While I was living in Guatemala for the last five months I met over 20 adventure motorcyclists who were all traveling south (does anyone go north?). Most of them were making a several month trek from either Canada or the USA and heading to various destinations in South America (most[…]
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Semana Santa Easter is commonly referred to as Semana Santa in Guatemala. The words literally translate as semana = week and santa = holy or sacred, or together they really mean ‘Holy Week’. And in Guatemala this term means the week prior to and including Easter, but also is loosely[…]
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Many first time tourists to Guatemala are confused by several features of Guatemalan bathrooms. Typically they are frustrated by cold showers, clogged toilets and have questions like, “where is the hot water knob?” I have been living with a Guatemalan family for about five months now and think I’ve figured[…]
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I didn’t do it, but I’m intrigued by the idea. This last week I was in my Spanish class and talking to my instructor about the art of medicine in different cultures. My instructor has issues with migraines and some occasional stomach issues. That was when she brought up that[…]
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Want to sleep in a pyramid? You can do it at San Marcos. Recently I went to Lake Atitlan which is the largest inland body of water in Guatemala. It is a big lake in the crater of a huge volcano surrounded by a handful of towns. I spent my[…]
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Forget hiding and finding eggs on easter when in Guatemala. But, as a trade off, you get to smash an egg on top of a friends head wishing them prosperity and good luck. Easter is one of those interesting holidays which has evolved over the last couple thousand years from[…]
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Zephyr Lodge Lanquin One of the best and most amazing places I’ve ever stayed is Zephyr Lodge in Lanquin. It was almost a polar opposite to my experience in Rio Dulce. The staff at Zephyr are more like your favorite bar tenders. They were entertaining and ultra friendly. The lodge[…]
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Casa Perico is about 10 minutes by boat from Rio Dulce Guatemala. We took a small launch to get there and arrived in the afternoon. The Lodge itself is beautiful and quant. The whole place is suspended on poles about three feet above the mud and ponds of the swamp[…]
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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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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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