Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Every Thursday and Sunday the town of Chichicastenango turns into a Mayan market probably not so different than how it would have been during the reign of their empire. Max and I found ourselves in the town by a stroke of luck in timing. After a few hot tortillas and an early morning bus we were in Chichi and pleasantly surprised as to the activity.

The pictures I took in Chichi only begin to capture the unique experience of walking around the intense market. Imagine a disturbed ant pile with rainbow colored ants. Now put yourself in the pile. That is what it felt like to be within the crowds of people. The entire center of town was draped in tarps and filled with food, artesanias, crops, and live animals. The vendors are true descendents of the Maya. They spoke Quiche and adorned the colorfully woven dresses that we had recently learned about in the Museum in Guatemala City. Various traditions were carried out in front of the cathedral and the sights, sounds, and smells of the entire afternoon will not be forgotten.

If there was ever an instance on the trip in which I had hoped I could share the experience with everyone I know, this was it. The invoked feelings can not be conveyed by picture, postcard, or blog. One can simply not have this experience without visiting Chichi on a Thursday or Sunday.

In the early evening I discovered a new favorite food. I ordered what I thought was a tamale from a street stand but was quickly given a lesson in indigenous dining by the chef. I devoured 3 hot Chuchitos and a few tacos dorados. I felt right at home sitting on the undersized plastic stool (which i nearly broke) eationg among the Mayan citizens. It is a heart-warming feeling to share similar physical features of the people around me while at the same time being at least a 1/2 foot bigger than everyone.

Our small hotel provided us with amazing views overlooking the town cemetary and the surrounding hills. We sat on top of the roof sunbathing and using up the rest of our Guatemalan cell-phone minutes. Inactivity can be amazingly fulfilling in the appropriate environment.

Lastly, if I hear another rooster crow at 5am in the morning I may just take my pocket knife and hunt for breakfast. There must have been 100 roosters in the vicinity of our hotel. Combined with constant barking of the 100 or so stray dogs in the same area, a cacophonous symphony took place in the early morning. The ruckus can not be conveyed in words. It would have been a great opportunity to gather a sound-bite, but instead I was smothering my ears with my pillow.

From Chichi we headed to the motherland, the place of our ancestors, the birthplace of Tequila, and the birthplace of Salma Hayek: MEXICO.

Panajachel, Guatemala

We got tattoos. However, they are of henna and of a temporary nature. Upon arrival in Panajachel, the morning after my Batman experience, Max and I went straight to shopping along the vendor lined streets of Panajachel. Within 5 minutes we were sitting down to get inked up. I was surprised to find the exact design that I have contemplated putting on my body for a few years now. Although the artist didn´t free-hand the piece to perfection, it came out decently representative of what I might actually get. I am 25% sure I will get the real one sometime during my life - either over the next 3 years or as part of my mid-life crisis. Suggestions are welcome.

The town of Panajachel is located along the banks of Lake Atitlan. It is set among rolling hills and mountains. The water has mirror-like qualities and the bright sun among the blue sky helps to complete the masterpiece. The draw of this place is certainly its natural beauty.

With that being said, there is very little else to do in the place besides being awed by the views and shopping the streets. We filled our day by doing both.

At night we ate a lake side dinner and then departed for drinks.

The highlight of the stop was the conversation Max and I began on the street and finished over a few Cuba Libres in the local bar. We are part of a family that, in it´s history, is not that much different than the kinds of families we have encountered along our journey. I´m not sure if it was the beauty of Panajachel or the lack of activities, but we took the opportunity that night to recognize how fortunate we were to be in that very position. We talked of our parents´youth and their struggle. Due to their hardwork we were in a place undiscovered by any other Garcia before us.

After a few cigars of an embargoed nature we headed to sleep for an early rise the next day.

The "Dark Knight" in Guatemala City

Still puzzled as to our lack of productivity in Antigua, Max and I backtracked to Guatemala City on a Friday in order to reunite with my family. We had hopes of heading to their beach house on the coast. Unfortunately, inclement weather forced us to stay inland. The result: we would depart for Panajachel on Lake Atitlan in the morning. However, the "knight" was not lost.

A quick glance in the local paper revealed the sweet information that the new Batman was playing in an IMAX theatre around the corner. The following post will now, from this point, proceed in form as a short movie review fused with my normal travel blog. (I have been writing about travelling for 35 days and needed a reprieve.)



"Its not about the money. Its about sending a message"

I was appalled by the action and grew angrier by the second. Unable to bear the blatant lack of disrespect I tapped the middle aged man on the shoulder and in broken Spanish let him know that the line for entry into "Batman: The Dark Knight" started 40 people behind us. He was shocked and angered at my audacity yet reaffirmed his self-entitlement to the front of the line by refusing to adhere to my implication. In line for the IMAX movie, in the most affluent part of the country of Guatemala, I stood pondering the deeper meaning of his action. After the movie, I would have a theory.


