Tuesday, November 18, 2014
August 26- Time for This All to End
Well, all good things must come to an end. Today's exciting activities included packing, traveling to the airport, trying to get through customs, 2 plane flights, and finally unpacking. It is sad to have the trip end, but I have many great memories, and many journal notes and photos to organize. (Note: I am finally getting around to this job 3 months later.) Thanks for traveling with me!
August 25- Ruined again-Lamanai, Our Last Ruins to Visit
The drive to OrangeWalk was nice, and we got on a boat to travel the river to Lamanai, the last Mayan ruins of the trip. We stopped many times to view the wildlife along the shores of the river, such as bats, onhuinga, storks, 'Jesus' birds, and crocodiles. We also passed a Mennonite community along the way.
Lamanai, or 'submerged crocodile', had about 700 temples and pyramids in its heyday. It was one of the longest occupied Mayan cities. One of its nicest temples is the Jaguar temple with jaguar heads, where incense was burned in the statue's ears. The temples in most Mayan cities were like onions, with layers and layers, of new building over the old. Many stela which were nicely carved, do not remain standing, as later rulers used them for building materials of their newer temples. Under one stela, they found 5 skeletons of children, but no one is sure of the purpose of those.Under a round stone in the ball court, they found liquid mercury and cinnabar-also, purpose unknown. The high temple can only be climbed using a rope to help pull yourself up. From the top you can see 20 miles to Mexico. On the mask temple, they found Olmec carved heads (the Olmec were much earlier people who did huge stone carvings) as part of the building. These were added later, but their origin is a mystery as the Olmec did their carvings near Vera Cruz, Mexico. We saw a gumbolimbo tree whose resin is medicinal, and it is also called the 'tourist tree' as its bark peels like sunburned tourists.
August 24- On the Road Again (to Belize)
Upon leaving Yaxha, we headed for Belize. The border crossing was much quicker, but we did have to leave the bus and walk across the border. Just past the border, we passed Xunantunich ruins that Kathy and I visited this summer on a shore excursion with our cruise. The countryside of northern Belize is much different from most of Guatemala-very flat and some areas swampy. This is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. We also left the modern Mayan culture behind.
When we arrived in Belize City, we had a local guide who gave us much information about the country. Belize was former called British Honduras. It is only 184 miles N-S and 69 miles E-W, with the smallest population in C.A. It has been an independent country since 1981, but Guatemala is still trying to annex it back. It also includes 200 islands, and the largest barrier reef in the Americas. Pirates came here first, but the Spanish ignored it, calling it The Mosquito Coast. There is a large Creole population, as well as Garifuna (black natives). The country prides itself on being multiethnic, multicultural, and multilinguistic. Belize City is below sea level. There are only 11 stop lights in the entire country. The local wildlife includes iguanas (called bamboo chicken for its taste), agouti (or gibnut, or Royal Rat, since it was served to Queen Elizabeth), and the coatimundi. The are no venomous snakes. We stayed at the BW Belize Biltmore Plaza, which was a mediocre motel along the highway.
August 23- Climbing temples
Today, we spent the entire day at Tikal, although to see it all would take 3-4 days. It is tremendous. If you are not into ancient Mayas and ruins, this might get a bit boring, but to me it is fascinating, so I will try to compromise. Tikal was discovered in 1848 and was completely covered by earth and vegetation. At first people thought they were mountains. It was declared the first National Park in Central America in 1955, and most excavation began then. It has been named a UNESCO site, but still has only been 22% excavated. They don't want to excavate more than they can safely maintain. Much damage happened in 1902 when a photographer used slask and burn to get good photos.
The first settlers came to Tikal about 1100BC. Temples were built in 600BC, and by 700 AD it was the largest city in the Mayan world. It began its decline about 900AD with an extended drought and no fresh water in the vicinity. Temple 7, at 70 meters, is the tallest in the Mayan world, and the area was used as a setting in the first Star Wars movie. There are various complexes, such as Complex Q with twin pyramids at the east and west, an auditorium on the south, and administration building on the north, and a plaza inbetween. Many tall stela and altars have been excavated with hieroglyphics on their sides.Some temples are for royal burials, and some are used to allign the equinox, or used as ritual sites. 9 terrace pyramids show the 9 levels of Xibalba (the Underworld). 3 level temples show the Underworld, Earth, and the Upper sky world. It was interesting to see some modern Maya performing a cleansing ritual in the middle of one of the plazas.
