Macabre Mexico: Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead)

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The beautiful pink of the Morelia cathedral glows like fire at sunset

After three short days in México City, in which I explored La Condesa and San Angel, I headed to Morelia for Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. Mexico is famous for celebrating this ancient tradition, which has been around since pre-Columbian times, and two of the best places in the country to celebrate are the states of Michoacán and Oaxaca. Having already spent two months in Oaxaca, I thought I should venture further afield for my Day of the Dead experience. I’d been to Morelia, Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan on a previous trip and loved them, so was excited to go back.

A brightly decorated altar in the Calzada, Morelia

I arrived in Morelia the day before Hallowe’en, which gave me some time to soak up the local atmosphere before the Day of the Dead festivities peaked. Already there were altars set up in the houses, many of the businesses and in Parque Central. On these altars, or ofrendas, offerings were placed – items that once belonged to the deceased and that the person enjoyed in life. I saw plates of food, fruit, pan de muertos, alcohol and altars decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, candles, papier mache skulls or skeletons and colourful bunting. The altars are also covered in marigolds, the traditional flower of Day of the Dead. The orange marigold was used by the Aztecs to remember their dead and is meant to guide the souls to their homes and altars.

Offerings on a tomb, Tzintzuntzan cemetery

From early October Méxican bakeries offer delicious pan de muertos (bread made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, anise and yeast). Strips of dough simulating bones are placed across the round bread and at the top a small round piece of dough that symbolizes teardrops and the whole thing is covered in sugar. These breads are placed on the altars and are also taken to the tombs in the graveyard. They are also eaten, including by me :) and I can assure you that they are delicious! Reminiscent of Italian panettone.

Families sit by the tombs of their loved ones, Tzintzuntzan cemetery

So what is Day of the Dead? It is a ritual during which the living remember their departed relatives. Families decorate altars (in their houses and businesses) to the memory of their departed loved ones and also decorate their tombs in the cemeteries. On the evening of 1 November families go to the cemetery and spend the night there remembering their loved ones. They light candles, eat and drink, play music and sing. Many sleep also there. In Aztec times Day of the Dead was celebrated during the months of August and September, but after the Spanish conquest the ritual was blended with the Catholic traditions of All Saints and All Souls Days and moved to 1 and 2 November.

Fishermen on Lake Patzcuaro with traditional butterfly nets

On 1 November I set out for Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan, probably the most famous towns in all of Michoacán for their Day of the Dead celebrations. Pátzcuaro is a lovely colonial town on Lake Pátzcuaro from where one can visit various islands, the most well known being Janitzio. Janitzio is home to many fishermen, who ply their trade with traditional butterfly nets for the waiting tourists crossing the lake in flat-bottomed ferries. They do occasionally catch fish too, as the many fish vendors on the island can attest to. The local specialities are white fish, served fried or grilled, and charales, tiny smelt-like fish fried whole and served with lemon and chilli.

Catrinas for sale at the Patzcuaro market for Day of the Dead

The town of Pátzcuaro itself is well worth exploring. Of course for Day of the Dead it was busy and packed full of tourists, but I felt the big craft market and food stalls deserved some of my time :) Michoacán, being the birthplace of the Catrina figurines, is full of them for Day of the Dead and Pátzcuaro is where many of them are made. There were some wonderful examples on display in the Pátzcuaro public library and several roaming the streets as well. “La Calavera Catrina“ (the elegant skull) is one of the most recognizable images of the Day of the Dead celebration. The image of a skeleton of a high society woman is from a lithograph by José Guadalupe Posada and is one of the most well known examples of Mexican folk art. It was the inspiration for Catrina figurines, which are made from clay or papiér mâché.

Catrinas in the wild, Oaxaca

Once night fell I took a collectivo taxi to nearby Tzintzuntzan to visit the cemeteries there. It’s difficult to put the experience into words, so I took a short video. The cemeteries were alive with the light of thousands of flickering candles, which had been placed atop and around many of the tombs. The scent of marigolds was strong and the flowers gave the place a sense of warmth as the candlelight illuminated their orange petals. Families were gathered around the tombs of their relatives, some laughing and singing, others more sombre. Food was cooking on open fires, which also served to bring warmth to the cold night. Contrary to what you might expect, it was neither ghoulish nor gruesome. It was not mournful or melancholic. It was gentle, beautiful, vibrant and moving. It was a celebration of life and it is one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had the privilege of sharing.

Tzintzuntzan cemetery on the night of 1 November

Do spend Día de Muertos in México one day. I promise you won’t regret it.

