My nephew Andy invited me to visit him in Guatemala so a member of his family could meet his girlfriend, who isn’t able to enter the USA. Last week he treated me to a vacation jam-packed with activities that left me exhausted but full of wonderful memories. Seeing this country firsthand was an eyeopener. I was surprised how modern certain features were, like the airport and a huge mall. Andy lives in a gated community where security guards patrol day and night.

I invite you on a tour via this blog post.

Guatemala

This mountainous Central American country lies below Mexico and between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. It has become so populous that “flyover” highways have been built to accommodate the traffic.

Guatemala’s blue skies and temperatures in the 70s were a pleasant respite from Chardon’s mounds of snow and freezing days.

Spain brought Catholicism to the county in the early 16^th century, so it became the predominant religion. But now Evangelical and Pentecostal religions have overtaken it as a result of their vigorous missionary activity. Still there are many Catholic churches, some in ruins.

My seat partner on the flight home was a woman eye doctor, one of the several from the USA who spent eight days treating the Mayan people.

Natural Disasters

Volcanoes

Volcan del Fuego emits plumes of smoke every fifteen minutes. In 2018, it erupted without warning, resulting in many deaths.  My nephew lives four miles from this Volcano of Fire. Next to it is Volcan de Agua, named for the water at the top of the cone.

Other Threats

Guatemala is also subject to earthquakes and hurricanes.

Andy laughed at me because it wasn’t the volcano or earthquakes that frightened me, but the cobblestone roads and sidewalks. It was so difficult for me to walk on these that Andy usually held my hand for support. I felt like a little child.

Traffic

The streets were narrow and filled with vehicles. Driving was like playing Dodgem at the Euclid Beach amusement park. Motorcycles wove in between car lanes. People were polite, waving or honking when allowed to go first at an intersection. Riding over the bumpy cobblestone roads, I was surprised the cars didn’t fall apart!

A common vehicle was a tuk tuk, a square taxi that seemed to have no springs. I had to hold on for dear life. Usually we took an Uber.

Houses and stores were side by side and flush with the sidewalks. There were no lawns between them and the street.

Central Park

My first stop was Central Park in Antigua (Old Guatemala). There dozens of vendors lined the paths or sold their wares under a row of tents.

Churches

Across from Central Park is the Church of San Jose where I attended a Spanish Mass. People didn’t use hymnals but sang the hymns from their hearts.

Later we visited the Church of San Francisco, which was like a Roman basilica. There a crew of people were arranging manikins of saints that would be carried in Lenten processions. Saint Hermano Pedro’s tomb is there, which will be open to the public for the first time next month, March.

The yellow La Merced Church is 802 years old and has an earthquake-resistant design. I saw it frequently but didn’t go in it. Next to it are ruins.

Food

Fruit was abundant, some unfamiliar. At a café, I had carrot cake, my favorite. At Andy’s house I dined on coconut milk, pineapple, guacamole, tortillas, and pepian, which is a thick beef and rice stew. We dined at various restaurants.

We visited a store that was like Target as well as an enormous market, where Andy was charged double for pineapples because he is a foreigner. For one that usually cost 32 cents, he paid 65 cents.

Santo Domingo was a humongous old convent with thick stone walls that was repurposed as a restaurant.

Twice I had Rosa de Jamaica, a purplish, nonalcoholic drink made from dried hibiscus flowers.

We passed coffee fields and macadamia nuts spread out to dry. Chocolate is another Guatemalan specialty.

El Tenedor del Cerro (the Fork) was a restaurant and art museum at the top of a mountain. A very long cobblestone road led up to it. I managed to climb about fourth way before Andy hailed a hotel van to save me from having a heart attack. Going down the steep path was another challenge until an Uber rescued me.

On my last day, we ate breakfast at a luxury hotel’s buffet. Food such as omelets was prepared along the wall, but stations were positioned throughout the long room: juices, cereals, bakery, oatmeal, waffles, Mediterranean food.

Entertainment

On the day I arrived, we went to a soccer game between Antigua and Mixco. Fans from opposing teams do not attend in order to prevent brawls. On the bleachers we sat on small, green bucket seats. Three times six men with a stretcher had to carry a player off the field.

Posada de Don Rodrigo restaurant offered live Marimba music with dancers in costumes performing the Baile de los Moros, a folk dance. As I ate, one of the dancers wearing a bull mask offered me a maraca, an invitation to dance with him. After I did, other guests got up and danced.

At Las Palmas restaurant, Andy and I took a salsa lesson from a wiry, energetic teacher. I could not master the crossover step.

Friends

We visited a beautiful bread and breakfast where Andy had stayed while learning Spanish. It is owned and run by Cony, a woman in her nineties. She served us breakfast. The cost is $40 a night and includes breakfast.

We also visited a lively Franciscan Sister that Andy had met. She and her sisters run a home for the elderly. They need funds to hire a man for one year. Any donors?

Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross)

At the top of another hill, a large cross overlooks the city of Antigua. Fortunately, we took an Uber most of the way up and down the cobblestone path. A statue of a quetzal, a colorful bird with long tail feathers, is a prop for photos. This bird is prominent in mythology and associate with the Aztec deity Quetzalcoati. It is Guatemala’s national bird and the name of its currency. As we left the site, soldiers lined the stairs, presumably to discourage robbers.

Safety

Although people warned me that Guatemala was a dangerous country, I was never afraid. The scariest part of my vacation was finding my way around Chicago O’Hare airport! By the way, if you travel soon, make sure you learn the latest TSA regulations.

What in Guatemala would you be interested in seeing?

Did anything about my trip surprise you?