Guatemala
Guatemala was the first true destination of our Latin America journey. We did initially fly into Mexico, and pass through Belize, but those were just appetizers before the main course. We spent 3 weeks adventuring through Guatemala in January, and it turned out to be one of our favorite destinations thus far. This is a country that has A LOT to offer:
Mayan Ruins
Tikal is an ancient Mayan city known for it's sky-scrapers. Plotted amid dense jungles, it was built UPWARDS to the sky to get closer to the gods. These ruins still stand tall today and are in good condition. In some ways I enjoyed Tikal even more than Machu Picchu -- the architecture of Tikal is more grandiose and impressive, and far less touristy than over-crowded Machu Picchu. We were able to roam about the lush jungles exploring the many ruins, and even climb to the top of some them. If you visit Guatemala, Tikal is a MUST.
Tikal is an ancient Mayan city known for it's sky-scrapers. Plotted amid dense jungles, it was built UPWARDS to the sky to get closer to the gods. These ruins still stand tall today and are in good condition. In some ways I enjoyed Tikal even more than Machu Picchu -- the architecture of Tikal is more grandiose and impressive, and far less touristy than over-crowded Machu Picchu. We were able to roam about the lush jungles exploring the many ruins, and even climb to the top of some them. If you visit Guatemala, Tikal is a MUST.
Volcanoes
The landscape of Guatemala is a work in progress… there are many volcanoes which are still active and changing the terrain right now. We did a day-trip to Pacaya Volcano - an angry ol' beast of a mountain that is constantly streaming smoke, and occasionally spitting fire! We hiked into its giant crater where lava erupted not too long ago. The heat below the surface was melting our sandals, and we were able to roast marshmallows in the volcanic heat!
Lake Atitlán
CANON BALLLLL.... splash! 84,000 years ago, an enormous bed of liquid hot magma imploded on itself and hardened into a massive crater. That crater filled with fresh mountain water, and is now a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanoes — known as Lake Atitlán. There are 12 small villages around the rim of the lake - each named after an apostle.
We spent most of our time in San Pedro (Saint Peter), which is more of a party town, and thankfully civilized enough to air the Super Bowl at one of its pubs. Our hotel room in San Pedro was perched over the lake and had a rooftop with hammocks and a stunning view — $15 per night. Near San Pedro is another cool lake town called San Marco (Saint Mark), which is more of a spiritual, hippy-dippy, zen retreat village. Recommendation… first go to San Pedro, and after a few days of partying like it's your birthday, take a quick boat ride over to San Marco to heal yourself.
Beaches
Guatemala isn’t really known for it’s beaches — the surf is rough and pounding, and the black sand will scorch your feet. But this makes the beaches of Guatemala a best kept secret! A Duff Tale about the beaches: Firewalking in Monterico
Antigua
A dream city... beautiful colonial architecture, relaxed vibe, sunny every day. Antigua was one of our favorite cities. The people are super friendly and will actually help you learn spanish! It's a touristy city known for it's cheap spanish classes, so the local people are used to gringos struggling to learn the language -- so they speak slowly and clearly, and help guide you along.
Spanish Class
Learning spanish has been one of the most fun and frustrating challenges I've ever attempted. Sometimes I feel like I've learned so much -- other times I feel "stuck in the mud". Either way, 500 million people on this planet speak spanish -- and it's an important language to connect with the people of Latin America. Thank goodness we met Professor Vinicio...
Vinicio turned out to be the most important person of our Latin America trip. A sweet, endearing, and wise man in his 60's -- immediately he felt like a dear old friend and a mentor, like Mr. Miyagi or Yoda. He didn't work for a major spanish school, and he didn't have a real classroom to teach us in -- he taught us on the rooftop of his very humble abode.
Vinicio is a man who’s been through a lot -- a recovered alcoholic who's tasted the sweetest of life, and also felt its bitter sting. During our week of spanish class, he told a few stories…
In 1976 (when Vinicio was 38) there was a major earthquake in Antigua. The ground shook for 7 seconds - during which Vinicio lost his house, his brother, and his 96 year old grandmother. That 7 seconds lasted an eternity, and literally rocked his world. 23,000 people died from the quake - it happened at 3am when the city was fast asleep, and helpless.
