Perhaps I didn’t give Livingston a fair chance. I really enjoyed getting there on the little boat with my luggage thrown in front (I kept wondering if it would fall out after a large wave). Livingston is unique in Guatemala in that it’s population is a mix of Garífuna, Afro-Caribbean,[…]
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This last sunday just after we were finishing my fifth dive in Utila, we pulled up anchor and started pulling away when someone spotted dolphins approaching the boat. The captain immediately shut off the engine while everyone donned snorkel gear and jumped in the water. The school of dolphins swam[…]
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Utila island is all about scuba. I’m guessing there must be 30 or more diving schools on the small island. Every other business is a dive school. Dive schools try to lure you in as soon as you get off the boat by offering free rooms, free tuktuk taxis to[…]
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The day before I was to go diving, I was walking down the main narrow road when a bee flew between my foot and sandal. As I stepped down, I crushed the bee, but not before he managed to get in his last gasping revenge to sting me. Unfortunately, I’m[…]
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While in Copan Honduras several people told me I should visit the Bay Islands before leaving Honduras. A few days on an island sounded like it would be a nice change, so I decided to go check it out. My original plan was to visit the island of Roatan, mostly[…]
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Traveling in Central America is a lot like traveling state to state in the USA, but with a much bigger difference in dialect and traditions. Guatemala boasts one of the best Mayan archeological sites with Tekal, whereas Honduras has the ruins of Copan. Copan is known for having more intact[…]
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There are 35 officially recognized volcanos in Guatemala, three of which are still active. I’ll write a little bit about the three active volcanos and about my hike up the side of Pacaya. Pacaya This volcano is a bit unique in Guatemala in that it erupts about every five years.[…]
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New Years Eve celebration in Guatemala reminds me of the Independence Day in the USA. It is a family event for picnics outside, BBQs, parades and fireworks. The just substitute hispanic equivalents for everything and you have the basic idea. Traditional black tamales I’m beginning to think there are specific[…]
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With the exception of blowing massive amounts of money shopping, I believe the Guatemalans put far more effort into celebrating Christmas than those of us in the USA or Europe. I’ll try to describe what I’ve seen here in Guatemala. Multi-day celebration First, it seems that Christmas itself is spread[…]
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I went with a friend here to tour the local Filadelfia Coffee Farm just north of Antigua. I learned about 100 times more about coffee than I ever knew before. It started with a drive out to the nursery where we saw baby coffee plants just after planting. We were[…]
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In the USA we have burning man, a crazy party which takes place every year in the middle of the Nevada Black Rock Desert where thousands of people watch a large wooden figure burn. On a smaller scale, and maybe with a few less drugs, the Guatemalans celebrate burning a[…]
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Last night I had rabbit stew for dinner; it was rather interesting as I tried to figure out which parts of the rabbit I was eating. After the meal I had a pile of bones on the corner of my bowl and decided although it was tasty, it was a[…]
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