Palo de Izote is the Guatemalan equivalent of the Joshua tree. In fact, Palo de Izote is the Mesoamerican cousin of the Joshua or Yucca tree. Like I mentioned before, I have a fascination with the Izote tree; I don’t know why, maybe its many branches that look like arms and hands. Palo de Izote … Read more
Like the Sanitarios sign, you should also make sure you know how to read this sign. Salida de Emergencia means Emergency Exit. I managed to get some arches reflected in the acrylic sign above, can you see them?
Okay, I guess you guys are right, a little rain in the dry season should not be reason enough to blow the whistle on climate change and the weather manipulations that occur up north. A little rain in the dry season is certainly better than 10 inches of snow. 😉 I figured I ought to … Read more
Okay, I want answers, I want the truth! What are you people up north doing to sabotage our gorgeous, Spring-like, best-time-of-the-year Dry season? Come on, it has to be you. We never have rain in February, even if it’s a loco month. Come on you people, surely we understand how horrible and tough your winters … Read more
Having a satisfying coffee with a very delicious torreja at La Cocina del Obispo, this flower was just there sort of flirting. It’s called Flor de La Pasión because it’s got a religious signfiicance and if I’m not mistaken it is Venezuela’s National Flower. If you know the flower, can you guess the colors and … Read more
Isn’t it just engaging to run into so many different doorlocks around La Antigua Guatemala? This one is found in one of the villages around Antigua Guatemala; it is from a museum, can you guess which one? text and photo by Arturo Godoy.
Like many fountain’s around Antigua Guatemala, there is always something very soothing about them (oh, and the light was just beautiful), but how many of us do pay attention to them? If you do, can you guess where is this fountain located? I hope this is a tough guess for you. 🙂 text and photo … Read more
Another typical vista from February are the streets repairs done before or during Cuaresma, Lent, to have all the streets in their best condition for Semana Santa, Holy Week, in La Antigua Guatemala. Do you know how much money is spent every year on street repairs? Hint, the answer is in the archives.
Normally the Christmas light decorations are put up on Parque Central before the Burning of the Devil on the first week of December and they take them down on Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) on February 2. This time, however, I believe the Christmas lights were up even before Thanksgiving and they were taken down … Read more
There are several jacaranda trees in Parque Central which make a gorgeous display of purple or violet during February and March when they are in bloom. I will try to get a panoramic shot so you can see the jacaranda trees in bloon at Central Park. Well, perhaps it is the fact that gorgeous pale … Read more
In Guatemala we have the following sayings: Enero loco y febrero otro poco, Crazy January and February a bit as well, or Febrero loco which means Crazy February. Well this week February is totally loco since we had cold days, below 10C/50F, hot humid days, cloudy days and clear skies days and rain; everything in … Read more
A couple of days ago there was another manifestation. I didn’t get a chance to learn what they were manifesting about, but I was able to take a picture as they were marching home. Do you believe in the power of manifestations or do you think that’s the remains from another era?
Guatemalan gastronomy is so rich with stews. If the stews are watery we call them caldos and if the stews are thick we call them recados. In Guatemala we have plenty of caldos and recados and sometimes is difficult to decide whether a stew is a caldo or a recado. Take Kak’Ik for instance, which … Read more
In case you didn’t know, in Guatemala we had a large influx of Germans for over a century. Regina Wagner, a Guatemalan of German ancestry, takes us through a magical and mystery tour through history in her book Los Alemanes en Guatemala 1828-1944 and she explains how the Germans were brought to Guatemala through government-sponsor … Read more
The price of flowers goes up exponentially around certain dates like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, just to name a few. A dozen roses is selling for Q60/$7.50 right now, while the normal price at the market goes from Q20/$2.50 to Q35/$4.50 for a dozen roses, depending on the quality and whether one is a … Read more