Christmas in Sosúa: Lovely Beaches and Great Restaurants

When my parents told me they had chosen Sosúa as their destination in the Dominican Republic, I wasn’t sure they had made the best decision. For me, Sosúa was most famous for its dubious fame as a sex tourism hot spot. I soon, however, learned that Sosúa is actually a great place for a family vacation.

First of all, unless you go out to bars at night, you barely notice the prostitution. For me, with three kids sure to wake up at the crack of dawn, hanging out until late at the bars was not a viable option. So, I never went. As I did not engage in the night time revelry, I did not experience any of the problems that one might think are associated with a Caribbean sex tourism destination.

Instead, we spent our days on Sosúa’s lovely beaches and our nights at its great restaurants. We stayed at an apartment hotel near the center of town called Perla de Sosúa. This was a great option for us, as the apartment hotel had two bedrooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. That way, we could prepare food and relax as if we were at home when we were not inclined to leave the hotel. It also had a small swimming pool, which the girls used to cool off in when we weren’t at the beach.

There are two beaches in Sosúa – Playa Alicia and Playa Sosúa. Playa Alicia is smaller, with a lovely rock cliff at one end. It does not have much natural shade, but has the advantage of having less people and fewer vendors asking you to purchase things than Playa Sosúa. Playa Alicia is a gorgeous yellow-sand beach with a quite strong surf. The kids had a ball getting knocked over by the waves.

Playa Sosúa is at least twice as long as Playa Alicia, and is very well-shaded. There is natural vegetation all along the beach. Nearly all of the sand is taken up by lawn chairs which you can rent. Or, you can park yourself between them for free on the few pieces of open sand. There are over 150 stalls along the beach. When we were there, that meant there were more vendors than beachgoers. Despite that, the vendors were not particularly aggressive, and allowed us to chill on the beach once it became apparent that we did not plan to purchase anything.

After a day relaxing on the beach, there are plenty of good dining options in Sosúa. The two best restaurants we went to were Bailey’s and Orchidee. We had Christmas dinner at Bailey’s. I had a fabulous steak dish. I was impressed with the quality of the meat and the richness of the sauces. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and the girls’ pizza was unusually good. Also, for a nice restaurant, it is remarkably kid-friendly. There is a metal playground right next to the dining room. Orchidee is a bit less expensive, and the food is also good. It is much smaller than Bailey’s and has a nice homey feel to it. There, I had a gyro, which was reasonably tasty, although I definitely was disappointed that it didn’t come with pita bread. My mother said her breaded fish platter was excellent.

Aside from eating and going to the beach, we didn’t do much else in Sosúa; it was a beach vacation, after all. We did walk around town a bit, and the vendors can be somewhat insistent. It is hard to blame then when there are so many shops and so few tourists. I did notice that nearly all of the vendors are Haitian. That made negotiating with them a bit complicated, as they tended to speak English better than Spanish, and my first reaction is always to speak in the local language. However, they soon came to recognize me, and stopped asking me to buy trinkets or to braid my hair when they realized that I kept saying “no.”

In sum, we had a lovely winter holiday in Sosúa, and I am glad we went there instead of one of the expensive all-inclusive resorts, which are the only option in many parts of the island.

A lovely day at the beach in Boca Chica

After nearly three weeks in the Dominican Republic, we finally made it to the beach! The beach at Boca Chica is just a 45 minute bus ride from Duarte, in central Santo Domingo. Once we were ready to go, we hailed a cab in front of our house that took us to the bus station. The cab driver offered to take us all the way to Boca Chica for 1,000 pesos (US$28), but we declined the offer. Instead, we boarded an air-conditioned gua-gua (bus) that charges 60 pesos (US$2) a person, and had a nice, cool, fast ride to Boca Chica.

The bus let us off at a small plaza, and we walked about two short blocks to get to the beach. The beach at Boca Chica is reasonably nice. We went on a Monday, so it was not crowded. It is a white sand beach dotted with palm trees. The transparent water is warm and sufficiently clean. There are no waves, and the water is shallow, making it a great beach for children or for swimming. On one side of the beach, an industrial port or factory is in sight, making the beach less idyllic than it could be. In all though, it is a nice beach – much better than many.

There are quite a few vendors on the beach, selling coconuts, sunglasses, necklaces, water toys, boat rides, and sno-cones, or offering corn-rows or massages. However, the vendors are not persistent or aggressive, so I didn’t mind. There seemed to be a fairly even split between Haitian and Dominican vendors on the beach. At one point, two Dominican vendors stood near me and complained about a Haitian vendor. I am not sure what was the basis of the complaint, but the Dominican vendor pointed out that he was in his country.

Being in Boca Chica reminded me of Steven Gregory’s compelling ethnography of the town – Devil in the Mirror. I read the book a couple of years ago, so I don’t remember many of the details, but I did recall him mentioning the vendors and the prostitutes. Of course, I could not tell which of the women or men on the beach were prostitutes. However, I can say that there was a preponderance of older European men on the beach and a few of them had much younger, non-European women with them. Most of the men seemed to be Italian or French.

We had a delicious, cheap lunch in Boca Chica. We left the beach, as it had begun to drizzle around 2pm. We ordered fresh, deep-fried fish and green plantains from a roadside stand for Nando and I. For the kids, we got chicken, rice, and beans. It was a great deal – US$5.00 for the fish, and US$2.50 for the chicken plates. When I ordered the chicken, the owner of the small restaurant looked at me and said “Dominican food?” as if she were surprised we would eat at her place. She was probably even more surprised when the girls cleaned their plates. My babies love rice, beans, and chicken – it’s what they get at home most days anyway.

The kids had a great time bathing in the warm water and playing in the sand. I spent most of my time in the water as well. At some points, when the sun hid behind the clouds, the sea was warmer than the air outside. The day we went was not particularly hot, and it even rained twice – brief showers. That was actually quite pleasant, as it was not so hot. However, around 4:30pm, I rinsed off in one of the public showers and got out of my wet bathing suit. Once dry, it was nice to sit on the breezy beach and admire the view of the palm trees, white sand, and Caribbean Sea.

The girls got out of the water not too long after, as it began to drizzle again. We boarded our bus back to Santo Domingo. On the road back, it began to downpour heavily. That made the ride take longer than usual. And, once back in the city, we found the streets inundated because of the heavy rains. Some streets were impassable – people looked at the water and strategized how to get across.

The bus let us off at Parque del Independencia, and we took a collective taxi back home. That was probably not the best idea, as the collective taxis are only marginally cheaper, and they never have air conditioning. With the streets flooded, the traffic was horrible, and it took about an hour to get home. Of course, it was hot inside the car as it was not moving, and there was no A/C.

Nevertheless, we made it home eventually, everyone tired and hungry from a long day at the beach. We definitely will be going again!

Religion, White Lies and Education: Enrolling the kids in school in Santo Domingo

After three months of summer vacation, followed by homeschooling the kids for three months, I am ready to have the children back in school. In Guatemala, that was not an option. So, I was pleased to learn yesterday that, in Santo Domingo, there is a school just three blocks from our new apartment that may accept the girls for our three month stay.

However, it put a bit of a damper on my spirits to find out that their acceptance to the school was conditional. The first condition was that they pass an exam, in Spanish. All three of the girls – Tatiana and Soraya who are eight and Raymi who is six – speak Spanish. However, their reading ability is limited, as most of their schooling has been in English. Tatiana and Soraya, however, did do the first grade in Spanish, so they should be able to pass a test to get into the third grade.

