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Central America 2018
  • Lahra Carey

Central America 2018

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    December 15, 2018
    Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Sleeping in LA - Part One

    December 21, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had such great intentions and we really tried. But we failed.

    The problem was that we flew all through the day and nobody slept, so when we landed at 6am local time, we were already exhausted.

    But the kids were so excited to be here, and had made long lists of places they wanted to go and were determined to make the most of this one day in the US.

    After spending an eternity in the immigration queue, we headed to The Hotel Jeremy on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood - a beautifully appointed, spacious hotel that’s probably the best kept secret in LA.

    Showered, dropped bags and headed to the iHOP for the eggs and pancake breakfast we’d all been craving. As good as we remembered!

    Next we dropped Mitch at the nearby Guitar Centre and the girls and I continued onto The Grove - an upmarket, outdoor shopping mall where we had intended to stay all afternoon.

    But it became clear - after visiting just 2 shops - that the girls has no energy or stamina at all and had to be in bed. So we caught a cab back to Mitch and all returned to the hotel so the kids could sleep while I enjoyed the sunshine by the pool.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    Dinner with the Martins - LA Part 2

    December 21, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I finally woke the kids just before 5pm and we headed to Kristen and Jorge’s house in Burbank - a nice suburb of LA.

    It’s been so many years since we saw each other but we took up exactly where we had left off - and it was lovely to introduce our kids to one another.

    We went for a drive around Burbank admiring the Christmas decorations on all the houses - one with its own radio station that made the lights dance to the beat of the music.

    Starving, we headed for In-n-Out burger for dinner followed by an American candy store. All fun and new.

    And then back to the hotel for very jet lagged bodies to sleep.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    The Lights of Mexico City

    December 22, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    The advantage of an early start in LA is the beautiful sunrise - and we weren’t disappointed. But not too long to linger before heading to LAX and onward to Mexico City.

    The flying time and time change meant we arrived late afternoon and didn’t get to the hotel until late afternoon, only to find there was a problem with our booking. It took the best part of an hour to resolve things - by which time we were all wanting to sleep, but also very hungry- no one has eaten a proper meal so far today.

    The hotel is gorgeous- a beautifully restored building right in the centre of the old city. We were supposed to have shared one room but the mix up meant we now have next door rooms side by side - Mitch and I together and the twins together.

    Alex wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay at the hotel and rest whilst Mitch, Charley and I headed to a local taqueria highly recommended by the hotel. It was so authentic and really atmospheric. Filled with locals, we had to push our way upstairs into the low roofed eating space and work out what to order from the Spanish speaking staff.

    Mitch and Charley shared chicken tacos whilst I chose a vegetarian version and smothered it in the large selection of chilli salsas.

    After dinner we went for a walk around the very close y Plaza de la Consituzion - all lit up with Christmas lights. On the way back we stopped at a sweets store and bought a small
    bag of chocolates. A truly great introduction to Mexico.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    Birdseye view of the town

    December 23, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was hard to wake up after a broken night’s sleep- a bit of jetlag and everyone coming down with a cold..

    The breakfast room is absolutely charming- on the 6th floor of the hotel overlooking the Plaza. The sky was blue and the sun shining so although the air is super cold it’s a beautiful day.

    Mitch went out on an adventurous limb and had corn in his omelette - which he declared ‘alright’.

    And then it was onto the hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the entire city and understand the layout. We are staying in the charming old section of the city, and the kids were very surprised to see the wide - and very clean avenues lined with modern office towers. They were not too inclined to dismount because even the very fashionable area of Condesa ‘doesn’t feel very Mexican’. They are looking for authentic.

    Halfway through the bus tour, Mitch fell asleep- struggling with his head cold that was getting progressively worse.

    Once we returned to the hotel, he went straight to sleep.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Mexican market

    December 23, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Once Mitch lay down everyone else suddenly needed a rest, so we decided to stay at the hotel for half an hour.

    The girls and I the left Mitch to sleep while we explored the artisanal market. We loved everything we saw - the colours, the clever art, the selection of goods. We bought a few souvenirs and headed back to the hotel as this time it was Charley’s turn to fade.

    Alex and I left Charley to rest with Mitch and we headed out to explore the local streets and get a delicious, cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate at a nearby cafe.

