The Prettiest Little City Ever

It was our last weekend in Guatemala, we were glum. All the wonderful fruit juices, blended fresh, no added sugars and so cheap. All the tamales wrapped like a culinary gift in a corn husk, steaming and delicious. The jungle and the mountains, the arts and the crafts....we would miss Guatemala. As a last Hurrah we treated ourselves to one last Central American bus ride and spent the weekend in the ancient colonial Spanish city of Antigua. It is quite honestly one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited.



The original capitol for the Spanish colony of Central America, it is over 450 years old. Upon entering the city you feel as if you have stepped back into time, cira 1543. The streets remain cobbled, and horse drawn carriages trot down the narrow roads, the churches and grand Cathedrals rein high overlooking all the towns buildings and one very large and still active volcano watches over the city. Because the capitol city of Antigua was summarily and quickly moved in the 1770's, to the modern day location,of Guatemala City, the original capitol city lay forgotten amidst the mountains, untouched, un-modernized and astoundingly preserved.



(Learn more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala)





We were drawn by the beauty of the town and walked around in a daze for three days taking it all in. The town, being of Spanish Colonial architecture, has high brick and stone walls facing out towards the street, and cut into these walls is door after door. The doors are massive wooden structures, many the size of barn doors, decorated with large brass hinges, door knobs and ornate designs. At first Keith and I felt locked out on the stone streets with no access to what lay behind the walls. We soon found that as soon as you lift one of the huge brass knockers and bang loudly, a person appears quickly and slides open a little face sized window to see who knocks. Then the large door is opened and you are led into a lush garden courtyard. The center courtyards are surrounded by balconies, all laden in Spanish tiles and then off of the balconies you can enter into the rooms of the house. Each and every door in Antigua was unique and beautiful as were the inner compounds.



Other than taking in the amazing architecture of the town we enjoyed the local craft market. However, one of the most difficult aspects of purchasing at the local markets is the art of haggling. We soon found that the asking price could often be cut in half if you haggled for long enough. After much practice Keith mastered the bargaining arts and took pride in his skill. He knew just when to walk away and then the well practiced vendor would finally cave on the price and both Keith and the vendor walked away happy. Once Keith got the swing of it, there was no stopping him! On our last day he was struck with the proud father syndrome and was haggling for baby booties, stuffed animals, pants, and even Mayan embroidered shirts that won't fit the baby for years! Caroline had to stop him!



One day of our visit was spend touring the churches, monasteries, convents, cathedrals that cover the town. You can't make it more than a few blocks without coming across a Catholic building of some sort. Some of the old buildings are crumbling and in ruins, although one can still imagine its magnificence. Others have been restored over the years and boast their ancient glory. Many of the old churches are used today and on Sunday bells rung throughout the town and the townspeople gathered in the church plazas and around the fountains with their families. There was food and music and children playing all enjoying the 450 year old surroundings.



When time came for us to leave we felt we could of easily spent weeks more in Antigua. We had found the home of Senora Maria who rented out rooms in her home for only $16 per night. We said goodbye to our hosts and wandered to the plaza of La Merced Church and joined in the festivities by eating our last tamale and enjoying the Mayan flute music. We hope to come back one day to this ancient tropical city high in the Mayan hills of Guatemala.

Leaving Our Boat In Good Hands

Today we were picked up at our boat by Chico at 6:30 am. He took us on an hour long, early morning, motor boat ride up the Rio Dulce. It was quiet and serene as egrets and herons were just waking up for their morning meals. Chico will be watching over our boat, airing it out and making sure the bilge stays dry, while we fly home to visit friends and family.



Once we arrived in Fronteres Town, we caught our 7:45 bus to Guatemala City. Tomorrow we have our 22 week doctors checkup for Caroline and the little on who has started kicking her from the inside.
After our doctors visit we will take a side trip to Antiqua, a pretty little city about an hour away from Guatemala City.



We were both sad to leave our boat and be ending our cruise, but the sadness is fleeting in face of our overwhelming excitement about our new member of the family growing so fast each day. In about a month (November 12) Keith will return to Guatemala with 2 conscripted crew members for a marathon sail back to Key West.





Until then we will keep you updated on our land based travels

I Wish I Was 15 Again!

Is it a wedding, a confirmation, a coronation? No, it is a Quince! In Latin America the fifteenth birthday is very special for girls, a symbolic transition to womanhood. According to some on the Rio Dulce, it means she can now be proposed to (not married). We had the opportunity to observe a local celebration for this young woman's 15th birthday.



