Welcome to the Banana Republic !

Well, after a very short stay in the eastern part of Guatemala, boating down the Rio Dulce into the interesting but very trashy town of Livingston, I took up travelling again with Tom, the Canadian police officer I met in Antigua. We just ran into eachother at the dock in Rio Dulce, again...how surprisingly ironic travelling can be! I had been in doubt about how to get out of Guatemala for awhile, and there he showed up, with a really interesting travel scheme to the island of Roatan! So we made it down the river, certainly impressed by its natural wonders, but the weather was (again on the Caribbean) not really cooperative...pissing rain in Livingston didn't give the impression we would stay there for a long time! Furthermore, the town was really a dump if you can call it that : the Rio Dulce just spits out all the sewage water of eastern Guatemala in this place, leaving the beach very contaminated. You wouldn't think that the beautiful coral reefs and turquoise waters of Belize are just around the corner...So, after just a day in Livingston, we hopped on a boat to Puerto Barrios, which was possibly even more a dump than Livingston already was, still in pissing rain... Welcome to the Caribbean! Puerto Barrios once used to be the major port for all the big cargo boats transporting bananas and other fruits out to the US, but now it just looks like a very much run down place. And getting there at 6am wasn't really much more comforting either!At first I was thinking of maybe getting a spot on sailboat to Roatan there, but hey I don't know how to sail! And it would probably take a lot of time and money too. So we just got on a mini-van to the border, and from there the muddy adventure continued on three local chicken busses, bumping or way into the cool beach town of Tela at 4 'o clock in the afternoon. Passing through immigration at both sides also was an adventure again, involving some unclear 'travel tax' of a couple of euros, but hey...we were already glad we got our stamps and didn't get hassled over on exchanging Guate quetzales in Honduras lempiras (which are worth even less). So pretty beat up after a day of hassle, rain, heat and backpacking (well I shouldn't complain that much...), we made it into Honduras, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised! And that, taking into account the poverty and the fact that the country was virtually run according to US 'interests' for more than a century : first by two major bananas companies, both picking sides for one or the other dictator (giving Honduras its name of Banana Republic), and then by the Reagan administration which used Honduras as a military outpost and training ground for the Contras, fighting the Nicaraguan Sadinistasts in the 80s. Almost as amazing is that you wouldn't tell that this country nearly got washed off the map by Hurricane Mitch, just over 5 years ago. Most of the beach roads are repaired or back under construction, and the area around Tela has some very attractive and charming beaches and nature reserves. We did a kayak tour into the jungle mangroves off the coast, seeing turtles, baby alligators, cool butterflies and lots of birds...hitting the beach afterwards...well that was another highlight! So people, especially if you can get the bright sunny weather we got today, make it to the Honduras' coast one day! The seafood here is delicous, and the presence of black Garifuna culture gives it some interesting flavour as well! And for the women lovers out there, I must admit that the señoritas here are a lot better looking then in Mexico and in Guatemala. It must be something in the coconut milk.So, tomorrow we're off again, first getting a shave at the local barbershop (I figured it would be time with a beard of 20 days...) and then catching the ferry to Roatan! We hope and pray that the weather keeps up our smiles...because nothing sucks more then a Caribbean beach in the rain! Ya man, hasta luego!

