Eyes to the Skies

I love catching glimpses of the 5 PM sky while walking through Antigua on my way home as the sun begins to set, which sets the clouds aglow with just the right tinge of lasting sunlight as the afternoon enters night.

Volcan Agua

However, while walking home the other day I couldn't help but notice the beautiful contrast in the clear blue sky that hung above me. Fortunately, I had my camera handy, which is an increasingly rare occurrence, and was able to snap some photos.

White to blue

The white almost looks like a cloud, no? It was hard to capture and I wish the photo did it more justice; it was simply beautiful. This was no cloud, but rather the sky was simply whiter beyond some inexplicable line in the sky - it fascinated me immensely. 

 Light rays

In this photo you can again see the contrasting white and blue skies. The way the light rays streak out from afar almost makes it appear as if there is a bright white sunrise occurring just beyond the hill in the distance. However, I was heading due east on my way home at 5 PM and the sunset was happening completely at my back at this point - the sun was no where in sight in this view. This mystery is what seemed to captivate further. Pretty wild, eh?

Where is Bill Nye the Science Guy when you need him?

Ataco, El Salvador

To celebrate my Turkey Day weekend, I took to San Salvador for a change of scenery. I usually spend my time in “the thumb of Central America” in the capital city of San Salvador, but this time I was able to venture out to the countryside for a night in Ataco. Yes, it sounds just like that – a taco. Like, “may I have a taco, please?”

Ataco is a quaint town in El Savador near the Guatemalan border, just 2 hours west of San Salvador. While much smaller, it reminds me a bit of Antigua with its cobblestone streets and small knick-knack shops. Within the 30 minutes it took us to venture three different hotels around town, I think we saw all that Ataco had to offer. There was something very nice about getting away though even if “getting away” meant escaping to no where.

Cathedral in central Ataco

Upon arrival we found ourselves in the streets during a local parade. I never did find out just what the occasion was, but rather let that small detail drift to the back of my mind; I was far too enthralled by the laughing children and the little princesses throwing candy from their homemade floats to care. Local beauty pageant girls of all ages graced the crowds with their presence as they stood atop their floating podiums, doing their finest Queen-of-England-wave, and chucked candy with their free hand to scattering children in the streets below.

I couldn’t help but think back to my hometown and the annual Homecoming parade that charged through our streets one crisp Friday afternoon each October. Kids of all ages participated for varying reasons: Boy Scout pack? File in. Girl Scout Troop? Join the ranks. Local AYSO soccer team? Show us your stuff. Middle School Cheerleading squad? Pump up the crowd.

The best part about this was that most groups threw candy to the onlooking crowd. What better way to keep those watching entertained than to bribe them for their attention and attendance with free candy? Fire trucks rumbled down the streets at a crawling pace, the High School Marching band played their hearts out, and preschool-aged tumbler groups and gymnasts cartwheeled their way through downtown – all while dishing out sweet, candy treats. Sadly, I’ll never forget that fateful year when the town decided to ban the candy. It was sometime around the late 90’s-early 00’s when society got soft and did away with such delights. You know, when everyone began to fault someone else – anyone but themselves – for the “grave” struggles and dangers facing our youth. Put a warning on that hot coffee, it’s too hot!; eating fast food is making my child fat!; my kid needs a cross-guard at that intersection when walking to school, what if someone runs over him?!; strangers shouldn’t be passing out dirty candy to kids during the parade, how dare they?!

Anyway, I was glad to see that this tradition lives on in Central America where “rules” are more lax. More often than not, Latin America’s general lack in safety or any sense of order that us North Americans would consider “normal” has been frustrating, however, in moments as harmless as this I come to realize just how over the top us gringos can be at times with such frivolous concerns and worries.

Fountain in Ataco's town center

Back to the story at hand, Ataco is a pleasant town to stop in for a break away from the hustle & bustle of the city and to treat yourself to some pupusas. As my friend and I scarfed down four tasty pupusas and a pair of Cokes for the grand total of $3, I was entranced by the fountain in the adjacent central park glowing under its lights in the otherwise still night. Local couples nuzzle on park benches, a gaggle of kids help mom & dad pack up their quaint stand of souvenirs for the night, and speakers boom with dance music for the wedding celebration going on next door while little cousins monkey around with each other in their formal wear. Life is good.

Church by night just outside of Ataco's town center

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone!

I was unable to snap any photos of our feast before the hungry vultures (myself included) swooped in armed with knives, forks, or just their greasy digits to enjoy the bounty. Since Guatemalans do not celebrate Thanksgiving, it was a long work day in the office awaiting the mouth-watering spread that awaited us for our evening dinner. Mashed potatoes, greenbean casseroles, cranberry, pumpkin pies, baked macaroni & cheese, and of course turkey aplenty kept everyone satisfied. As I mixed and matched flavors in a single, large plate I began to feel for just a second that I was back home in the great U S of A. Kudos to the chefs!