In addition to the fantastic, multi-tiered cake there was also endless food and dancing. Caroline was swept off her feet by one of the local men for a round on the salsa dance floor. The gathering took place at the marina Texan Bay (www.texanbaymarina.com), which we were anchored at, and included about 50 people from local families. Mixed into this were about 10 of us "gringo" cruisers who enjoyed this unique experience.

Last Shopping Day on the Rio Dulce: Oct. 18

We have been living 'on the River' now for over a month. Fronteras is the small town where we can get fresh produce, some great bread made by a German x-pat living in town and right 'out of the river' fresh fish and shrimp. Market days are on Wednesday and Saturday so on these days we each bring a large shopping bag with us and 'go to market'. Fronteras is a shabby run down town, and there is not much to it. It is a cattle town, there are 'real' cowboys sitting in the local Cantina's and many of them carry guns. Its a tough town, frontier justice is the main law of the land and as gringo's we have been warned not to go into town at night, people get drunk and people get shot. It is true enough, we have heard gunshots on a few occasions.



The only way to travel from one end of Guatemala to the other is via one road that happens to go through the center of the town. Although only a two lane road, the shop keepers and produce markets set up there wears along each side of the road seemingly oblivious to the massive semi trucks that come barreling through. Logging trucks, buses, beer trucks, produce trucks, tractors, and worst of all the cattle trucks come to a stand still as they force their way through the town amidst the market day shoppers.




On our first couple of visits to the market we were harassed by the spewing Diesel fumes, the huge Semis that inch towards you as you attempt to buy a sweet pineapple. The stray dogs that dodge the traffic, thin and scruffy, looking for scraps, and we were warned about standing next to a cattle truck as the defecating cattle show no regard for the shoppers trying to squeeze quickly by the truck. And then, one day, we found we were not bothered anymore. We fit into the scene, bravely walking out in front of a logging truck to quickly cross over to the fresh grapes. We learned to swerve expertly through the crowd heading to our favorite grocer. We picked through the stacked fruits and vegetables taking our time to pick out the best and not feel rushed. On our numerous trips we learned who had the best lettuce and who over charged for their grapes.



Today, Saturday, was our last trip into town and now we are preparing ourselves for our trip up to Guatemala City and then our flight back to the States. Oddly, we both felt we would miss the dirty, noisy, hectic little town. Under the dirt and grime we found a certain beauty. For one thing the fruit is sweet, juicy and delicious, and best of all very inexpensive. The Guatemalan avocados are rich and buttery and we will miss them sorely. Also the town is surrounded by the jungle, it is all encompassing, and humbling. Lastly, it is a community, mothers and children, shop vendors and butchers, old people and young, it's humanness is appealing. A certain baseness of survival reminds us of our existence and our own humanity. The shopkeeper Mariam, who sells green tea, thinks our baby will be a little
girl.

Castillo de San Felipe de Lara: Sept 23rd

About a mile up river from our Marina is a Castle. Really it looks more like a mini-castle or even a replica castle in Disney World. But once you get close you see that it is indeed an authentic and finely built structure, made from river rock and volcanic rock that was most likely carried on the backs of the Mayans that were the slaves of the Spanish conquistadors. We rode our little dingy up the river to the banks of the castle. The site is now a national park and they provide dockage for visiting boats and charge a nominal entrance fee. The gardens surrounding the castle are well tended and the park alone is just beautiful. Because of the almost daily rainfall the foliage boasts vibrant green and all the plants are giant size. Philodendron leaves the size of small cars, python-like vines, orchids dripping from branches, trees laden with huge fruits we have never seen the likes of, and enormous bromiliads grow in abundance.

The jungle foliage dwarfed the castle giving it an enchanted fairy tale look. Once we got to the castle a tour guide latched onto us and took us through. He was very pleasant although we only understood half of the tour as it was in Spanish, however we tried to follow as best we could and the guide would kindly explain things in a variety of ways if we looked too confused. We found that the Castle was actually more of a fort and was 500 years old. Its main focus was not to protect a town, or battle large pirate ships but it served as a store house for the booty that the Spanish were taking from Central America back to Spain. The Rio Ducle was not deep enough for the large ships to traverse, so the Spanish cargo ships would come to Puerto Barrios (at the mouth of the Rio Dulce) and then the Spanish would load little boats filled with the treasure and take it to the Castle for safe keeping. It would be stored until enough booty was accumulated and when a fleet of ships was headed back to Spain they would load up the ships again and they would return to Spain with the treasures of the New World. The fort was well armed and had numerous cannons. Apparently many a pirate, British and French, knew that the Spanish held their treasure up the Rio Dulce.

