Moments that
Captivate
Note: Finally...I've gotten off my arse and sat down to write another blog. I understand that I have missed maybe about 5 weeks of my time away but I'll get around to filling you in at some point!
So...back to the lastest snipit of my current lifestyle...
After much
stress and having to revert to previously suppressed organizational skills, I
finally managed to work my way from Utila (what a place – I’ll miss it mucho)
to Guatemala City. The purpose of my trip here is to organise a work visa in
the American Embassy here for the U.S. after landing what sounds like a
position of epic proportions on a yacht, in the Caribbean that thrives on
finding the best diving spots. My job
will entail many aspects of working on a yacht but with the added bonus of
Divemaster in the job description. I
thought spending a week in Guatemala
would offer a bit more than a week in Tegucigalpa or Honduras as a
single white, blonde female! I think I chose correctly.
I managed to
tackle the transport blitz that occurs in Central America over Semana Santa
(Easter Week) head on and flew from La Ceiba to Tegucigalpa, Tegucigalpa to San
Salvador, San Salvador to Guatemala City. And what a sight to behold! Flying
into Guatemala City is nothing short of breathtaking in itself as looming active and dormant volcanos encircle the
sprawling city and evidence of land movement is apparent, with massive craters and
sink holes dotting the landscape, accompanied by impressive mountains.
Guatemala lies on a major fault line that runs all the way from Chile up to the
Rockies in Alaska.
I was met at
the airport by possibly the nicest woman ever, called Maria from Quetzalroo
Hostel. I was also greeted by her little
dog named ‘Peanut’. I was instantly happy….for those of you who have spent any
time with me when there’s a dog around you’ll understand I’m sure! Maria owns Quetzalroo along with her two sons,
Marcus and Miguel, who seem to take charge of the management side of things.
The hostel itself is in a beautiful old building and is bright and charming and
clean! Miguel ‘s(one of the son’s) welcome hugs are a common and charming
aspect of the hostel. It makes me feel like I’m coming home to a family I have
never actually met before. They offer
dinner to guests and a free breakfast in the morning. Its not bad fro $10 a
night.
Both sons
are very politically and economically vocal when it comes to Guatemala, its
history, its people and its issues. They encourage all guests to watch two very
moving documentaries about the darker and suppressed history of the country.
The first, called ‘Granito de Arena’ (Grains of Sand) delves into hidden
atrocities and genocides that took place during the ‘Civil War’ against the
indigenous Mayan population during the 1970’s & 80’s. Only now are former government officials and
officers being trialed and charged with murder. Much of the progress made in
the prosecution side of things is due to a pair of women who travelled and
filmed in Guatemala at the time as young women. Because of their age they were
permitted to record footage. All other media was banned. Trials are continuing in Madrid, Spain.
Another
documentary is about the women and children who are forced to work in city
dumps, who, without means of educating themselves or their children are reduced
to sieving through rubbish to find plastic to recycle. There is an organization
now set up here in Guatemala City that is really making a difference to these families’
lives. They provide support and funding for both children and adults to enroll
in educational programmes in order to further their chances of better
employment and to increase opportunities. It seems like a really worthwhile
charity and if I’m here on Thursday I’d like to take up the offer to visit the
organization, which is called ‘Safe Passage’ or ‘Camino Seguro’ and the
families that have been helped by this programme.
Not one for
big cities me, I told Miguel that I would love to spend my Easter Sunday doing
something interesting outside of a city. He suggested visiting Antigua and
hiking up Mt. Pacaya. I thought that sounded like a splendid idea. He pretty
much organized everything for me – easy peasy!
So, Sunday
morning my shuttle arrived to pick me up and being the only passenger we were
in Antigua in no time. Antigua is the old capital city of Guatemala before a
massive earthquake damaged the city in 1773. It was actually founded originally
in 1543, after the destruction of an even earlier capital called Ciudad Vieja.
One of the avenidas of Antigua City - Pacaya in the background
Antigua has
been battered and berated by earthquakes over centuries and for many years it
was abandoned with treasures moved to Guatemala City for safe keeping. It was not until the early 20th
century that the value of remaining monuments was finally realized and since
1972 efforts to preserve the beautiful old colonial buildings have gained
significant momentum. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and rightly so
when you feast your eyes on the uniquely photogenic and beautiful city. The backdrop of Volcan Agua, Volcan
Acatenango and Volcan Fuego simply ads to the magic of this place.
As I was
there Easter Sunday, the place was buzzing and various adornments were
delicately hung from windows and doors. Along the cobbled roads there paths of
coloured sawdust and flowers were laid. I missed the actual Jesus procession as
I was busy hiking up to Volcan Pacaya
(2552m) (another live volcano). It was a nice hike and it’s been a while
since I’ve hit an altitude of anything over 300m (Pumkin Hill on Utila is the
island’s highest point at just over 300m!!) so I was gleaming a little at the
top. However, the joys (*sarcasm) of being part of a group is that there is
always someone unfit lagging behind which slows the process slightly. But
needless to say, we got there in the end and it made me feel like I was uber
fit!
Before
beginning the hike there was a small group of young boys trying to sell us
sticks and insisting we’ll need them for the walk. They also offered to rent horses for the way
up but nobody bought. As we started the ascent I turned around and noticed the
boys riding on the horses they had previously offered us but just thought they
were taking the easy way up. As the gradient got slightly higher at one point
and it became a little more strenuous I noticed that the boys and their horses
were no longer with us. When we got to the next clearing, there were two of the
boys reiterating their offer of a horse
for the rest of the way. I thought, ‘what an ingenious business model, clever
boys!.’
Modern times in Guatemala. These are
the business minded boys offering their horses to weary tourists who overrated
their fitness level.
It was
pretty spectacular as we rounded the corner to get a close up view of the Pacaya crater. The smoke was billowing out
and our guide informed us that over night part of the crater has collapsed. I’m
not sure if he says that to all the tourists that go up there but either way,
it was a good story and I’m going to go with it. The lava field was an impressive expanse of
black carpet (which is actually very hard and sharp, the complete opposite of
carpet!!). The last major eruption happened only in 2010 and our guide showed
us photos of him and his friends ‘playing’ with the molten lava!
Volcan Pacaya in the background. Me
looking like a right tourist in front!
As much as I
enjoyed the hike up, the best bit was coming down. The guide told me and two
others which path to follow and we RAN down the mountain, skidding along in the
black sand. We came to a halt at this wonderful viewpoint that allowed us a
magnificent view of the three mountains illuminated by a orange-hued sunset
that trickled through the evening mist.
Sunset in Antigua, painting the three volcanos in their best light
I even found a dog to play with….
It was a day
well spent and I enjoyed every minute of it. I staying in a nice hostel there
too – quiet, cheap ($7) and clean called Dionosis. I met some nice people we all joined together
for a big feed in La Luna De Miel for some yummy crepes!
My encanta
Guatemala J
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