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.

Walking in Marx’s footsteps in London

I don’t think I have ever done a tour before. It’s part of my identity as a traveler instead of a tourist to shun tours.

However, last year, I read Love and Capital by Mary Gabriel and developed a fascination with Marx’s life. In that book, I learned that Karl Marx had spent his much of his adult life in London.

Thus, when I planned a visit to London this April, I looked online to see what I could discover about Marx’s life in London. I came across a tour that was highly rated online, and that is conducted every Sunday morning. I was not going to be in London for the usual Sunday morning tour. However, my friend Alix called up the tour guide, and he said he’d be willing to do a private tour for us. Here's the website.

Alix and I decided to sign up, and we booked a tour for 2pm on Saturday. Even though it was drizzling (and even down pouring) for a good part of the tour, I am glad we were able to do the walk, as we learned a lot and it was great to walk in Marx's footsteps.

Karl Marx was born in Germany to a middle class family, and his wife, Jenny, was the daughter of a baroness. In Love and Capital, I learned how much of his adult life Karl Marx lived in deprivation.

Karl Marx lived in London from 1849 until his death in 1883. He and Jenny lived in Chelsea when they first arrived in London, but moved to the working-class neighborhood of Soho soon afterwards. We did not see the Chelsea house, as the tour is primarily in Soho, and apparently, the house is no longer there.

Our first stop on the tour was at a pub, now called Beat One – much to our tour guide’s dismay. Our guide, Mick, told us the pub was once called the Red Lion, which was much more fitting. The pub, on Archer Street, is the location where the Second meeting of the Communist League was held, which Karl Marx attended when he first arrived in London.

The second stop was 40 Rupert Street – at a restaurant now called “Little Sicily,” but which used to be the Communard Club Mutual Aid Society. During the 1870s, this is where refugees from the Paris Commune arrived, and could receive assistance settling into London.


Our third stop was once called the “German Hotel.” It now serves mussels. It was a decent hotel in the 1850s, when Marx, Jenny, and their three children lived there for three months. They were evicted once their funds ran out.



The fourth stop was at 6 Macclesfield Road – now a Malaysian restaurant. Engels once lived here. I learned in Love and Capital that Engels financially supported Marx for much of his life, and Marx was almost never able to earn any money. Our guide, Mick, told us that Engels was also much more practical and an efficient writer, and thus helped Marx finish manuscripts he started.

The fifth stop was at a facsimile of a water pump. This is the original location of a water pump that Dr. John Snow discovered was the source of a cholera epidemic in London. Marx and his family suffered through this cholera epidemic as they lived right in the middle of it.

The sixth stop was on Dean Street. This is the place where Karl, Jenny, their children, and their housemaid lived for many years in two and a half rooms. One of those rooms was where Karl Marx did much of his writing. This place actually has a plaque that states that Marx lived there.


Mick wasn't sure why this barbershop is called Marx - so far as he knows, this is not where Marx one got his haircuts.

 The seventh stop was at a restaurant now called Zebrano – where the General Council of the International held its meetings every Tuesday evening for years. Marx would have attended those meetings on a regular basis.

The eighth stop was a pub named the “White Hart,” which once housed the German Educational Society. Marx volunteered his time teaching children and adults many of the fifteen languages he spoke. Mick told us that Marx only learned Russian in his later life, once he learned the Russians were increasingly interested in his works. Russian was the fifteenth language he learned, and Marx learned it in a matter of months.

 


The final stop was at the British Museum. Mick explained that you can no longer see the actual Reading Room where Marx did his research and writing, due to renovations done about a decade ago. However, he took us into a space that resembled where Marx would have written.

Overall, it was a great pleasure to listen to Mick share his vast expanse of knowledge about Karl Marx and his life with us. Mick is an intellectual and a history buff, as well as a long-time Londoner. His quiet demeanor and real interest in and knowledge about Marx’s life was a great treat.

After the Marx tour, Alix and I made our way over to the East End, where Alix’s sister, Leila, has an organic café and shop. We had a few sweet bites to eat, but were sure to save room for delicious Indian fare later on that day at Lahore Kebab House. Alix and her family have been going to Lahore for decades, and the food there continues to be amazing.

I was reluctant to try the lamb chops, but as they are the specialty, I decided to give them a shot. They were a delight, as were all of the other dishes.