La hija del Puma

Visiting a country such as Guatemala, just like Vietnam nowadays, almost makes you forget that this country suffered from more than 30 years of civil war. It just doesn't show so on the faces of the people. Although lots of guns still float around and tourists do get mugged from time to time (just two weeks ago, an American tourist got shot when he didn't want to give over his valuables), the situation has indeed improved since the end of the violence in 1996. More and more tourists come and visit the marvels of Lago Atitlan, Tikal and the Maya highlands. Moreover, people seem to have some good hope for the future : just two weeks ago, after 2 rounds of relatively fair elections, a new government got voted in, casting a lot of expectations. And the most important thing : Rios Montt, the notorious former dictator didn't even make it to the second round. But that doesn't mean problems are nearly over. Aside of the magical beauty of the country and its enormous touristic potential, Guatemala has to deal with lots of corruption, urban violence, road unsafety, environmental problems and widespread poverty. Just taking the chicken bus from Panajachel to any other town in the highlands says it all : everywhere along the road you see open garbage belts, people throwing trash out of the window, small pueblos made up with golf plates and crazy drivers taking curbs like they want to die. Locals pay nearly nothing or very little, tourists at least double or triple of that. One chicken bus crashed yesterday, killing 16...well that's very comforting to read in the newspaper on the bus! But besides all that, what sticks in my mind are the smiles of the people, the colors of the markets in towns such as Solola and Chichicastenango (although that last one is overrun every Sunday by tourists) and just the laid back feel of it all : there is always manaña. And just that is amazing, considering the pain and the horror the Guatemalans went through during the civil war. A very good movie about that is La hija del Puma, based on the real story of an indigenous girl who witnessed her whole village being slaughtered by death squads, and her brother being captured by the military. Fleeing with her family to Mexico, she believed that with the help of the protecting spirits of the puma and the owl, she would find back her brother. The search turns into a nightmare as she gets closer to the reality of the massacre. Quite a strong tale, and the fact that the movie has only been legal in Guatemala since a couple of years makes it all the more potent.I intended to watch the movie with Rosa, my Spanish teacher in Panajachel, since we talked a lot on the subject. Coming from a Maya family, and been able to vote just recently for the first time, it certainly moved her spirits. But it didn't work out at the language school so I watched it here in Antigua : luckily, the Maya Moon, the hostal I stayed at two weeks ago, showed it last night. It's funny how things always seem to fall in place when you're travelling, well one way or another. Just waving to a lancha yesterday morning at 9.30, getting to Pana, hopping on a chicken bus or two and getting here in Antigua just 3 hours later, nice going for only 3 euro! And then meeting people on the bus or on the street you already met at some moment at the lake, Antigua, in Tikal or even in Mexico. 'I'll see you around!' is certainly some line to use here! So after nearly two weeks of pura vida at the Iguana Perdida (they nearly made me stay there for another week!), I am moving on, heading west again to the Caribbean coast, up the Rio Dulce to Livingston. And hopefully by the end of the week, I will make it to Honduras, saying goodbye to Guatemala. It will be a sad goodbye, because I really loved it here uptil now. I guess you could get stuck around here forever. But travelling on, I have good perspectives as well : white sand beaches and coral reefs to dive on around the island of Roatan, more volcanoes and lakes and lots of surf in Nicaragua, and last but not least, finally seeing back my love Leen, in no more than 4 weeks already! Time flies when you're having fun. Hasta luego!

Oh my sweet Guatemala

Well folks, this trip is only getting better so far! Ever since I made it to Lago de Atitlan, I have been wondering how long I could stay here before getting bored. Well quite some time I guess, even though I am not really doing much here! But I guess that's the art of it all : disfrutar del sabor del tiempo, so they say here, so nothing wrong with getting hooked up on this place and staying here for a little bit longer. The only thing I miss here is my girlfriend Leen, it seems almost like a human right violation that I am here and she is over in Madrid, stressing and working her back off for her exams. The world can be unfair sometimes.I made it to the lake allright, took the chicken bus from Antigua, which was quite an experience! All the time we lost changing busses was made up by the speed at which these guys overtake other cars, busses and trucks. Superb reckless driving! I got a seat on the back of the bus, with surprisingly lots of leg room, close to the emergency exit door and an eye on the shadow of my backpack, which was hopping about on the roof of the bus. It was only getting more fun with every new bump and sharp turn we were taking. Actually, a chicken bus is probably as quick as those mini shuttles all the other tourists take, a lot cheaper and safer as well! No chance of any bandits robbing those colorful Maya women on the bus, it's just not worth it! And they probably wouldn't get to the end of the bus, being it so stuffed with people and animals. There's always room for more!So once I got there, I took one of the quick lanchas across the lake to the small town of Jaibolito, where - secluded on a cliff - you can find the most wonderful hotel in Guatemala, La Casa del Mundo. The view from their rooms is simply breathtaking, and evenmore, they have a outside hot tub that is heated with a wood stove, overlooking the lake. After dinner, we all took a dip, with a couple of beers and just looking at the stars. Woow! The lake has other charms as well : you can cayak, hike around, climb volcanoes, settle for a full moon meditation in the hippie town of San Marcos (28 day meditation, fasting the last week), smoke lots of quasi free weed in the gringo town of San Pedro or just simply hang out and do nothing all day on the shores of charming Santa Cruz Laguna. I settled for the last option (the mental feedback session and decision process took me like a full day) and got myself a cosy room above the bar in the Iguana Perdida, another very recommendable place. The food there is just so yummie, they have a big BBQ every Saturday with a small bar party afterwards (with lots of Gallo beer and wodka lemon), no electricity (candles everywhere), a sauna and to top it off a full PADI equipped dive center that does lake diving every day. So I took myself down 15m to take a look around, seeing lots of crabs, bass fish, rock walls and digging my hand in the hot vulcanic mud of the lake. Nice! I am considering doing a couple of more dives and getting my PADI Advanced degree here. Next to that, I managed to persuade a Spanish teacher to come over from Panajachel every day and give me 4h afternoon lessons for a week. So I pretty much have a full schedule from tomorrow on, swimming and diving in the morning and hablar un poco mas de Español en la tarde. Hehe. Hope that all is well with you guys, I can only tell you that you should get yourself down here once in your life, it's a magical place. ¡Hasta luego!

