Guatemala – September 16 – 19, 2006
Awaking early, we heard some strange sounds out front. Chris left to put some things in the car and came back a little frazzled. The crowded streets had emptied for a parade. Our “El Rodeo” sat alone on the streets, waiting to be trampled by crowds of people. He bargained with the police and told them that we would be gone within 10 minutes. We hurried out the door and made our last stop at the convenient store for breakfast on the road.
We didn’t realize that passing through towns might be a tiny difficult on the day after Independence Day. What we really didn’t realize was that the festivities go on for days and in some places, even a week. Passing through Comitan, we saw a Mexican family on horses, dressed traditionally. They rode up to the gas station on their way to a parade and their proud dad went in to buy all of his daughters Gatorade. I asked if I could photograph them and they were honored.
Before we knew it, we were at the border. The drive was a straight shot and went by faster than expected. We quickly made it into Guatemala, got through immigration and changed money with a street vendor. We headed to Antigua – another amazing Spanish colonial town in the mountains. Chris estimated that it would take 3 hours, 4 hours max with crossing the border. It took 10! Laughing it off and officially disbelieving any and all estimates that Chris would project in the future, we sat back and enjoyed the bum numbing drive. We passed many Mayan people. They all wore the same garb and generally carried wood in a large sack. The sack had a strap and they all carried the strap across their forehead. We were surprised when we saw a large group marching along the highway, some with instruments. Before I snapped a photo, we realized that it was a funeral procession. They were walking up the mountain highway – carrying a casket at the front. I quickly put the camera down and we quietly passed them.
After getting a bit turned around, we found our way into Antigua’s back streets at dark. What we did not know was that it was Independence week for all of Central America. We drove around barricaded streets and plazas, were turned down by 3 hotels and finally found Posado San Vincente. We settled in and got some grub as it began pouring. We were tired and skipped the crazed parties and rainy street parades.
The next morning Chris was sick. We were terrified that Montezuma had returned. Fortunately, once he met with Upchuck he began feeling better. We headed out for an easy day of doing laundry and wandering around. The town was truly picturesque. Surrounded by 3 volcanoes, the cobblestone streets are lined with Spanish architecture and enormous cathedrals that were destroyed during earthquakes, but still standing. There must have been at least 10 gorgeous buildings, with chunks of ceiling lying inside, surrounded by grass with their rooftops open to the sky.
Then we came to an active church. The courtyard was filled with Mayan kids running around and playing. We stopped and waited for the rain to die off. I casually approached the church and saw some of the girls watching as I took some photos. I asked if I could photograph them and they seemed excited (you were never quite sure of the reaction you would get). Then I asked the boys if I could photograph them. In an instant I was surrounded by 30 or so kids, all laughing hysterically and wanting to be in photos with their friends. We hung out and I tried my broken Spanish as they asked me questions. We probably spent 45 minutes together; I felt more rewarded in that time than I had in a long time. The children were having a great time, despite any personal circumstances. They were like any kid anywhere, full of life, love and hope.
We found our way to the Black Cat Hostel for dinner. They had outstanding soup and brownies. We ate some dinner, talked to some travelers and crashed after a full day of sight seeing, changing a flat tire and walking through the rainy cobblestone streets.
Tags: Travel
pcschroeder
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