Raymi, on the other hand, is just learning to read, in English. In addition, the principal wanted to put Raymi in first grade, instead of kindergarten, as she turned six a few days ago. I had my doubts about Raymi’s ability to pass a test in Spanish that would allow her to skip kindergarten. So, I was a bit nervous as we waited the two hours for the school to give us the results of the tests. At least I knew that their chances were reasonably good. Condition #2 was a bit more complex.

When we entered the principal’s office, one of the first things she asked me is if we are Catholics. I told her “yes,” which is only partly an untruth. My husband was baptized and his whole family is Catholic. My grandmother is Catholic, and my father was baptized. However, my parents are now both atheists, so we, of course, were never baptized. Her next question was whether or not the children had been baptized. There, I told the whole truth – that they have not been baptized. She paused, and asked me if we had family members in the Dominican Republic who could do the baptism. I told her I might have someone willing to do the ceremony. She told us there would be a group ceremony on December 2, and that we could do it then.

That, I will have to think about. I will have to do some research on what it means to baptize the children and what sort of compromise I might have made here. To be honest, my main concern was to get the children into a school. This school is only three blocks from our house, and, like most schools in the DR, it is Catholic. Our other option would be an Evangelical school, which could be worse. There are public schools, but I doubt it would be easy to enroll the kids there, as they are not Dominican. I have heard they don’t allow Haitian children to enroll at all, even when they live here permanently, so I am not sure what our chances would be at a public school. Given these circumstances, perhaps a baptism is not the worst option.

This incident and my half-truth in the principal’s office reminded me of many other times I have been questioned about my religious beliefs and the variety of responses I have given. In most cases, I tell people I am not religious, and, if they insist, that I am able to find peace within myself without religion. If they insist more, I tell them I agree with Karl Marx, who argued that religion is the opium of the people.

In other cases, however, I avoid this discussion altogether. For example, when a woman was crying on my shoulder and began to pray, and then asked me, “You are a Christian, aren’t you?,” I just nodded my head. I felt she did not need to be concerned with my salvation at that time. Other times, it is just easier to go along. When I visited my friends in Nigeria, on Sunday mornings, I had the choice between going to church with everyone else and staying home and listening to my friends’ father trying to convert me for the whole time everyone else was at church. I often chose to go to church to avoid the whole issue.

The thing is, although I am not religious, I am not necessarily anti-religious. I do have my issues with religion. At the same time, though, I can see how some people need it, or at least benefit from it. I have met many former alcoholics and drug addicts who were rehabilitated through Christian centers. And, according to them, it is their faith that allowed them to heal. I also have many friends who are deeply Christian. And, when life has been cruel to them, their faith has gotten them through. So, even though I do believe religion is the opium of the people, I also recognize that some people need a little opium to get through life.

By the time I finished going through all of this in my head, it was time to meet with the assistant principal and then the principal. The assistant principal told us that Tatiana and Soraya had done fine in math. Their Spanish, however, was pretty bad. Nevertheless, they were willing to work with us, and agreed to accept the girls. All we had to do was go downstairs and sign some papers. As for Raymi, she decided it would be better to put her in kindergarten, which works out better for everyone.

When we went downstairs to the principal’s office, she asked me again for the baptism certificates. I reminded her of our earlier conversation. However, I think she was just trying to make a point. She gave us our paperwork and directed us to the cashier. Once we paid, I figured we were in. What a relief!

A Blue Mountains Adventure

Note: This is a re-post from June 2009

From Kingston, you can see the Blue Mountains that encircle the city. Ever since Tatiana, my 8-year old daughter, saw the mountains, she has wanted to travel there. On Thursday, as I had finished my interviews, and did my writing early in the morning, we finally decided to take the girls to the Blue Mountains.

Our taxi driver, Ken, offered to take us to Mount Holywell Park for the day, but he charges nearly $100 for the trip. Figuring there must be another way, I did some Internet searching. I came upon a guest house, thirty minutes from Kingston, nestled in the Blue Mountains. I called the owner and asked if we could come up there, have lunch, and do some hiking. She said we could, and that we should take a route taxi from Papine. I called Ken and he gave us a lift to Papine for JA $500 – around US$6.00. He chuckled when I told him our plan, and told us to be safe when we got out of the car.

At the taxi depot in Papine, I spotted a woman who looked as though she was in charge of the taxis. I asked her where I could get a route taxi to Newcastle. She shook her head, and a driver near her told us we needed to charter a taxi. Not wanting to take no for an answer, I explained that I had spoken with someone who told me I could get a route taxi to her place. She suggested I call her. As I was looking in my bag for my cell phone, I explained that we weren't going all of the way to Newcastle. Where we were going is two miles past Red Light.

“Oh, Red Light,” she said, and took us to a combi and asked the driver if he went that far. He said he did, and we piled into the combi. People kept getting into the combi as we waited for the driver to leave. When we finally took off, there were 21 people piled into this vehicle the size of a small VW van.

After a squished, bumpy ride up the mountain, we finally made it to Mount Edge, the guest house I had contacted. We paid the driver JA $600, and got out of the combi. We found Mabel, whom I had spoken to, sweeping and packing basil. I asked her what they had for lunch. She replied that there wasn't any lunch. I was a bit taken aback, as I had told her over the phone that we planned to eat there.

It was 1:30pm, but the kids had munched on chips in the combi on the way up there, so I figured we could hold out a bit. I asked Mabel where we could get something to eat. She said there is a place about 30 minutes up the road, and we could walk there. I figured with the girls walking slowly, we might make it in an hour, so we set out on our hike up the road.

As I suspected, the girls stopped at every stream and small waterfall that we passed. It was a breathtaking hike – the dark green mountains, the clear blue skies, the babbling stream that we kept passing. At one of the waterfalls, the girls ventured up the stream a bit while I sat down and swatted mosquitoes.

After walking for about an hour, we reached a small wooden house that looked somewhat promising. We asked the owner if he served lunch. He shook his head, and said that he only sold chips, sodas, and beer. Tatiana and Soraya got some Pringles, Nando got a beer, and Raymi and I drank the water we had brought with us. We asked the guys at that store where we could find a restaurant. They said it was three miles up the road.

Three miles! Surely Mabel didn't think we could walk over three miles in 30 minutes! We decided to press on and keep walking up the mountain. We figured eventually we would find something to eat. Fortunately, Nando had some cashews and a couple of bottles of water.

After walking and walking, we were almost ready to give up when Nando saw a sign that said “Welcome to Newcastle.” Next to that sign, was “Gap Cafe – Two miles.” The Gap Cafe was still two miles away, but surely there would be a restaurant in Newcastle. When we arrived at Newcastle, we realized it was a military base. Still no restaurant. We decided we would hitch a ride in the first car willing to take us - whether it was up or down the mountain.

The girls were complaining about all of the walking, and I was beginning to get tired and hungry for some real food. We kept on walking, hoping a car would pass by. Finally, a car did, with two young men. We asked if we could ride in their back seat, and they let us pile in. Lucky for us, they were going to the Gap Cafe.

When we finally reached the Gap Cafe, it was 5pm! When I got out of the car, I asked the hostess if they still had lunch. She said, “Sorry, we are closed for a private function.” What were we going to do? The girls were tired and hungry. She looked at us, and then said that she could fix us some food, but that it would have to be to go. I said that was no problem and asked what they had to eat.

We chose two plates – fish in coconut sauce and oxtail. They were a bit pricey, but we had to eat! The hostess allowed us to eat on their patio, which had a very scenic view of the Blue Mountains. The food was scrumptious! Tatiana and Soraya, who generally don't like fish, practically licked the Styrofoam container of the fish in coconut sauce. And, Raymi ate every bit of her oxtail. It was a wonderful meal, in a beautiful setting.

