Guatemala City: A Capital of Contrasts

Guatemala City is an urban capital with over one million residents. It is divided into 22 zones – which range from the historic city center which comprises Zone 1 to the upscale Zone 10 to “red zones” such as Zone 18 – which suffer from high levels of crime and violence. Like many Latin American cities, Guatemala City is a city of contrasts, from upscale malls in Zone 10 to dilapidated historic buildings in Zone 1 to overcrowded, derelict housing in Zone 18.

Zone 10 - where we are staying - has at least two ultramodern malls as well as a pedestrian plaza full of upscale restaurants and shops. There is also a mall in Zone 18, but it is not nearly as luxurious. And, it does not have a glass elevator and a restaurant with an aquarium inside.

The Patio in Hotel Uxlabil

Oakland Mall - Zone 10

We are staying in Uxlabil Hotel - an eco-hotel on the edges of Zone 10. It lies in the Colonia Oakland – a gated community with only one entrance and exit. This community is full of trees, brand new houses with lavish architecture, and fancy cars lining the streets. Colonia Oakland is a sanctuary in the city - with abundant greenery, chirping birds, and beautiful flowers.

Walking through Colonia Oakland, you could easily imagine you are not in Guatemala City. There are only a few hints that give it away:  the high gates in front of many of the residence, the security guards stationed at the gates, the women making tortillas in the store at the entrance, and the various maids walking dogs and children down the street.

In Zone 1, however, you have no doubt that you are in Guatemala City. The Plaza lies at the center of Zone 1, and boasts colonial architecture along with a few vendors of various trinkets. In general, Zone 1 is interspersed with small houses and amazing, formerly grandiose colonial buildings. After checking out the Plaza, I had lunch at Chikach – a small vegetarian, organic café, located at Calle 4-24, Zone 1. Chikach has a courtyard garden inside and delicious organic food. After lunch, I walked about a mile towards the edge of Zone 1 – towards the Casa del Migrante on Fifteenth Avenue.

Plaza Central - Zone 1

Plaza Central - Tyler purchasing a bracelet

An African-American friend of mine accompanied me on the walk from Chickach to the Casa del Migrante. At one point, she said to me – “I think we are causing a spectacle” – as everyone stared at us walking down the street. The area we were in was still fairly close to the center, but as we got to the edges of Zone 1 – towards Fifteenth Avenue – we were clearly beyond the normal tourist territory. There are very few white people in Guatemala City, even fewer back people, and it is even more uncommon to see a black and white person walking down the street together.

We weren’t sure how safe it was in the center. However, my friend and I agreed that most people were just looking at us with curiosity and it was pretty unlikely for anything to happen.

We took the Transmetro downtown from Zone 10. But, we had to walk about 2 miles from Oakland to the Transmetro station. Thus, we decided to take a cab back. Whereas the Transmetro only cost us 1 Quetzal each, the taxi was 50 Quetzales. The difference in price between the taxi and the bus gives you an idea of how unequal the city is.

As we drove through Zones, 1, 2, and 4 to get back to Zone 10, we marveled at the differences between the distinct parts of the city. It is only a few miles from Zone 1 to Zone 10, but you feel as if you are in a different world.

Fourteen months in four countries - from a nine-year-old's perspective

This is a letter from Soraya, my nine-year-old twin daughter to her grandmother, telling all about our fourteen months in four countries. She told me I could post it online.

Saturday, July 24, 2010


Dear Grandma,


We went to lots of countries. First we went to Jamaica. Then, to Guatemala, then,  Dominican Republic then we went to Brazil. We rode on the horse all the time in Brazil. After Brazil, we went back to Jamaica. I had lots of fun. my favorite one was Jamaica. I met the owner of Chucky’s Island, he had 4 dogs, then there were these goats. There were 7 goats. Lasco  is the owner of the goats. Every day I help Lasco feed the goat. 2 goats had babies. 2 dogs had puppies. We live in a cottage . We have a secret door. We have 3 fans. We have lots of friends. Mia was are favorite friend. We borrowed lots of her games for the computer. The mouse of our computer got broken, but we bought a new one. We have a black mouse now. 


