29.03.2014
Hello Folks,
first of all sorry that we are not Updating the blog more frequently but we are not always on places with internet access. We will try to Update it once a week (during the weekends) - if we can....
So, after we stayed a couple of days on the pacific coast last week we decided to visit "Largo Atitlan", the most beautiful lake in the world how the Guatemaleans call it (it´s not true once you know the "largo Titikaka" ;). We stayed some days there but the problem is that this is one of Guatemalas tourist places Nr. 1, so not the place we are really looking for. Anyway, the cleaning lady from our Hotel told us from a village near the lake (Santa Catarina) what was basically not affected by tourism and we had the chance to see how people lived before the tourist boom. Verry nice and quiet.
While we where staying the first days in Antigua we met Pablo, a 23 old guy from a city called Chimantenalgo. He invited us after 2 days to his hometown what we of course accepted - and this was our next destination. The city itself is in no travel book whatsoever - but as well for a reason. It´s typical Guatemala but nothing really to see exept markets, streetlife without rules (exept in the capital there are no traffic lights in Guatemala) and dirty streets. Anyway, it was a great trip. Pablo invited us into his family house and we had the chance to talk with the whole family (including the 91 year old grandma). The hospitality from the people here is unbelivable and nothing compared to Europe. After a few minutes we where accepted in their family. They invited us for the next day to see some old Maya ruins near the city. Of course we accepted.
While sleeping in a Hotel waiting for the next day we woke up by loud shoots ca 50-100 Meters away from the hotel. We wasn´t sure what was all this about but on the next morning the father of the family told us that police had a shootout with some gangsters last night and you always here those shoots in the streets by night. It´s just very weired to be next to such action you normaly know only from movies/documentations. Anyway, after a while the guns quiet down and we could sleep fine until the next morning.
We went to see the first Maya ruins on this travel ("Iximche"). The ruins itself are not as impressive as we where not allowed to climp the tempels but while visiting we heared some music in the woods behind the ruins. Once arrived at the music we could paticipate in an origional Maya ceremony. It was unbelivable to see the ritual what those people still doing out of belive (and not because of tourism like in other places) since thousands of years.
Anyway, the family was so nice to bring us afterwards to Guatemala city as we had to catch the bus connection and they told us that it is too dangerous to go there by bus (just like that they drove 1 more hour just for us!!!). From there we took another bus to the east and after one night sleep in a dodgy harbour town we are now in Livingston, out first destination in the caribean. We will tell more about that during our next blog.
Stay safe and all the best to you all!!!
Carla & Roman
Hello Folks,
first of all sorry that we are not Updating the blog more frequently but we are not always on places with internet access. We will try to Update it once a week (during the weekends) - if we can....
So, after we stayed a couple of days on the pacific coast last week we decided to visit "Largo Atitlan", the most beautiful lake in the world how the Guatemaleans call it (it´s not true once you know the "largo Titikaka" ;). We stayed some days there but the problem is that this is one of Guatemalas tourist places Nr. 1, so not the place we are really looking for. Anyway, the cleaning lady from our Hotel told us from a village near the lake (Santa Catarina) what was basically not affected by tourism and we had the chance to see how people lived before the tourist boom. Verry nice and quiet.
While we where staying the first days in Antigua we met Pablo, a 23 old guy from a city called Chimantenalgo. He invited us after 2 days to his hometown what we of course accepted - and this was our next destination. The city itself is in no travel book whatsoever - but as well for a reason. It´s typical Guatemala but nothing really to see exept markets, streetlife without rules (exept in the capital there are no traffic lights in Guatemala) and dirty streets. Anyway, it was a great trip. Pablo invited us into his family house and we had the chance to talk with the whole family (including the 91 year old grandma). The hospitality from the people here is unbelivable and nothing compared to Europe. After a few minutes we where accepted in their family. They invited us for the next day to see some old Maya ruins near the city. Of course we accepted.
While sleeping in a Hotel waiting for the next day we woke up by loud shoots ca 50-100 Meters away from the hotel. We wasn´t sure what was all this about but on the next morning the father of the family told us that police had a shootout with some gangsters last night and you always here those shoots in the streets by night. It´s just very weired to be next to such action you normaly know only from movies/documentations. Anyway, after a while the guns quiet down and we could sleep fine until the next morning.
We went to see the first Maya ruins on this travel ("Iximche"). The ruins itself are not as impressive as we where not allowed to climp the tempels but while visiting we heared some music in the woods behind the ruins. Once arrived at the music we could paticipate in an origional Maya ceremony. It was unbelivable to see the ritual what those people still doing out of belive (and not because of tourism like in other places) since thousands of years.
Anyway, the family was so nice to bring us afterwards to Guatemala city as we had to catch the bus connection and they told us that it is too dangerous to go there by bus (just like that they drove 1 more hour just for us!!!). From there we took another bus to the east and after one night sleep in a dodgy harbour town we are now in Livingston, out first destination in the caribean. We will tell more about that during our next blog.
Stay safe and all the best to you all!!!
Carla & Roman
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