Antigua chills and thrills

Oh people, how sweet life is in Guatemala! Well, for a traveller that is, I suppose. For a country that has suffered 36 years of civil war and only has known a little bit of democracy since 1996, I don't think it's the case for all the Guatemalans. Just driving through dreadful Guatemala City shows it all. But nevertheless, if you put aside for a moment the idea that you're just the next tourist (and not visiting the garbage belts where some people here live on), you can't be nothing else than charmed by this country, certainly by a beautiful city such as Antigua. This former Guatemala capital is just a village compared to Guatemala City (the Spanish moved the capital overthere after the great 1773 earthquake that destroyed most of Antigua), but it's all the more a town with character and history. Just like other colonial towns such as Campeche or San Cristobal in Mexico, it has very colorful streets and pittoresque churches, and very good food and drinks. So it is a great town to hang out and chill for a day or two. Like in San Cristobal, there is a big student scene here, with movie clubs and the like. The Maya Moon Hotel, where I am staying, even has a choice of 5 films a day! So I saw Amores Perros, Buena Vista Social Club and Todo Sobre Mi Madre with a beer and my feet on the couch, just like I would do at home! There are also very cheap comedores and restaurants all over the place, some even serving authentic Guatemalan coffee! Might sound obvious, but it isn't. Some of the world's best coffee is produced here, but it's all for the export. So you guys back home probably drink more of it than the folks here. They have to settle with the yuckie Nescafe instant stuff, which they ironically have to import! Luckily, some of the independent producers sell their organic coffee here as well, and it tastes like heaven. The setting of the city is also amazing : wherever you walk in the city, you see a volcano rising up. And they're active! Volcan Fuego even erupted last week, apparently you could see the red lava streaming down at night. Arriving here, all was left was merely just an innocent white wimp of sulfurous fog rising out of the crater in the far. But it was impressive allright. So impressive that I made the day trip to Volcan Pacaya, that erupted big time in 1961 and again in 2000, killing a couple of tourists that were near the top at the time. The trail up the mountain used to be pretty dangerous, with bandits robbing tourists, even murdering a couple. But nowadays, an armed guide goes along (ours was very friendly with his machete) so we didn't experience any troubles. But it certainly wasn't a walk in the park either! It was darn cold on top, and windy as well! And I have noticed I have gotten out of shape, drinking too many Gallo beers at night! But the view was all worth it, walking on lava rock also is quite an experience : if your hands get cold, just dig a little hole in the earth and put your hands on there... Aaaaahhh!! Natural heating. So you can imagine that sitting down and warming up my cold ass, having my lunch after the 2h walk and ponder on the mysteries of Mother Earth was quite relaxing as well! They say there're steam baths at some of the volcans in Costa Rica, so that's something I am going to get my girlfriend Leen to for sure when she gets there!Well, I am off to the Sky Bar, a real nice place for good night views around Antigua. You meet people here all the time, so I hooked up with Tom, a Canadian police officer from Vancouver (yes imagine!) who also lived in Germany for a long time. We're going to Lago Atitlan tomorrow, so we're putting together some more travel plans over a beer or two.Mucha suerte to all those working or studying for those horrible exams. No stress!¡Hasta luego!

Welcome to the jungle !