"The Dark Knight" is a cinematic success. It is so filled with entertaining and substantive content that it could, and arguably should, have been made into two great movies. I entered the theatre a critic who hated the most recently released version of Batman. Yet, the director redeems himself in creating a follow-up film that, beyond the super-hero surface, instills a strong message.

The strength of the movie is derived from its actors, dynamic characters, and lasting images/scenes. Really, this trinity must be discussed concomittantly. Elaboration on the most dominant performance, specifically for purposes of this blog, is sufficient to make the point.

Heath Ledger is, so early in the year, deserving of a best-supporting actor nomination for his role as the Joker. The Joker has always been a multi-faceted character exuding both a humor and terror, but Leger elevates these bare descriptions to create the best villian I have ever seen on film. The splattered and dripping clown make-up, the scarred mouth, and the flacid-armed strut convey a fear-of-the-unknown in the viewer. When the voice and laugh is added to the image the demon is completed. With a better-than-mediocre script Ledger then uses the already provoked feelings to magnify incredible scenes. The pencil magic trick, the hospital walk, the police car ecstacy ride, and the fiery money pyramid will forever be ingrained in my mind. Yet, imagery is not all I would remember into the night.

In one of the scenes, the Joker slides down an 10-ft pyramid of mafia-money. Waltzing around his supposed treasure he wittily informs the spectating mobsters that he is now in charge of all crime in Gotham. He douses the entire pile with gasoline and ignites it to create a fiery green volcano. The words that followed should be etched into the hollywood hall-of-quotations. To the dismayed and frightened former crime bosses he says "Its not about the money. Its about sending a message."

In the world of reality my hope is that the message will be something more progressive than terror or death. In fact, it should always be that. However, there is a beauty in watching from afar, and from reality, a character that shuns the greatest social confine of them all - monetary wealth. The Joker applied his no-rules chaotic lifestyle even to the most tempting of all vices. My cousin always says that nearly all men "have a price" - not the Joker.

While on the chicken-buses of Central America I have ridden among some of the most impoverished people of the world. Yet, the people function in a respectful and orderly way, however disorderly the system may seem. Entitlement, power, wealth, and hierarchy are refreshingly absent in these small scenes. I was quickly reminded of the two-sided world we live in by the individual action of the person in line before the movie. His action, derived from an elevated social class, is frequently emblematic of those in a position of wealth. At what price is respect for others and the public good lost? That small act, combined with one of the messages from "The Dark Knight" has left a lasting impression on me.



One should deny ultimate temptations, including false societal norms, in order to be free enough to send a positive message - this is the point I have ironically taken from the villian of the film as I apply it to my environment and ongoing experiences while travelling.

"The Dark Knight" is rated PG-13 for strong violence (Parents strongly cautioned) and is being shown in theatres nationwide.

(insert Joker laugh here)

Antigua, Guatemala

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This post is going to include random information about our experience in Antigua. Pictures will generally not be associated with paragraphs because, well, we don´t have that many photos of the place. We stayed two nights in the touristy town but did not venture out to explore as has been typical of our trip.

I want to briefly make excuses for our lack of exploring Antigua, foremost out of guilt, and secondarily out of a desire to make a statement on tourists.

First excuse: We got a little sick. Second excuse: Antigua has too much of a tourist vibe. Now, one could argue that we are tourists - this is somewhat true. However, we have learned that there are generally two different kinds of travellers on these kinds of adventures. We tend to have a strong affinity for backpackers and a bitter taste for the "part timer." Without going into too much detail, the Part Timer is the kind of person that is overtly a tourist in dress, action, and demeanor. They tend to transport their own culture into the visiting location rather than make a strongly apparent attempt to adapt. Antigua is filled with these sorts. The point is made.

We arrived in Antigua in the early evening of a rainy and dreary day. As the rain neared the level of a downpour we quickly zig-zagged our way through the streets until we came across hostel ¨jungle party.¨ The name says it all. We were greated by a friendly, flirtatious, and flamboyant owner at the door who gave us a quick tour of the lively hostel. He made us aware that it was ladies night at the hostel bar so Max and I then made the decision to stay over. Let me define Ladies Night as it means at hostel Jungle Party: If males adorn the dresses that are hanging over the bar then they basically drink for free. Hence, we have ladies night. Hence, we were in bed by 10pm.

It may have been the rain or maybe the smokey cloud of cigarette smoke that hovered over my top bunk, but I ended up with a slight cold. The whole next day I had a sore throat and felt like I had a good ole traditional American cold. Max felt similar. The body needed rejuventation so most of the day was spent eating, drinking, and relaxing. I read my Legal Writing book and Max left me to get a massage/facial.