When we left, we also saw that there was a line out the door. We were lucky to get there before 7pm, as we were able to get a table right away.

California Living

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We have now lived in California for five months. In our short time here, we have taken several trips. California is a great place for road trips!

In our time here, we have been to Yosemite, Merced River, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Berkeley. And, that's just in California. We are pleased to be living somewhere where there are so many amazing places to drive to and plan to continue to take plenty of road trips.

I have also taken trips to Puerto Rico and Vancouver, without the kids.

Last Stop in Peru – A small town in rural Piura

After having spent several weeks in the more touristic parts of Peru, we headed north to Piura – a part of Peru with few tourists. The town we stayed in, called Ingenio de Buenos Aires, is in the province of Morropon, and gets few outside visitors and no tourists. However, we lived here many years ago and wanted to see old friends. Plus, the kids always have a great time in this small town where they can run freely in the dirt streets and play in the river.

Raymi eating a passionfruit in our friend's field

Ingenio is too small of a town to have a hotel, although there is a hotel in the town of Morropon, which is 7 kilometers and a short mototaxi ride away. We are very grateful to be able to stay with a friend of ours who offered us a room and three meals a day.

The food in Ingenio is delicious, although there is very little variety. For a few days, however, we are content to eat rice with chicken or fish stew each day. On Saturdays, there are more options, as there is a lady who kills a cow and sells the beef, several women who kill pigs and sell them, and a few women who make tamales. The tamales here are particularly delicious as they are made completely from scratch. Senora Maria, for example, peels the corn, grinds it, and uses this to make the masa for the tamales.

Señora Gertrudis, 90 years old, still makes tamales each Saturday

The first evening we arrived, my daughters immediately found the other children their age in town and began to run around with them. The kids showed them their chickens, hens, goats, and pigs, and my daughters were fascinated. They showed off their chicken-catching skills and caught their new friends’ roosters for them. When the kids finally came back to our hosts’ house, they were soaking wet, as they had gone for a dip in the stream that runs through town – fully clothed.

I sent the kids to bathe, but first had to show them how to get cleaned up when there is no running water. Ingenio only has water every other morning for two hours, so people keep water in large plastic containers. I showed the girls how to pour water onto themselves with a pitcher and take a shower with just one bucket of water. After that, we ate dinner and went to sleep – tired from a long day.

The next day, we walked to the edge of town where the river runs a bit wider and relaxed in the running water. I had forgotten how beautiful this part of town is – with views of the majestic hills and mountains in the distance. The kids were happy to see animals and swim in the river, but, what they really wanted was to go horseback riding.

La Toma, with a view of the mountains.

There are plenty of horses in town, but few people have saddles and even fewer have horses they thought safe to let the kids ride. So, it was not easy to find someone willing to hire us a horse. Finally, we found a person who said he would bring his horses in from the pasture for the kids to ride. When he finally showed up with his herd of horses, the kids were very excited. True to his word, he saddled up a horse, and let the girls ride him around town. Tatiana was very pleased that finally she could ride on a horse, and not have to be on a trail. She was free to guide the horse where she wanted to go. And, luckily, the horse was obedient and did as she said. Soraya also rode the horse herself. Raymi, however, was a bit more scared, and preferred to have someone lead the horse for her.

Raymi - riding a mare in Ingenio

We went back the following two evenings to ride horses. On the third evening, the owner of the horses, Jorge William, brought a mare who likes to trot and even canter. I wasn’t sure the girls would be able to trot or canter. However, they figured it out for themselves and were thrilled to run around town with the horses. Tatiana and Soraya were very pleased with themselves and their horse-riding skills.

With the kids happily swimming in the river, playing with their friends, and riding horses, I was able to relax in Ingenio and catch up with friends. And, not to make everything a “teaching moment,” I think it is also incredibly valuable for the kids to see how people live in a small town in rural Piura, far removed from most things they are used to. The kids remember very little from our last visit here six years ago. However, now that they are 11 and 8 years old, I am sure they will remember much more.

Driving from Arequipa to Lima – 1000 kilometers across the desert

In contrast to our drive from Lima to Cusco; from Cusco to Puno; and from Puno to Arequipa, the scenery along the 1,000 kilometers between Arequipa and Lima is fairly uninspiring. Especially in the wintertime, when you don’t even have beaches to look forward to. Thus, we drove from Arequipa to Camana, and then from Camana to Ica, with few stops along the way.

