bringin Guate back...

It's been almost 2 months since we left Guatemala and I'm going through withdrawal. So we've made a few attempts at bringing some of it back...

First we tried to make pupusas. I know, I know, they are really from El Salvador, but we ate them every Friday night in Guate and grew to crave them in no time. There are several women on the street who sell them, and at about 25 cents each you can't go wrong!

Pupusas are corn flour (the same ground corn that is used to make tortillas and tamales) stuffed with yummy fillings (beans, cheese, meat in different combinations) and then made into a stuffed tortilla and grilled or fried. They are delicious and usually served with tomato salsa and a pickled cabbage side. Mmmm

this is what they're supposed to look like

 

please see above the ginormous pupusa my dad made, he had to biggie size it

Chris doesn't look thrilled, but he really does like pupusas

So they definitely weren't quite like the pupusas back home in Guate, but they were a good first attempt and we can only get better (right?)!

A few weeks ago we had a Guate reunion with the lovely ladies (minus my cousin, Jessi, who is in Canada) who came to visit end of May. We began our reunion with some incredible tamales. Everyone in Indy should seriously go to The Tamale Place. Delicious!

Mmmm tamales

Then we spent about 3 hours (no joke) sipping tea and looking at Guate pics and videos. It brought back so many wonderful memories and stories. If we could have, we probably would have bought return flights then and there.

We definitely dressed up for the occasion! While in Pana, I grew to really respect the indigenous communities, their lifestyle, and their way of dress. They back-strap weave their traditional blouses, called guipils, and you can purchase them second-hand to support the communities...and wear beautiful, one of a kind blouses! In this picture we're wearing 4 different guipils from 4 different villages (each village around Lake Atitlan has its own history and it's own traditional clothing).

our beautiful guipils!

And we wore our Guatemalan shoes! Linda bought her little flats at the market in Santiago. I bought my moccasins from a leather man we got to know in San Juan (David has a pair too). And Patsy and Megan bought their cowboy boots in a little town called Pastores (we definitely took a chicken bus in the rain to find them in a village I had never gone to, quite the adventure!).

our Guate shoes

It's always fun to reminisce about Guate and attempt to bring some of it back here. We will always try to keep Guate close to our heart while living in the US, something we are really enjoying doing through our Fair Trade venture, Las Casas. (helpless plug, sorry...but check it out!)

Travels: Tikal & Belize

After 6 months of being in Guatemala, we were forced out of the country. Okay, it's not that dramatic. We just had to leave the country for a bit in order to renew our Visas. So we took the opportunity to do a little traveling and it was wonderful!

We started with an 12 hour bus ride to northern Guatemala where we visited the largest Mayan ruins in the country, Tikal. If you've ever seen a promotional advertisement for Guatemala, you've probably seen the Tikal ruins. They are huge. They are awe-inspiring. They are majestic. And they are completely hand-made, not even using the modern wheel to transport the huge rocks and boulders.

 

The ancient Maya believed that the Ceiba tree was symbolic of the cycle of life. The massive root system portrayed death underground. The trunk of the tree symbolized the present day. And the limbs that graced the sky represented heaven eternal.

 

Standing near these ruins made one feel so small and so amazed at what human hands can accomplish.

The tall pyramid-type temples were used for shamans and spiritual leaders in the community to worship. Unlike the popular movie Apocalypto, there were no sacrificial killings or human heads rolling down these stairs.

 

 We learned a lot about the Maya culture and loved walking around the huge city-state discussing the Mayan attempts at finding purpose and meaning in the world around them. It's interesting how each culture tries to make sense of this world...

We then headed East and went to Belize. It was the first time for both of us, so we enjoyed experiencing a new country together. We started our Belize trip with an incredible caving adventure that involved swimming, spelunking, hiking, beautiful cave formations, and 1300 year-old Mayan artifacts. 