After eating, we didn't have a ride. But, we were full, and now we only had to walk down the mountain. It was only 21 miles to Kingston, after all! We walked for about 30 minutes, and a combi rolled by. We flagged him down, and he said he was going to Strawberry Hill, about halfway down the mountain. We asked if we could ride along, and he agreed to let us.

From Strawberry Hill, we quickly flagged down a car. This one was a squeeze, though. It was a four passenger vehicle, with three people already in it. The girls got in the trunk area, and Nando and I sat in one of the seats. At first, the girls thought it was fun, but they soon began to complain about sitting on metal benches.

Nevertheless, we made it safely to Papine, where we got a taxi back to New Kingston. On the way home, we ate patties and coco bread at Juici Patti, and arrived home tired from a long day. Now that we know where we are going, next time we will go straight to Mount Holywell park and walk down the mountain on the way back!

Sipacate’s beauty, despite the rain

We met Carlos on the boat ride from San Pedro to Santiago de Atitlan. A tall man with a big, bushy, white beard, he was hard to miss. Carlos, a Guatemalan American retired mathemetician in his sixties, was planning to go to Sipacate with some friends of his. We had not made up our mind if we would stay in Santiago de Atitlan or keep on moving. Nando played some music on the boat and chatted with Carlos most of the 45 minute trip across the lake. Once we got to Santiago de Atitlan, Carlos invited us to have a beer with him.

When we got off the boat in Santiago, several children approached us, offering their trinkets. Tatiana, Soraya, and Raymi were very interested in the colorful bracelets, rings and key chains. We gave the girls five quetzales and let them choose. Turns out Santiago is filled with things to buy. The three blocks that lead from the dock to the main street are lined with vendors, selling brightly colored necklaces, fabrics, and bags. Tempting, but I did not stop to browse.

While chatting with Carlos, we decided that we would accompany them to Sipacate, on the Pacific coast. Santiago was pretty enough, but the algae filled lake is just not the same. Granted, the lake is cleaner in Santiago, but, it is a larger town, and less of the natural wonderland I was seeking.

From Santiago, we took a chicken bus all the way to La Gomera, where we got another bus to Sipacate. Well, that was the original plan. But, the bus driver on the first bus learned of our plans to go to Sipacate and called the driver of another bus headed to Sipacate and asked him to wait for us. We met up at a gas station before the entrance to Sipacate, and were lucky to get good seats on the second bus. It was raining outside, so we were glad to not have to wait for the second bus in the rain. The drivers of the second bus were nice enough to drop us off right in front of the restaurant we planned to eat at in Sipacate, Mary's.

The food at Mary's was delicious. Nando and I shared a generous portion of seafood soup, with fish, shrimp and mussels. The girls shared a huge plate of steak, rice, salad, and tortillas. All that for about US$10. Fully satiated, we headed to our hotel, the Rancho Carrillo.

To get to Rancho Carrillo, you have to take a boat across the river, as the hotel is on the opposite side of a river that separates the town from the beach. We walked to the dock, and were able to find a boatman willing to take us across. When we got to the hotel, it was dark and raining, and only a night watchman was there.

He told us the rooms have a fixed price – Q200 each. We had hoped to bargain, but there was no bargaining with him. When I saw the room, I decided it was a good deal. For $25, we got a nice, clean room with fresh sheets and comfortable beds. I went straight to sleep, anxious to see the place in the light of day.

In the morning, we woke up to find that the hotel was quite impressive – three salt water swimming pools, a play set for kids, and miles of black sand beaches. It was cloudy and drizzling, but warm enough to get in the water. The ocean water is lukewarm. And, although the Pacific coast of Guatemala is known for its strong undercurrents, the beach at Rancho Carrillo was relatively calm.

It was too bad that it was cloudy. However, the beach was beautiful nonetheless. In each direction, you could see nothing but sand and more sand. Behind the beach is thick, green mangrove. And, the black volcanic sand has its own charm.

Overall, I was pleased we decided to go to Rancho Carrillo, even if we could only stay one night, and even if it was cloudy. The girls definitely did not want to leave the beach. But, I had to go back to Guatemala City, so we packed up after lunch and headed back.

We found a bus that went from Sipacate all the way to Guatemala City. It was a slow bus, making all the stops in between. But, it was daytime, and we got to see each of the towns along the way. Overall, with all the stops, the trip took three and a half hours. The bus driver let us off on the main road, just a few blocks from where we are staying in San Jose de Villanueva.

Making the Best of a Sunny Day on Lake Atitlan

On Tuesday, the sun came out all day, and we were able to enjoy Lake Atitlan as best we could, without getting into the water. From San Marcos, we walked down to the lake, and along a path that led through dense forest and near steep cliffs. The views across the lake of several volcanoes and the clear blue sky were astounding. The path we were walking along was quite narrow in parts. Really, the worst that could happen is that you could fall into the water, but that did not seem very appealing.

Lake Atitlan is covered with algae that has turned the crystal clear water a brownish color in most parts. In addition, the smell of untreated waste is strong in some parts. That certainly put a damper on the experience. Most locals seem to think that the problem with the lake is temporary. They point out that it has started to get better, with the wind and cold of the past few days. Others say that a clean-up effort will begin soon and that the lake will be restored to its crystalline self. I hope they are right, but I fear that Lake Atitlan will become the next Lake Amatitlan – a highly polluted, green lake near Guatemala City.

When we finished our short hike, we went back to San Marcos la Laguna, where the kids played on a slightly decrepit metal play set for quite a while. As they played, I sat in the plaza and watched people go by. Most of the residents of San Marcos seem to be either white American or European yoga types or indigenous Guatemalans. Most of the gringos live in fancy concrete structures in the part of the town close to the lake, while the Guatemalans live in humbler houses made of all sorts of materials, on the other side of town, farther from the lake. That said, a few gringos passed by us in the plaza, on their way to the other side of town. A young man at the store told us that the segregation is not complete.

The gringo part of San Marcos is replete with yoga facilities, meditation centers, holistic medicine centers, Reiki centers, and people who frequent those sorts of facilities. I thought about taking a dance class while I was there, but never got around to it.

In the evening, we took the kids to have pizza at the Pizzeria Media Luna. It was half-decent pizza, but the kids never seem to notice pizza quality. After that, Nando and I ate at Paco Real, where we shared a delicious bistec a la veracruzana. We also decided to switch hotels, and stayed at the Paco Real the second night. It was slightly less comfortable than La Posada del Bosque Encantado, but the staff was tremendously more cheerful, and it was a better deal.

On Wednesday morning, Soraya and I woke up early and walked along the lake, admiring all of the gardens and fabulous houses in the gringo part of town, just along the lake. After our walk and a bit of homeschooling, we decided to set out for Santiago de Atitlan. A few people had told us that the water is clearer in that part of the lake, and we wanted to check it out. From San Marcos, we took a moto-taxi to San Pedro, as the boat for Santiago departs from there.

The boat to Santiago is a large vessel, with space for about 60 people. The girls were excited to be on a big boat – one on which they could run around. The trip across the lake was beautiful – with views of volcanoes and the surrounding greenery. On the boat, we met a group of folks who were headed to Sipacate, on the Pacific coast. In Santiago, we had a beer with them as we thought about whether or not we should join them.

I had been looking forward to relaxing in a natural wonderland, and had not quite had that experience in San Marcos. It had its moments, but I was pretty disappointed about not being able to swim or go kayaking in the lake. In Santiago, the water was a bit cleaner, but Santiago is a bigger city, and not as relaxing as I had hoped for. So, we decided to join our newfound friends on their trip to Sipacate. That turned out to be a real adventure.