In addition to the Mayan ruins, there is also much wildlife noticed on the grounds of Tikal. Ceiba trees are tall and impressive. Allspice trees can be found, as well as chikle trees, with their strong wood, and sap used to make gum. We also saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys, toucans, tarantulas, and oscillated turkeys. (Note: the locals claim that spider monkey tastes like pork and howler monkey tastes like beef but neither compare to armadillo meat.)
August 22- To the Dump and Beyond
A number of changes in planned activities today made it the most memorable of the trip. After leaving Antigua, we headed back to Guatemala City for an afternoon flight to Flores in Peten province, which is in northern Guatemala. Our first stop was in the neighborhood of the Guatemala city dump. This is a huge dump, the size of 3 football fields and over 90 meters from high to low point, with a stream running through it. It is the only dump in the entire country for all human waste and sewage. Methane fires and land/garbage slides are common. Everyday, 900 trucks make 3 deliveries each. In this dump, and in the neighborhood surrounding, is a huge subculture. 100,000 people make their livelihood by picking garbage. When a truck enters the yard, people place their hands on the truck to say 'dibs' on the contents. These pickings are taken home, sorted, and sold. It is a bare subsistence living for a family. An American NGO, Safe Passage, has been working to provide schooling to some of the children, and to provide education and job skills to some of the parents here. The school is very nice, with 650 current students, but many more children are on waiting lists-they can only take the most needy and only some from each family. They provide meals to the children which are the best they get. They also have social enterprises with 50-100 women in business training and adult literacy. The women do sewing, or make beautiful jewelry out of recycled magazines. Grand Circle Foundation has decided to switch their support from the Antigua school (which has become self-supporting), to this one, so we had the opportunity to be the first group to visit here. It was a very emotional and eye-opening experience. I have since sent a donation to help support this enterprise.
After the emotional visit of the morning, we did a bus tour through the city on the way to the airport. We flew on a small (80 passenger) propellered plane to Santa Elena Flores in Peten. The biggest shock was the climate change from 75 degrees, to a hot, humid 95 degrees upon arrival. We arrived at La Casona del Lago Hotel, which was beautiful, and right on the lake. The air conditioning in the rooms was welcomed. For our last surprise of the day, Carlos (our trip leader), invited all 16 of us to his house, where his wife had spent 2 days preparing tamales for the group. We got to meet his son and daughter, as well as other family members. A great time was had by all. It was a great experience.
August 21- Exploring Antigua
Today began with a formal tour of Antigua. It started with visits to its many churches with their ruins. Some of these churches date from 1532. The city has been destroyed by 16 earthquakes over the years, thus the ruins, but they just built the new church next to the old one. St. Francis of Asisi (San Francisco Grande) Church was built in 1725, and became a school and hospital. Some rich Spanish were buried in churches, but no natives or people of color. Candles are burnt by parisioners, with the colors symbolic of their requests. As we were visiting a church, a man walked by with his goats. Carlos had him milk a goat, and I tried some fresh milk-tasty, although still warm.
Antigua was the Guatemala capitol in 1543 after the previous capital was buried in a mudslide.There are 22 surrounding villages. 32% of the buildings are owned by foreigners, and no buildings are allowed with more than 1 story. The town is surrounded by 3 volcanoes: Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua. Many doctors come here to do surgeries, and there is much teenage pregnancy. They say the classes are rich/high poor/middle poor/poor poor/misery.
We toured St. Dominick's Monastery, which is now a 5-star hotel and beautiful museum and wedding chapel. This was also where the poor and disabled were buried. Finally, we visited a jade factory and store, and learned about its processing.cutting, and polishing. When we were given free time in the afternoon, I walked to the local marketplace and just wandered, looking at the many good, and engaging in my favorite past-time, people watching. I am enjoying the tour aspects of the stops and the included tours, but the hardest part of a tour is being with your tour-mates everyday. Some you hit it off with very well, but when there is someone who decides to bully others, drink too much, or get boisterous, it is hard to take. I like to try to blend in with local people and customs and not stick out an an 'ugly American'. We finished the day with dinner accompanied by a marimba band and traditional dancers.
