During the four months of our trip, I have seen more waterfalls than in my whole life. All of a sudden waterfalls were everywhere. They were in national parks and in cloud forests. Some were separate destinations, others we encountered on the way to somewhere else. They came in all sizes and forms, from small falls to powerful cataracts, from ice cold mountain showers to hot cascades. Continue Reading →
Month: September 2018
We went on a quest for the quetzal, Guatemala’s elusive national bird, and all we saw was this lousy stuffed exhibit
“How did you all of a sudden get so crazy about that silly fluffy bird?” asks Anete as our chicken bus spits us out in front of the Biotopo del Quetzal. It’s seven in the morning, opening time. Continue Reading →
Chocolate in Belize: the Land of Melted Snickers
San Ignacio in Belize is a sweaty and hot town. It was also the town closest to the Stardust Sanctuary Farm. But only seldom we drove all the way there to enjoy the place itself. Usually, we were sitting in the local bus station, waiting for a bus that would take us somewhere more interesting, or back home. If we had time until our bus, we sipped freshly squeezed juices in a nearby restaurant. In San Ignacio, we were always waiting. Until all the waiting came to an end.
When our time in farm came to an end, we realised there were still a ton of things to do in San Ignacio. One afternoon, we decided to check out what the chocolate tour at AJAW was all about. Apparently, the Mayas made great chocolate.
I couldn’t find any evidence of that in the local shops. The best dessert in Belize was a dreamy yellow lemon pie that I could never get enough of. But chocolate? All I remembered was a lonely Snickers bar in the shop shelf which melted between my fingers even before I could lift it up. No, I didn’t consume any chocolate in Belize.
Snapshots of daily life in Guatemala: gunshots, health nuts and Italian drama
Maya ladies in beautiful garments whisk by with bowls of cornmeal on their head. Firecrackers go off even in the nighttime. The capacity of a chicken bus is a fluid concept. Yes, daily life in Guatemala is rather colourful and many things happen that you wouldn’t expect at home. An anthology.
Getting to know the public health system in Guatemala
I sat in the waiting room of the Centro de Salud, the local health centre, in Livingston. From the open door, I could see the sea. A bunch of Garifunas had gathered around a nearby bench and started drumming. Continue Reading →