The “Jewel of Guatemala,” Lago Atitlan, has lost some of its sparkle

This morning, we set out from our home in Villanueva, Guatemala City, headed towards Lake Atitlan, one of the jewels of Guatemala. Lake Atitlan is a huge lake set between volcanoes, renowned for picturesque scenery and colorful traditions. We decided to take a bus from the Trebol, where old schoolbuses make the trek westward. We got a bus that took us to Los Encuentros, where there is a turn-off for Panajachel, one of the larger cities on the lake.

You can get a bus directly to Panajachel, but why do things the easy way. Plus, the bus we found was half empty and we were able to secure a seat near the front. When we got to Los Encuentros, 90 minutes later, it had begun to rain quite heavily. Luckily, there was a bus there that took us to Solola. In Solola, we went to the market where we ate a delicious caldo de gallina – chicken soup. Stomachs full, we got another bus to Panajachel. Just before getting into the city, we got off the bus at the harbor where the boats leave for San Marcos de la Laguna – our chosen lakeside destination.

Just as we were getting to the boat, it began to downpour. We made it inside the small motorboat without getting too wet. Tatiana and Soraya, my eight-year old twins, however, found it great fun to play in the rain at the head of the boat. When the boat took off, they sat down and began to make conversation with the other passengers. Most of the passengers were foreigners, so they spoke to them in English. There were two girls about their age on the boat. They looked on in surprise at how extroverted the twins are. Tatiana and Soraya chatted with the other passengers the whole ride.

About thirty minutes later, we made it to San Marcos. Unfortunately, we couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery on the boat ride because of the rain and fog. One of the passengers on the boat showed us where our hotel is – La Posada del Bosque Encantado. When we made it to the hotel, the person who opened the door for us told us the room was going to be Q240. On the phone, she had told me Q160 ($20), so I was a bit disappointed. I had told her on the phone that we had three kids. Seeing them, she decided she had to charge extra for them. She came down to Q200. Still, we decided to look around to see what the other options were. We found one close by for Q100, and another for Q250. In the end, we decided to stay at La Posada.

It is a nice hotel for a family. It has a covered patio and a nice tropical garden. In the room, there are two beds in the main room, and two more in the loft. The rooms have nice earthy decorations, and everything was spotless. With the rain continuing, it was important for us to have a comfortable room. We settled in the room, and found that most of our clothes had gotten wet in the rain and on the boat ride.

I got changed into the dry clothes I could find and Nando went out and got a bottle of wine. Warm and dry, we relaxed and waited for the rain to stop. It didn’t. Soon, we ventured out of the house to get a bite to eat. We found an restaurant that specializes in curry called La Fe. A bit more expensive than we are used to in Guatemala – US$8.00 a plate, we decided to order two plates of curry to begin with. A great decision, because the portions were quite generous. And, the curry was delicious. A bit spicy, but the girls ate it up. After dinner, Nando got out his instruments and played a few songs for the owners and some of the guests. From there, we went to Paco Real, where we met a few other folks and played a bit more music.

By 9 pm, though, we were back at La Posada del Bosque Encantado, ready to sleep. It had been a long, wet day, and I was looking forward to my warm, dry bed. The sun rises early in Guatemala – around 5:30 am, and so do Tatiana and Soraya.

Sure enough, bright and early, the twins were up, and ready to go kayaking on the lake. I told them we could go see the lake, but that we would have to wait until it warmed up to get out on the lake.

When we got to the lake, I was pleased to see that there was nothing but clear, blue skies. The waters of Lake Atitlan, however, were not clear or blue. The jewel of Guatemala has been contaminated by some sort of algae that has turned the lake a brown-green color. It also has somewhat of a foul odor in parts. What a disappointment! Despite the contamination, you still can enjoy gorgeous views of the volcanoes that surround the lake. And, from afar, the waters appear somewhat blue. The girls’ kayaking dreams were dashed. I did not want to get into that water.

Traveling with kids can have its bumps in the road

We left our home in Kansas nearly six months ago for a fourteen month trip that involves four countries and five different cities. For me, changing countries every three months is exciting, invigorating, and challenging.

When I first arrive in a new major metropolitan area, it takes a while to be able to navigate the city. Mastering that, however, brings great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. The same is true for all of the things I try to figure out, including the social and cultural codes and subtleties of each culture.

Our children, unfortunately, do not necessarily experience this same sense of curiousity and satisfaction, at least not the way I do. My twins, Tatiana and Soraya, are eight, and Raymi is five. In the past month, Tatiana has begun to complain about wanting to return to Kansas. So far, there have been two crying episodes, the most recent one this morning.

Tatiana says she misses her friends, her school, our house, and all the fun things she used to do in Kansas. My pointing out all of the fun things about Guatemala does not seem to help. Of course, she is only eight, and these crying episodes likely would not be solved just by moving back to Kansas. When we lived in Chicago for a year, the girls occasionally cried about going back to Kansas. Once back in Kansas, however, life was not always perfect.

This fortunately, however, Tatiana was back to her happy self. We will do all we can to make sure this year is as rewarding for her as it is for us.

You take your kids to Pizza Hut in Guatemala City??

In Guatemala City, the places we most often take the children are chain restaurants – Pizza Hut, Pollo Campero, Wendy’s, and the like. Although I am not generally a fan of taking my children to places where the food clogs your veins and makes you fat, in Guatemala City, we have done this, perhaps more than anywhere else we have lived. We do have our reasons for this.

The first reason is that each of these places has an indoor playground. When we take the kids there, they meet other children, and have a blast running through the purple and green slides and mazes. Within walking distance of our house in Zona 9, there are at least five different chain restaurants with indoor play places. When we take the kids there, I can relax, read a book, and even get online. Most of these chain restaurants not only have play places; they also have free Wi Fi. The food, I know, is bad for you. My solution to that is to not buy too much of it. That makes these places some of the cheapest entertainment for children in Guatemala City. That brings me to my next point – it is inexpensive.

In most places I have lived in Latin America, the chain restaurants are much more expensive than the local restaurants. In Guatemala City, that is not necessarily the case. The cheapest meal you can find in Guatemala City is Q15 (about $2.00). A decent meal will usually cost you Q20 or Q25 – up to $3.00. A nice meal usually runs at about Q40. At Pollo Campero, they have bargain meals for Q25. And, at Pizza Hut, the whole family can eat for Q79 – less than $10. That includes a pitcher of soft drink, a medium pizza, and dessert. For US$10, the whole family eats, and the kids have a blast, making it a real bargain.

Another reason is safety. Luckily, we have not had any unfortunate incidents in Guatemala City. However, there must be some reason why every store with anything of value has an armed guard stationed outside. Walking down 15th Avenue in Zona 13 with my daughter yesterday, I noticed that even small taco joints have their own personal security guard, with a typical long shot gun, stationed outside. Inside well-lit chain restaurants with their own armed security guards outside, we feel pretty safe.

The final reason is that it gets dark very early in Guatemala City – around 6 pm during the month of October. The only playground near to us – a very nice one on Avenida de las Americas – is not well-lit. It is not really a good place to take children when it is dark outside. This makes indoor playgrounds ideal for evening play for children.

During the day, when it is sunny and warm, we don’t take the children to chain restaurants. We take them to the Parque Central to feed the pigeons, to the playground on Avenida de las Americas, to the Aurora Zoo, or just to walk in the Parque del Obelisco. None of those places, unfortunately, are suitable for evening activities. That is why we end up at the chain restaurants.