    Alex was bemoaning the difficulty she is having converting the Mexican peso to the $A (14.2 : 1) .. something Mitch manages to do easily in his head (!).
    Alex; ‘I hope something drastic happens to the peso and it becomes 1-1 while we’re here’.

    And so to dinner - another recommendation by our lovely hotel manager - another authentic Mexican restaurant. Chicken tacos for the second night for Mitch and Charley - a more adventurous plate for Alex and I along with the obligatory guacamole.

    We’ve taken to playing Uno whilst waiting for our meal and it gets quite rowdy sometimes. Alex was the victor both games tonight and while we suspect she cheated, she insists that’s not the case.

    Straight back to the hotel tonight.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    Cuernavaca

    December 24, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Here’s a particularly Mexican way to run a tour- we had to be ready and downstairs in the hotel lobby to meet the tour guide at 8.30 this morning. At which time we boarded the empty mini bus... shuttles around the city for the next hour collecting the other passengers - only to drive right past our hotel on our way out of the city!

    Our guide- Gabrielle - is a very shout-y Mexican with difficult to understand English, and has to repeat everything in both Spanish and English as this is a bi-lingual tour. Whilst this is reasonably good for my Spanish (which is rapidly returning), it’s pretty annoying to listen to.

    It took about an hour and a half to get to Cuernavaca - a charming little village on the way to Taxco - and the drive would have been very pleasant but for the fact that after Gabrielle finished shouting her Aztec history lesson at us, she began blaring the worst Mexican music at full volume over the stereo. At that point, the kids gave up trying to play their word games and Mitch asked to borrow my headphones to stop the torture.

    The highlight is the town’s Cathedral - which has an interesting history as it was built by missionaries who had to adapt the building to accomodate the pagan beliefs of the indiginous locals - for example creating an additional unenclosed chapel as the Aztecs were unfamiliar with indoor prayer. They also objected to entering the Church with reverence, so the Christians built a step into the entrance door of the Church to force supplication.

    We had a little time to wander around - and whilst it was picturesque, in truth there’s not much to commend it for more than a brief stop.

    The rest of the drive was up and across the nearby mountains, and we stopped on the outskirts of Taxco for a buffet lunch (Charley ate nothing), followed by a short lecture on how to recognise true silver - (would you believe the main message was ‘buy it from an authorised retailer’)?

    But I didn’t know that ‘Sterling Silver’ is named after William Sterling who discovered silver, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

    I always book these tours with a degree of hesitation - an easy way to make short visits to nearby attractions, but you are both held hostage to the specific retailers tied to the tour, and always at the mercy of the most interested shoppers.    Read more

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    Taxco

    December 24, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I’ve always wanted to visit Taxco. I love Spanish colonial towns and I’d heard this one is particularly charming. It’s a silver mining town built across 7 mountains. All the houses are white and from a distance look reminiscent of Santorini. But what I love most is all the wrought iron that decorated all the balconies and doorways and street lights.

    Our shout-y guide began marching us about the the cobblestone streets before handing us over to a local to explain some of the features. It was all so interesting.

    He told us about the annual procession each March during which time women with bare feet and chained ankles parade the streets alternating with men carrying a heavy cross and self flagelating until they bleed.

    We also heard the town was previously called Glashco after a ball game which sees the winner ‘sacrificiated’...

    And we visited the most incredibly ornately decorated cathedral (San Sebastian) featuring an alter carved out of wood and covered in gold leaf. It took 7 years to build with the help of 20-thousand Indians!

    After the tour, we had a little free time but it’s Charley’s turn to be unwell today and so we spent most of that time in a cafe looking after her. Alex and Mitch took advantage of that opportunity to order Nutella crepes - probably just as well because we didn’t leave Taxco for the 3 hour drive back to Mexico City until 6.30!    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    Xochimilco

    December 25, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Fun fact- apparently piñatas are an invention of the Mexican church representing the 7 layers of sins people need to crash through blindly to access the sweetness of life.

    We arrived at the meeting point for today’s tour exactly on time only to find the bus had gone without us. So the new plan was to catch an Uber to the first town were to visit and catch up the group.

    The Uber driver got lost but eventually found the Aztec canal town of Xochimilco. I have been really looking forward to this trip - taking a ride on one of the colourful flat bottomed boats, and so I instructed the driver to head directly to the ‘embarcadero’ (pier) where we would surely meet the tour group. However, I hadn’t counted on there being 7 different piers!

