Casa Los Joles Antigua Guatemala

... where we paid our entrance fee and then returned to the van. We then arrived at the base of the mountain, where 7 kids with walking sticks attacked us. Well, they didn’t attack us with sticks, but they attacked us with offers… “5 Quetsales. You need?” “estick?” I wanted to buy one from the only girl there, but she didn’t have change for my 10. She looked forlorn ...

... simple materials, bamboo sticks, rope and tissue paper ... serious amounts of tissue paper. So we took a tour around stopping at each one to attempt to read them (all are in spanish). We found that each kite was either about the need for people to start protecting the environment/earth or about the injustices done to the indigenous people of guatemala. Quite a lot to take in for a day just out to see kites. We ...

... own food group. and makes me very sleepy.

- There are over 35 churches in Antigua. Very religious people.

- Children typically never move out from their parents home. If male, your wife comes to live with you and your parents. This leads to mucho PDA in the parks as kids have no where to go for privacy.

- If barbed wire is too expensive, owners cement broken shards of glass bottles to the top of their property walls.

Antigua Guatemala, Western Highlands, Guatemala lindseyhehman

... a shortcut. Wish he hadn’t! It was a narrowly cut out dirt path no more than about 40 cm wide. It hadn’t been raining for a while, but that meant that we were climbing steeply upwards in very loose dirt. Honestly, it felt like climbing in snow. In addition to this, we were walking in the most humid forest and in a cloud. The mist was everywhere – and quickly started to interfere with my breathing. Whereas, the others found it tough as well, and ...

... Called Mario at the school and decided just to take it as it comes - although I was frustrated.

Finally, the taxi arrived and left in search of my school. He was drving around about and according to my compass we ought to be close, when suddenly I saw Mario driving down the street on his scooter. I asked the driver to stop and then we let Mario guide us to the school.

A word of advise: Also keep notes less than 100 Q - the cab driver was unable to ...

... to Tuesday 8th September 09

The following day we went exploring. My neck still wasn´t great. I think a combination of sleeping funny on it and then the horrendous trip the next day did it no favours. We found ourselves a Spanish school starting the next day for five days, changed accomodation for somewhere cheaper than the Black Cat and had a potter around the town.

Antigua is beautiful. You can really see how people coming here end up ...

... and help us out. There is a huge Mexican style buffet on tonight, so I have to try to out eat my effort from last night, and to wash it down with a few Gallo's, quickly becoming my Guatemalan beer of choice! Looking forward to getting to Antigua as well, its surrounded by three volcanoes, one of which is active and has a lava flow that you and walk right up. People we have spoken to have lit joints on it, poked it with sticks, thrown in baked bean cans and things like that! Should be hot, damn hot!

... near Antigua - Lake Atitlan Belize : Budget (High cost of living) $50-60/day Set exchange rate: $1USD = $2 Belize Info: - English is national language -Caye Caulker - snorkelling -San Ignacio -Couple of days snorkelling, then leave country -No visa required El Salvador Budget (Comfortable) Comfortably live off $40-50/day Info: - no real ...

... from a sapling it tuned into a tree and from there a fruit which was picked and the skin shed, dried in the sun and the skin shed again, sorted and then roasted. One tree with 6lbs of fruit becomes 1lb of coffee after all this process and turns into 40 cups of coffee. AMAZING! I can know appreciate the price of coffee. There is a great legend that coffee was discovered by a Shepard who found his sheep would get rather agitated and not sleep after ...

Antigua's nice, always was, and probably always will be. It may not be quite as rustic and indigenous as the true highlands, but that’s a trade-off. It’s VERY accessible to Guat City for easy in-and-out and therefore at the crossroads for the entire country. And it’s very beautiful, an old colonial town, the original capital. Guatemala no longer requires any visas whatsoever, ninety days on ...