A bumpy road to Semuc Champey

On the morning of Friday, September 11, 2009, we woke up early and had breakfast at Pollo Campero, the kids’ new favorite fast food restaurant. I was happy with my eggs, beans and tortillas, what they call “Desayuno Chapin.” The only drawback is the coffee, which is not that great. And the tortillas, which are not nearly as good as the ubiquitous homemade tortillas. My kids wanted chicken burgers for breakfast, and Ian’s kids had chicken nuggets. Loaded with ketchup, this didn’t look too appetizing to me. To each his own, I guess.


After breakfast, we had to figure out how to get to Semuc Champey, our destination for the day. A few people warned us that our mini-van would not make it there, because of the bad condition of the road. Others said we could make it. I asked the owner of our hotel. She told me that we could make it to Pajal with no problem, as the road there is paved. From Pajal, it is 12 kilometers on a stone road to Lanquin. From Lanquin, it is another 9 kilometers on a dirt road. She thought we should be able to make it to Lanquin, but not all the way to Semuc Champuey.

There are other options to get to Semuc Champuey. For example, you can pay Q280 (US$35) per person for an all-day tour. This includes transportation, a guide, and meals. That seemed a bit much, multiplied by eight. You also could opt for just the transportation, which worked out to $10 a person. But, you had to leave at 7:30am with the group and come back with them as well. So, we opted out of that one as well. The cheapest option is to take the public transport, which is about $2 each way. The only issues with that are that you have to wait for the bus, and the fact that it can get pretty crowded. We decided to go for the most convenient and comfortable option – driving as far as we could and then hiring a car for the last part.

We set out for Pajal, and, as they said, the road was paved. At Pajal, the road turned to stones. It was actually a pretty good stone road, but we had to drive along at about 10mph. When we arrived at Lanquin, a young man stopped us and offered to take us up the mountain for Q350. That seemed to be too much to us, as that’s what we would have paid from Coban. We told him it was too much, and he came down to Q250. We said it was still too much, and that we were going to have lunch, and then we’d talk to him. They were pretty insistent, and followed our car. They offered to take us for Q150. We told them we’d think about it. First, we had to eat.

We found Comedor Shalom in Lanquin. The food was very good. The fresh, homemade hot tortillas were delicious. We also had skewers, beans, and chicken stew. After lunch, we decided to contract the guy for Q150 to take us up to Semuc Champey. It was a pretty rough ride up there, but the kids got a kick out of riding on the back of the pick up truck. I opted to go up front with the driver.

Thirty bumpy minutes later, we arrived at the entrance to Semuc Champey. Two armed guards awaited us at the entry. We got out of the pickup truck and walked over to the booth where the guards were posted. We had to pay Q50 to get in, plus Q10 for each kid. It’s a fifteen minute walk from the entrance to Semuc Champey, a natural wonder.

When you look at Semuc Champey, you see several large turquoise pools, surrounded by lush rainforest. Semuc Champey is a natural limestone bridge over the River Cahabon. Fresh springs from the mountains run off onto the limestone bridge and fill the pools with clean, transparent water. The limestone makes the water a bit green. The sight of the transparent water made me want to jump right in. We all changed into our swimwear and jumped right in.

If you walk to the edge of the limestone bridge, you can see where the Cahabon River goes underground. It narrows and gushes in very quickly. One of the workers told us that four people have died there, when they got too close to the edge and fell in. I stayed at a safe distance and took pictures.

Once I got a good look at the tunnel where the river gushes in, it began to rain. We had been at Semuc Champey for a couple of hours at that point, so we decided to head back. The ride back in the pick up truck was less exciting for the kids, now that it was pouring rain. We had parked our car on a hill that sat above the road. The person who took us in the pick up truck told us to park there while we went up the mountain.

Back at the parking space, the driver told us that we might not make it back to Coban, because of the heavy rain. He also suggested that we stay in their hotel. Suspecting that he might be self-interested, we told him we would go ahead and try to make it back.

Ian reversed the minivan out of the parking space, and it got stuck in the ditch formed by the rain since we had left. The minivan wasn’t going forward or backward, it was completely stuck.

The guy who took us to Semuc Champey was gone. It was pouring rain. Nando got out of the car and tried to push. The wheels just spun and spun. Ian got out as well, and I got behind the wheel. They put boards under the wheels, but the car just got deeper into the mud. It began to rain harder. They put stones under the wheels. The wheels just spun.

The kids were screaming and jumping in the car. It was downpouring with no end, and the car would not budge. Each time I tried to move it forward or backward, I feared it would spin out of control. The guy never came back.

I began to wonder why in the world he told us to park there. It rains in Alta Verapaz every day. Any car that can’t make it up to Semuc Champey also couldn’t get out of that parking space in the rain. Maybe it was a convoluted plan to get us to stay in their hotel. There was no way I was staying in their hotel after they had us park there. So, we kept trying to get out.

A young man showed up and began to help Ian and Nando. They put more boards and stones in the mud. The guy got a wooden board to put over the ditch. They put stones under it. Nando told me to reverse straight back onto the boards. I did. The wheels turned into the mud, but I moved, just a bit. We were making progress! They moved some things, and we tried again. Finally, we made it out of the ditch! We thanked the guy who helped us and gave him Q20.

We decided to go ahead and try and get back to Coban. We wanted to get out of that town. So, we set out on the stone road and hoped we would be able to make it. We went slowly, to make sure we didn’t hit any stones or get stuck again.

When we made it to the asphalt, I had never been so happy to see a paved road! What a nerve-wracking experience. From there, it was smooth sailing back to Coban. At 9:30pm when we got back into town, Pollo Campero was the only restaurant open, so that’s where we had dinner. The fried chicken tasted so good! I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was. I had been too worried to be hungry up until that point.

Back at the hotel, we all went to sleep to have energy for our adventures the next day.

Getting lost and finding Candelaria Caves - another day, another maravilla

We are using The Rough Guide to Guatemala to get around. These are usually pretty reliable. Ours, however, was published in 2002, and the research for it was done a few years ago. Some of the facts are out of date. That may or may not be the reason for what happened to us as we left Sayaxche for Aguateca.



Aguateca is the site of ancient Mayan ruins on Lake Petexbatun in Peten, Guatemala. We were driving along the highway and saw a sign for the lake, and turned off onto a dirt road. The road was pretty rough, so we had to go about 5mph. At that speed, it took about 45 minutes to get to the lake. When we got there, there were a few broken down rowboats parked there, but nothing else. No boatmen or boatwomen for that matter. We waited around a bit while the kids got muddy in the riverbank. Nothing. We decided to head back to the village we passed on the way.


We asked at the first house we came to about the ruins. A woman outside with her children told us the ruins are on the other side of the river. She wasn’t sure how to get there, as she had never been. The riverbank was about 500 meters from her house, and she had never crossed the river. We asked at the next house. They told us that the only way to get to the ruins was in those boats, and if no one was there, there was no way to cross.


We decided to head back to the main road. Back on the main road, about twenty minutes later we passed another sign that pointed to the ruins at the end of another dirt road. We kept on driving.


About an hour later, the kids were hungry, so we stopped to eat at a roadside restaurant. They were serving chicken soup and grilled beef. We ordered a few plates of each. That also might have been a mistake, as our stomachs were all hurting a couple of hours later.


Finally, we had a change of luck. We passed a sign for Candelaria caves. The guide book recommended these limestone caves, so we decided to give it a try. We parked our car in a man’s house across the street from the entrance, and walked across the road. There, a guide was waiting. He told us that we had to pay Q30 each adult to enter the caves, and that price included a guide. That sounded reasonable, so we headed to the caves.


We walked about ten minutes through the jungle before we arrived at the caves. The entrance was dark, and the rocks were slippery. I asked the guide if anyone had ever broken an arm or leg. He assured me that people had fallen, but that no one had experienced any serious injuries.


