It is all so amazing, beautiful and fairly overwhelming at the moment. No doubt we will settle in to our routine soon.
More tomorrow.

Here we are. It is warm and friendly and we are tired!

This what we left behind!

Hola amigos! We arrived fine and have enjoyed a colorful trip out of Guatemala city. Antigua is as beautiful as we remember - well, the small portion we have seen so far anyway. We are relaxing in the living room of the DeReyes family (where we are doing a home-stay for a week) awaiting a nice dinner. We plan to be here at the language school for a week also and then on to ....???? Not sure yet. Just figuring out when dinner is has been enough!! Hugs to all.