Marvellous Mexico: Valladolid

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El Centro, Valladolid

When the rain started to come down in earnest in Tulum, I opted to turn tail and run – to the lovely little colonial town of Valladolid, a mere 2.5 hours away. Valladolid is slightly inland, which is a good place to be in the event of bad weather on the coast and still close to many sights. From Valladolid one may visit the ruins at Coba, Ek’ Balam or Chichen Itza, day trip to Mérida or Tulum or visit one or more of the many cenotes in the area. There are also wonderful hammocks for sale in Ebtún (outside the Valladolid prison), on the road to Ek’ Balam. Valladolid is equidistant from Mérida and Cancun, which are 2.5-3.5 hours away, depending on whether you take a first or second class bus.

Light falls through a hole in the ceiling, Cenote Dzitnup

Of course, there is a lot to be said for just hanging out in the town itself. It is a relaxed little place, with lovely old buildings, a beautiful cathedral and an equally beautiful convent, cobblestone streets and good food. There is even a nice cenote (Cenote Zaci) in the centre of town, walking distance away. While I was there, I wandered around town discovering local treats; plunged into the cool blue depths of Cenote Zaci – best on a hot day – with my new friend Nouriya; explored the ruins at Ek Balam with Nouriya and our friend Judith; popped out to Ebtún to pick up a few Yucatán hammocks; cycled out to Cenote Dzitnup for a dip in the dark; sampled lots of Yucatecan specialties and day-tripped to Mérida to find a jipijapa (local Panama style hat woven from leaves of the jipijapa palm) and eat at La Chaya Maya (SO delicious!). I even popped back to Tulum beach for a play in the sand :)

The view from the top, Ek Balam

The best place to eat cheaply in the centre - the bazar

There are some great budget places to eat in Valladolid, which is good because there are a lot of yummy Yucatecan dishes to sample! I ate many times in the bazar opposite Parque Central, my favourite vendor being Loncheria el Amigo Casiano. The bazar is only open during the day, closing around 3.30pm; snacks cost around MXN20, plates cost around MXN35 and drinks MXN10-25. Bargain! Some of the local dishes to try are poc chuc (slices of pork marinated in a sour orange and achiote sauce), papadzules (tortillas filled with hard-boiled eggs and topped with a pumpkin seed and tomato sauce), cochinita pibil (roast suckling pig) and pavo en relleno negro (turkey in black sauce). Delicious!

Cochinita pibil at Oasis, Valladolid

Other great places to eat are Conato on Calle 40 between Calle 45 and 47 and Oasis on the corner of Calle 36 and 47 (which has FANTASTIC juices – two pages of the menu are dedicated to fresh juice blends!). Plates at both of these restaurants range from MXN40-90 but the servings are HUGE.

Colourful buildings in the La Candelaria square

I did rather fall in love with Valladolid – I ended up staying for nearly two weeks, due in no small part to the lovely hostel in which I stayed (La Candelaria). The Globetrotter Girls did a great review of Hostel Candelaria, which helped make up my mind to stay there. The hostel is in a restored old house and has a lovely atmosphere, including a cool green garden out the back (complete with pets) and wonderful staff. Breakfast and wifi are included and they have bikes for rent. I met some really great people there and it was very hard to leave when the time came…

Convent de San Bernardino de Siena, Valladolid

…And I just got out in time! Hurricane Rina was due to hit Cancun on the evening of the day I was flying out. Luckily my flight had not been cancelled, so I was able to get to México City with no problems, and get ready for my very first Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Morelia, Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan!

Magical Mexico: Tulum and the Caribbean Coast

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How nice it is to be back in México! It really is my favourite country in this part of the world. The people are friendly, the food is fantastic and there is so much history and culture to explore. As well there are wonderful local handicrafts everywhere you go and often breathtaking natural beauty. Ahhhh…

Four of many tacos al pastor eaten at the best taqueria in Tulum!

The beautiful beach at Tulum

And so to Tulum. I spent nearly two weeks in the small Yucatán pueblo of Tulum on the Caribbean coast of México, though one of those was unromantically spent laid up in bed ill while torrential rain fell outside… but the sunny days were wonderful. Tulum has by far the best beaches I have yet seen in México – powdery white sand fringed with coconut palms and clear, cool azure waters. It was an indescribable pleasure to swim at the beach every day; the sunlight glinting off the water above wave-rippled white sand reminded me of an immense dazzling aquamarine.

Gran Cenote - this photo is colour accurate!

Tulum also turned out to be the meeting point for many of the travellers I met earlier on this trip – I ran into Yann from Oaxaca; Chris, who I met in Copan; and Hunter, Doug and Corey, who I met in Placencia. Many stories were exchanged, delicious tacos/ panuchos/ salbutes eaten and margaritas drunk. A group of us cycled out to Gran Cenote one day, at which we spent a very enjoyable morning snorkelling in its cold clear waters, marvelling at the tiny silver fishes and freshwater terrapins, the submerged pillars and caverns, the swallows nesting in the ceilings and bats chirruping from the darkest reaches of the caves.