Undaunted, the kids ran ahead. Then, they shouted, “snake”! I told them not to touch it. They ignored me and poked it with a snake. When we got there, it turned out to be a copperhead that appeared to be sleeping. The guide killed it with a couple of rocks. Thank goodness nothing happened to anyone.

We kept going on the slippery rocks. The cave was quite impressive. It was a huge limestone cave, with an underground river running through it. I forgot the camera, but was able to borrow a picture from the internet.


After we left the cave, we were able to swim in the river that runs into the cave. Hot and tired, this was the perfect way to end our day. The caves were magnificent, and this swim in the river was divine. There was a huge cave with a series of small waterfalls that came out of it. The waterfalls created small pools that led to a larger pool of refreshing water.


The kids had a blast swimming up to the waterfall, and then letting the current bring them back. All of us enjoyed cooling off. It was spectacular, and it is a shame I forgot the camera. I tried to find a picture of the river online, but don’t see any.


After an invigorating day in the river, we headed to Coban. Two hours later we arrived, hungry and tired. Ian and his kids went to Dominos. We went to a Chinese restaurant that was not very good. Filled up, we set out to find a hotel in the rain. It took us a while to find a hotel, but we settled on the Terraza Hotel, the cheapest, but not noticeably different from the more expensive ones.

Tikal with five kids

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, we went to Tikal. We spent the night in Flores, a small town that sits on an island in a lake. The island is almost connected to the mainland, and a bridge covers the remaining few meters.

At 9am, my husband, Nando, my brother, Ian, and our five kids, ranging in age from 5 to 8, piled into the mini-van to head to Tikal. The drive through the rainforest and hills was gorgeous, and we entered the park at about 11:00am. The drive from Flores is only 62 km, but there are portions where you have to drive slowly. Plus, we had to pay the entrance fee and get ourselves situated once we got out of the car.


Once inside the park, we walked about 30 minutes to get to the Gran Plaza. The Gran Plaza has two gigantic pyramids, in addition to other, smaller structures. It was a clear day, and it was amazing to see these architectural wonders set against a blue sky and the bright green grass.


After exploring around Gran Plaza for a while, we headed off to see other parts of the ruins. The ruins are massive, so we had to decide which ones we would see. We chose two of the closest ones – Siete Templos and el Mundo Perdido. Those were smaller than the Gran Plaza, but also quite interesting.


Going to Tikal with three eight-year olds and two six-year olds, we weren’t sure how the kids would do. However, the kids were pretty interested in the ruins, especially in running up the stairs to see from the top. They also found fascinating the idea that people lived here over 2,000 years ago. However, their favorite part was the animals.

We were lucky to see two toucans, near the Mundo Perdido. We were able to watch them for a bit before they took off. We also saw quite a few monkeys and a viscote. A viscote is a small animal that looks like an anteater. Tatiana told me her favorite part was seeing the viscote, probably because we saw it quite close up, while the monkeys and the toucans were high up in the trees.

Overall, Tikal involved quite a bit of walking, but everyone held up pretty well. We let the kids rest when they wanted to, and were not very ambitious in terms of seeing all of the ruins. We left the park around 3:30pm, and made our way out of Tikal.

We had gone to Tikal via Rio Dulce, yet decided to go back via Sayaxche and Coban. The kids were pretty exhausted after Tikal, so we were able to drive pretty much directly to Sayaxche. Still, we didn’t make it to Sayaxche until sundown, which is around 6:30pm in Guatemala this time of the year.

Sayaxche is one a river, and you have to cross it to get to the town. As the kids were impatient, we took the small boat over, while Ian and Dante waited for the ferry. Once across the river, we checked out a couple of hotels, and chose el Guayacan, a hotel right on the river. We were tired enough that the quality of the hotel was practically irrelevant.

Before we were able to rest our heads, however, we ventured out to get something to eat. We found a place that served Mexican tacos, and were able to fill up. There was a fiesta going on in the town, but I was too tired to check it out. Nando and Ian went, but it was over pretty quickly after they left.

The next morning, we had one adventure after the next. From Sayaxche, we were off to Coban.

Two Fincas in One Day - En Route to Tikal

We left Guatemala City on Monday morning, heading east towards Rio Dulce, still in our rented Madza 5. This time, we had no trouble getting out of the city, and made it to the Carretera Centroamericana without a hitch.

After a couple of hours, the kids got to complaining, and we decided to stop in Rio Hondo - a place where people from the capital come to enjoy the warm weather and mountainous scenery. We found a hotel, called Hotel California, that turned out to have three lovely swimming pools, set in lush gardens. The owners accepted Q100 for the five kids to enjoy a dip in the pool. The kids had a ball in the pool, while we adults enjoyed some relaxation.

After swimming, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a roadside restaurant, and kept on our way to Rio Dulce. There, we stayed at the Backpackers´ Hotel. It isn´t much to speak of, but at least it is a non-profit that donates its earnings to an orphanage.

The next morning, we headed west, around Lake Izabal, to Finca El Paraiso. This place was amazing. We went to a hot springs waterfall. I have never seen anything like it before. You drive up to a riverbank, walk about ten minutes through green woods, and arrive at a beautiful waterfall. Once in the cool water, you swim over to the waterfall, and it is scalding hot! I was able to stand underneath it, and it felt like a hot shower. That place was incredible! We all enjoyed it immensely, and I got back in the car feeling renewed and refreshed. We planned to have lunch afterwards. But, the kids fell asleep, and there was no way we were waking them up!

We continued on, and made it to Finca Ixabelo. This place is owned by an American couple. The husband, however, was killed by the Guatemalan military for unknown reasons in 1991. Today, it carries on as a farm, hotel, and organic restaurant. We had tasty chicken sandwiches, and the kids enjoyed playing with the macaws they had in a large cage.

Filled up, we got back into the rented mini van and set out for Flores, our last stop for the day. We drove over the causeway onto Flores, which is a small island in a big lake in the middle of the Guatemalan jungle. We found an inexpensive hotel - Hotel Santa Rita - and set ourselves up for the night.

Tomorrow, we head out to Tikal, the ancient Mayan ruins.

A rainy day on Volcan Pacaya

My brother, Ian, and my niece and nephew, Assata and Dante, are visiting us here in Guatemala. That brings us up to five kids in the house. On Sunday, we decided to rent a mini-van and pile all 8 of us into it to go see Volcan Pacaya. The kids were excited about seeing the lava, although less excited about the drive.

If you don't get lost, Volcan Pacaya is about 40 minutes from Guatemala City. Unfortunately, we got lost several times, and it took us about two hours to get there. Our main difficulty was getting out of the city. There is a turnoff from the Pereferico that takes you to the road out to Pacaya. It is unmarked, so we drove past it twice. Each time we drove past it, we had to make a huge detour to get back.

By the time we got on the highway, the kids had been asking to stop for food and the bathroom for a while, so we stopped at Santa Clara shopping center, and got a huge parillada for everyone to share.

We made it to the road that goes up to the volcano around 3pm. At the entrance, there were several guides who offered us their services, and who told us we had to pay an entrance fee - Q20 for residents and Q40 for foreigners. I don't usually like to use guides, but had heard that it is better to get one to go to the volcano, because the route is unmarked, and certain parts of it can be dangerous. So, we bargained one of the guides down to Q50. He got in the car with us, and up the road we went.

At the top of the road, there is a place to leave your car, and several people offering horses for rent. We decided to get two horses for the kids to share. We packed our water bottles, and set up the volcano. Walking up the volcano is pretty strenuous. You have to walk in black volcanic sand, and it is quite steep.

