One thing I have learned through the years of photographing Antigua Guatemala and its surroundings is to always expect the unexpected. If there were a real estate recession somewhere in the world, it did not affect Antigua Guatemala where every way you look, there are new houses and residential communities being built. Today’s picture, for … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word for the day: Refacción o snack time. The Guatemalan labor code allows for two short breaks of about 15 minutes (in addition to the lunch break); one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The breaks are known as refacción in Guatemala, merienda elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, … Read more
I know it is not the fault of smart telephones, but somehow it is through the usage of smart phones that people are alienating each other when in physical proximity. I have seen a picture such as this one many times, sometimes an entire family is so preoccupied with the tiny screens of the iPods, … Read more
Today’s the day. And it’s going to happen, again and again. It has to happen. Nice day. If you don’t know why most football fields around Antigua Guatemala are empty and will be empty for the next 30 days or so you are living under a rock or in a country where football means something … Read more
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Barbería or barber shop. There are still plenty of barber shops around Antigua Guatemala, especially so in the villages of Antigua Guatemala. By the way, here are two possible meanings for the barber shop pole or cylinder shared by two long-time readers. Manolo: Three colours of the barbershop … Read more
I believe most people are familiar with cashew nuts, however, I am almost sure many people do not have the slightest idea about the fruit that produces the cashew nuts, the jocote de marañón. Well, here you have it, the jocote de marañón or cashew mombin or as Javier calls it, cashew apple and the … Read more
As I have mentioned before, Guatemalans love to charbroil a lot. From chupparrascos to parrilladas, there are all kinds of words and lexicon regarding asados, charbroiled meats. Another word used regarding the charbroiled chicken is Pollo a la brasa, such as the one shown here from Rincón Típico restaurant. A plate of pollo a la … Read more
Today, I will let you caption this photograph. Have fun!
Smiles, big smiles, that’s something that I really enjoy about roaming the streets with a camera in hand. Sometimes I look for natural unposed fleeting gestures in people, sometimes I walk of up them and ask if I can take their picture, sometimes they come to me ask me to their picture, as was the … Read more
Often you find people riding on fit, well-trained horses around Antigua Guatemala, either because they own a horse or through the horse riding lessons available. I have encountered most of the riders around San Juan del Obispo, San Gaspar Vivar and San Pedro Las Huertas, where there are several stables. Have you taken any horseback … Read more
One of the things one can encounter quite often on the streets of Antigua Guatemala is smiles. Big smiles are everywhere around La Antigua Guatemala, especially so around Parque Central where it seems people are always having a good time. When was the last time you smiled and laughed so hard? Perhaps a new trip … Read more
Here’s what the main square of Antigua Guatemala looks like on a typical day of the rainy season. Even though is an overcast day, you can still get some sunshine during the day, most days. By the way, this is what a day in our horrible weather looks like. I have made some plans to … Read more
Even though nowadays motorcycles are much more popular as means of transportation around Antigua Guatemala, you can still find plenty of bicycles, sometimes even antique bicycles such as the one shown here. Motorcycles are popular now because I believe they are more affordable. Also, people might have a car or van, but to move around … Read more
Ahh, selfies, what do your selfies say about you? Let’s see what this article on Psychology Today says about that: Ever since smartphones came equipped with cameras that face not just outward but also backward at the user, the self-portrait—dubbed the “selfie”—has taken over social media, particularly Instagram. (It’s popular on dating sites, as well.) … Read more
This is one of the photos taken during the last “street photography challenge photo walk” I lead on the streets of Antigua Guatemala, where I was teaching and sharing tips on how to get candid and up-close photographs, just like this one. Join me if you would like to learn how to take natural unposed … Read more