Okay, I lied. I´m logging in again - luxury of a hostel w/free internet and mid-afternoon thunderstorms. :)
By the time I finally dragged myself out this morning - after a tasty but curious omlette at the hostel - I stumbled into a fascinating religious procession just as it was about to start. It was something about the Body of Christ and happens only once a year. It was a mixture of priests, the devout, Catholic school kids, interested and faithful from all around, and military police. There were fire crackers (not the "ooh, pretty" fireworks one might usually think of, but simply fire crackers that made noise and smoked), a marching band reminiscent of a New Orleans funeral, flowers laid in the street, confetti thrown from the church, etc, etc. All in all, it was great - the kind of random thing that´s right up my alley when travelling.
Aside from that, just random walking about town, looking in on churches and ruins, and being invited in to Mass. (Seems like I may be going to Mass more these days than some Catholics I know... Odd.)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Live: from Antigua
Signing in briefly from Antigua, Guatemala - to let folks know I´m still alive.
What I´ve seen of Guatemala so far is a mixture of the expected and unexpected. Yes, there armed guards all over the place; yes, there is poverty; yes, you hear stories or encounter other travelers who have been robbed (usually while doing something dumb); yes, Mayan ruins are breathtaking; yes, the jungle is extraordinarily hot and humid during the rainy season. However, the people are largely warm and lovely - which means they´re willing to work with my awful Spanish (a largely disused holdover from my early childhood in New Mexico).
I´ll sign on again from home with more of a proper travel log... For now, I just want to enjoy the most of my few remaining days here. I have no agenda, no real concerns of touristic goals - and it feels wonderful. I just want to wander around, people watch and eat local food. :)
Random tidbit: Even if I didn´t know a little Spanish, "You have really beautiful hair" comes across pretty much the same in any language... (This, coming from one of the employees where I was staying in Tikal.)
What I´ve seen of Guatemala so far is a mixture of the expected and unexpected. Yes, there armed guards all over the place; yes, there is poverty; yes, you hear stories or encounter other travelers who have been robbed (usually while doing something dumb); yes, Mayan ruins are breathtaking; yes, the jungle is extraordinarily hot and humid during the rainy season. However, the people are largely warm and lovely - which means they´re willing to work with my awful Spanish (a largely disused holdover from my early childhood in New Mexico).
I´ll sign on again from home with more of a proper travel log... For now, I just want to enjoy the most of my few remaining days here. I have no agenda, no real concerns of touristic goals - and it feels wonderful. I just want to wander around, people watch and eat local food. :)
Random tidbit: Even if I didn´t know a little Spanish, "You have really beautiful hair" comes across pretty much the same in any language... (This, coming from one of the employees where I was staying in Tikal.)