Water lilies, Gran Cenote

This experience was seriously cool – one of the most awesome experiences I have had travelling. I am now very keen to dive a cenote, which is a natural deep sinkhole particular to this part of México and Central America (there are in the order of 6000 throughout the Yucatán Peninsula), as many of the ones in this area are part of an extensive underwater cave system connected to the ocean. The system of which Gran Cenote is part measures 215km! Exciting huh?!

Our cabana "Uxmal" at Zazil-Kin, Tulum Beach

After a brief interlude in Cancun to run some errands and collect my friend Amy, I moved out to Tulum beach to stay at Zazil-Kin for a couple of blissful days. The accommodations were pretty basic, with shared toilets and bathrooms, but our cabana near the beach (MXN450/night) was clean and comfortable and the weather was great. There is a great beach bar there, with cheap (MXN25) cocktails, chairs and umbrellas and plenty of shade. We spent our fair share of time chilling out under the coconut palms reading or splashing around in the water :) On our last night there we had a full moon and it was just magical to walk in the sand in brilliant moonshine. In the scrub lining the beach road, fireflies flashed golden bright. It really was some enchanted evening.

Full moon rises over Tulum Beach

I was also excited to visit the Tulum ruins, which are unique in that they are the only coastal Mayan ruins and the only ones to be fortified by a wall on three sides (the fourth is the cliff to the sea). Even though there are more important archaeological sites in better condition on the Yucatán Peninsula, the Tulum ruins have long held a fascination for me.

Tulum Ruins - God of Winds Temple

Perched as they are on a cliff top, with the sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean as a backdrop and languid iguanas sunning themselves amongst the crumbling stones, they make for a striking spectacle. After a morning exploring the ruins and dodging countless tour groups, I retired to the beach for some more sun, sand and sea, before heading back to my new base of Valladolid. Ahhhh…

Beautiful Belize

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The narrowest street in the world, Placencia

Hello friendly people, white sand beaches, quality offshore reefs and delicious seafood. After a brief landing at Big Creek to clear immigration I disembarked in Placencia, a.k.a. Hotel California… In low season, it is a cheerful sleepy village with friendly people, a chilled out vibe, sandy roads and decent beaches. I stayed at Lydia’s Guesthouse, a clean and simple place with kitchen facilities and Wifi at the northern end of town (BZD35/night for a private room with shared bath, discounts for longer stays). Lydia herself is lovely and it’s hands down the best budget place in town. I met a lot of like-minded travellers there and ended up staying 5 days (I had originally planned only to overnight before making my way back to Mexico).

My lobster lunch at Omar's, Placencia

While a lot of the town was shut down because it was low season, Omar’s Restaurant was still open and I had some great, cheap creole seafood (BZD20 lobster!) there with my new friends. I swam in the sea every day and wandered around town, but mainly just relaxed. My extra time in Placencia also allowed me to research onward destinations and it was there I decided to go to Glovers Atoll Resort for a week. I had heard about Glovers from a friend years ago and always wanted to visit. While I couldn’t manage it on my last trip to Belize, this time it was actually on my way so I was keen to see if I could get there.

Kayaking on Sittee River

I did LOTS of research before committing – there are a lot of bad reviews – and asked a lot of questions, but ultimately decided to give it a try. It involved a fair bit of planning: a trip to Dangriga for groceries then a bus ride to Hopkins and taxi to Sittee River where the Glovers boat leaves from. For those interested, I wrote a full trip report on The Thorntree.

Some highlights for me were:

  • the ride to Hopkins in a bus full of friendly, laughing Garifuna women – so much positive energy;
  • gorgeous sedge marshes interspersed with pools of limpid green water full of water lilies on the dirt road between Hopkins and Sittee River;
  • the rustic setting at Glovers Lodge (Sittee River) from where I took a tranquil kayak trip down the rainforest-lined river. At Glovers Lodge I saw hummingbirds, herons, parrots, crazy big lizards AND iguanas and watched the sun setting over the river. I felt so lucky to be able to experience these places;
  • the tiny but sweet village of Sittee River, which felt like a slice of the real Belize.