    So we walked around the town a little visiting another pier and settling on a quieter entry point. We needn’t have bothered - all the boats end up in the same area. It was a beautiful day and a lovely excursion- very colourful and fun.

    It was lunchtime by the time we were done and we decided to go to another town for lunch.    Read more

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    Coyoacan

    December 25, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our second Uber driver also got lost - this time with a great result passing by a musical instrument market by the roadside. Mitch was beside himself and our driver kindly agreed to stop so Mitch could have a look at the second-hand guitars. He didn’t buy any but was in heaven just looking.

    Then onwards to the colonial town of Coyoacan - previously the external capital of Spain following its colonisation.

    Charming and busy - the central plaza which boasts a public garden teeming with families enjoying the Christmas Day sunshine.

    We were hungry and wanted to eat sitting down- the only restaurant that fit the brief (in a town surrounded by street-food carts) was an Italian place.

    After lunch we wandered the square and explored the local artisanal market before heading back to Mexico City.

    It’s our last night here - a very early start tomorrow to head to the airport to start our Cuban adventure.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Hello Havana

    December 26, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Early, early morning. Long, long wait at the airport. (We were early... I was anxious about getting the Cuban visas... I shouldn’t have been).

    We arrived into Havana late in the afternoon. Our hotel Teligrafico - was the first hotel in Cuba. It is right on the corner of the main square an is one of those ‘grand dame’ hotels which hasn’t been touched in the best part of a century. Happily, the kids recognised the charm and looked past the shabbiness.

    Today it was Alex who felt exhausted. So Mitch, Charley and I left her to sleep while we set out to explore the local area. NOTHING has hanged since I was here! Well, that’s not exactly true- the beautiful building that was formerly a grand department store - and decaying when Ben and I visited in 2001 has been restored into the most wonderfully elegant and stylish 5-star hotel. I had booked dinner there for our last night but hadn’t had a reply to my email, so we went to check. The views across Havana from the 6th floor poolside (rooftop) restaurant are breathtaking and we are all really looking forward to the experience.

    But otherwise it’s all quite the same. There, on the verandah of the Hotel Inglaterra we had coffee.. and a mojito at La Floridita.. all still unchanged. Ghosts everywhere, but nice to have these new memories with the kids overlay the old ones.

    We returned after an hour’s walk and collected Alex for dinner - a rather average (but quite expensive) restaurant recommended by the hotel. Everyone chose the fish.

    And then back to the hotel where we dropped Mitch who was now fading. The girls and I walked around a bit and then went back.

    By now, a live band was setting up on a stage right outside the hotel - actually under our window, and Alex and I watched and danced for a while before going to bed - our dreams punctuated by the sound of Cuban brass and percussion.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler
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    Cycling the city

    December 27, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After the first full night’s sleep for everyone - with nobody feeling unwell, we had a simple breakfast at the hotel and joined the bicycle tour.

    For the next 5 hours we cycled all our way across four of Cuba’s municipalities- the Vedado built around the 1920 with its beautiful houses falling into ruin... the political centre - a concrete plaza surrounded by grey concrete buildings emblazoned with the fathers of socialist Cuba on them.. the old entrance to Chinatown - no longer home to any Chinese who left after all the businesses were nationalised.. the forest - so beautiful and green... the Malacon - all the way along the beachless seafront and behind the magnificent Hotel National, and finally back through old Havana.

    It was exhilarating and exhausting. Hours of riding through traffic and up hills, trying our best to avoid potholes (which are everywhere).

    We stopped at 10 historic sites and at each stop we heard a little more about the history of this country and about Cuban life today from our guide Marcel.

    He told us about the compulsory 2 years of military service (only one if you can prove you go to University). The ration book that allows each person 12 eggs, a portion of rice, flour and chicken each month. And the average monthly salary? $25.

    ‘Can you be a vegetarian?’ Asked Charley. Marcel laughed at the question. ‘No you can’t,’ he answered. ‘And sometimes the vegetables get lost are you can’t get any from the shops for weeks.’

    Marcel has an engineering degree majoring in telecommunications and electronics but there are no jobs in this field and tourism is the only industry that pays well - he explained that the lawyers and other professionals are the lowest paid on a set government salary, whilst the taxi drivers and tour guides do well.

    It’s a country unlike any other - incredibly expensive for tourists who pay US prices for a plate of rice, beans and fish or chicken. Fancy western stores sit next door to the simplest, almost empty, drab stores for locals. The newest hotel - houses in a restored department store charges $1000 per room per night and is changing the face of the centre. And there’s a strong anti American sentiment from the locals.