Sand Storm Zone - a frequent sign along the way.

It took us about six hours of driving along the coast to get from Camana to Ica. We hoped we would at least have a great meal of fresh fish along the way, but the fishermen along the way told us the sea had been too rough to go out. So, we had lunch at a roadside restaurant that consisted of lapa (a shellfish) stew for Nando and estofado de pollo (chicken stew) for the rest of us. The food was decent, but the bathroom was horrible. Luckily, we found a nice, clean bathroom at a gas station a little further along. The kids proclaimed it must be the cleanest bathroom in Peru.

Occasionally, you get a nice view of the wintry beach

Near Nazca, you go far enough inland to actually see the sun!

The one thing we wanted to do along the way was to stop at La Huachachina, a small town outside of Ica, where you can go sand boarding. We made it into town just as the sun was setting, but took the kids to see the lagoon and sand hills despite the darkness, as they were very excited about playing in the sand.

We stayed at The Silva House, a decent hotel that is one of the more reasonably priced in this touristy town. We also had dinner there, and I was glad to have criollo (coastal) food as I prefer it to serrano (mountain) cuisine. We woke up early to do our sandboarding and sand buggy tour early. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was surprised to find that the purpose of the sand buggy is not simply to get you from one sand dune to another, but is an adventure ride. I found myself screaming in sheer terror as the sand buggy began to speed across the dunes and up and down hills. Admittedly, it was fun. But, also scary.

Tatiana, Raymi, and Soraya with the sand buggy

Tatiana and her sand board!

Our sand buggy driver, Gustavo, took us to a large sand dune and showed us how to ride down the dune flat on our stomachs. Nando went first, then the twins. I was still a bit scared, but did it next, as Raymi was too scared to ride down the dune. It was thrilling, but also scary. Kind of like a roller coaster. Raymi decided not to ride down, and instead ran down the big dune. Raymi only slid down one dune – the smallest of the three.

The whole experience took about an hour, which was plenty for me. The girls wanted a bit more, so we let them play on one of the huge dunes while Nando and I went to pack up the car. I bought some delicious tamales and we began our 300 kilometer drive towards Lima.

La Laguna at Huacachina

We stopped for lunch in a fabulous roadside restaurant at Kilometer 92 of the Panamericana Sur called “El Buen Horno.” The grounds are beautiful, with green grass and fields – an oasis in the middle of the coastal desert. In addition, there is a trampoline for the kids to jump on as well as these roadster tricycles that they could ride. The kids were very glad to burn off some energy while we waited for lunch. El Buen Horno specializes in bread, and their cheese bread is amazing. We ordered three sandwiches – chicken, beef, and ham and cheese. They were quite tasty. To my surprise, Nando’s dish – tallarin saltado con lomo (beef with noodles) – was the best. Honestly, it was the best tallarin saltado I have ever tasted. The beef was tender; the noodles and vegetables were perfectly cooked; and the seasoning was just right with hints of soy sauce and ginger. Satiated, we relaxed a bit before continuing on to Lima.

Raymi and her roadster tricycle

Just before entering the city, we stopped to get the car washed. That took nearly an hour, which meant it was too late to return the rental car. The Budget office in San Borja closes at 4:30pm on Saturdays, and doesn’t open again until Monday. We had the option of returning the car to the airport. However, after getting a bit lost and driving around the seedy neighborhood of El Agustino for half and hour, we decided to head straight to my sister-in-law’s house in Comas and wait to return the car on Monday.

Looks like we're back in Lima

Hillside "barrio joven" in Lima near Zarate

We arrived at 6:30pm, after a long day of driving, and were glad our road trip was finally completed. It was an amazing drive, but I am looking forward to doing the next leg of our trip – from Lima to Piura – by bus, where we can all sleep and let someone else worry about the driving.

From Arequipa to Camana – All’s Well That Ends Well

We woke up in Arequipa and decided to spend the morning there before heading out. We walked from Hotel El Peral to the Plaza, where there are plenty of pigeons. Before feeding the pigeons, we made a brief stop in the Cathedral, which is a beautiful building. Arequipa – called both the “white city” and the “city of eternal spring” has interesting colonial architecture and great weather. We also visited another church on one corner of the Plaza, which was impressive as well, in addition to a casona built in 1738, where the Continental Bank is now housed. I would have visited more old buildings, but the kids quickly bored of the architectural tour.