While most of Guatemala is travel-friendly and relatively safe - the capital, Guatemala City, is like Gotham City. Vinicio told us about the murders that happen daily. A big city with lots of people, no jobs, no money, no food, desperation, and very little protection from the police. About a decade ago, Vinicio and his mom needed to visit Guatemala City to receive a payment from a bank. They pulled up to the bank, and before they even stepped foot inside, 4 men moved in on them. First they attacked Vinicio’s 75 year old mother and punched her face. Then they knee’d Vinico in the groin and slashed his face with a knife. The knife slit through his eyeball and blood gushed from it. The men took their wallets and belongings and ran off. Vinicios mom in her old age did not handle the blow very well and never really recovered. Vinicio, after a few months and several procedures, eventually regained some sight from his slit eye. As he told us the story, he leaned toward me so I could see the scar - it was a clear ridge running straight across his eyeball.
But not all of his stories were gloom. One day Vinicio was on a local bus when the lady sitting behind him started moaning in pain. She was going into labor. The bus pulled over to the side of the road and Vinicio cleared some room and delivered the baby on the bus! The bus drivers pocket knife was used to cut the umbilical cord. 3 years later, Vinicio heard a knock at his front door - it was a lady and her boy… the boy he helped deliver on the bus 3 years ago. They came to thank him.
There’s no way to tell all of Vinicio’s stories, but there’s time for one more! Guatemala has LOTS of dogs — it’s a big problem. The streets are littered with starving hounds, tearing through garbage, howling at the moon — they multiply like crazy and often rabid. While many attempts to curb the problem have failed, one solution has helped… every year when the circus comes around, they feed some stray dogs to the lions.
Vinicio is a man who’s been through a lot -- a recovered alcoholic who's tasted the sweetest of life, and also felt its bitter sting. During our week of spanish class, he told a few stories…
In 1976 (when Vinicio was 38) there was a major earthquake in Antigua. The ground shook for 7 seconds - during which Vinicio lost his house, his brother, and his 96 year old grandmother. That 7 seconds lasted an eternity, and literally rocked his world. 23,000 people died from the quake - it happened at 3am when the city was fast asleep, and helpless.
While most of Guatemala is travel-friendly and relatively safe - the capital, Guatemala City, is like Gotham City. Vinicio told us about the murders that happen daily. A big city with lots of people, no jobs, no money, no food, desperation, and very little protection from the police. About a decade ago, Vinicio and his mom needed to visit Guatemala City to receive a payment from a bank. They pulled up to the bank, and before they even stepped foot inside, 4 men moved in on them. First they attacked Vinicio’s 75 year old mother and punched her face. Then they knee’d Vinico in the groin and slashed his face with a knife. The knife slit through his eyeball and blood gushed from it. The men took their wallets and belongings and ran off. Vinicios mom in her old age did not handle the blow very well and never really recovered. Vinicio, after a few months and several procedures, eventually regained some sight from his slit eye. As he told us the story, he leaned toward me so I could see the scar - it was a clear ridge running straight across his eyeball.
But not all of his stories were gloom. One day Vinicio was on a local bus when the lady sitting behind him started moaning in pain. She was going into labor. The bus pulled over to the side of the road and Vinicio cleared some room and delivered the baby on the bus! The bus drivers pocket knife was used to cut the umbilical cord. 3 years later, Vinicio heard a knock at his front door - it was a lady and her boy… the boy he helped deliver on the bus 3 years ago. They came to thank him.
There’s no way to tell all of Vinicio’s stories, but there’s time for one more! Guatemala has LOTS of dogs — it’s a big problem. The streets are littered with starving hounds, tearing through garbage, howling at the moon — they multiply like crazy and often rabid. While many attempts to curb the problem have failed, one solution has helped… every year when the circus comes around, they feed some stray dogs to the lions.