August 20- Village Adventures
The day began with some time to visit some of the churches and ruins. The ruins are beautiful with eroded walls overgrown with plant material. The colors, shapes, and shadows make fascinating photos. I could easily spend days just wandering here. Our next stop was the marketplace. We were divided into small groups and given a shopping list to find on our own. With limited Spanish skills, and much pointing, we took our purchases and boarded a local chicken bus for the trip to the village of Santa Catarina Barahona. We were asked to sit by ourselves, to be able to interact with the locals. A couple of the adventurous sat on top of the bus with the packages. (Chicken buses are old US school buses which have been rejuvenated and repainted with bright colors. They are called chicken buses as they pack in people like chickens in a crate-and, they sometimes have chickens in cages on the top!)
We visited the Kindergarten School (ages 1-6) and the Primary School in the village. This school is well-stocked, as it is sponsored by the Grand Circle Foundation. It was fun to see the students excited to show us their work. At noon, we were taken in 2 groups to homes of selected students. My student was Genesis (pronounced Hennessee). The home was very intriguing, with a small walkway to enter, with caged birds and a squirrel. The kitchen was open-aired and covered with a tin roof. There were two small bedrooms and a tiny back yard with their pet/guard dog. The lunch was a local specialty, pepian, which is a stew made from chilis and tomatillos, with veggies and rice to add on your own. It was delicious, and a special treat for the family also. After lunch, Genesis shared pictures and her dancing.
After lunch, we left the village and made our way back to Antigua. Along the way, we stopped at Valhalla Macadamia Nut Plantation, where we saw the processing procedure, tasted some delicacies, and tried some macadamia butter products. As we arrived back in Antigua, we stopped at an overlook which gave a full look at the city, with the volcano in the background, although still cloud covered.
Monday, November 17, 2014
August 19- Mayan Markets and Assorted Artisans
Again today, as we traveled, we made many short stops to get a feel for the people and the culture. First we stopped at the Solola market, near the cemetery we visited before. It was a huge market with many items for sale, from crafts and fabrics, to a wide variety of foods. We even stopped at a shaman shop. We learned that lime is added to boiling water to boil corn and soften the seeds better. In ancient times, the Maya drilled teeth and inlaid jade, gold, or silver, so intricately that dentists today can't replicate. Unfortunately, today, graves are robbed for these teeth.
As we left the market, we noticed the terraced fields, using the many springs in this area. All agriculture is done by hand, with no horses, and goods are carried on heads or backs, even up to 200 pounds.
We stopped to visit some artisans also. We stopped in Santa Apolonia to visit Dona Basilia, who makes ceramics by hand from the clay in the hills near her home. She grinds her own clay, and makes the bowls or pots on the ground by bending over and walking around the piece, forming the shape. It is then fired in a pit with pine needles and a clay slip to glaze. Next. we visited a family of professional brick makers, again, all done by hand using brick molds and a machete to smooth. They fire in a huge kiln building, and can make up to $300 a month-a great salary for them.
Finally, we wandered our way to La Antigua Guatemala, or Antigua for short. Again, there are many foreigners here, as there are many Spanish language schools in the area. The streets are all cobble stone, and the town in shadowed by 2 volcanoes-Agua, and Santa Teresa. This was the third colonial capital. All of the churches have a building ruin next to them, as they have had many earthquakes over the years, so they just rebuild next to the ruins. The houses are small, and there are strict building codes to keep the colonial flavor of the town. We stayed at Los Pasos Hotel, which originally was a very large home surrounding a beautiful courtyard. The rooms were very tiny, but historical, with no air conditioning. It was interesting wandering the neighborhood and visiting local bakeries.
August 18- Sailors and Shamans
Today, we will be exploring small villages around Lake Atitlan. There are 10 villages around the lake, named by the Spaniards for the Apostles. The lake is 1200 feet deep and 13 miles across. Three volcanoes surround the lake-Toliman, San Pedro, and Atitlan. The lake has risen over 8 feet in the last 10 years. Many expensive homes up to half million dollars are being built by the foreigner expats.