In Guatemala, we lived in the city. In the city we lived in an apartment. In the apartment lived an old lady. The old lady had a dog named Cuchi. I liked Cuchi and Cuchi liked me. Cuchi is still a kid. Did you know that in Guatemala they let dogs in the bus? We took Cuchi to school! But then we moved to another part of Guatemala. We stayed at our friend’s house. In the house they had 6 pets. They had 2 turtles, 3 bunnies and 1 dog. The dog had 8 puppies. And then they had 14 pets. We made friends. We made a collection. It was fun. 


Next we went to the Dominican Republic. It was fun. We went to Jumbo. Jumbo is a very fun place. There was bumper cars. I went on a merry go round. We went on a thing that goes up and down. It was fun. Remember that you came to the Dominican Republic? I had fun with you. Thank you for all the presents. I always wanted a DS. Are you going to come to Jamaica or Kansas to visit us? I hope you do.


Next we went to Brazil. In Brazil, we had so much fun. We had a school and I made a lot of fake friends. Once when I cried, they started being my friend. Sometimes they are my fake friends. Sometimes they are my real friends.


Once we took our dog to school. And, did I forget to tell you about our pets? We had three ducks, three chicks, and one dog. But, then things started to change. First, one of the chicks got robbed by the cat. Then, another chick died because our dog ate the chick. It was chasing it. Then, the ducklings. First of all, one of the dogs was tortured by our friends. Well, they weren’t fake friends. Then, we met a kitten. It was annoying our neighbors. They said, “please get that kitten off of your roof.” We kept it; its name was Michi. Then, we found a dog on the street. We found his owner. He said we could keep him and his name was Nick. We called him Nick. We had to tie him on a leash because he did not behave so well. Then, there was a man that let us ride the horse. But, we had to pay. When we left Brazil, we gave our pets to our friend, Peruca. In Brazil, they speak Portuguese. It is like Spanish a little bit, but some words are confusing. “Oi” means “Ola” or “Hi.”


Next, we moved to Negril, Jamaica. It was so much fun in Negril. It took very long for the car to get there. Finally, we got there. Then, we met Chuck, the guy I told you about. He is a very nice old man. He owns Chucky’s Island. He also had two puppies. One was named Gateway. The other was named Pinky. But, one day, one of the puppies, Gateway, died because he didn’t give him shots.  Then, Pinky got lost. I felt sad and I almost cried when Gateway died. But, things started to get luckier - baby goats! First, the goat called Isabelle had one baby goat. Then, the goat named Sara had two babies. They are so cute. We only got to pet the baby Isabelle made. That baby goat is called Brownie, because it is brown. There is a rule with the baby goats: You cannot touch its tail because the mother will not feed it and you will have to feed it. Then, the dog named Blondie and the dog named Sally had puppies at the same time. They are so cute, but we can’t touch them.


In Negril, we play with our bestest friends - Nikaya and Jayim. They are little. Nikaya is four, and Jayim is five, I think. Then, we had our other friend named Mia. She is so awesome, I tell you! She even lent us her games for the computer. Then, she let us play her DS game. Once, my little sister lost her DS game, but Mia found it thrown outside on the floor. In Negril, we went to the beach and a really cool place called Xtabi. There is also a really cool place called Rick’s Café, but my mom likes Xtabi better because there are not so many people. At Rick’s Café, there are lots of Rasta men that do flips off of the cliffs. They do lots of cool stuff. One of them did a flip over another person. There is also a place called Margaritaville where they have big nachos - like six inches high.


My favorite parts of Negril are when we rode the horses, when we had nachos and when we met two twin girls that look like me and Tatiana from behind. Thank you for listening to my story. I love you Grandma. Say to Grandpa that I love him too. 


