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ECUADOR
GUATEMEXICO
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Guatemexico
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From December 14, 1995 to January 2, 1996, we were South of the Border. Here is a summary of our trip – New York to Guatemala and South Eastern Mexico:
H: We flew from G-City to Flores, where we were herded along with other tourists on to a bus. We arrived in the Jungle Lodge in Tikal, just in time for the four-hour walk-tour through the jungle paths. We climbed a step pyramid with reconstructed steps. We scaled another with no steps, just ladders tied to trees here and there. Most of the hundreds of pyramids are completely covered with forest. Things grow fast in the jungle. A 6am walk the next morning revealed more secrets of the Mayan culture. We also heard a howler monkey exercising his voluminous lungs. [He sounds like an animal the size of Big Foot but he looks just like a monkey.] Spider monkeys ate lunch in the tall trees above our bungalow.
W: Tikal is a major ancient Mayan city deep in the hot and steamy Yucatan jungle set in a huge national park with an abundance of exotic flora and fauna. There is jungle for hundreds of miles in every direction. Here lies an ancient city-state of staggering complexity and importance – thousands of years old, built when most Europeans were cave dwellers. We were amazed. Meanwhile, back at the lodge, first day chicken for lunch and beef for dinner…second day, chicken for lunch and beef for dinner…third day, well, we’ll let you guess!
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Back to Guatemala City - Out as fast as we can to Antigua:
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W: This colonia and remarkably intact former capital of Guatemala is situated in the middle of a volcanic valley and has a temperate climate. Our hotel was a former convent of olde, next to ye olde clock tower with what sounded like a not very olde bell that rang every quarter of every hour DAY AND NIGHT. Back in the days of the Conquistadores, the Captaincy-Generalship (colony) of Guatemala consisted of present day (part of) Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua. As such it was a very important city and to this day has many impressive and lovely buildings for the 15th through the 18th centuries.
H: At last! Real food! Fine dining was to be had amid the cobblestone streets, and inner courtyards with flowers. It being the week before Christmas, the fireworks were already starting; the booms made me jump. Every night we would see a little Christmas procession of children holding candles and nativity objects. The town square here was the center of fireworks, and the town’s history full of earthquakes. We decided that if the capital had not been moved to Guatemala City, Antigua would not be the charming place it is today.
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From Antigua to Panajachel (a name which W could never quite pronounce):
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H: On the way to Panajachel, I saw what looked like a giant Egyptian pyramid reaching to the sky – my first volcano sighting up close. Panajachel reminded me a little of Pokhara, Nepal, with the lake, the many restaurants and inns catering to foreigners, and the hippies (picture 45-50 year old men with beards down to their bellies).
W: This town is hippie headquarters overlooking Lake Atitlan, which is a large and panoramic volcanic lake surrounded by Indian villages, volcanoes, coffee plantations, and dreamy clouds. I finally discovered where the Woodstock Nation relocated. After chicken and beef…beef and chicken, we got to eat some FISH from the nearby lake.
H: The Lake is the main attraction and so out we went the next morning on one of the many boats to cross it and visit three villages. All were equipped with a brightly painted church, steep cobblestone streets and lots of tiny kids running around in beautifully embroidered clothes. |
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From Panahachel to the Mexican Border (Mesilla):
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H: It was a four-hour car ride. Upon arriving at the border gate, the driver said adios and we were left on our own.
W: We had heard mucho horror stories about Mexican border crossings (graft, corruption, searches, delays, etc.), including that when a Mexican border official asks for an unofficial 'tip' it is called el mordida (the bite). However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see us zip through the border with nothing but a smile from the official. The scenery on the way to and around the border was spectacular – mountains, canyon…straight out of an old western.
H: The wait for the bus on the other side could have been worse; it was only four hours long. But the bus was first class, and as soon as the bus company cleaned up the unmentionable mess that a baby had made (again and again), the ride was just fine. We were in Mexico!
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Christmas is over – We run to Oaxaca:
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H: The night bus adventure was more than my stomach could bear…though we were again on a first class bus, and I had taken Dramamine, I was quite green by the time we arrived in Oaxaca, at the ungodly hour of 4 am. Unlike San Cristobal, the hotels were booked solid for Christmas week. Fortunately, we had called ahead for a room and found it actually ready at 7 am when we arrived at the hotel. It rained all that day, which was ok, because we slept all day.
W: Oaxaca has been called the spiritual capital of Mexico and I could see why. It is a unique blend of Indian and Spanish colonial cultures. Like Antigua and San Cristobal, we went to many churches, museums and colonial homes. We visited two ancient non-Mayan archeological sites called Monte Alban (Zapotec) and Mitla (Mixtec), which provided an interesting contrast to Tikal. The countryside was dry brush with a few cacti.
H: We spent a lot of time wandering around the delightful zocalo (town square), which was mercifully closed to traffic. The atmosphere was that of a perpetual party. Balloons and flowers were everywhere. The square was surrounded by cafes, where one could just sit in the sun and people watch. There were wandering musicians and bands. The atmosphere was very mellow, the level of hassle, as everywhere else we had been, a minimum.
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Epilogue:
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W: Well I can honestly say my Spanish is better than it was and I enjoyed myself. Before we left I jokingly asked my friends whether they wanted Guatemalan Liberation Front t-shirts or Zapatista Peoples Freedom Party t-shirts…and you know I did not get any takers? I wonder why.
H: W departed for the U.S. on Jan. 1 and I moved into a very nice Mexican family home for my 5 day Spanish course. The family spoke to me only in Spanish, as did the teachers, of course and so I learned a lot. How much I will retain is another matter. It took me two days to get home, because of the winter storm.
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