Beach and over water cabanas, Glovers Atoll

At Glovers Atoll:

  • watching from the deck of my over-water cabana while nurse sharks, great barracuda, eagle rays and a variety of other fish swam lazily past;
  • at night enjoying the multitude of stars above while a fireworks display took place below the water (thanks to flashes of bioluminescence from squid and marine worms);
  • sea eagles perched on the roof of the next cabana and swooping brown pelicans fishing;
  • spending the day swinging in my hammock reading or swimming in the turquoise waters of the lagoon;
  • the fabulous diving – it really is world class here. I dived only twice but it was great: White Sands (my fave) and The Wall/Aquarium;
  • sharing a gourmet meal with my neighbours (thanks to their generosity – I only took camping food!);
  • husking and opening my own coconut – it took me about an hour and made me sweat like a marathon runner but I did it!

The deck of my cabana, Glovers Atoll

There really is nothing quite like spending quiet hours watching nature and contemplating one’s navel – and for a marine biologist and nature-lover it didn’t get much better (or quieter) than on Glovers Atoll. The family who runs the place is weird and has some interesting ideas about what constitutes customer service. But people keep going there because the swaying coconut palms, the clear turquoise waters, the white sand beaches and the wildlife above and below the water were a feast for the eyes and balm for the soul. Turquoise and white – my favourite combination!

Sunset, Glovers Atoll

Some last observations about Belize: bikini-clad babes still sell beers in Belize; and nobody – I mean nobody – walks further than they have to. If the bus has to stop twice in so many metres, so be it. And with one last pickup truck ride and two more bus journeys, my Belize adventure came to an end. Next stop: Tulum, México!

Into Honduras…

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And with that, I said farewell to Guatemala. What I won’t miss: new “friends”, who 5 minutes (or more!) into the conversation ask you for money; the local food – and especially the tortillas; the tourist prices – for every attraction I visited there was a local price and a tourist price (usually about triple); the “first class” buses – Mexico knows how to do first class but Guatemala? No chance.

Looking toward the ball court, Copan

Bright and early in the morning I set out for Copán, Honduras, the second-class way. This started with a chicken bus from Antigua to Guatemala City, which I had to run to get on with my full pack (hmmm…), sit in the front seat for an hour holding on for dear life with one leg hooked through my pack and one hand on my day pack while the bus driver careened along trying to break the land speed record. The price for this rollercoaster ride? A mere 9Q. The memories? Priceless!

Upon arriving at the terminal (not actually a terminal, just a street corner), I grabbed a taxi (30Q) for my next bus terminal, where I boarded the Rutes Orientales bus for Chiquimula (40Q). In Chiquimula I had to change again for a small van to the border town of El Flórido (20Q), complete border formalities, cross the border and get into a collectivo van which would take me to the town of Copán Ruinas (20Q). Once there I changed to a tuk-tuk (my luggage is getting heavier) for the short ride to my hostel (10Q). And then I was finally able to relax! For the record, the Iguana Azul was the best hostel I have stayed in on this trip. It was well set-up, clean and comfortable, with modern fittings and wifi. For about 110Lempira per night. Deal of the year.

One side of the ball court, Copan

The next day I visited the famous ruins of Copán. And they are wonderful. I think I like them even better than Tikal – they have also been taken over by the jungle but have a different feel about them. There are trees and vines growing out of the top of temples – very Indiana Jones – and it’s a bit more open and not as steamy as Tikal. I saw brightly-coloured macaws in the trees around the site as well as a strange rodent-squirrel type animal that turned out to be an agouti. It was a fantastic place with intricately carved stelae everywhere, some still with a bit of ancient paint clinging to them. The museum was also worth a look.

Macaws, Copan

The next morning I continued my journey, heading for the Bay Islands of Utila and Roatán. After a whole day of travelling – second-class buses to San Pedro Sula and then on to La Ceiba, where I took a taxi (30L) to the ferry terminal and jumped on a boat (524L), I arrived in Roatán in the dark and took a collectivo taxi (70L) to West End (the backpacker bit). I stopped at the first place I found (Chillie’s) and bunked down for the night (USD10).

The beach at West Bay, Roatan

The next day I went looking for better accommodation and subsequently moved to Georphi’s at the other end of “town”. While I loved Georphi’s, I admit I did not love Roatán. West Bay was pretty (and is obviously where all the travel photos are taken) but out of my price range and full of package holiday makers and I found West End touristy and false, as well as expensive and not particularly friendly (except for Georphi’s, where the lovely Michelle and Rosalie went out of their way to help me). And there are mosquitoes and sand flies EVERYWHERE. If you like a party atmosphere, have disposable income and plan to do a lot of diving, you might like West End more than I did. But it wasn’t for me. For my money, the Pacific Islands have SO much more to offer than the Bay Islands.