Raymi, Soraya, and Tatiana near the Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

Cathedral. Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

Raymi, Tatiana, Soraya, Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

Feeding pigeons in the Plaza

Around 11am, my kids started asking for lunch. As lunch is not served until 12 noon, I tried to distract them by taking them for a walk. They complained about the walk, but eventually became interested in the leather handicrafts in a small shop in the El Fierro Market. Raymi bought herself a small box, and Tatiana got a cute keychain made out of a miniature leather book. After that, it was nearly noon, so we began to search for a restaurant.

Cathedral near plaza de armas, Arequipa

A demonstration we saw along the way to lunch in Arequipa

On the way, I found a small store, where I purchased water and some snacks to tide us over. When we finally got to the restaurant, we sat down at a table, and my youngest daughter, Raymi, asked if she could play with my iphone. I looked in my bag, and, realized that my wallet was no longer there. I couldn’t believe it. I had managed to lose my small purse, which contained my iphone, my bank card, and about $200 in cash. We retraced our steps to the small store where I had purchased the water, but they said they hadn’t seen it. I am not sure if it fell out of my hand in the store when I put the snacks in my bag or if someone removed it without my knowledge. I do know that I began to get stressed.

I had absolutely no money; the kids were hungry; and I didn’t even have my bank card. Luckily, I learned a long time ago to always travel with two ATM cards. I had another ATM card at the hotel. Unfortunately, I had just depleted that account, and it only had $25.00 in it. I could take out 50 soles, but that was not enough to pay the hotel, which I still had not paid for the previous night. I was lucky enough to have my laptop and an Internet connection at the hotel, so I messaged my family members to see who could deposit some money into my other bank account. My brother responded after a few minutes. He was at work, but was able to leave for a few minutes to deposit money into my account. Thank goodness for family!

All of this took a while, but, by 2:30pm, we were sitting again at the restaurant, and were able to have lunch. We had minestrone soup to start with; I had fried fish for my main course, and I was pleased to see that Tatiana and Soraya ate seco de cordero – lamb stew. I was not brave enough to try the lamb, but the twins seemed to enjoy it.

Losing my wallet was stressful. My philosophy on losing stuff is not to worry about it, as you can’t change the past, and worrying about it only makes it worse. But, sometimes it can be hard to live up to that. I keep telling myself it’s only money, and everything can be replaced. I also keep kicking myself for not being more careful, but there’s no point to that either, except for to learn to be more careful in the future. I need to go back to my old system, where I kept cash in a small bag under my shirt, and only carried valuables like my iphone when absolutely necessary. It is extra frustrating because I lost my iphone and cash in a very similar way just about a year ago in Barcelona. So, I should know better. Anyway, like I said, there is no need to continue to worry about it.

Because of everything that happened, we were not able to leave Arequipa until 3:45pm. This meant that our new destination was Camana – two and a half hours from Arequipa. Leaving at this time meant there were lots of trucks on the road, and that we had to drive quite a bit of the way in the dark fog, which was a bit nerve-wracking, for me at least. The kids, on the other hand, were entranced with the fog as they wanted to “touch the clouds.”

Goodbye, Arequipa. Goodbye, Misti

Dark fog along the road to the coast

The road from Arequipa to Camana is not particularly eventful or beautiful. You can see some snow-capped peaks when you first leave Arequipa, but after that it turns into flat desert, with the occasional oasis. At any rate, around 5:30pm, we could barely see the road, much less the scenery, due to the dense fog.

We made it to Camana at 6:30pm, and began to look for a hotel. We checked out a couple of places, and settled on Hostal El Sol, a comfortable and affordable place a few blocks from the plaza. The kids had dinner at the snack place just next to the hotel, which has hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. Nando and I ate at a decent Chinese restaurant just off the plaza. My chicken soup with ginger was a nice way to end the day.

We are still 850 kilometers from Lima, and need to get there tomorrow, so the rest of our trip will be a bit rushed. The one thing we will try to squeeze in is sandboarding in Huachachina. We have to give the kids something to look forward to, after all.

Puno to Arequipa – Our Peru Cross-Country Road Trip Continues

We left Puno at 8am, without stopping for breakfast, as we wanted to get on the road to ensure we arrived in Arequipa before nightfall. The trip is about 300 kilometers, but takes between four and six hours.