Love, 
Soraya

Tatiana's letter to Grandma about Our 14 Months Abroad

As the last assignment in their home schooling for the year, I asked my three daughters to write a letter to Grandma telling her about their fourteen months abroad. I wanted to see what they found most interesting about the year. I asked Tatiana if I could post hers online. She agreed. This is the letter from Tatiana, one of my nine-year old twins, to Grandma.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Dear Grandma,

We are on a vacation. We traveled in 5 countries. First Jamaica then Guatemala then Dominican republic then brazil then the last is Jamaica. The name of this place is called Chucky’s island. In this place there is a man named Lasco. He has seven goats. Two of the goats had babies. One of the goats named Isabelle had 1 baby. Another goat named Sara had 2 babies. Chuck had 2 dogs and they each had 4 babies. In a few days we are going back to Kansas. I can’t wait!

When we were at Guatemala we had 14 pets. We had 3 bunnies, 8 puppies, 1 dog and 2 turtles. One of the puppies knew how to shake hands. One of the bunnies that was white was named Violet. One of the puppies was named Mr. stomach. We named him that name because he was a fat little puppy.

In the Dominican republic we had two friends. One was a girl and the other was a boy. The boy had a PSP. it’s a type of DS. We loved it when they came to are house to play. They were really good friends.

In Brazil we borrowed a house to stay in. in school I didn’t have any real friends. But there is one boy that is in artist and he is nice to me. His name is Andrew. He never did anything mean to me. When we had our birthday it was really fun. The cake was really delicious, and now I am nine. But I still miss Kansas a lot like really a lot.

Last summer in Kingston, Jamaica I didn’t have a school. I was in summer camp. In summer camp I got to beat up boys. The boys were also scared of me. Almost every boy in summer camp was scared of me. Can you believe that a bunch of boys would be afraid of one girl? I liked it a lot when a bunch of boys are afraid of me.

Right now I am in Negril, Jamaica. There is this boy named Jayim and he is 5 years old. He has a sister who is three years old and her name is Nikaya. Here in Negril, there is a place called Xtabi. It is fun and once my sister Raymi said they saw an octopus coming up on the side of the wall from the water. Xtabi is really beautiful and you can take a really good look at the sunset. Xtabi has a cliff that I can jump off. I am not scared to jump off. Raymi is scared, and Soraya only jumps from like one inch lower than me. There is this guy here. His name is Deano and he taught us how to fish. He said that when you feel the fish biting, you don’t pull. You have to wait until the fish pulls. Then, you have to pull. One day we caught three fish. We mostly catch squirrel fish. The rest of the family eats them except for me, because I don’t like fish.

Here in Negril, we have a friend named Mia. Mia was our bestest friend we ever met in Negril. She has a DSI that takes pictures. Mia is not mean to us. She liked Raymi for a little while, then she noticed Raymi was annoying, then she didn’t like her any more. Mia is like two days older than us. Mia is like Soraya and me. She likes to beat up boys like us. And, also she bit a boy and he was bleeding. She loves insects. We also do too. That’s why we like Mia so much. One day Mia got hurt on the leg and we thought we would never see her again. Then, one day, her father came and said that Mia was going to come and visit us. We were really happy we got to play with her. She forgot to bring her Nintendo DSI but we still had fun.

This letter is closed just for you.

Love,
Tatiana

Five ways to keep safe in Guatemala City (and other high-crime areas)

Welcome to the second Blog Carnival of the Lonely Planet bloggers from the Blogsherpa program. This carnival centers around Travel Safety. The Carnival will be a traveling carnival that will be hosted on a different travel site every two weeks.

When I lived in Guatemala City, people constantly told me how dangerous it was. My friend who works for the United Nations told me when she got here, all she heard were warnings about street crime; she doesn’t walk on the streets. At all. Our landlady warned me about most places in the city except for the neighborhood we live in – Zona 9 and Zona 10. She was robbed in the city center, and doesn’t go there. My other friend had her cell phone stolen at knifepoint on the bus three times in six months.

I was not going to avoid going outside. Venturing out of the house was a fundamental part of my job. Plus, I’d go stir crazy. So, I did what I could, within reason, to be safe.

