AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

The people from Guatemala City are known as capitalinos; residents of the Capital city. Women from Guatemala City would be capitalinas. La Antigua Guatemala is a popular weekend destination for capitalinos (as) since it’s only an hour separates the Old Guatemala City from the New Guatemala City. So, it is on the weekends that we can see what’s in fashion and trendy in Guatemala City.

Today’s photograph came to be by pure accident, chaos, synchronicity or serendipity; call it what you want. I was taken shots on Calle del Arco when I noticed the Pollo Campero truck parked at one of the intersections, displaying Campero’s advertising. Since earlier I had already taken other pictures depicting the sponsorship of the Holy Week, I thought I should continue capturing photos showing the penetration of businesses in celebrations and traditions. So, there I was trying to focus and frame the truck’s advertising just right when these two capitalinas literally walked into the picture. The split-second decision was easy, I pressed the shutter release.

Last Monday 8 of March was celebrated the International Women’s Day through out the world. I believe women should be celebrated everyday, so this week I will be sharing with you photographs of Guatemalan women, each different, but all of them special.

We begin the week with the beautiful smile of an usher who welcomes people and escort them inside one of the restaurants on Calle del Arco. What better way to begin the series Guatemalan women than with a big happy smile?

I noticed that Prensa Libre, one of Guatemala’s largest and oldest newspapers, was also sponsoring a processional band this past weekend. I guess sponsorships of the Holy Week processions will become commonplace now.

How do you feel about private businesses sponsoring religious celebrations and the world famous Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala?

I don’t know if sponsoring the processions for Cuaresma and Semana Santa (Lent and Holy Week respectively) was already common practice in previous years, but I just noticed it.

Please, let me know if you have seen sponsorships for Lent and Holy Week before.

One of the things I enjoy very much of visiting my dear friend Pascu, manager of Antigua Canopy Tours, is having a good cup of coffee from Finca Filadelfia’s Cafetenango restaurant. I also enjoy the coffee-themed signs like today’s and the Latté lover parking only sign previously shown here.

Somehow, today’s sign portraits exactly how I feel each morning, especially today.

Have you visited Cafetenango in Finca Filadelfia yet?

[gmap]

Stucio C took part in the realization of visual effects for more than 350 shots for the movie “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. Studio C has also participated in the following films: The Ring 2, Armaggedon, Sphere, Space Jam and Angels in the Outfield, just to name a few.

Studio C has their headquarter offices in La Antigua Guatemala. Now, I guess we can also say, Movies-R-Us!

Definitely, blue skies are us during the dry season. During the rainy season, the sky line remains white and gray most of the time. No wonder I love the dry season with its clear skies, wonderful light, cool climate and colorful celebrations.

You have to visit Antigua Guatemala at least once during the dry season to enjoy blue skies like the above.

[gmap]

Oh leave it to the French and their Je ne sais quoi, yo no sé que in Spanish, to describe something the moves you in special way without knowing exactly how or why. That’s the feeling I get from the photo above; some I-don’t-know-what sensation.

How about you?

[gmap]

Modernity has arrived to the quincentennial Antigua Guatemala. AGAIN.

It was nearly 18 months ago that I reported the arrival of the third generation cellular networks, known as 3G for short, to Antigua Guatemala. Back then, I showed you a black and white photo with a colorful iPhone held by my good friend Nelo against the San Francisco El Grande Church. This time, I was lucky to be able to photograph my dear friend holding her newly arrived Nexus One mobile phone. Just as before, I decided to show a black and white photo with a colorful smartphone interface.

This is what I reported on August 21, 2008:

Starting tomorrow, Friday 22nd of August, La Antigua Guatemala will be joining the cities of the world with third generation (3G) cellular networks and what better way to use this high-speed telephone networks than with an iPhone 3G in your hand. That’s right folks, two of three mayor mobile telephone companies will be selling the ubiquitous iPhone.

However, for now, only Claro (Telgua) will be sporting the 3G cellular network. But MoviStar (Telefónica) is said to be right behind it. Tigo (Comcel) is rumored to be in their last testing phase.

Today, I am happy to report that all three mayor carriers provide 3.5G technology in all the department capitals. So, you can bring your Google Nexus One Android-powered mobile phone as long as it’s flashed and ready to take a sim card from one of the Guatemalan cellular carriers.

