antigua has craft brew too

as wall street says ... where there is craft beer there will be prosperity

explosion of color everywhere

f&$*ing metrics

tried to bake something today and the oven is in celsius not fahrenheit.  just once i would like a miss universe contestant to declare, 'it is my mission in the next year, as a prelude to world peace, to standardize the units by which we measure salt, distance and temperture'.    

and yeah, i did the math [via google] and i still couldn't get the tempature right.

summer’s here!

well, not really, but it is the end of the school year in Guatemala and the same joyful feeling i remember is on the faces of the school children in the village of San Antonio Aguas Caliente.

i was invited to a year end celebration and left humbled by the immense impact a few people are having in this village.   the situation here for school children is quite grim.  poverty, iliterate parents, lack of nutrition and poorly equiped schools contribute to a vicious cycle.

on the dream tree

supported by private donations and volunteers Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans is an ngo providing a holistic approach to success for school children.  during the after school program the children receive homework support, nutritional snacks and hygiene lessons.

scavenger hunt

and the staff here make it FUN.  during the party they had a scavenger hunt - the list was easily found items discarded on the street - plastic bottles, straws, bottle caps.  i have never seen a happier bunch of kids racing through the street picking up trash.  as the children left this year end celebration with hugs for everyone i could feel the love and appreciation they had for the staff.  if you know any ESL teachers who would be interested to join the staff send them to the website.

finally some sun

the people of Antigua say the rainy season is through September but that isn't true according to wikipedia which includes October as a high precipitation month.  so, while the locals celebrate every rain free day as the end of the rainy season it is for me still dark, cold and bit dreary.  today i did glimpse the magic that is Antigua when i stepped off the street into my courtyard and saw the Volcan de Agua peaking out from the clouds.  what a welcome surprise - not ready to break out a swimsuit yet but looking forward to more days like this.

search for the ultimate taco

you knew it was coming.  it's the impossible dream.  in thailand we chased the perfect pad thai and here it is the best taco.  people are passionate about the tacos here and i am working my way through the options in antigua.  i stopped in to try the Tacool which was too greasy so it rates only ⭐.  plus at 40Q [5.50$] is way overpriced for street food.

caoba farms

veggie burger

small place just outside the city of antigua - less than one mile from my house - so an easy walk.  it's a lot of things rolled up into one property. organic farm.  yoga shala.  music venue. amazing restaurant. health food shop.  artist's market on saturdays.  i went for the sunday yoga class [led by greg] which was awesome but a tad voyeristic as people wandered through taking pictures of the yoga class - made me understand how animals in a zoo feel.  there's also a 'rum lady' who is always pushing the local rum brew.  i've only been in the morning so not quite ready for rum sampling.  i wasn't however able to escape without buying a couple of new trinkets.  

back in avocado land

in Africa, the avacados grow wild in everyone’s yard and at the end of the market day the sellers will give them away for free so they don't have to carry them home.  i'm happy to find them plentyfull here. 

guacamole for everyone.... and mangos and papaya!

new apartment

entry from street

moved into the new apartment.  i really don't enjoy the search for a living accomodations but i am getting better at it.  it really only took me three days to decide on a place.  as long as the internet is good and i can sleep well i should be happy.  it's one of three townhomes in a row.  the couple next door are super nice and have been feeding me [alot].  they also let me practice my spanish and are very encouraging.

sinful, sinful people

before i even land i notice a lot of people praying and strangely reading traditional paper books.  first i think they must be concerned about the weather and flying.  then i realize they must be missionaries - and there are tons of them everywhere here.  i suspect the Guatemalans must be really sinful and evil people to require such large numbers of missionaries.  also, the number of churches is proportionately large.

more on the churches later. 

i've seen faith based organizations at 'work' around the world so i can say with confidence that they do good but it's usually with a heavy dose of doctrine.  they typically operate within the antiquated model of aid by providing goods and services at no charge which is not a sustainable model.  disaster aid is different but is still better delivered by organizations who have spent decades working humanitarian disasters.

watemala

under those clouds live a volcano

when i arrive Guatemala [pronouced watemala] it rainy and overcast.  i do notice the roads and infrastructure here are much nicer than in Africa - and although there isn't any traffic on the road my driver bitches about both the roads and how bad traffic is most of the time.  

so basically, no matter where in the world you are the traffic is 'bad' and the roads 'falling apart'.

as we leave Guatemala City i can smell the smog and i'm glad not to be living there.  it's an easy 45 minutes to Antigua.  the roads in Antigua are cobblestone which make driving uncomfortable and most everyone gets around on foot which i love.  the cars that are on the road must be burning dirty gas becasue the fumes smell toxic.  also, mufflers seem to be optional here so just a few cars sound like a freight train moving through.

although the cobblestones keep the traffic at a crawl i notice plenty of people limping and suspect it's hazardous to the ankles.  

navigating Antigua is easy compared to Asia or Africa.  it's laid out in an organized grid that would make any civil engineer estatic.  here both the streets and houses are numbered.  

documenting my baggage

i have learned that it's helpful in the case of misplaced, lost or stolen baggage to keep a photo.  i've been known to photograph everything going into luggage or a package to document what is inside - haha or even photograph luggage at the check in counter conveyor belt.  when i left Tanzania it was chaotic [like most things there] and i didn't document exactly what was in my bag so when one didn't make it i could barely remember which bag had what.  it was a mess.  after cursing the Africans for stealing my luggage Emirates Air did a fantastic job of finding and returning said luggage.  so here's a photo on my way to the airport.  just my new[ish] duffel, my old backpack and trusty water bottle.  the box is aid i'm taking for a friend's clinic.

perfect gift for a traveler

thanks sis!  i'll be keeping this with my yoga mat

yoga, meditation & squirrels

this guy joined me for meditation & yoga in the mornings outside while i was in colorado.  collecting the last of his fall nuts i suspect.

luggage talk

collectively we own a lot of luggage

this morning i woke up with a headache - i think my brain was stuck on a conversation with my friend last night over luggage.  we spent over an hour discussing the pros and cons of every piece of luggage in the house.  both of us being travelers means we have a lot of luggage and opinions.  the conversation started because i noticed she had a closet full of luggage and i was looking for one bag for my next trip so asked if she was getting rid of any of hers.  the quest for the perfect piece of luggage is ongoing and as techonology creeps forward one day will shall all reach nirvana.

in the end my head just wanted to explode but i'm the proud new owner of duffle with wheels.  i'm traveling light on this next trip so i wanted just one bag and this one seemed like a good choice and was only used once.  technically if it's completely full it's going to be considered oversized by the airlines but i'm going to risk it because that's the kind of girl i am.  now your head is probably going to explode as well.

required reading

my next home will be Guatemala as i start working on a new project there.  Antigua, which will be my home base, is known for it's volcanic peaks and coffee covered slopes among the remnants of spanish occupation.  it's a magnet for global travelers so with a population of just over 30,000 it should be an easy town to navigate and everything seems to be measured in blocks for the main square.  

it's just a hour to both Guatemala City and also the Lake Attilan which I will be visiting. i'm reading up on the culture and look forward to forgetting swahili and improving my spanish.  the rest of the country is longer bus rides or planes if trying to get to the north near the ruins of Tikal [which i previously visited and want to visit again http://vagabondcowgirl.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-grandaddy-of-all-mayan-ruins.html ]  the mayan culture fascinates me and i hope to read more about it as I have the chance to roam more of the old sites.