    By the time we returned the bikes to the garage, we were absolutely exhausted, slightly sunburnt and very hungry.    Read more

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    Classic Cars

    December 27, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Marcel recommended a restaurant for lunch - rice and prawns for me.. spaghetti for Mitch and Alex and chicken for Charley. Amazing how boring the flavours are without the herbs and spices you would expect in such a vibrant place.

    We briefly returned to the hotel to change out of our sweaty cycling clothes and get ready for our next adventure - a tour of Havana in a classic car.

    Mitch was so excited to find out what kind of car we would be allocated - and thrilled to discover it was a yellow and white Ford.

    We basically covered the same footprint as our morning ride, but everything looked so different from the road - and we had plenty of time to take photos with the car.

    The tour ended at sunset with a drink at the historic Hotel National - another place I visited with Ben 18 years ago. I remember at that time talking about bringing our kids back here one day and I sensed his pleasure at my fulfilling the promise.

    We all had a mojito (mine with rum, the kids’ virgins) on the verandah and it all felt very special.

    The car dropped us back at the hotel, and although only Mitch was hungry, after a brief rest we headed out for dinner.

    Our plan was to return to a nice looking restaurant we had passed the night before, but as we walked a cook from a neighboring hotel asked where we were going and recommended another place 3 blocks away - 3 flights up. We thanked her with. I intention of taking her advice. A few steps further on another local stopped and asked where we were from and recommended we try the same place. Obviously there’s some kind of scheme here, but we couldn’t work it out and felt we didn’t have anything to lose.

    La Familia couldn’t be seen by the street- only accessed by a winding narrow staircase and we were suddenly nervous to commit to what we couldn’t see. But once we were up - on the rooftop of a very simple but authentic place, listening to a live Cuban guitar duo- we were thrilled we took the advice.

    The food was simple but fine. The music really good. During a break from playing, one of the guitarists came over to say hello and I made him understand Mitch also plays. He invited Mitch up to play with them and it was a wonderful experience - Mitch improvising on a Cuban guitar (very different to a normal
    acoustic). The players began singing and accompanying Mitch, obviously impressed with how well he was playing. It was all very special and he loved every minute.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Street Art

    December 28, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Another stunning - but humid Havana day. After breakfast we walked across Parque Central to meet our guide Miguel.

    He drove us about 20 minutes out of town to a fishing village now known as ‘Fusterlandia’ - after the local artist who decided during the early 1990’s to boost the morale of his community by decorating the outside of his house with mosaic tiles.

    The locals so loved the Gaudi-esque effect they asked him to do theirs and the whole project grew to cover almost the entire neighborhood. Now, Fustre’s house is a tourist attraction and his artworks sell for thousands of dollars.

    We all absolutely loved the whimsical, colourful effect and could have stayed much longer exploring the other houses. But we had to move on.

    We were then taken to three other artistic neighbourhoods - none as immersive as Fustre’s, but all so impactful on the local area.

    One consisted artworks made entirely from recycled objects, and made a political statement with the artists use of colours.

    Another was inspired by the local hairdressers and barbers who encouraged cafe and restaurant operators to establish outdoor eateries amongst the artwork. They even created a children’s playground with all of the equipment inspired by elements found in a barber’s shop.

    It was a fascinating and uplifting morning which really reminded us of what can be achieved by one person’s vision and creativity.    Read more

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    Music for Mitch

    December 28, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After the tour, we returned to Barber’s Alley for lunch.

    It was hot and we needed a rest and this area is so charming we broke the well known law of never eating in a plaza. The food was great - service terrible, but worth it to have a salad. Charley was devastated to learn the crepes listed on the menu were unavailable, but it was hard to stay disappointed in such an extraordinary setting.

    We walked back to the hotel and then set out to the Havana Music School to meet Mitch’s teacher - Miguel.

    The music school is in a residential area about 15 minutes from Old Havana, and consists of a smallish house within which we could hear music coming from every room. Miguel was young and handsome and seemed very friendly. We all hoped Mitch would enjoy the lesson - and he really, really did! We could hear wonderful drumming and singing from Miguel accompanying Mitch on the guitar, and Mitch was thrilled with what he’d learned.

