The War of the Worlds
Play this song before continuing: We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched …
Come on Ixchel, follow me!
Last night I talked to my lovely niece who just turned eleven recently and we spoke about being 11-year old now and …
Visit The Time Tunnel
In my quest to bring to you ‘new’ vistas of the same ‘old’ places around La Antigua Guatemala, I present to you …
Twilight Zone at Antigua’s Central Park
What an interesting combination of colors and light temperatures can be achieved during the twilight zone in La Antigua Guatemala’s Central Park. …
What A Wonderful World!
… And I said to myself, what a wonderful world…
Traditional Guatemalan Cuisine Sampler
First of all, click the play button below. It’s the sound track for this entry. It’s been a while since I presented …
Día de la Santa Cruz y el Albañil
In Guatemala and many countries in Latin America today, May 3rd, is celebrated the Day of the Holy Cross and also the …
Traditional Guatemalan Musical Instruments
In the photo above you can observe several percussion traditional Guatemalan musical instruments like chinchines (the black rattles made from gourds, seeds …
Marimba Orquesta Chicken Bus Ave Lira
Like Manolo said, with Marimba music as the background for many parties and celebrations around La Antigua Guatemala and the rest of the country, I can almost smell the pine needles under my feet and the tamales and ponche (fruit punch) in the air. Oh what memories… sometimes I even wish I could like this type of music. 🙁
Marimba Chicken Bus and Church of San Pedro
Well, well, what we have here… what’s up with that, why are Guatemalans so enchanted with the infamous chicken bus. I mean what makes Guatemalans take on the crappy junk and retired school buses from up north and give them a second life as public transit chicken bus, mobile libraries chicken bus and now as a marimba orquesta mobile unit chicken bus.
Dog School in Antigua
The reason the photo above brought memories back from an old forbidden song in Latin America was the lyrics of Las casas de cartón (the carton houses) which had something about dog schools where the canine were given education so they don’t bite the newspapers… but I rather leave you with part of the lyrics and the song below it.
Marimba Music at Calle del Arco in Antigua
Marimba music is so deeply rooted into the Guatemala psyche that even the few of us that do not like it, recognize it and feel it; especially if we are abroad, as far as Kinshasa, Congo or in the good old U.S.A. For sure, you can hear marimba music on Calle del Arco on the weekends in La Antigua Guatemala.
Guatemalan Adoptions Could Be Mixed Blessings
There are many complications when you take an adopted child from Guatemala to a foreign land and to a foreign culture. One complication could be that he or she will be marked as strange because of her Mayan traits and the dark color of the skin.
Hispanic and Indigenous children might be walking on uneven streets if they are taken to mostly white neighborhoods where racism and discrimination could part of their daily bread.
Chicken Bus and the Driver’s Assistant
Guate, Guate, Guate… vamos vaciooossss!
That is what you hear the chicken bus driver’s helper yell out as the omnibus makes its way back into Guatemala City. But there are all kinds of yellings: Antigua, Antigua, Chimal, Chimal, Chichi, Chichi, Xela, Xela and so on.
Guate, Guate, Guate… vamos vaciooossss! Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala, we are empty is what the driver’s ayudante (helper) would yell out if they are full, like this.