Roatán sunset from the Georphi's jetty

My experience of Honduras was, on the whole, unfriendly. Virtually everyone I met tried to cheat me. And the food was pretty lousy (and very American-influenced). So after only three days (I had planned to stay three weeks), I decided to cut my losses and make my way back to Mexico through Belize. This meant another very long day of travel to get to Puerto Cortés (from where the boat leaves for its weekly trip to Placencia, Belize), including being swindled by the collectivo van between SPS and PC (they quoted me 50L before I got in and then charged me double because of my luggage when it came time to pay) and then being given dodgy directions to my hotel by a taxi driver once I arrived in PC so that I walked 10 blocks out of my way with all my luggage (he was probably counting on me wanting to take a taxi if he told me it was so far away – it was around the corner from where I had asked him). Suffice it to say that I couldn’t wait to get on that boat.

And get on that boat I did. Border formalities were simple and pleasant and the boat trip was straightforward too. After only 2 short hours I was in Belize. Placencia (which means pleasant) turned out to be exactly that – off-season a sleepy and sandy place where everybody greets each other JUST FOR THE PLEASURE OF IT. In short, my kind of place. And so I stayed. More on my Belize adventures in my next post :)

Antigua

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The famous archway

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Antigua. Not because of its beauty – I knew it was beautiful – but because of its life. It’s a much livelier and more cosmopolitan place than I had imagined; I had thought it might be sterile, its beauty only skin-deep. Thankfully I was wrong! I initially intended to spend only two days in Antigua but found myself wanting more when my two days were up, so I returned to Antigua after visiting Flores and Rio Dulce instead of continuing on to . I have to admit to not doing much in the way of cultural activities whilst I was there; I merely contented myself with walking the cobblestone streets, admiring the many ruined churches and buildings with attractively peeling paint, the Spanish colonial architecture and the wonderful views of the Pacaya Volcano which rises in the near distance.

Looking south toward Parque Central

I admit to perhaps (over)indulging in the many fabulous cafes and restaurants in Antigua as well. It was a little bit of a challenge to find budget options – and oh if money was no object how I would have gorged myself in the various European restaurants, wine bars and pastry shops – but I did manage a couple of cheap meals and good coffee was still under $2 :) Needless to say, I have little to report about Antigua except a bit of a list of my recommendations for places to stay and eat.

Stay: Posada Juma Ocag, on Avenida Santa Lucia between Calles 3a and 4a Poniente (opposite the market). They have super clean and cosy doubles/twins with bath for 140Q and singles for 120Q. Wifi is included and despite its proximity to the market, rooms are very quiet.

Shop: If you are looking for textiles, as I mentioned in my earlier post, there is a fabulous place called Nim P’ot near the archway in the centre of town.

Eat: This has the most entries, surprise surprise!!

  • Breakfast at Café Condesa on Parque Central is a tradition and well worth a visit. It has a lovely ambience, the food is decent and the service is excellent. There’s a good bookshop there too. Don’t drink the coffee though, it’s terrible.
  • La Casa de las Mixtas on one of the alleys off 3a Calle near the market has fantastic value meals. I had a delicious grilled beef plate with vegetables, tortillas (of course – but these ones were edible!), salsa and guacamole for 30Q and a fresh juice for 10Q. And the service was friendly and welcoming.
  • We had a very nice (and slightly budget-busting) lunch at Tartine’s, which is a French café restaurant on 4a Calle Oriente a block or so from Parque Central. I had a very nice mushroom and goats cheese tart with salad there and eyed off the deserts as well. Yum. They have a lovely terrace with a view over some ruins and the volcano.
  • Doña Luisa Xicotencatl on 4a Calle Oriente #12 has good breakfast and lunch selections but most locals go there for the sweets. I hear the banana bread is to die for (I couldn’t get my hands on any) and I can vouch for the blackberry tart. As good as my mum makes, and that is really saying something. Not too sweet, not too tart and at 18Q for a large slice with a huge bowl of icecream – it was a steal.
  • I also had a wonderful dinner at Rainbow Café on 7 Avenida Sur. From memory I had Greek chicken (chicken breast stuffed with Greek goodness) with rice and salad. It was deLICious. They also have an inspired juice and smoothie menu.
  • Luna de Miel on 7 Avenida Norte has good, cheap crepes and small meals. From memory my blackberry and chocolate crepe was 35Q.

Drink:

  • The best coffee I had in Antigua was from Italian-owned Café El Portal on Parque Central. They also have a very nice chocolate cajeta (caramel) cake. Just sayin’. I also sampled the coffee at The Refuge Coffee Bar, which was also very good, but I preferred Café El Portal.
  • My favourite bar was Café No Se, 1ra Avenida Sur IIc – which also serves decent Mexican. Drinks weren’t super cheap but the atmosphere was great.

Serving tea at Café Condesa

And I was still sorry to leave Antigua the second time, after a miniscule five days in total. One day, I will go back. Perhaps for good.