After the utter blue skies in San Cristobal, I thought that the Mexican weather was finally turning into the right direction, but nothing was less true! My hopes got washed away in relentless downpours all the way to Guatemala, which made the 3 day journey a very sweaty, wet and muggy affair. Luckily, the abondant mosquitos apparently didn't like too much my blood, so I didn't get eaten up like some of my fellow travellers were. Next to that, my emergency stash of 100$ that I had 'hidden safely' in my backpack got stolen, probably in one of the hotel rooms in Chiapas. If I have to believe other people's stories, I have been very lucky uptil now, lots got their camera stolen or even worse passports and all their money. So knock on wood!! Maybe it's all part of it, some even say you just have to expect to get robbed, makes it easier to cope with. Oh well, one Mexican got a very fat Reyes Magos (Spanish-Latino Saint-Nicolas, on Jan 6th) treat from this guy! But hey, no time to be grumpy, because the trip I had sweating through jungle, awing at some more Maya sites - with Tikal in Guatemala to top it all - and crossing rivers was more than worth it. The jungle road into Guatemala was a real adventure just up to a couple of years ago, but with the paving of the road on the Mexican side, things have gotten a lot easier. And for some reason, a jungle environment makes me get out of bed at 6 am and gives me energy to do tons of things and cover lots of terrain. For the lovers of Maya culture, I'd sure recommend Palenque : it would fit right in in the jungle version of Lord of the Rings. I could easily spend a day just sitting there looking at it. But top of the bill for me surely was Tikal, after arriving here in Guatemala. Whereas most people try to do it all in one day, I took my hammock and camped overnight at the site (under a full moon), spent two days walking around and made it with my flashlight to the top of Temple IV for the sunrise at 6 am. Amazing! At the first ray of sunlight, the howler monkeys down in the canopy started a morning wake up call that would fit right for a soundcheck of the newest THX cinema surround system. I made the top with two barefooted Spanish guys who had brought candles and started meditating. I didn't feel their energy flow, but mine was certainly a positive one! Arriving in Guatemala certainly was an experience as well : we're done with Mexican aircon busses and paved roads (the 4 hour drive in an old US school bus from the border to Flores was very comfortable!), but also with expensive hotels (check El Mirador del Lago in Flores, 5$ for a room with a lake view and roof terrace!) and pricey food. Getting around here for less than 25$ a day is no problemo! And Flores hosted a 5 day beer festival when we got here, in a happy chaos (which sometimes seems to be the trademark of Guatemala), so no complaints there! Guatemala also apparently attracts the more extrovert and cool backpackers (and lots of Australians, with the weirdest stories and always walking around like they're on the beach), so the last few days have been a good laugh. After visiting 7 Maya sites in less than a month, and covering more than 2000 km in Mexico, I think I am going to take it very easy the next couple of weeks and take up some of my 'time credit' here, hehe. Since my back is still not 100% from the horseback riding and many bus rides, I am paying myself the luxery of flying in 35 min to Guatemala City, instead of taking the 12h bumpy chicken nightbus. After that, it's direction Antigua and Lago de Atitlan, where I'll be dipping my feet in some more Spanish salsa and language lessons. And just chill and relax until I feel it's time to move on again.So up to the next report, take care in the New Year and many happy trails (in the shopping malls hehe)! ¡Hasta luego!

La routa Zapatista

Well, after a short introduction to Chiapas in Tuxtla Gutierrez, we got right to the heart of the region in San Cristobal de Las Casas, the town from where the Zapatista movement launched their uprisal on January 1st, 1994. So without really realizing it, we have arrived here just 10 years after the events. Not that any big festivities are planned, therefore some of the violence is still too fresh in the collective memory of the people in the surrounding hills. Although the peace agreement of 1997 was officialy enacted in 2001 (see last report), Zapatista forces remain active in the jungle and paramilitary troops keep on terrorizing people from time to time. And nothing has fundamentaly changed for the poor indigenas who roam the mountains surrounding San Cristobal. So the mood here after 10 years of resistance is one of frustration : ´1994-2004 : La Gran Ilusion' titled one of the major newspapers here today. Or like one of the Zapatista commandates said in a documentary we saw here on the 10 years of Zapatista struggle : No se puede comer pan con el papel. You can't eat bread with a piece a paper, referring to the 2001 law that grants the indigenas the same rights as every other Mexican. Ironically, over the last 10 years, lots did change in the town of San Cristobal! With the Zapatista uprising, the town has become a mecca for anti-globalists, anarchists and other bohemian style of people. Barefooted outcasts, hippies and lots of backpapers seem to have taken over the town, so in short, it has gotten very touristic nowadays. And coming from Lagunas, Oaxaca, that was more than a culture shock for all of us. Besides the Manu Chau types, you don't see too many Mexicans here. Except for the countless Maya women and children, who hang on your shorts all day trying to sell you their handscrafts or wanting to get their picture taken for 5 pesos. But all of this doesn't mean that the town has gone overrated or has nothing to offer. With its clean mountain air (2100m altitude), it's chilly but refreshing and it has the clearest blue skies which make up for great photography. The churches are very pittoresque as well, going for pink to yellow and blue. The town has some very good cheap restaurants (go to Tierra Madre or La Salsa Verde if you're here!!!), bakeries and night life. And since it has so many backpackers visiting it, it offers some very nice tours around the hills and further to Palenque and other Chiapas sites as well.The surrounding Maya villages such as San Juan Chamula are worth a visit: although it has gone a bit touristy, the mercado and especially the church are quite a sight. Inside the church, the most bizarre religious practices take place, mixing Maya beliefs, superstition with influences from Catholicism. Luckily enough there weren't too many other tourists when we came in, which made the impression the more bizarre. I can't show any pics of the practice, (it's strictly forbidden to photograph, the Mayas believe that their soul might be taken away doing so) but imagine yourself a church with no chairs but full of pine needles (easier for the saints and spirits to walk on), clouded with incense, and lighted by hundreds of candles. In this setting people worshippers make their own little altar on the floor, and perform chants to drive out the evil spirits of sick people. This may include as well the rubbing of eggs or live chickens over the body of the sick as the drinking of pure alcohol and lots of Coca Cola or Pepsi! Like we all know, nothing beats the real thing for a good burp, and this also helps to expel the evil spirits so they think. And then to think that Coca Cola originally was designed as a medecine...It all left a bizarre impression, especially knowing that these people have little access to 'traditional' medecine and health care, and most of them refuse it any way (ever seen someone treating a scar with lemon juice?). The begging and the poverty in the village raises all the more questions. At least we didn't go in a tourist bus or combi, but on the back of a horse (my ass and back are so sore!!) which was another first time experience for me. Makes you think how beautiful but also how injust this country sometimes is.Tomorrow I am leaving all the other Lonely Planet people behind and pursue further the gringo trail to Palenque and then a couple of days into the Lacandon jungle. Next report probably from in Guatemala! ¡Hasta luego!