My wonderful friends put on a feast for Americans, Canadians, Scottish, and our Guatemalan friends alike.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and no one got peppered sprayed at Walmart to ring in their Black Friday (Can you believe it?!)

Head In The Clouds

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Volcan Acatenango, Guatemala

Volcan Acatenango, Guatemala

Volcan Acatenango, Guatemala

Driving through Pennsylvania, USA

Tres Cruces, Peru

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Caution: School Zone

Exactly what kind of school is this?

Go Fly a Kite

Here in Guatemala less emphasis seems to surround the October 31 Halloween holiday and instead November 1 finds itself in the spotlight. First off, Halloween as we gringos know it is not Halloween, but rather "Day of the Dead." I’ll give it points for a cooler a name, but no Devil’s Night? No Trick or Treating? No Haunted Houses or Haunted hayrides? No Peanuts-esque costume parties and waiting for the Great Pumpkin?

Halloween (As I know it)

Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition dating back thousands of years and is celebrated in Maya culture, Guatemala, and throughout Central America. The general idea is to pay homage and tribute to those who have gone before us. Rather than the usual macabre atmosphere we associate with a cemetery, a lively, festive mood is felt throughout graveyards as families and friends celebrate together in remembrance of loved ones. I personally didn’t see a lot of hoopla over celebrating Day of the Dead where I live in Antigua, but that could have easily been due to 1) being extremely busy at work, 2) I don’t watch TV and thus don’t see any media brainwashing/coverage promoting (if that exist here) such holidays, like is force-fed back home in the US during any holiday season, and 3) I was too devastated about missing out on my annual stash of funsize Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to focus on anything else. Sure, it was strange to not be in a last minute frenzy looking for a Halloween costume this year for the usual blowout parties, but in a way that was slightly relieving. As much as I missed carving my pumpkin and partaking in the usual Halloween revelry, it was great to experience something different in a new country.

Happiness

So while Halloween came and went, I took it upon myself to take advantage of the national holiday (read: a day off of work) on November 1 for All Saints’ Day. Here in the department of Sacatepequez, where Antigua is located, is a town nearby called Sumpango. Sumpango is known for having a Giant Kite festival to celebrate this time of year for Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day. Never having been to Sumpango before, I followed my roommate’s lead and generally followed whichever bus looked the most full, as that could only mean it was headed towards the party.

Welcome to the land of giant kites!

Full buses indeed. We watched a few buses pass us by as they were too full to accommodate all those waiting at the bus stop and then after half of our party was able to board a bus (puppy in a friend’s purse and all) my roommate and I decided we had had enough of being left behind. 

Puppy in a purse

The next bus rolled up and to no one’s surprise was full of passengers packed like sardines. So you understand, public transport in Guatemala prioritizes profit over safety, so as drivers’ assistants will find space for extra fare-paying passengers in any possible nook, cranny, or other unsuspecting passenger’s lap. Knowing this, it didn’t exactly baffle me when our ayudante, or assistant, yelled at us “Arriba! Arriba!” No this was not his finest Speedy Gonzalez impression, he meant that there was space for us on top of the Chicken Bus, not inside it. Having been in an overcrowded Chicken Bus or two in my day, I actually jumped at the opportunity thinking, “Hey, at least we’ll have plenty of space.”

My roommate enjoying the ride on top of the bus

The highways around Sacatepequez are serpentine and riding in them are akin to a rollercoaster ride as you bend and wind your way through your journey while holding the bar on the seat in front of you for leverage. Take that sensation of riding on a rollercoaster and then add the blustery winds of a wind tunnel as you cruise in the open air at top speed and you will have a sense of our adventure. Yes, certainly a “Do Not Try This At Home” and not an activity I’d do under normal circumstances, but it was safe (I swear Mom!).

Want dangerous? His job is to move in & out of the bus while at top speed. At least we stayed put.

After our heart-racing jaunt to Sumpango we made it to the Kite festival. Not without first winding through the narrow streets and alleyways littered with people buying and selling anything from slices of pizza to head massagers, we made our way to the open field that on this day would serve as ground zero for Kite Air Traffic Control. Groups of kite fliers marked off makeshift runways and took turns trying to get their intricately designed kites airborne as gigantic kites loomed in the background on display.

The giant, colorful kites

Vibrant

Legend has it that each November 1 bad souls fly into local cemeteries to disturb the peace of those souls of the faithfully departed. The disruption causes the souls to roam the streets and cause general chaos and uneasiness. Upon consultation to the old and wise men of the town in times long past, the solution was to fly kites to keep these bad souls at bay and to keep order in town. Apparently “the sound of wind against the paper” creates a powerful repellent for the bad souls and people have been keeping with this tradition, putting much thought, time, energy, and creativity into these impressive kites.

Lift off