Flores and Tikal

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Temple I - Great Plaza, Tikal

Woohoo!!! I finally managed to visit the famous Mayan ruins of Tikal (I didn’t make it there on my trip to Mexico in 2007) via a brief stop-over in Antigua and a hideous 12-hour bus odyssey. My friend Nick and I travelled by shuttle to Guatemala City, where we enjoyed the dubious surroundings of the bus terminal before boarding the “creme de la creme” of Linea Dorada’s buses for the journey northward. Needless to say, LD executive class is the equivalent of the lowest rung of Mexican first class buses – the seats barely reclined, the air-conditioning failed half-way through, the toilets didn’t flush, we got a flat tyre about 2am and then the bus finally broke down just outside Santa Elena. Hmmm. When we finally got into Flores, we found ourselves a cheap hotel on the banks of Lake Petén Itzá (120Q for a double with bath and lake view) and hunkered down to recover.

Flores streetscape

Flores turned out to be a pretty place, but very humid and kinda boring. I don’t mind the quiet life, and admittedly it was off-season, but this was more like the afterlife. With hippies. Lots of hippies. The lake itself was beautiful and nice to swim in, though not refreshingly cool like Lake Atitlan. After a day of lazing around, we headed to Tikal. To make the most of the coolest part of the day we left at 5am, made it to the entrance by 6.30am then took ourselves off to enjoy the ruins before all the other tourists got out of bed… Wow, what a place! I think the photos speak for themselves.

Closeup of a howler monkey, Tikal

It was, as expected, teeming with wildlife – we saw a few different types of birds (including parrots), a coati, howler monkeys and spider monkeys, though no quetzals nor toucans. I found later that lots of the local wildlife had discovered me too, despite the liberal application of DEET, so I now wear the marks of having been to Tikal (and I got off lightly – some of the Europeans we saw had welts all over their legs).

I had hoped to also visit the ruins at Uaxactun and Yax-ha while in Flores, but there is no public transport to either of these and off-season they were too expensive to get to on my budget.

Sunset over Lake Petén Itzá, Flores

So instead I chilled out in Flores for a couple more days, enjoying the lovely breezes off the lake and swimming every day, then headed to Antigua with a day’s stopover in Rio Dulce. This time though, I thought I would attempt the journey by second-class bus (I figured they couldn’t be worse than the first-class bus we took, and they were half the price!). Well, well, well. Despite advice to the contrary, the second-class (not chicken) bus trips were safe, comfortable AND on time! I took Fuentes del Norte from Flores to Rio Dulce; the ride was very smooth and I was delivered to Rio Dulce in 3.5 hours.

Castillo San Felipe, Rio Dulce

After checking into The Backpacker’s Hostel at El Tortugal and an afternoon exploring El Castillo de San Felipe, I spent the worst night yet on this trip (and possibly ever in paid accommodation) being rained on IN BED and eaten alive by mosquitoes. There was a cracking thunderstorm and we lost power, so there was no fan to keep the mozzies at bay. The building wasn’t designed properly to keep the rain out and being brand new, I was one of the suckers to test it out for them. It certainly was casa naturale :(

Needless to say I was out of there bright and early on the 8am Litegua bus to Guatemala City. This bus was an “Especial”, which I gather is the equivalent of executive class. It was miles better than the Linea Dorada monstrosity – the seats were bigger, more comfortable, reclined further and there was plenty of leg room. And the air-con worked (almost too well)! Better yet, there was a connection in Guate for Antigua on the same bus line, which turned out to be a newish shuttle van and I was the only passenger! So essentially, I got a private shuttle to Antigua for less than half the price (40Q) of the “tourist” shuttles, and it dropped me at Parque Central in only an hour. Result! And thus I was free to sample the UNESCO World Heritage-listed colonial delights of Antigua…

The hunt for quality traditional Guatemalan textiles

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Nebaj women wearing local traditional dress

Before coming to Guatemala I had heard about the fabulous hand-woven traditional textiles here and I was dying to see them for myself. Finding them, on the other hand, was altogether more difficult. Sure, everywhere I looked I saw Mayan women wearing fabulous hand-embroidered cotton huipiles (blouses) and cortes (skirts), but I couldn’t find anything like that for sale, wherever I looked. In the western highlands I went to the market at San Francisco el Alto, hoping that because it was a “local” market rather than a tourist one there would be a lot more on offer. Wrong. There were some second-hand huipiles and some new ones too, and PLENTY of telas (a piece of loomed material the women wrap around to form a skirt), but nothing of the quality I had seen the women wearing. Next I tried the women’s cooperative at Zunil – which yielded some lovely hand-woven table runners, second-hand huipiles and hair ribbons, but it was a small range with the emphasis on machine embroidered flowers at the necks of the huipiles, which wasn’t really my thing.