El retorno del rey in Chiapas

Feliz Año Nuevo to everybody ! May all your 2004 wishes come true and much more ! Hopefully, my 2004 willl go smoothly as well, with more travel (yessss), lots of time with Leen and not too many sorrows in June when I'll turn 30... My New Year went very quietly, since Kris, her sister Karen (who arrived from Peru on Dec 30th) as well as myself were struck by some major stomach aches and consequent diarrea... Yes, getting sick is part of the game I guess! We suppose it was something in the beans we had for breakfast (well the beans just by themselves might have been sufficient for me). Anyways, we ended up doing not much more than cramping away the first few hours of 2004, and we went to bed early so we'd be fit for the bus the day after into Chiapas. Honestly, I have had better New Years ! Luckily, all the 3 of us were much better the day after (unlike some of you??), and with a hot bottle of herbal tea for the road, we made it to our destination just fine. Tony, a Mexican friend of Kris is travelling with us as well, so free Spanish lessons for me and no troubles at all getting a cheap hotel (he does the best bargaining)! We have touched down in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital of Chiapas, from where we will travel further to San Cristobal de las Casas and the Maya site of Palenque. Chiapas probably rings a bell for the most of you, it being the scene of major uprising and violence in the nineties. In 1994, the so called Zapatista National Liberation Army took over several towns and installed 'autonomous municipalities', demanding equal distribution of land and proper health care and education for the impoverished peasants and indigenous people of Chiapas. The Zapatistas were brutally evicted by the Mexican Army, but persisted and in their struggle managed to draw lots of international attention and sympathy for their cause. A peace agreement was finally settled in 2000, and with the new President Fox, things seem to go finally a bit in the right direction. We haven't seem much of Chiapas yet, but just by the feel of Tuxtla, it's quite different from the rest of what I've seen so far. People are very friendly, less fresa than in rich oil towns like Villahermosa, and you see a lot more Maya people in the streets of small towns like Chiapa de Corzo. Chiapas is one of the world biggest banana and coffee producers, and said to have lots of oil as well. A town like Tuxtla, surprisingly modern and clean compared to other places, has a nice feel, hell it even has a cinema where I went to see El Señor de los Anillos last night! Nearly all alone, with Spanish subtitles, for not more than 30 pesos (not even 3 euro!). It also has some major tourist potential: good weather, beautiful sierras and highlands, mystic indigenous pueblos, waterfalls and canyons (check out the pic of Cañon del Sumidero we speedboated through today!) and Maya sites like Palenque and Bonampak. But it does also have poverty, something you can see through each bus window, when you're passing through all these non-tourist areas that aren't in any guide. Chiapas, it seems that the King hasn't returned to here for everybody just as yet...