    By the time we left, it was dark outside and although Miguel walked us to the Main Street there were no taxis at all. He suggested we walk to the nearby local bus on the main road and told us which bus to catch back to Old Havana. Alex was freaking out at the idea of walking in the dark as well as taking a local bus and that was hard to manage, but the others were excited by this authentic peek onto Cuban daily life. We arrived back quite close to our hotel but didn’t recognise any of the landmarks in the dark... luckily a local man saw our confusion and gave us directions which saw us safely back.

    By now we were all starving and heading back to Barber’s Alley for dinner - another atmospheric restaurant with very average food. We got lost walking back to the hotel- passing streets and squares we hadn’t come across before. It was such a warm and humid night it felt so lovely strolling around the city.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Shopping, sweating and salsa

    December 29, 2018 in Cuba ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    There were no planned activities this morning so we slept in and started slowly. It was incredibly hot and humid today - almost unpleasant.

    After breakfast, the girls and I left Mitch relaxing in the room while we went shopping for trinkets and souvenirs.

    We walked the length of Obispo - the long narrow street that runs the length of the old city. It’s the main shopping street for tourists and is always crammed with pedestrians and music.

    In truth, there is not much to buy in Havana -
    and each shop carried the same range of handicrafts, cigars and rum. We bought presents for family and a few small pieces of jewellery and t-shirts for the kids and then walked back to Mitch.

    Despite the heat the atmosphere is exciting, and we enjoyed being out amongst the people.

    We then walked across town in search of a creperie that had been recommended by the Swedes we met on our bike tour. Charley has been craving crepes after feeling too poorly in Mexico to indulge, and this was her moment. The place was tricky to find, but in getting lost we stumbled on charming plazas we hadn’t seen previously.

    After 2 crepes each for lunch, we headed to Vedado for our salsa lesson. It was such a fun couple of hours! Each of us was allocated a teacher who showed us the steps and slowly built on a routine we all managed to execute by the end. There was lots of laughter - and lots of sweating!

    Back to the hotel for a rest and a shower before dinner at the very upscale Kempinski Hotel across the square. We got there early to enjoy the view over a (virgin) mojito by the rooftop pool before going inside for dinner.

    Mitch was in heaven- steak!! He’s been craving one for days and this was fabulous. I forgot to ask where it had been imported from, but it was definitely not local.

    We all ate well and it felt like a special last night in this fabulous city.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Playa del Carmen

    December 31, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Last morning in Havana and we were all SO sad to leave. It’s been the most amazing and perfect part of the trip and nobody was ready for that to end.

    We decided to forgo the very atmospheric - but so, so bland buffet breakfast at the hotel in favor of an alfresco brekkie near the square we stumbled on yesterday.

    Today was magnificent- slightly cooler than yesterday but with a clear blue sky and no humidity.

    Breakfast was simple- eggs, bacon, coffee, juice. But we loved being outside in the middle of the street, listening to live music in the sunshine.

    All too soon it was time to go to the airport - Cancun bound.

    It was a very bumpy descent and upon landing we quickly discovered why- it was pouring with rain. Still warm, but a thick grey cloud covered the coastal city and we hurried to our transport getting soaked on the way.

    Playa del Carmen is about a half hour drive from Cancun and it was difficult to see much. But the Grand Hyatt was beautiful - a very new resort which has been magnificently fitted out. We are all in one very spacious room with 2 queen beds. We took a quick look around in the dark and could see everything being prepared for tomorrow night’s New Year’s Eve party.

    By 7.30 - having reconnected with the world through social media and phone calls, we were hungry. (After all lunch was a packet of Pringles and a Toblerone)...

    We headed to the main strip - 5th Ave and found it teeming with life - big chain stores jostled for attention next to souvenir shops and tex-mex cuisine alongside Italian versus steakhouses.

    Before we had time to choose, the heavens opened again and we ducked inside a nearby Texas BBQ restaurant. Everyone was happy- nachos, tacos and a Texas bbq burger. Huge American-sized portions with a Mexican influence.

    And then suddenly everyone was exhausted. We went for a short stroll along the avenue before heading back for the last sleep of 2018.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Farewell 2018..

    December 31, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It was the nicest way to end the year- a gorgeous day spent in luxurious surroundings, lying by the pool overlooking the ocean.

    Everything was wonderful - the buffet breakfast, the weather, the view... it was relaxed and very holiday-ish.

