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Jaguars, banditos, and earthquakes, oh my!

By : Jeri Fritz
Trip Begins May 2, 2009
Trip Ends May 10, 2009

When our friends heard we were planning to vacation in Guatemala, they advised us to reconsider, citing warnings from the State Department and US Embassy.
See my photos : Jaguars, banditos, and earthquakes, oh my!

Want to go? Guatemala Explorer

I went to: Guatemala, Antigua, Santiago de Atitlan, Chiminos Island Lodge, Tikal Ruins, Chichicastenango
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May 2, 2009
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Arrival in Antigua

Antigua, Guatemala

When we arrived we were met not by car jacking banditos, but by masked medical personnel collecting health data and distributing Swine Flu information. Our first hotel in Antigua was quaint and the staff was kind and patiently waited for me to string together a sentence with my rudimentary Spanish. I had purchased a computer program to learn some Spanish for this trip, so I was hoping for just grammatical incorrectness and not incomprehensible gibberish. Turns out we were the only ones on this tour, so we felt like celebrities with our private driver and guide throughout the trip!

May 3, 2009
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Immersion in Mayan Culture

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Our delightful guide, Hugo, took us to the inner Chichicastenango market where the local Mayans were trading fresh produce. He identified the different Mayan groups based upon the patterns in their colorful woven costumes. The market has everything anyone might need, from toiletries to piles of chicken heads. Fortunately, Hugo greatly assisted in the bargaining process for us. With my limited Spanish, I barely could comprehend a few words and certainly not at rapid speaking pace. We left two stalls only to have the proprietors run down the street to find us, with not only a new price, but the object wrapped and ready to go. I happened on an antique carved wooden skeleton, both creepy and lovely. We were fortunate to witness a Mayan ritual on the steps of the Catholic church. A man swung a small bucket of incense over the fire and several Mayan priests walked through the crowd. Suddenly, I felt the earth undulate beneath my feet and others noticed a display of beaded jewelry swaying. Hugo informed us that earthquakes are common at the start of rainy season. What we felt was a 6.1 earthquake with an epicenter located 17 kilometers below Lake Atitlan.

May 4, 2009
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Life around the Lake

Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala

After a day of bargaining, we relaxed by borrowing a canoe from the hotel to paddle around the Lake Atitlan. We saw men snorkeling and spear fishing for black bass. While paddling along the shoreline, we saw Mayan villagers washing clothes, dishes, and themselves. Makes the need for “agua pura” obvious. We managed to return to the hotel just before an impending rainstorm but the hotel lost power. We later learned that the entire country was without electricity for two hours. Our guide informed us that a severe storm generated lightening that struck a power station serving both coasts! While at our hotel, we met an electrician who lives in the town half of the year, but his home in the States is a just a few miles from us, in Tulsa, OK. What are the chances? It is a small world after all.

May 5, 2009
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Modern Maya

Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala

Our guide took us to visit a local family whose house had been badly damaged by an earthquake mud slide a few years ago. The family was tremendously warm and inviting, but the harsh realities in the lives of the average villagers were evident. We were again fortunate to witness a ceremony while visiting Maximon,a carving of a Mayan folk deity who resides in the home of a carefully chosen resident. Maximon is an auspicious figure and those seeking his favor offer candles, cigars, flowers, incense, rum, or money. Maximon is dressed in clothing and often is smoking a cigar or cigarette during ceremonies. A local couple sat motionless and quiet as a priest prayed. We later explored the market of Sololá and were amazed by the colorful costumes and variety of produce and food stuffs. Our local supermercado just doesn’t carry baskets of live chickens and turkeys, cow hooves, beef brains, and braided innards. During our return to Antigua, we barely missed a close encounter with two “chicken” buses, careening around a hairpin mountain curve at high speed.

May 6, 2009
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Antigua, the Santa Fe of Guatemala

Antigua, Guatemala

We received an insightful historical account of the city, visited the churches of Antigua, and toured the jade museum. Antigua is a beautiful city filled with interesting shops and restaurants, as well as its own local market with goods of every description. We traveled to the Volcano Pacaya, rode horses up to the lava flow and hiked down. I intended to ask the caballero if my horse was tired (cansado) after the trip, but I think I asked if he was married (casado). I’m quite certain that Hawaii prohibits visitors to be near lava flows. Glowing hunks would crackle as they broke away and fell toward us, heating the air to sauna temperatures. At one point while enjoying the view, my leg became so hot that I thought my pant leg had caught fire. How’s that for up close adventure?

May 7, 2009
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Into the Jungle

Chiminos Island Lodge, Guatemala

We flew to Flores and learned that planes really only need three inflated tires for take offs and landings. As we traveled by boat to the Chiminos Lodge, we saw men fishing and women washing clothes in the river. Clearly, life here is hard and the work never ceases.

May 8, 2009
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It's not the Heat - It's the Humidity

Chiminos Island Lodge, Guatemala

After a river ride seeing cormorants and storks fly along our boat, we hiked up to Augateca. At 106 degrees and high humidity, the jungle felt just like an Oklahoma summer day. We hiked through a deep gorge while taking care to avoid slipping on the wet moss covered rocks. The next day as we were leaving for Flores, we passed a team of archeologists, including world renown Mayan researcher, Arthur Demarest, who are knowledgeable guide, Melvin, recognized. We lamented that we did not have a chance to dine with his group and learn more about the recent expeditions. Once in Flores, we walked into and around town. We returned to our hotel by tuk tuk, an essential for the complete Guatemala experience.

May 9, 2009
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Mayan Grandeur

Tikal Ruins, Guatemala

Having an interest in archeology, traveling to Tikal, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, was phenomenal. Pictures simply cannot do justice to the scale and scope of the buildings. The amount of human labor required for construction is mind boggling. Hiking around in 100 degree heat (it was a cooler day) made us further appreciate the ancient efforts. It is fitting that Adventure Life leaves Tikal as the grand finale and our memories of this place will remain with us forever.

May 10, 2009
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Final Score

We arrived home safe and sound, having gained an understanding and appreciation of a people and country about which we knew little. Final Score: Jaguars – 1 (if you count a wooden mask), Earthquakes – 1, World Famous Archeologist – 1, Banditos – 0. A fine trip, indeed!

1-5 of 11 imagesMy Travel Photo Album


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