After stopping in Juliaca for a quick breakfast – lamb soup for Nando and bread and jam for the less adventurous among us – we got on the highway towards Arequipa. The first sign read “Santa Lucia 53 km.” so we knew we were on the right road. The road to Arequipa from Juliaca is well-maintained, and, for the first 100 kilometers, the route is flat and straight, meaning you can travel at 100 km/hr. However, once you are close to the beautiful lagoon called Lagunillas, the road begins to twist and turn, and you have to slow down. The scenery includes golden hills dotted with boulders, clear blue skies, and the occasional lagoon.

Mucho of the trip is alongside the railway lines

Lots of golden fields and hills

We stopped at the overlook for Lagunillas, where there were two alpacas and a llama grazing, in addition to several people selling handicrafts. We purchased a colorful alpaca blanket that I think will look nice in our living room. Just after that lagoon, we saw a smaller lagoon filled with flamingos. Kind of crazy to see flamingos at over 4000 meters above sea level. The indicators on the side of the road told us we were about 200 kilometers from Arequipa. As it was 11:15 am, it was clear we wouldn’t make it to Arequipa in time for lunch.

Alto Lagunillas and a llama

Alto Lagunilla

4413 meters above sea level

The road continued to twist and turn, and go up and down mountains, bordered by snow-capped peaks in the distance. We saw lots of llamas and alpacas, the occasional vicuna, but few people or houses. There were some villages where the alpaca and llama herders live, but not many. At 4528 meters above sea level, and Kilometer 190, for example, we came across the town of Crucero Alto. We were still on the altiplano, with no sign of going down the mountain. In Peru, at about 5000 meters above sea level, you are in nevado territory – where ice and snow persist year-round. We weren’t quite there, but it was clear from the ice on the side of the road that it dips below freezing at night. During the day, however, the sun warms everything up and I could get out of the car without my fleece jacket.

Shortly after passing the town Imata, at Kilometer 148, we saw a sign that said “Mirador” next to huge rock formations. We turned off the road and went to check them out. The rock formations were amazing. We couldn’t figure out how the rock formations developed, especially since, in some cases, larger rocks sat on top of smaller ones. There wasn’t a name that indicated what the place was called, but a few kilometers after the rocks, we saw a small village called Pillones.

Huge rock formations in the middle of the high desert

A valley of boulders

We continued our way across the altiplano, wondering when we would begin our descent towards Arequipa. Around Kilometer 125, we found our answer, and began to go down the mountain towards Arequipa. Around the same time, we also caught a glimpse of Misti – a huge volcano close to Arequipa. It was past noon, and we were getting hungry, but there were no restaurants in sight, just mountains and more mountains.

A Volcano - we must be close to Arequipa!

We came upon a toll booth about 100 kilometers outside of Arequipa, but the only thing they had for lunch there was chicharron de alpaca – fried alpaca. We decided to keep going and the kids were content with some jello cups we were able to buy on the side of the road.

When we made it to Arequipa, it was 2:30pm, which means that most places no longer serve lunch. We decided to go to a shopping mall, as I figured they would have a food court. They did, and we were able to get a meal. Nando and the kids had Chinese food, but I went for pollo a la brasa, as I try to eat only Peruvian food while in Peru, since Peruvian food is so good.

We made it to our hotel – Hotel el Peral – and were pleased to find that the hotel is clean, sunny, and pleasant. I had made the booking online so wasn’t sure how nice it would be. Nando and I left the kids in the hotel room, as they wanted to hang out there, and went to walk around the Plaza before nightfall. Arequipa is a beautiful city, with a massive cathedral, a gorgeous plaza, and several historic buildings. Unlike Cusco, the Spanish influence is much more evident than the Incan influence. Nevertheless, the city is quite beautiful.

We had dinner at a small restaurant near the hotel serving cena for 4 soles, and it was tasty. As Arequipa is a nice city and we need to do laundry, we will hang out here in the morning before continuing our journey towards Lima. We are not sure where we will spend the night, as Camana is too close at 2 and a half hours away, and Ica is too far at 7 hours away. If we don’t find anything between Camana and Ica, we will spend the night in Nazca, which is about 5 and a half hours from Arequipa.