We visited Santiago Atitlan, which is known for its fabrics and intricate embroidery. We saw women doing their laundry in the lake. We wandered, and looked at the market wares, with very low prices, at least after haggling. It was fun to see how low you could get the price (and still not take advantage of the seller/artist). We met an older woman with an unusual hat on her head. When asked, she unwound it into about 20 yards of a thin strip of material, and wound it back on to show us how.
We took a ride in the back of a pickup to visit a shrine to the diety, Maximon, which switches family hosts every few months. The family guards and honors the deity statues. The shamans stay at the house and help with healing sick parishioners. They combine Maya dieties with Catholic saints in the carvings and decorations at churches.
After the village visit, we went by boat to another village for lunch, then back to Panajachel, and wandered the shops. Tomorrow is another traveling day.
August 17- Big City, Little Towns
The day began with a drive around Guatemala City, a very urban environment. We visited the Peace Statue, a symbol of their modern period, post war. The Civil War was bloody, with some areas total populations killed by Death Squads. Farmers (guerillas) were trained and boys were conscripted to fight. The CIA also taught torture techniques. This caused animosity for foreign military and the people started saying "green-go" (green military uniforms), which led to the term 'gringo' meaning foreigners, particularly the U.S. The Civil War lasted for 36 years, and 300,000 people were killed. People secretly worked to keep some traditions alive. The peace process took 10 years. Guatemala has recovered much quicker than some of the surrounding countries.
Carlos, our guide, found out that there was a celebration happening in the town of Sumpango, which is known for its huge kite festival in the Spring. We watched the parade and walked the market, arriving at the home of a special kite maker, Don Frederico, who spoke with us and showed us some kites. Some of the kites are up to 20 meters across. At the festival, whole families were celebrating, and I noticed a number of individuals with disabilities like Dwarfism, Down Syndrome, and missing limbs.
After stopping at Solola Cemetery, and viewing the brightly painted tombs above ground, we finally arrived at our destination town of Panajachel, next to the beautiful Lake Atitlan, ringed by volcanoes. Panajachel is nicknamed 'Gringolandia', for all of the foreigners and tourists here. We stayed at a very fancy place, Hotel Porta del Lago, on the shore of the lake. The hotel balconies allow a grerat view for the sunset over the lake.
August 16- Return to Guatemala
This morning, we visited a small ruins-Las Sepulturas (Place of Scribes), where the lords of the area lived with their artisans. Some people say that the Maya disappeared, but they just moved from their large cities to smaller villages near Atitlan, or north to Chichen Itza, mostly from a drought in the area. They had a paved causeway to move large stone blocks used for carving. They also built aqueducts. There was a good display of their stone beds in tiny rooms.
Then, we headed for Guatemala, making a number of stops along the way. I liked this philosophy of OAT to stop along the way as interesting experiences appear. We stopped at a stone/bone carver's workshop along the highway and watched them work. I bought a carved bone showing a Mayan prisoner at Tikal who was to be beheaded. We also stopped at a place where they process cashew nuts. It was very smoky and smelly, and I felt for the workers who did this daily. A small Paleontology Museum was a good stop before lunch.
After lunch, we stopped at a marketplace in a small town along the way. We met an 82 year old woman with beautiful festival clothing, had fresh coconut milk, and freshly picked lychee fruit. We saw many pickup trucks which are used for public transportation, with people piled in the back. We finally made it to Guatemala City, which is very urban. It is the largest capital in Central America, now 4,000,000 people. There are many squatters, but it is a clean city. We arrived at the Best Western Hotel Stoffel, which was mediocre in location and quality.
Notes on Guatemala: Since the 1996 Civil War, it has grown quickly. Illiteracy has decreased from 48% to 16%, and unemployment is at 22%. School is mandatory for elementary student and the government pays 1/2 of fees. The teachers must learn a Maya dialect. Middle Schools and High Schools are optional and career oriented. Classes have 40-45 students. Only 50% finish High School and 20% go on to college.
