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La Antigua, Guatemala

January 1 -- March 8, 2010

THANK YOU

Thank you for following our adventures in Antigua, Guatemala. I hope you were able to sense some of the beauty and tradition that is Antigua.  For us it was an unforgettable experience, and we left part of our hearts there with the people of Antigua. We also left a lot of shoe leather, and we are grateful to our boots for standing up to the challenges of cobblestone streets, ancient monuments, and active volcanoes.

In the Jungle at Tikal (Part 2)

posted by Buzz

Tikal is in the jungle. While it is a spectacular archaeo-logical site because of its many splendid structures from the Mayan civilization, it is also stunning because it is in the middle of a huge jungle. It’s  a National Park, and it is filled with critters: toucans, cockatoos, crocodiles, turkeys, monkeys.While in the jungle, I made a new friend. Check out the following links to see the fauna of Tikal and sounds of the jungle. Enjoy!

http://www.tikalpark.com/fauna.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZV9xtzjbe8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ze9rArZyk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmGujekhpRU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQX6J4udt9I

Climbing Pacaya

On Thursday afternoon we rode horses as far as we could up the side of the active volcano. Then we hiked on foot on crusty old lava as far as we were allowed. Walking was VERY difficult, footing was unsure, and cooled lava is sharp as broken glass. So there we were near the top of this volcano with rocks, fire, and ash exploding into the air (note the smoke ring), and a river of hot lava flowing just a few feet from us. The heat was intense. ¡Mucho calor! Some people were roasting marshmallows over the hot lava, while Buzz tried to roast a chicken. I took a moment and sent out a thought to my grandson. Then as dusk started to fall, we began a long hike down. We used leg muscles that hadn't been called into action for some time. I'm happy to say that we climbed a volcano, but once is enough.    

Never Just One!

There was another church procession last Sunday. You already know what those look like. So I will show you some of the cute kids that came to el parque central for the celebration. This was a real family day. 

One thing you should know about the children in Antigua--there is no such thing as ONE child. They are all connected. One afternoon Buzz and I were eating ice cream cones at the Marco Polo helados store, and a cute little Mayan girl stood by our table and watched us eat. Well, how can you eat ice cream in front of a child? So I asked her if she wanted ice cream. Si, limon por favor. As soon as she got her cone, she ran out the door and told her friends that we were buying ice cream, and suddenly we had several children around our table and a number of parents too. It was a little overwhelming. The store owner and several customers started laughing. Apparently they already knew that there is no such thing as one child.

Shoeshine?

Shoe shining is big business in Antigua. On average, we are asked if we want a shoeshine about 4 times an hour. Shoeshiners are always male, but they range in age from about 6 to 60. This lucky shoeshiner owns his own bench for customer comfort. Sometimes his dog, Inkie, relaxes there between customers. Most shiners stroll through the park with 

mobile shoeshine kits and offer shines to people sitting on park benches. Buzz accepted a shine late one Saturday afternoon from a 6-year-old professional who had polish up to his elbows and even some on his cheeks. The kid squirted brown oily liquid on Buzz's boot and deftly began some beautifully choreographed polishing moves before Buzz could even ask how much it would cost--BIG mistake. With one boot committed, the kid had all the power. Note: a shoeshine should only cost 3 to 5 quetzales. Buzz paid considerably more and left an oily trail as we walked out of the park. EVERYONE has polished shoes here, from people selling TV antennas in the mercado to police officers. My boots are suede.