The Wanderings of busman7

On the Sunday we were picked up at our host families cassa, I had to walk about 2/3 km as the lane-way to the finca required a 4×4. We then proceeded to the base of the mountain at tecpan, approx 3500 ft at base & 10,000 at summit, went 2/3 of the way up in a 4×4 & 5 of the group hiked the rest of the way. When we started up the day was clear but by the time we reached the top clouds had developed & we were in the cloud, guess what the inside of a cloud is wet, so we didn’t get the full view which must have been impressive as about 1000 ft down when we got out of the cloud it was absolutely amazing looking over the country side dotted with the immaculate small farms with their patchwork 1/4 acre fields. At the top were 2 big communication towers, must have been quite a project building them along with the accompanying hydro line!

We then had a breakfast of a local kind of tortilla & arroz con leche, a drink made of rice, cinnamon & sugar mixed in with hot milk, delicious!

Then to the Mercado in town with a visit to the cathedral where mass was being held, back to Antigua & the end of an unforgettable week end.

A bit of trivia about a couple things Guatemala & Canada have in common, apparently Canada uses Guatemalan farm workers in the summer. I was informed of this by my host family & they should know, also every body has a cell phone & on Sunday the boys take their Harley’s out for a ride.

I was asked if it was safe for an attractive solo woman to come to Antigua for Spanish lessons, the answer is there are a lot of them here & as long as you keep yourself aware & follow the normal precautions you are as safe here as at home plus with the friendly travelers here you will make friends the first day.

I was also asked to post my itinerary; Saying a sad Hasta luego to Antigua & Guatemala on Monday as I head for El Salvador & on down to Ciduad Panama where I have a flight booked for La Habana on Dec 28. Hotel Nacional until Jan 2 then a cassa in Havana for the month of January, tour Cuba Feb & Mar, Apr????

Any one wishing to have a mojito with me in Havana pm me on Trip Adviser Cuba forum, that goes for Debbies forum members also because as long as Steffie j is a mod the busman will not be following that forum.

Name of composer of Guatemalan anthem, Rafael Avalverez Ovalle.

In afternoon of  first day stopped at Maya ruins at Iximche not a bad site but nothing to compare to Tikal bur a bit different than the others as it is in a mountainous region not the jungle.

The home stay was a real eye opener the way they lived, every thing just basic, cement floors with no paint & minimal furniture with brick wood burning stove. When I was shown my room it was explained that the Mayan tradition required the pine needles spread on the floor & the candle burning as a sign of respect to the guest also it made the room smell nice.

We talked for an hour or so, perhaps communicated is a better word, using my limited Spanish, a few words of English they knew & sign language. Then cena (supper) in the kitchen, frijolies negra y huevos y tortilas y pan banano. After supper an hour of impromptu Spanish & English lesson followed by bed on a bit hard bed but not that bad.

The casa consisted of 3 buildings with kitchen, bedroom & bathroom each in there own building. Different but the people were among the friendliest I have ever met.

On comparing notes with the others in the group all said the same about their hosts & considered it a privile4dge to have stayed in their homes & been involved in the family activities, with the exception of Mr know it all from Vancouver who was told there was a Canadian living a couple doors down & spent the evening drinking beer with a Canadian (no comment).

More to follow,

Antigua can be expensive if you don't watch where you go just got a hair cut & beard trimmed & cost 100 Quatzales ($12 US) host family madre recommended the shop & silly me didn't ask price before hand, live ... [Continue reading this entry]

Well my luck is still holding had a super time on the weekend but need a couple days to digest the experience before writing it up but can tell some thing about the tour guide & the people on it. This ... [Continue reading this entry]

Before I start on Antigua I will give my opinion on the difference between a traveler & a tourist. When two people meet at any given place on the planet they automatically have some thing in common, they chose that ... [Continue reading this entry]

Before I forget again want to tell about my trip to the bus station in Flores, the travel agency was to pick me up at the hotel & take me to the bus station but I guess all the vans ... [Continue reading this entry]

Seeing as I am the busman it would be delinquent of me not to comment further on the bus situation. Have already commented at length on the excellent bus situation in Mexico & how it excels that in the rest ... [Continue reading this entry]

Here is my take on the Maya sites I have seen so far: the ·1 site in my books is Tikal this is an extensive site with numerous temples etc to see & some to climb. We had a very ... [Continue reading this entry]

Forgot to mention in my last post that the two most important words to know in Mexico are "no gracias". Caye Caulker is a bit of Paradise a 45 min water taxi ride from Belize City, wouldn't know you were in ... [Continue reading this entry]

They say only "mad dogs & Englishman go out in the midday sun" so it's time to get out of the sun for a bit. Just a couple observations from my travels in Mexico; read your Lonely Planet or which ever ... [Continue reading this entry]