For example, one day, I had to meet my research assistant downtown to catch a bus to our interview in Zona 6. Unfortunately, I was twenty minutes early, and she was twenty minutes late. So, I had to stand outside at the corner of 9th avenue and 9th street in Zona 1 for forty minutes. A gringa standing outside on a corner in Zona 1 is something of a sitting duck. My strategy to avoid being robbed was first to try and stand near other people.

There was a bus stop on the corner, so I made my way over there, and stood between the other people waiting for the bus. I was constantly aware of my surroundings, although I tried not to appear too paranoid. When three fairly unsavory-looking characters crossed the street towards me, I walked a few yards down, and went into a store. I pretended to browse until they got on a bus and were off.

Once they were gone, I realized I could stand in the very large storefront door and that I was fairly safe there. After about twenty minutes of waiting, I began to let my guard down. There were plenty of people milling around, and there were lots of interesting things going on.

For example, two gay men walked by. One playfully jabbed the other, and then put his arm around him. It was nice to see that they felt comfortable expressing their sexuality in public.

Across from me, there was a large metal door. Every so often, people would approach the door and knock. Someone would open up a small opening and let people through. I have no idea what was going on inside, but it was easy to imagine all kinds of things that might be going on behind that large, metal, unmarked door.

Couples, mothers, children, families strolled by. Others waited for their bus and then were off. I noticed that almost all Guatemalan men use hair gel. Funny how I never noticed that before. I focused my attention on trying to find a man who didn’t. Finally, a hippie couple walked by that was gel-less. They were both super skinny. The girl had her dark brown hair in two plaits, and the guy had big, curly hair that clearly didn’t have an ounce of gel in it.

After forty minutes on the corner, my friend showed up and we got on Bus #3 to go to Mega 6 to meet an interviewee. This experience has me thinking about a few tips on how to keep safe while traveling in high-crime areas.

1) Always carry the least amount of valuables possible on your person.
2) Avoid carrying a purse or bag with valuables inside. Instead, keep valuables in a small bag inside your shirt or in a money belt.
3) Be attentive – do not wear earphones while walking down the street, for example.
4) Do your best not to be worried about what might happen. If you are noticeably scared, it will show and make you a more likely target.
5) If you really are scared and can’t hide it, sometimes it is best to just run. For example, if you accidentally come upon a dark street, one strategy is to just run down that street until you get somewhere that is well-lit.

A Sociologist on the Move: Fourteen Months, Four Countries, and Three Kids

On May 27, 2009, I began a long trip with my family. Over the next 14 months, we would be living in four countries, beginning with nearly three months in Kingston, Jamaica.

Our journey has not been easy all of the time, but it has never been dull, with one adventure after another. Thankfully, we have had the good fortune of meeting many people whose good will has made these fourteen months abroad much easier and more productive.

In Kingston, a Jamaican colleague, Prof. Sonjah Stanley, recommended I put my eight-year old twin daughters and my five year old daughter in Edna Manley School of the Arts Summer Camp. That turned out to be a fantastic suggestion, as it is a marvelous summer camp. My husband, Fernando, got involved in the Trenchtown Culture Yard, and I began my research with deportees. I also started a blog, http://tanyagolashboza.blogspot.com that chronicles this amazing year abroad with my family.

I was able to take this trip as I had been awarded a Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad Award to conduct research on the re-integration experiences of deportees in Jamaica, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil. My Fulbright-Hays Award didn’t officially start until August 14, 2009, but I got a head start with internal funding from the University of Kansas to do some pilot research in Kingston, Jamaica. In each country, my research consisted in interviewing 30 deportees, government officials responsible for deportees, and researching the migration histories of each country.

The summer in Kingston went fairly well, with only the occasional break-down where Tatiana, one of my 8-year old twins, would cry and fuss that she wanted to go back to Kansas. My pilot research was more successful than I expected. A colleague in Kingston – Prof. Bernard Headley – introduced me to a couple of key informants, who greatly facilitated my research. Fernando completed a project teaching the folks at Trenchtown Culture Yard how to make pan flutes out of bamboo. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and go to Guatemala City.