 

It was an awesome combination of adventure, beauty, and history that you could literally reach out and touch (although you could physically touch the ancient artifacts, we weren’t allowed to obviously). Some of the Mayan pots were calcified to the floor, but some were in surprisingly great condition. They were in clusters here and there, left behind thinking that they would return to use them again. We had a very knowledgeable guide who explained the Mayan cave traditions. It’s amazing to think of Mayans carrying huge clay pots through jagged rocky tunnels and deep waters. 

The cave formations were so beautiful that they would sparkle as you passed them. The pictures just don’t do them justice. 

The cave was probably used for sacrificial ceremonies and there were several skeletons found throughout the caverns. The "Crystal Maiden" is probably most famous because the skeleton sparkles due to the crystallization process. However, recent studies have now proved that "she" was actually a "he". Oops!

Despite 12-inch passageways, a cave “water-slide,” and authentic Mayan face painting, we made it out of the adventure with just a few bruises. It was really beautiful and a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The next day we left the caves to do an air-borne adventure and embarked on a zip-line course! 

We trusted our lives with two cables and glided through the jungles. After the first few platforms the heights and speed became more normal and we could really enjoy the views and the weightless feeling of gliding through the air. The last run was almost 45 seconds (2,000 feet) of pure flight. It was awesome.

We ended our trip with two relaxing days on the Caribbean coast.

 

It was great to relax, read in a hammock, listen to the waves, and watch birds diving into the ocean to catch fish. The people in Belize were so friendly and we soon fell in love with their laid-back lifestyles and their Jamaican-type accents. David still answers “yeah mon” thanks to the Belizean friends we made. The only set-back during our travels was how expensive Belize ended up being. We had no idea it was such an expensive country to travel in (well, expensive compared to Guatemala prices and using a Guatemalan salary). But we enjoyed the trip as a one-time thing and soaked up as much history, adventure, and care-free spirit as possible.

Travel Tips for Coming to Guatemala

This post is meant to be used as a guide for international traveling, specifically laying out details for Guatemala.  Information can be taken as advice for travelers, or could simply be read to become further informed of the culture in which we live.

First Advice:
-pack light, but bring layers (the day hours are nice 70's, but mornings and evening get chilly).  Some people wear scarves or winter hats, but usually a sweatshirt is enough.  Keep in mind that you'll likely want to buy some of the textiles sold on the street (sweaters, shirts).
-bring Cipro (which you get from your doctor's prescription to be taken when stomach sick from food virus)
-bring bug repellant

Is it safe there?
Panajachel has a very low crime rate.  Calle Santander is the main, heavily traveled street by tourists during both the day and night.  It is wise to practice standard prevention techniques by being cautious and aware of your surroundings, but there is no danger of being mugged or confronted in any form.  Community policing is very common, meaning that people look out for each other on the street, in terms of preventing theft.

How do I get to Panajachel from Guatemala City/the airport?
Panajachel is a 3 hour drive from the airport.  A van shuttle is recommended; both private and public options are available and both are arranged through tourist agencies and are safe, secure, and comfortable.  Per person for a private shuttle averages about $20 (one way) for the 3 hr drive.

Will I have email access?
Many hotels provide free wifi access, however not all.  Many cafes also have wifi and it is very accessible. Quality of equipment and speed of service is not equivalent to that experienced in the States.

Are the local buses, known as chicken buses, safe to ride?
Chicken buses are very common for the locals.  The buses are old school buses used in the States.  In fact, many of them still have the "Blue Bird Midwest" plaque and model information and stickers, such as "keeping your children safe is our business".  I rode a chicken bus last week to an outside village about an hour away and the bus plaque actually said it was made in 1979!!!  Now, most of the buses are from the 90's, but you never know what to expect.  The plaques also list the capacity information (i.e. 47), however Guatemalans have no concept of maximum capacity.  When in Xela, Jenny and I rode a public 12 passenger van to get to the movie theater, and they put 27 people in there, literally (only 3 young kids).  The chicken buses are great for short distances, and is a worthy cultural experience, but not to be considered for long-term or long-distance needs.