Stacks of recycled traditional clothing, Chichicastenango market

So on to Lake Atitlán, from where I visited the fabled market at Chichicastenango. There I saw a lot on offer, but very little of real quality. There were some nice second-hand cloths/textiles, but all smallish and strange sizes (e.g. squares of 130cm by 130cm) so not overly functional, which put me off. After nearly two hours there I stumbled upon a couple of stalls selling cheap second-hand huipiles (starting price 150Q) and pejarras (shawls). Unfortunately I didn’t have time to look through the stacks and stacks of stuff – but it would definitely be worth going back for another look, as they had local Chichi designs as well as many from surrounding villages.

The one thing I really loved and regret not buying in Chichi was these fantastic ceremonial belts (500-750Q), which I’m told take around 5-6 months to complete. They are first woven on backstrap loom, then hand-embroidered. Aren’t they fabulous?! I found some second-hand ones when I got to Antigua but because they had been worn they weren’t as brightly coloured…

Ceremonial belts for sale, Chichicastenango market

Talking to a local guide in San Juan la Laguna (on Lake Atitlán) about my textile woes, I discovered that there were several women’s weaving cooperatives in San Juan, which gave me hope again! I spent an afternoon walking around to around five different shops and can report that they are definitely worth checking out! The two I felt were most worthwhile were FEDEPMA and Mujeres Tejadores (which I referred to in my last post).

The FEDEPMA cooperative shop in San Juan la Laguna

FEDEPMA had a few traditional pieces but is mainly making products for shipping overseas. Their pieces are excellent quality, but the colours are a little “Gold Coast” (or “Santa Barbara”) for my taste – I prefer the bright reds, purples and blues of the traditional cloth. That being said, I reckon my mum would love it all! All their prices are fair trade and they sell locally-grown organic coffee and honey as well.

Mujeres Tejadores had all the traditional pieces I was looking for – from most (if not all) of the villages around the lake. My favourite designs turned out to be those from San Juan itself – in various shades of red or maroon – but there was a range of pieces to choose from. They also had a selection of more “touristy” coloured bedspreads, table runners and scarves, as well as bags. The women at both of these cooperatives were just beautiful. So lovely, friendly and helpful. I can’t recommend them enough.

Sololá woman weaving a traditional pejarra

Note – I did NOT go to the market at Panajachel, though it is supposedly not bad for textiles. My reason? Because Chichi was so awful an experience and from what I have been told, Pana has similar stuff.

Traditional traje (dress) on display at Nim P'ot, Antigua

Despite my success in San Juan, I still hadn’t satisfied my textile craving (Oaxaca and Chiapas whetted my appetite!) so when I got to Antigua I headed for Nim P’ot, about which I had read and heard a lot of positive feedback. And I finally hit the jackpot! WOW. They had a huge range of textiles (mostly second-hand) from all over Guatemala, for very reasonable prices (good quality huipiles from 100-250Q). On the walls were displayed traditional men’s and women’s traje (outfits) from various villages. Needless to say, I spent a few hours in there selecting pieces! Now I just have to work out how to get them home :)

In summary, there are beautiful textiles in Guatemala, but they are hard to find. I think from what I’ve found and heard from others, it is better to go to places like Nebaj, Quiché and San Juan on market days and buy pieces directly from the source.

Lago de Atitlan

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Lake Atitlan sunset

I arrived in San Pedro la Laguna on the shores of Lago de Atitlan via chicken bus from Xela and a hair-raising trip down from the ridge (Lake Atitlan sits in the depression formed by an ancient volcanic eruption and is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes). The price for the fantastic views over the lake was the the many hairpin bends necessary to descend to the settlements – I discovered that chicken buses actually can’t get round hairpin bends in one go, the driver actually had to reverse back up the hill to complete the turn… But we made it in one piece, arriving in San Pedro just as the heavens opened! But you can’t have everything. After exploring the streets of the small town I enjoyed a drink and view from the terrace at Hotel Mikaso, which is right on the water. Right now it’s even closer to the water than normal, as the lake has risen around 4m after rains this year.

Huipiles in the market at Chichicastenango

On my second full day in San Pedro I took a day trip to the famous market at Chichicastenango, hoping to find some local textiles for sale. I’m sorry to report that it was the most unpleasant market experience I have had since travelling to Luxor by myself in 2001. Aggressive stall holders (who chased us down the street), high prices and poor quality goods that were the same everywhere don’t make for a positive experience. There were a couple of worthwhile finds – we found some good quality second-hand huipiles (starting price 150Q) and pejarras (shawls) and a man with nice quality bags made from recycled huipiles (20-30Q ea), but it didn’t really make up for the harassment we encountered.