Before traveling to Guatemala City, I contacted Prof. Miguel Ugalde and introduced myself via email. He helped me find a furnished apartment in Guatemala City for our three month stay, and invited the family over for a churrasco our first Sunday in the city. My first week in Guatemala City, Miguel took me to the airport where deportees arrive and I was able to witness the processing of over 100 deportees into Guatemala. I couldn’t believe my luck and how quickly I was able to get my research underway. Finding 30 deportees to interview turned out to be a bit tricky. However, with a few creative strategies, I found them and left Guatemala with 35 interviews completed. My research in Guatemala was remarkably successful, even though we never were able to get the children in school. The school year had begun in January, and the schools were finishing up as we arrived. There are “American” schools that begin in September, but the $6,000 enrollment fee per child was prohibitively expensive. That’s when we decided to home school.

Fortunately, our school district has a virtual school where you can enroll your children in a highly structured program. Admittedly, it is a tremendous amount of work to home school three children. At first, we contracted an English-speaking teacher. But, that did not work out, as the children were not advancing in terms of their lessons. Eventually, I had to take over, as Fernando’s limited English skills prevented him from being in charge of home schooling. Things got a bit hectic when I had to home school in the mornings, write after lunch, and conduct interviews in the evenings. But, we managed, especially knowing that the situation was temporary.

In the Dominican Republic, our next stop, the schools are on the same calendar as those in the US, so we were able to enroll the children in a local Catholic school. I was relieved to have the children in school again. The curriculum looked similar to their curriculum in Kansas, so I kept up the home schooling, part time. In the afternoons and on weekends, I gave the children key lessons from the Kansas curriculum.

Settling into Santo Domingo and getting my research off the ground was a lot easier than I anticipated – largely because of the help of a couple of generous individuals. Mari, the sister of the friend of a friend was an angel with us, despite our weak ties to her. When she heard we were coming, she offered to pick us up from the airport, lent us an apartment while we got settled, and found a school for us! We could not believe her generosity. Once we found our own apartment, also with Mari’s help, I got started with my research. I called a few contacts in the US, one of whom gave me the contact information for Rene Vicioso, who works with deportees in the Dominican Republic. When I spoke with Rene, he was very accommodating and agreed to meet with me the next day.

When we met, Rene assured me there would be no problem finding 30 deportees. He also introduced me to several key government officials, and my research project was soon up and running. In Santo Domingo, I had no problem finding deportees to interview, and ended up completing 50 interviews. Soon enough, however, our three months were up, and it was time to travel to Brazil.

In Brazil, my research was focused on Goiás – the state that receives the most deportees. Luckily, I have a wonderful colleague in Goiania, the capital of Goiás, Izabel Missagia. Izabel picked us up at the airport, and took us to her house, where we stayed until we were able to find a place of our own. As of this writing, I am in Cidade Goiás, a lovely town that Izabel recommended to us, especially because of a fantastic, alternative school in Cidade Goiás. The children are in a school called Vila Esperança that focuses on music, dance, and capoeira. After three months in Catholic school in the DR, this is a very welcome change. The school calendar year just began, so the twins are starting the third grade again here, and my youngest is starting the first grade early. However, we decided that, in Brazil, their primary goal will be to learn Portuguese, and I will finish up the home schooling over the summer. My children already speak English and Spanish, so learning Portuguese should not be too challenging for them.

As of this writing, we are in Brazil. Like in Guatemala, it has not been easy finding interviewees here, and I have already begun using creative strategies to locate deportees to interview. This past weekend, I traveled to a small town in Goiás where I was able to find three deportees by asking around.

I feel very lucky to be in a profession that allows my family to have such amazing experiences. I traveled extensively before becoming a sociologist, but knew that, eventually, I wanted to settle down and have a career and a family. Who knew that traveling the world would become part of my career and still possible with a family! Admittedly, dragging our three children from one country to the next has its challenges. However, for me, it would be even more challenging not only to be apart from them, but also to deny them this fantastic experience that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Written for “World on the Move” – the Newsletter of the International Migration Section of the American Sociological Association.

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.

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.