About ten minutes after we set out, it began to rain, hard. There were a few people following us up the volcano, offering to rent us more horses. One women pointed out to me that if I rented her horse, she'd let me use her rain poncho. Tired and getting wet, I agreed, and we added another horse to our collection. The horses only make it to a certain point on the volcano, and after that, you have to walk. Lucky for us, when we got to that point, the rain subsided. Still, we were cold and wet.

From where we left the horses, it is about a ten minute walk up a sort of gravely road made of volcanic rocks, some of which were hot! That was a bit scary for me, as I was worried one of us would fall on the hot rocks. When we made it to the top, I was pleased to see that it was warm, and that our clothes were getting dried with the warmth from the lava rocks. Nando and Ian took off their shirts and dried them on the rocks. They left them a bit too long, though, and now each have burnt shirts.

From the top, we could see the red hot lava rocks falling. It was pretty cool. I was wearing tennis shoes, and I could feel them melting, so I had to keep moving to find a cool place to stand on.

Once we warmed up and saw the rocks, we decided to head back. After we had arrived at the top, two large groups of people arrived, and there wasn't much room left at the top. There must have been about a hundred people at the top.

We just used two horses to go back down. It was no longer raining, and it was easier to walk down. Tatiana and Soraya preferred to lead the horse than to walk it, so that worked out nicely as well.

Back at the bottom of the volcano, it was about 6:30pm, and we headed to our friend's house who lives nearby. He and his wife awaited us with lots of steaks, tortillas, refried beans, pasta, and avocadoes. The food was delicious, and it was a great way to end the evening.

We got home, tired, and ready to go to sleep.

Who works and who plays on Sunday afternoons in the park

August 30, 2009

After spending most of the day inside yesterday, today, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather in Guatemala City and venture outside. Just a few blocks from our house is Avenida la Reforma, which is closed to cars on Sundays – making it a haven for pedestrians, cyclists, and skaters.

We made our way to Avenida la Reforma around 1pm. We walked for a couple of blocks until we reached the Obelisco. On the other side of the Obelisco, Avenida de la Reforma turns into Avenida las Americas, which has a huge divider down the middle where children can play.

The first thing the girls wanted to do was to go horseback riding. We had no trouble finding one of the groups of people who rent out horses for kids to ride. After their getting their horse-riding fix, we went to the huge playground that is on Avenida las Americas.

On a Sunday afternoon, it is full of families. Although it is a park, it is a space for play for some, yet for work for others. In addition to the families having their picnics and the kids using the playground equipment, there were many people trying to make some money on a Sunday afternoon. There was a man who rents out bicycles. Tatiana and Soraya were happy to see that, as they had been asking for their bikes all afternoon.

There were also many people selling toys, peanuts, cds, phone chargers, and all sorts of other things.

As we were sitting, watching the children play, a boy came up to us and asked if we wanted to buy some of the pirated dvds he was selling. I asked him how old he was. He was eleven, and has been selling dvds since he was ten. I noticed that a lot of the boys selling dvds were quite young. One was no taller than Tatiana and Soraya. He told me he was ten years old.

For some, the park is a place of play. For others it is a place of work. For some, childhood is about playing most of the time. For others, it is about working most of the time.

Where in the world should I live?

There are a lot of things about the United States I don’t like. I am not in favor of the war. I don’t like the fact that people in the US think it is okay to use all of the world’s resources. I detest the fact that people in the US live in big houses, drive big cars, and eat outrageously big meals while others are deprived of these things. Perhaps I dislike most the widespread idea that people in the US deserve all of these things because of their hard work. As if people in poor countries don’t work hard.

Despite my misgivings about the US, I have decided to make my life there. For the most part, at least. Today, I was with a group of people who work for the United Nations who have lived all over the world. A Uruguayan man asked my husband, Fernando, how he likes the US. Nando said it has its ups and downs.

Feeling inclined to contribute, I pointed out that, although, there are things I dislike about the US, I also see it as our best option. I love a lot of things about Latin America. I enjoy the spirit of conviviality and friendliness, and the more open nature of society. However, I have a hard time dealing with the extreme inequality.

As I see it, if I were to live in Peru, for example, in order to have a decent living, I would have to work somewhere like the United Nations or USAID. The salaries of university professors are pitiful, and would never be enough for me to be able to visit my family in the US or to travel abroad. At the UN, however, I could have a decent salary. But, a job such as this would mean living in an elite neighborhood in Lima, surrounded by other elites. In Latin America, class divisions are very stark. My children would go to school only with other elite children, and all of those families would have maids that they would treat as less worthy than themselves.

I don’t want to live like that either – with all elite people in an enclosed neighborhood, surrounded by poverty on the outside. I don’t want my kids to grow up in a society where one small sector of the population thinks itself much better than the other.

As I was talking about this, a Colombian friend of ours pointed out that in the US, racial divisions are very stark. I agreed with him about that. In US cities, it is very hard not to live in a segregated area. In most cities, you have to choose if you want to live in the white, black, or Latino neighborhood. That would be another hard decision for my family.

In Lawrence, Kansas, where we live in the US, we didn’t have to make that decision. The town is primarily white, and there is not a lot of segregation. Of course, the issue is that my kids will grow up in a primarily white environment.

In any case, I feel prepared to deal with issues of race in the US. I can talk to my kids about race and teach them what I know about it. In terms of the tremendous class inequality in Latin America, I feel less comfortable.

At my friend’s house today in Guatemala, the owner of the house told the maid that she could take home a broken toy guitar, as the boy of the house got a new one. The boy, who is five, said to his mother: “Oh, I know why she took it. She gets all of our broken stuff.” The mother, who is Spanish, was devastated. She did not want her boy to grow up thinking that some people get all the broken things, while others get the good stuff.

I feel the same way. I don’t want my kids to grow up feeling entitled to anything. They don’t deserve things just because of who they are, and I want to be sure they know that.

Funny how, at the end of this essay, I came back to what I initially said I disliked about Americans – that sense of entitlement. Maybe I need to re-assess where I want to live.

For now, at least, I can do what I can to pass on my values to my children, no matter where we live.

Sunday Trip to Antigua

On Sunday morning, Nando and I took the kids to Antigua for the day. This involved taking a taxi to the “Trebol” in Zona 7 of Guatemala City where the buses depart to Antigua. When we got out the taxi, a transit police officer directed us to where we should wait for the bus. A few minutes later, a bus that had “Antigua – Guate” on the front pulled up and people began to ran towards it to try and get a seat.

The buses that go to Antigua are US school buses that have a second life in Guatemala.
Cheese Bus

Instead of two kids on each seat, as I remember the buses from my childhood, in Guatemala, the seats are meant to hold three adults. On the way back, we decided to splurge and buy each of the kids a seat, which cost $1.00 (8 Quetzales) each. Having Raymi sit between Nando and I gave us a bit more room. On the way there, however, the bus was more crowded, and Raymi sat on my lap, which meant she didn’t have to pay her fare. But, she did squirm quite a bit.

It is a fairly short ride – less than one hour, so it wasn’t that bad. And, if I sat straight up in my seat, I could avoid hitting my knees.

The bus lets you off at the market in Antigua, and it is just a few blocks to walk to the main plaza. The central plaza was full, typical of a Sunday morning. There were churchgoers, vendors, tourists – gringos and Guatemalans – and locals enjoying the beautiful weather.

Central Park

Being in Antigua reminded me that Guatemala is a major tourist destination for Americans and Europeans. I rarely see tourists in Guatemala City. In Antigua, they are all over the place. Antigua is well-known for its language schools, and it is a charming city, so the presence of foreigners is no surprise.