However, there are some things you have to keep in mind.

1. The new Nexus One Android-powered phones available right now will only work with the Claro and Movistar 3.5 cellular networks.
2. You can still use a Nexus One phone with Tigo, the carrier with the best signal and coverage, but the phone will only work with the 2G, edge, band.
3. There will be new Nexus One phones that will work with the AT&T network; you can use one of those with the Tigo network here in Guatemala.
4. Once you have inserted a sim card, chip, from one of the carriers, you have to call customer service or technical support to have the data connectivity enabled for your phone number.

If you have any questions, please, ask them in the comment area, I will be happy to respond or get the answers for you.

Wow, I can’t believe it took me 1,420 days to show you the world-famous caramel flan antigüeño. Bad Rudy, bad. Well, as the cliché saying goes, better late than never.

So, here’s something sweet I would like to share with you for the beginning of the week. I wonder if Amanda from Antigua Flavors and Colors is already selling flan antigüeño? You should stop by her AntiguaFC.com site anyway to order some Guatemalan sweet goodies for this week. I heard she’s selling authentic Finca Filadelfia coffee now.

If you have a recipe for the flan antigüeño, please, share it with the rest of us.

UPDATE: Thanks to Laura for sharing her recipe with us.

Laura’s Flan
serves 10-12

Ingredients:
For filling:
1 can evaporated milk (any 10-15 oz can will do)
3 cups whole milk (or more, see directions below)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff)
5 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar (or more depending on how sweet you like your flan)
pinch of salt

For caramel:
1 1/4 cups sugar

Also needed, flan mold or a good 5×9 loaf pan, and mesh sieve. Make sure that your flan dish can fit inside a larger dish filled with water as this is critical for the cooking.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325.
Boil water in a saucepan for the bainmarie (water bath).
Heat1 1/4 cups sugar in a small saute pan under low heat until it melts completely and turns a medium brown color. Stir so that the sugar doesn’t burn. Carefully, pour the melted sugar into the bottom of your flan mold and let cool.

Beat the eggs and yolks with a pinch of salt, pour through a fine mesh sieve. Then mix in 1/2 cup (or more) of sugar.

Mix the can of evaporated milk with regular milk until you have 5 cups. Heat the mixture until almost boiling. (I do this part in the microwave.) Whisk the hot milk slowly into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into your flan mold. Place mold in your bain marie (with water at least halfway up the pan that the flan is cooking in). Put the whole thing in the oven. The water shouldn’t boil so if it is boiling at 325 you need to turn down the heat.

Cook until the flan is just set. It should still jiggle at this point, but just a little. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Then cover tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 and up to 72 hours before un-molding.

To un-mold, slide a knife around the edges of your pan to loosen the flan. Then you can flip it over quickly onto a plate. When you un-mold the pan, if there is extra caramel in the pan, you can add a little water and heat it to get more caramel out.

¡Buen provecho!

The Santa Clara ruins is among the most popular wedding destination venues. And even if folks don’t decide to celebrate inside Santa Clara, the ruins are used almost every weekend as a backdrop for wedding photo sessions. Photographer who are interested in weddings find the Santa Clara ruins very appealing and photogenic. If you want to find shelter from all the processions during Holy Week, I recommend this garden inside the Santa Clara ruins, just a few steps from the Tanque de la Unión.

It looks like I am not the only one who enjoys photographing corners. Here I captured a fellow photographer who was photographing the opposite corner and this sun-powered clock.

La esquina means the corner so what a fitting name for this restaurant and shop located on a corner house one block south of Central Park.

Guatemala has very creative names for their chilies. For instance, diente de perro, dog’s tooth, and diente de caballo, horse’s tooth, come to mind. The chilies in the picture above I believe are diente de perro, although I have heard some people call it chile de huerta, orchard’s chili. These chilies grow in our garden/orchard and are among the hottest I have ever tried.

What other Guatemalan chili names do you know? Also, do you know what make Guatemalans so hot?

Okay guys, today’s game is very simple: find as many kinds of contrasts as you can in this image of the San Pedro Las Huertas cathedral. I already gave you the color contrast.

The person with the most contrasts listed wins today’s photo as a post card. Good luck to all participants!