The gorgeous natural beauty of Lake Atitlan more than made up for the bad shopping experiences though… Some of the highlights:

  • My jump from the platform at San Marcos

    taking a boat to nearby San Marcos, swimming and jumping from a wooden platform 5m or so above the water;

  • getting up at 3.30am to watch the sunrise from the summit of La Nariz (a peak ~3hrs hike or 45mins in chicken bus from San Pedro), then hiking down 2 hours to San Juan through cloud forest with beautiful views all the way down, then returning to San Pedro in the back of a pick-up truck;

At the top of "La Nariz" for sunrise

  • kayaking on the lake and finding a lovely remote spot to swim;
  • soaking in the solar pools on a cold and rainy night;
  • pimped out tuk-tuks – we saw one with gold lamé seat covers the other day.

After much searching, I finally found some decent textiles in San Juan la Laguna, where there are several women’s cooperatives. My favourite – Mujeres Tejadores – had a great selection of traditional huipiles from around the lake hand-woven and embroidered using 100% cotton, silk and natural dyes. The women there were also lovely – which sadly has not generally been my experience in Guatemala to date.

Juana at Mujeres Tejadores San Juan

In San Juan I was also fortunate to meet Julian Coché, a fantastic local painter. He has a markedly different style to all the other Guatemalan painters and I confess to going a bit weak at the knees and buying one…

Paintings by Julian Coche, San Juan

Lake Atitlan has some wonderful artists, who make me wish I had won the lottery so I could buy more paintings… all donations gratefully received :)

First look at Guatemala

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So I arrived in Guatemala from Chiapas on 18 August via the border towns of Ciudad Cuahetemoc (Mexico) and La Mesilla (Guatemala). Rather than taking the direct shuttle bus from San Cristobal, I thought public transport would be more interesting… and I was not wrong. After “checking out” of Mexico I took a collectivo taxi to La Mesilla and got my stamp for Guatemala.

Second class, or “chicken”, bus

I was headed for Quetzaltenango (known locally as Xela) because of a friend’s recommendation, so I and my luggage piled into a tuk-tuk for the ride to the second-class bus “station” (ie. an empty dirt lot on the side of a hill). The first bus I found was bound for Xela so I clambered aboard and my backpack was stowed on the roof. It was my first experience of a second-class “chicken” bus in central America and it certainly lived up to their reputation.

The bus was an ex-US school bus that had been repainted and plastered with “Jesu Cristo vive” stickers. After seeing the driver in action I think I understand the desire to have God watching over you – and I think I nearly was a lot closer to God than I had planned on being! Though my driver was not (on that occasion) 12 years old, he did drive like a bat out of hell – careening around narrow pothole-filled mountain roads, hairpin bends and all, with the music blaring loudly – I didn’t realise Abba sang “Gimme Gimme Gimme” in Spanish as well – and so my education began.

First glimpse of Guatemala

My first impression of Guatemala was fantastic – the road from Mexico winds through lush green mountains and valleys with frequent waterfalls and rivers. The northern and western highlands seemed relatively sparsely populated, but there were a few tiny pueblitos along the way with their adobe huts and wooden shacks. I saw many Mayan women wearing beautiful traditional hand-loomed huipiles with detailed hand- embroidered patterns and symbols, often carrying their babies on their backs in rebozos or pejarras (shawls) tied at the front. Each pueblo (village) has different designs and colours for their traditional clothing – as is the case for Mayan women in Chiapas, Mexico – and it was great to see so many varieties of textiles.

The market at San Francisco el Alto

After arriving in Xela I took several more chicken buses, all with the same crazy driving and most with drivers who don’t look old enough to shave, let alone drive. But, so far so good. From Xela I visited the market at San Francisco el Alto (apparently one of the biggest markets in central America), where I managed to stop myself buying piglets and puppies and the women wash their clothes in public pilas (stone/concrete washing tubs); the town of Zunil, where there is a good women’s textile cooperative (Santa Ana) – all proceeds go directly to members; and las Fuentes Georginas (hot springs), where I stayed overnight in a cabin with friends and enjoyed the therapeutic (and extremely hot) waters. Bliss. My skin certainly felt a lot softer afterward!

Enjoying the hot springs

Note: yes, my photos are colour accurate, my skin was indeed that shade of pinkish red…

Following five days in Xela I hopped aboard another chicken bus and headed for Lake Atitlan with my new friends Nick and Elmer, where I plan to swim and kayak in the lake, visit some of the 13 towns situated around the lake, the market at Chichicastenango and hike up a volcano.

Let’s hope I can manage it all!