August 15- Ancient ruins to modern rural life
In the morning, I walked up the hill from the hotel to a small Mayan ruin, Rastrojon. It was interesting to see the restoration being done. We then, traveled to Copan Ruins, one of the first Mayan ruins excavated in 1895. Copan was at its height in the 8th century, and was typically Mayan with a church at the center, then a plaza/market, then city hall/government buildings, then individual dwellings outside area-this shows the importance levels. They had paved roads and tunnels under the pyramids. Older buildings have been found underneath newer ones. The ancient Maya used hieroglyphics to record happenings. Copan may have been primarily a king's cemetery, with many death references, and mostly temples, not dwellings. (Note: Egyptian pyramids were designed to be used inside, and Mayan pyramids designed to be used on exterior flat surfaces.)
The first kings were priests, and 'magicians'-using astronomy/science to wield knowledge or power. Altars were used for blood sacrifices. Current reconstructions are estimations and possibly up to 60% incorrect. The Mayas had books with fig tree paper and lime water painting, but all of these (except 4 in museums) were destroyed by Spaniards. They buried their dead in hope for rebirth like planting crops.Kings erected stelae to honor themselves, and each destroyed the monuments of the last one.
The ball court was important in each city but the exact use and play are not known, just hypothesized. The myth says that the Hero Twins bothered the Land of Death, so they had to go to the Underworld to play. The Twins are now the Sun and Moon who have to go 'below ground' each day to play ball. To play the game, players had to hit a hard ball off their bodies (no hands/feet), possibly into stone hoops. The losers were often beheaded.
In the afternoon, we had an optional horseback ride into the mountains to visit a small poor village, La Pintada, and take them treats. As at every stop, we were mobbed by craft sellers-here, corn husk dolls. We toured the very basic homes, with outside, covered kitchens. The dogs were very underfed, as the people themselves had little. The school was nicely kept and painted. I met Milton, a boy who was trying to get money to buy books for school, and I helped him a bit toward that goal.
Dinner was in town, and it was interesting, as they did not want large vehicles breaking the cobblestone streets, so they built a, arched gate that large vehicles could not pass through. Our bus barely made it.
August 14- Three Country Roadtrip
The day began with a city tour of El Salvador. Guadalupe Church (La Ceiba) is a famous landmark. It is a Catholic Church which includes a cave symbolizing an entrance to Xibalba (the Maya underworld) where people could speak with their ancestors., as the early churches were welcoming to the local people. Most early churches were painted with white lime, which helped to kill the diseases brought by the Spaniards.
San Salvador is on the Pan American Highway, and is about the size of Massachusetts, with the most dense population in Central America (pop. 1,000,000). The past dictator performed a Mayan genocide, and there is now very little Mayan influence. It is now safer and more stableTeachers earn about $500/month. They use US currency, with many $1 coins in circulation as they are not popular in the U.S.
(Side note: the guide pointed out that each major race of the world is dependent on a particular grain for subsistence. The American Indian groups (red race) have maize/corn, the Caucasians (white race) have wheat, the Asian people (yellow race) have rice, and the Africans (black race) have millet.
A very unusual church is the Church of Santo Domingo, designed by artist Ruben Martinez. The dark doors outside opening to a bright interior with rainbow colored windows reflecting on the floor symbolizes 'into the light'. The Metropolitan Cathedral houses the tomb of the archbishop assassinated during the country's genocide where 120,000 people 'disappeared.
We toured Joyas de Ceren, which is called the 'Pompeii of the Americas', as a volcanic eruption about 500AD covered the small Mayan village (along with most of El Salvador), preserving evidence of everyday life. It was found in 1976. Their shamans/herbalists used natural medicines and saunas. Obsidian knives were used for eye surgeries. Buried foods were found, like corn/chili peppers/black beans/and chocolate.
A long ride ensued to pass through a corner of Guatemala, and finally enter Honduras. The scenery was beautiful, and we stopped along beautiful Lake Coatapeche (an ancient volcano caldera) for lunch, passing sugar cane, banana, coffee, and cinnamon farms. At the border, all vehicles are checked for drugs, with special scanners for trucks. We finally arrived at Clarion Copan Ruinas, a very nice hotel.
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