Do shops and restaurants accept U.S. dollars?
The exchange rate is about 7.5, so for every $1 you get 7.5 Q...so things are pretty cheap here.  An average  meal at a restaurant would be about 30 Q, or $4.  When you are shopping on the street from vendors, dollars are often accepted, but change is given back in Q.  More official stores, like the grocery, only accept Q.  Credit/Debit cards are also usually accepted, however not recommended because each charge comes with an international fee.  There are several secure ATM's.  We'd recommend bringing a good amount of dollars when leaving the States, but be sure to carry it securely (such as in a hidden pants wallet).

Is the food safe to eat?
Tourists are very common, so the local restaurants do very good at catering to the needs and desires of foreigners.  Eating salads and vegetables that are washed with tap water will make you sick, so typically meals like french fries, rice, beans, and meats are safest, but there are plenty of safe restaurants where you don't have to worry about how it was prepared.  Eating from street vendors is always at your own risk of getting sick, but over time your body would adapt.

How much are hotels?
You should be able to find a very nice hotel (hot water, breakfast, wifi) ranging from $30-50 per night.  Some get higher than that, but if you are on a budget then you can be within that range, possibly less.

What should I do there?
In Panajachel there are many day trip possibilities to neighboring villages across the lake.  You can hike a volcano, do an adventurous zip-line through a forest of trees, shop at the cultural market, take a class to learn how to weave textiles, volunteer at a local orphanage or NGO, learn how to make tortillas, visit with us, or just relax (find a hammock, walk on the shoreline).  Throughout the country you can take a coffee plantation tour, visit Mayan ruins, hike, tour caves (underwater), go to the ocean beach, and more, plus just relax.

If you have additionally questions then just comment and we can repost with new answers!

Weekend in the Big City

David and I took a trip this weekend to Xela, the second largest city in Guatemala. It's not really a "big city" by US standards: no skyscrapers, no public bus, no yellow taxis. But it seemed like a big city to us. After 3 months in rural towns and villages throughout the lake region, we found ourselves walking the streets of Xela, staring and pointing at glimpses of home. It was our first time in 3 months to see a traffic light, to enter a mall, to go into a Wal-Mart (yes, a real Wal-Mart), to eat ethnic food (how I've missed curry), or to eat at a McDonald's. The funny thing is, that when I was living in the states I pretty much tried to avoid many of these activities: I'm not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, I really don't like McDonald's that much, and I rarely enjoy a trip to a mall or huge shopping center. I don't know why I was so excited to take part in these activities in Guatemala. I guess it brought me back to a little bit of home, although seeing Mayan women dressed in traditional traje walking passed a GAP store was a very weird sight.

None-the-less, we took advantage of our time in the big city and even watched a movie in a real movie theater. The movie only cost $3.25, but the popcorn was way overpriced (just like home!). The mall food court had a Subway. I was so, so excited. It really did taste just like Subway back home, even with the Southwest Chipotle sauce. I was very impressed. And attached to the mall was a huge Wal-Mart. I walked in and was immediately struck by the huge-ness of the store and the aisles upon aisles of stuff. We have a Dispensa in Pana and it's actually owned by Wal-Mart. But it consists of 4 aisles and a fresh fruit section about the size of a walk-in closet. And that's big for Pana. So walking into the warehouse-sized Wal-Mart was surprisingly foreign to me (considering this is what I was used to back home).

Of course, it wouldn't be Guatemala without armed men standing around in the middle of the park, protecting something...

We enjoyed the Christmas decorations a lot. Wearing t-shirts and sandals does not feel like Christmas time for us Indiana folk, so seeing a huge Christmas tree in the central park helped.

Sunday we took a break from the mall and Wal-Mart and enjoyed reading in the Central Park...

We ate Xela's famous xeca con frijol (sweet bread with black beans in the middle - this picture is for you Carolyn!)

And we ended our time in Xela with lunch at McDonald's. It was expensive (compared to most of our meals for around $3 or $4). And David thought he ordered chicken strips, but it didn't really turn out that way...look of disappointment:

Notice how small the drink and fries are? We were like, what? Where's the biggie size?!?! ( : 

It was a fun trip with a few luxuries from the states, but it was good to get back home...