Flying Kites for Family & Guatemala’s Dead

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every November 1 better known as All Saint’s Day in Guatemala, the people of Santiago Sacatepequez gather in crowds with enormous homemade kites to celebrate both family and those who have come and gone. From the cemetery residents will set their kites to soar in the skies as a tourist or two sits watching in awe on top of the graves. In this warm travel piece found in the Miami Herald, Kevin Revolinski describes el Dia de Todos los Santos, a holiday with traditions more than 100 years old. While I’ve never placed Guatemala in any of my future travel plans I can’t deny the whimsical sound of celebrating both life and death sounds worth checking out.

Flying kites for any reason is something I’ve always taken fancy to yet never really have the time to embrace on my own. So that I don’t get too carried away or sidetracked here, this one is worth the read if you’re heading down to Central America soon and if you happen to make it to this event, please report back with a word or two of your own.

via MiamiHerald

Guatemala is Good

by Erik Olsen on

I have seen so many articles this last year about trips to Central America, it’s amazing to think that this is the same place that was in the news just a decade ago for bloody civil wars and extreme poverty. Well, much of the poverty is still there, but countries like Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala are realizing that tourism is a lot more profitable (and fun) than war.

The most recent example of this bullish view on Central America I found in the Washington Post this weekend. It’s article on Guatemala looks at the vast array of things to do down there, from trekking mountains, to wandering Mayan ruins to heading to Antigua, where one of the coolest festivals in the world takes place during Easter week.

Now I have to tell you that I have been to Guatemala, and I found it a very cool place. I felt safe the whole time I was there, and yes, the Antigua festival (my photo at right) is one of those things that you should try to do once in your lifetime. One interesting things about this article is that the author says he actually bought a house in Guatemala. If that isn’t a sign that things have changed drastically there, I don’t know what is.

Survivor: Guatemala

by Adrienne Wilson on

Eleven seasons later and I’m finally tuning into this reality show called Survivor. How did I end up spending my evening checking out the latest cast begin their challenges and adventures through Guatemala? You can blame that one on Deidre over at our sister blog Slashfood. She whipped up a nice piece for all the Survivor fans out there looking to eat some good Guatemalan fare during the season. And here, as I was thinking popcorn would be suitable, Deidre suggests these recipes for Cassava Root Souffle, Chicken in Pineapple, Pepian de Pollo and plantains in temptation sauce. Even if you’re not a fan of the popular reality show or just a smidge jealous that some lucky people get to hang out in Guatemala for a few weeks and you don’t, it’s hard to deny how incredibly delicious the food sounds.

Carpet Makers of Antigua Guatemala

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a short, but sweet piece by Jim Kane on Guatemala, a place he recently revisited after many years. He talks about the Guatemalan carpet-makers in Antigua, Guatemala, where on Easter weekend, thousands of people build the most amazing “carpets” on the roads of the city.

I was there myself years ago, and found the event utterly fascinating. Deeply religious, but also revealing a very unusual and rich artistic heritage, the ceremony involved making magnificent paintings out of flowers and pine needles and all sorts of things on the ground. It’s sort of like the Rose parade, but on the ground. The event also includes processions through the streets where participants dress in religious and Roman regalia and ply the roads slowly, often bearing crosses or effigies of Christ.

If you are planning a trip to Guatemala anytime soon, try to orchestrate your visit around Easter time. You won’t regret it.

Guatemala’s Charms

by Erik Olsen on

It’s interesting to see how often Central America is now on the radar screen of the big newspaper travel sites. Is it just me, or is the region really beginning to take off as a tourist destination? I know that for years people have gone to Costa Rica to trek, dive and mountain bike, but other places like Nicaragua and Honduras are now getting lots of attention.

Here in this LA Times travel piece, Guatemala now gets notice. The piece is positively bullish on the little country, hailing it as the next great destination for adventure sports fans and the site of the next Survivor series. I guess the numbers tell the story. More than 1 million people visited Guatemala last year, about a quarter of them from the United States. According to the article, growth has been so strong that tourism officials cheerfully predict Guatemala will soon pass popular rival Costa Rica in visitor numbers. Apparently even Bill Clinton and Francis Ford Coppola have succumbed to Guatemala’s charms.

As someone who has traveled there, I will say that it is a great country. Very interesting and filled with things to do. There are areas that might still be considered dangerous or somewhat under-developed so that travel is not necessarily easy, but that can be a good thing. Some people, for example, find Costa Rica almost too developed. So if finding a place that has not quite yet become a tourist juggernaut is for you, this might be a place to visit.