One of the best parts of Antigua is the jewelery shopping. The Mayans valued precious stones and jewels just like many people do today. Jade, turquoise, amber, and sea shells all helped to distinguish the higher classes of society. These classes included ball players, priests, kings, etc..In search of a good souvenir, I picked out a beautiful Jaguar Jade necklace and Max bought a large jade cross piece. The stones give us a strong sense of pride in our ancient heritage.

I have one more highlight that deserves mention; I may also may express just how little we did in the town. While walking around we came across two guys pushing a stalled vehicle. Although I was sick and and my body had atrophied over the 30 days travelling, I helped the Guatemantecas push the truck for a few blocks. That marked the second vehicle I pushed on the trip. Truthfully, the picture of me pushing the truck was one of the only pictures we took so I needed to include the story.

We finished up the evening forcing down a few beers - well I did - and discussing the usual world issues with our new Dutch friends. The Dutch phrases "hottie" and "you are beautiful" that Max learned from our first encounter with Dutch women in Panama have definitely been beneficial. With some light political discussion as a nightcap, we headed to bed after a long exhausting day of rest and relaxation.

The next day we would head back to Guatemala City thinking we would be headed to the beach; However, the plans would change.

Guatemala City, Guatemala

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We entered Guatemala, the 6th country of our journey, unshowered, unshaven, and slightly unannounced. The change in our timeline that resulted from the short stopover in El Salvador caused us to be in Guatemala City a bit prematurely. Our intention was to stay with family but I had made little contact with them because of the last-second change of plans. We lingered in an internet cafe for a few hours before finally uniting with my incredibly hospitable family.

So try and follow; We stayed with my mom´s brother´s wife´s cousin´s family. Basically, my amazing aunt in California put us in contact with her close cousin who lives in a beautiful suburb of Guatemala City.

I really hope I did not scare the family initially. Had I used the shower in the last hotel I might have exited more dirty than upon entry. Needless to say, we both needed to shower . Also, I made a futile attempt to grow a beard in order to scare away any gang members in El Salvador; The only thing it accomplished was me being mistaken for max´s father. So after the initial greeting, we headed straight into our guestroom and cleaned up. Hedged, scrubbed, and dressed we all departed for a filling fondue dinner complete with pitchers of gallo beer.

Over the next two days Max and I discovered the many ¨Zonas¨ of ¨Guate.¨ The city is divided into distinct Zonas or districts that help inhabitants to coordinate themselves in the gigantic city. Overall, Guate has been the second best city next to Panama City. I really don´t understand why tourists fear the place. I do understand it has a high crime rate, but Max and I never once felt uneasy.

Our first stops in Zona 13, were two small museums located on a university campus dedicated to the Mayans. The population of Guatemala is half mayan and half latin american; It is refreshing that the country takes pride in both its heritages. The Museo Ixchel was dedicated specifically to the current lives of the Mayan people. Exhibits expressed the importance of ritual and traditions. The displays of the ornate and multi-colored clothing of the indigenous were especially interesting. The second museum displayed artifacts of the Maya, including: pottery, writings, urns, jewelery, and tools. The Mayans used to place a deceased person´s entire body inside a trash can sized urn. I told Max this might be how I want to be stored into eternity. I´m still debating.


Again, like in other cities, Max and I wandered around for hours in hopes that luck would be our tour guide. It worked. We encountered interesting graffiti art and even more interesting people. We were most surprised by the goat herder who decided to lay his flock down to pasture on a street median.

My new legal focus has somehow urged me to take pictures in front of courthouses, so I modeled in front of the Supreme Court of Guatemala. We saw the famous palace in the plaza and eventually found the city´s best mall. The evening steadily approached while we sipped coffe and watched the Guatemantecas go about their everyday lives.

The following morning we plunged ourselves back down into the city to see the large relief map of Guatemala that we had missed the previous day. Maybe we should have thought about it a little bit more before departing. A map can only excite one to a certain level. Regardless, it was a monument type of which I had never seen. We quickly left underwhelmed and hungry.


For lunch we feasted on ¨Pollo Campero,¨ the pride and joy chicken fast-food joint of Guatemala and most of Central America. We would have never considered dining at the establishment if it had not been for us learning some interesting aspects of the company. It is Guatemalan owned and incredibly popular. Also, the company grows its own chickens, packages, transports, cooks, and serves them. Most fast food company purchase supplies or services from outside vendors - this company does not. The food was good was good but the conversations we had, over the greasy lunch, about starting our own similar business was better.

Midday we caught a bus headed straight for the cobble-stone paved town of Antigua. We planned to return to Guate to visit our family´s vacation home on the beach so we did not say offical good-byes.