We spent the entire day at the park and walked around the vast grounds. Keith packed a delicious picnic lunch and we spent an idle afternoon exploring and taking photos of the lush gardens. (Sadly all the photos are on our stolen camera), although some friends gave us a couple of their photos so we can post them on the blog. ENJOY!

The Big City: Sept 1st and Sept 29th

The bus roared around the curve of the mountainside and immediately slowed down into the back of a line of traffic creeping up the 2 lane highway. Our faces peered through the smudgy windows to see what had brought all the trucks, cars, and buses to a crawl. Was it a mudslide, falling rocks, an accident? Around the next curve was the answer: in a last desperate leap for freedom, a cow had managed to get out of a cattle carrier destined for the slaughterhouse. The cow, and the cowboy trying to lasso it, were intermittently blocking the only road for vehicles making their way to and from Guatemala City. Our bus made it by, while the cow was still playing hide-and-seek around a truck, so we don't know what happened, but I believe the odds were not in the cows favor.



So far we have been into Guatemala City twice. Both times to see the GYN, but we like to add on a few extra days and make time to explore. We are like kids in a candy shop. We had not been in a big city, or really any small city, or even a real town ever since we had left Cancun, Mexico 4 months earlier. The abundance of things! Typically we are never interested in Malls, they are tedious, crowded and we both are not big shoppers, but live on a boat out in the boonies for 5 months and you have never seen such marvels!! We wondered through the malls window shopping, viewing the amazing items, from kitchen ware to toilet seats, from clothes stores to Ace hardware, and best of all, lots and lots of coffee shops filled with pastries!



On many occasions we would rest our weary feet, get out of the rain and sit at a sidewalk cafe. While watching the people rush by we would sip delicious cappuccinos and delve into a warm pastry. It was pure heaven, other than the fact that one cappuccino would leave me bouncing off the walls as I have quit caffeine while prego. I would have to often opt for a milkshake instead, which was just as decadent and delicious!



The other things that large cities offer that the small fishing villages do not, is museums and marvelous churches. We spent one day at the textile museum. It detailed the history of weaving and the various textile designs used by the Mayan peoples from the pre-conquest to present day. There are actually numerous (about 70 or more) different Mayan communities throughout Guatemala and they all have different textile design and clothing. We spent hours upon hours in the Museum and when we were ragged and worn, we went and found a little lunch spot and enjoyed huge 'liquados'. These are sort of like milkshakes but made with fresh fruit and milk or fruit and water. The cantelopes are in season now, and are the sweetest cantelopes I have ever tasted. So wonderful in a 'liquado'.



We spent a day in the small historic district of Guatemala city. Not and area to go at night, but wonderful in the day. We went to the main plaza to see the huge Catholic Cathedral that is breathtaking and beautiful. Catholic or not, the space is magical and we spent a quiet moment taking in the glory of such beauty. After this we hit the market place. No mall this time, much better. The local city market. We have never seen a local market so huge. It is similar to a farmers market, all the food you could imagine brought in by the farmers from the countryside. There were flower vendors, fishmongers, butchers, tortilla stands, tons of food stalls, bags and bags of spices, rows of vegetables and fruit, fruit and more fruit. The smells, the noise, the clutter was colorful and marvelous.



In the basement of the market we found local arts and crafts and watched many of the artists at work, potters, weavers, pinnata makers, seamstresses and a man sewing leather goods where Keith got a lovely wallet for a super cheap price. On the third floor was more crafts, mainly textiles, clothing and rugs. We spent a good part of the day wandering the market, we only saw 2 other Gringos so we knew we had found a true locals market.


Although we love the energy of the big city, other than when we got robbed, we are always happy to get back to the Rio Dulce and our boat. Life is quiet here. No cappuccinos, only waterey bitter coffee; no pastries, only hardened dough or coconut bread; no museums or malls. However, we are surrounded by the jungle, it is gentle and wild, and we love the peaceful nights when only the rain and the frogs can be heard, nothing else.