On the weekends and holidays, Calle del Arco is turned into a pedestrian path. Honest, I don’t understand why they don’t make Calle del Arco into a permanent pedestrian thoroughfare between Parque Central and Iglesia de La Merced. Who wants to vote for that?
This a typical vista during the dry season, normally November through April. This year however, this is the sort of vista one can expect during the rainy season, May through October. I believe this is the second year in a row where we are experiencing droughts in and around Antigua Guatemala. Is it raining where … Read more
I was fortunate that they were tempering chocolate while I was at Choco Museo making some photos about the process of making chocolate. And not just tempering milk chocolate, but also white chocolate. By the way, Karen, a loyal reader, mentioned that “by law, in Switzerland, you cannot call the white stuff chocolate; you have … Read more
Basically, chocolate comes in three flavours, dark chocolate, usually 70% cacao liquor or more; milk chocolate, quite possibly the most popular version and white chocolate. As explained the other day, you can separate the cacao or chocolate liquor into to cacao butter and cocoa powder. Once separated, you can sugar and milk to the cocoa … Read more
Here’s your illustrated Spanish word of the day: Molcajete or mortar and pestle. So how did the Maya and Mexica grounded their cacao beans, maize, etc.? Well, simple, by hand, using a humble molcajete, mortar, and tejolote, pestle, as shown above. The molcajete was used by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztec and Maya, stretching … Read more
The birthplace for chocolate is Guatemala, which is the heartland of the Mayan world. Chocolate means bitter drink in Nahualt, that’s the language of the Mexicas better known as Aztecs. The Maya paid the Mexicans with kawkaw [cacao] for goods and services. It was the Spanish who added sugar to it, I guess after 800 … Read more
Here’s your illustrated Spanish word of the day from Antigua Guatemala: Portón or gate, or large door. It’s been a while since that last time I shared a beautiful door or gate with you guys. I am glad I am breaking the hiatus with such a colourful gate. I found this gorgeous door near Alameda … Read more
Worry not about being unplugged while touring the coffee plantations around La Antigua Guatemala. In fact, soon you will have 4G connectivity while learning and collecting your coffee berries in and around the coffee plantations because cellular antennas and towers are popping up everywhere. One more thing to notice in this picture is the fact … Read more
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Baya or berry. That’s right coffee berries is the proper term because, well, coffee are berries, not legumes. So, don’t say coffee beans. Here are the green coffee berries that will be ready for harvesting starting on October. Once these berries turn red, they look more like cherries. … Read more
El Arco de Santa Catalina has become the identifying landmark of La Antigua Guatemala. Do you know what the original purpose of the arch was?
Champurrada is the closest thing to cookies for everyone. They are sweet, tasty, crunchy and inexpensive. Champurradas are flat sweet bread found among the regular daily bread offerings. Champurradas are perfect for dunking in the cup of coffee or hot chocolate. The champurradas shown here are deluxe with sesame seeds and soft and crunchy at … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word or the day: Granizadas, that’s shaved ice. Granizadas are just as popular as helados, ice cream, in Guatemala. Nowadays, granizadas come in salty or sweet flavours, simple or really complex, the choice is yours. What’s your favourite kind?
Have iPad, Will Travel! I imagine only few of you will understand the meaning of the statement above. Now, can you guess or deduce the nationality of the traveler pictured here. Make your best guess or case through your deductions.
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Etiqueta for tag and hashtag. We now live in a hashtag world or should I say #HashtagWorld. People head out to the streets with signs promoting the hashtag campaign, whatever that happens to be. Hashtags have jumped off from Twitter and Instagram to newspapers, radio, TV shows, billboards, … Read more
I wonder how many variations of the passion fruit we have in Guatemala. Let’s count the obvious ones: Granadilla, Chirimoya, Maracuyá, and now Banana passionfruit. I am sure I am missing a few others. The Banana passionfruit shown here is the Passion tripartita var. mollissima. Banana passionfruit is the fruit of several plants in the … Read more