At the plaza, Tatiana, Soraya, and Raymi spotted two clowns making balloons for kids, and rushed over to make their requests. After that, it was nearly lunchtime, so we set out to look for an economical lunch. As can be expected, the restaurants near the plaza are fairly expensive and have tourist menus. We figured that if we walked away from the plaza, we could find some cheaper and more authentic options.

A few blocks away from the plaza, through the arches, we came upon the Plaza de la Merced, where there was a small market. There were several vendors, and we decided to try and have lunch there. We ordered cheese pupusas, flautas, chicken, rellenos, and a chile relleno sandwich. Some of it was pretty tasty; other items, like the flautas, were not very good. With all the options, though, everyone got enough to eat. We spent less than $10.00 for all of us, a pretty good deal.

Plaza de la Merced

After lunch, we took the kids back to the plaza, and they got their treat for the day – a ride around Antigua on horseback. The kids love horses, so this was quite exciting for them. They seemed not to mind the smell emitting from the burlap sack that the horses wore as a diaper. I kept a safe distance, taking pictures and making sure the kids were safe.

The kids were a bit restless after that, so we decided to look for a playground. On the way, we passed by an old church that looked as though it had been destroyed in the 1717 earthquake. I asked the kids to guess what they thought had happened to the building. They guessed hurricane, tornado, snowstorm, and other events before getting to earthquake.

The playground we found was in a part of the town called San Felipe. There were a few other kids there, and the kids had a good time swinging on the bars, riding on the slides and swings, and running around and getting dirty with the other kids.

Turns out the procession of the Day of Our Lady of Mercy was on Sunday as well, and that the procession began by the playground we were at. We left the playground and went outside to see the procession. It began with a long line of people, and was followed by about fifty people carrying on their shoulders an enormous float with huge statues on it. I don’t know if it’s called a float when you have all of those people carrying it, but you get the idea.

The "Float"

Part of the tradition in Antigua is to make elaborate designs on the streets with flowers and sawdust.
Flowers on the street


After watching the procession, we went back to the Plaza de la Merced, and had tacos. I had carne adobado, and the kids had chorizo tacos. They were quite good. It was getting late, and we decided to make a final stop in Pollo Campero to have a beer and use the clean restrooms before heading back to Guatemala City. Getting the kids off of the playset in the Pollo Campero wasn’t easy, but we eventually succeeded.

When we made it to the bus stop where the buses leave for Guatemala City, there was a bus leaving. It was standing room only, so we decided to wait for the next bus. This meant we got seats, but had to wait until it filled up.

We finally got to Guatemala City at 8pm. It was dark, and the bus let us off in the middle of the road. Luckily, we found a taxi, and made it safely back to our apartment.

Another Day in Guatemala City: Meetings, Books, Walking and Gymnastics.

This morning, my research assistant, Oliver, came to pick me up at 8:30am. We had a morning meeting with Professor Miguel Ugalde. We had planned to take the bus, but Oliver unexpectedly had a car, which made the trip there quite a bit easier.

Oliver had originally suggested we walk to a bus stop about a twenty minute walk from my house. When we drove past the bus stop, I thought to myself that Oliver likely walks very fast, as it did not look like a twenty-minute walk.

Our meeting with Miguel was very productive. He gave us a list of at least ten people who work on issues related to migration that I should contact. I likely will not need to talk to all of the people he suggested. However, it is great to have so many leads, as that means I should be able to pick and choose the nice folks.

There are a lot of people, institutes, and agencies who work on migration in Guatemala. Eleven percent of the Guatemalan population resides abroad, and remittances (the money migrants send home) is the largest source of foreign currency in Guatemala. It tops tourism, coffee, and international aid. No wonder migration is such a big deal here.

After our two hour meeting with Miguel, Oliver dropped me off at a bookstore not too far from my apartment. I picked up one book for myself – a book on the Postville Raid by Eric Camayd-Freixas – in addition to several books for the kids. We may or may not home school, but, in the meantime, it seems we should be teaching them something.

When I got home, I spent about an hour with the kids, first doing a math assignment, and then moving on to some Spanish reading instruction. The book we have starts out by pointing out that Spanish is the easiest language to learn to read in the world. That is encouraging.

Once our lesson for the day was over, it was time to go out again. I had an appointment for a trial class for the girls at a gymnastics academy in the wealthy zona 14. Oliver told me it was about a 25 minute walk from our house. I figured that it might be a bit farther, but that we could try walking anyway. We set out from the house, made a left on Calle 12, and then a right on Avenida 6. After about four blocks on Avenida 6, I noticed the numbers were going down instead of up. I asked Nando about that, and he told me we were walking towards the city center. Oops. That was the wrong way. We asked another pedestrian where the Plaza Futeca was, and he told us we needed to get bus #101 on Avenida la Reforma, two blocks over, and in the opposite direction.

We made our way to Avenida la Reforma, and found bus #101. The driver confirmed it did go to Plaza Futeca. After a rather convoluted journey, the driver let us know it was time to get off, and let us off the bus at the intersection of Calle 20 and Avenida 10 in the zona 14. Just ten blocks from the Plaza Futeca. With no buses or taxis in sight, Nando, Tatiana, Soraya, Raymi, and I set out walking towards the Plaza Futeca.

Luckily it was a nice day. And, they were ten short blocks. About 20 minutes later, we were there. BabyGym is a nicely equipped gymnastics center, with all sorts of things for the kids to do. I wasn’t sure exactly what our trial class would consist of. I was hoping it would be that they would get to participate in a class with other students. Turns out it was a private one-hour gymnastics class with Tatiana, Soraya, and Raymi as the only students. The kids had fun and got a good workout. At the end of the class, I asked them if they wanted to come back. Tatiana and Raymi were displeased with the idea of being in the same class with their younger sister, Raymi. And, Raymi thought she needed to be in a class with at least one other five-year old girl. Other than that, they said they had fun.

I asked the receptionist about the other students, and she told me that they don’t have many students at the moment. There is one other eight-year old girl that Tatiana and Soraya can take a class with. There also is a four-year old boy Raymi can have a class with. That makes it a bit better, but doesn’t really solve our issue with the lack of socialization of the kids if we end up not being able to send them to school. It is funny – a private gymnastics class sounds fabulous in principle. But, when you are looking for friends for the girls, it is less attractive. Let’s hope they like the one other person in their class, if we decide to enroll them.

In the same plaza where BabyGym is, there is a great gym for me. I definitely need to get back to going to the gym. It wasn’t convenient in Kingston, and I am feeling a bit out of shape. That is one more reason to enroll the kids in BabyGym, as I can go to the gym while they are in their gymnastics class. Plus, if we walk there, I could get a decent walk in addition to the workout.

We told the receptionist we’d think about it. I suppose I will wait to see whether or not the kids ask to go back to the gym. Plus, we might check out other gymnastics centers, if we can find any. As we were leaving, we asked how to get back to our house.

The receptionist told us to walk a few blocks over to a Taco Bell, where we could get a bus going back our way. This was a bit of a shorter walk. When we got to the main street, however, we saw the bus going by. It was very full. People hanging out the front and back door full. I suggested to Nando that we walk. He wasn’t sure how far it was. We asked a young man, and he said it was about eleven blocks down. So, off we set, this time in the right direction.

On the way back, there was a nice playground in the Parque del Obelisco. The kids played there while Nando and I sat down and figured out our budget. I wanted to make sure we could afford to send the kids to this gym, and, if we did, how much we could afford for their schooling. Turns out we have enough, at least on paper.

The walk back was very nice. It was on a big avenue, but the avenue has a hug divider, which is like a little park in the middle of the street. So, the kids ran around, played on the statues and in the grass. Eventually, we made it home.

As you can imagine, the kids fell asleep almost immediately after dinner. I would have to, but I procrastinated too long on writing this blog post.