    We ate lunch on 5th Ave and the girls went shopping at the American stores - spending ages in Forever 21!

    We looked for somewhere to have dinner - everything was fixed price tonight - even the food court - starting at $US75!
    We decided instead to get a pizza (take away) before attending the New Year’s Eve party at the hotel - $US 60 for access which includes no food - just music and fireworks. But last year I promised Alex a good NYE party and so she got one.

    We danced until it began to rain, then ran for cover and waited it out. Danced again until the midnight fireworks and went to bed just before 1pm. Goodbye 2018- you were hard work!    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Welcome 2019

    January 1, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Buffet breakfast... swim... sunbake... stroll down 5th Ave.. buy trinkets for presents and souvenirs... repeat.

    It’s such a horrifically overpriced town, I am now resigned to ignoring the prices to do what we like because bargains are impossible to find. Hiring a cabana by the hotel poolside today cost $US175 - crazy!!! So there’s no point stressing. For these 4 days we will pay what we need to. But it’s certainly not the sleepy relaxed beach town Ben and I visited all those years ago.Read more

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    Fun in the sun

    January 3, 2019 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I have to say it’s been easy to get used to this slothful way of life - especially after the early starts and intense touring (which is also waiting for us in Guatemala).

    I’ve offered the kids a choice of activities; scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, visiting the ruins at Tulum or even a massage - they say ‘yes’ to everything - but perhaps tomorrow. And now this is our last full day and we’ve done none of this. And no one is complaining.Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Arriving in Antigua

    January 4, 2019 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    A loooong day of travel. Work up (relatively) early to catch the end of the sunrise over the ocean at Playa.

    Then a drive to Cancun airport to catch a flight to El Salvador, and from there a connecting flight to Guatemala City, and a shuttle to Antigua.

    We arrived after sunset - but even as we drove along the cobblestone streets to our accomodation, I was marvelling at the charm of this place.

    Our boutique hotel is just gorgeous- and nothing has been overlooked; high, wrought iron bed head and base, a beautifully appointed bedroom and bathroom - all so lovely.

    Charley and I went for a walk to the main plaza and then around the artisanal market getting a sense of the place. We had such a lovely time together while the others rested.

    Alex was too tired for dinner so Mitch, Charley and I went around the corner to the larger sister hotel to ours- it has a pool we are free to use and a buffet breakfast we are also welcome to partake in. A lovely, simple dinner in a beautiful environment.    Read more

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    Lake Atitlan - morning

    January 5, 2019 in Guatemala

    Early, early wake up - ready for 6am collection. The hotel prepared breakfast boxes for us to take - which reminded us of Africa.

    It was a long and winding drive to Panajachel on the banks of Lake Atitlan from where we met out boat.

    It was a stunning, shiny, blue-sky and warm-breeze kind of day - absolutely perfect for boating, and we were rendered breathless by the stunning beauty of the landscape; volcanic mountains surrounded the lake, and small villages dotted the feet of those mountains. We could see smoke coming from the top of one of the volcanoes.

    We visited three different villages - the first, San Pedro was run by the residents as a collective. They farmed coffee beans and cocoa and make organic products. We first visited a small coffee production and were given a demonstration of every part of the coffee-making process. After which of course we had to try the end product... as well as some excellent looking chocolate to take homes gifts.    Read more

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    More Lake Atitlan - San Juan

    January 5, 2019 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We visited two other villages and loved it all. Had lunch in a restaurant lakeside, before taking a tuk tuk around the bend to the last village - San Diego, and after a brief tour boarded the boat back to Panajachel - this time with Mitch driving and having to battle some fairly rough waves.

    And then it was time to endure the long drive back to Antigua. We arrived back around 7pm and in the process of walking to a place I’d found on a blog recommending dinner, we stumbled across a very new ramen restaurant and decided to give it a try. A nice break from the very heavy meals we’ve been having.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Chichicastanango

    January 6, 2019 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Another early start - and another long, winding drive - this time to the town of Chichicastenango, which twice a week hosts the second biggest market in Central America.

    It is exactly as I remember it- a rabbit Warren of colourful stalls; teeming with people carrying heavy textile sacks on their backs and heads, rudely pushing bystanders out of their way.

    We visited the Church, which still incorporated a lot of the indigenous worship practices as well as the very colourful cemetery further up the hill. But mostly we wandered through the market bargaining for trinkets and marvelling at the handiwork of all the beautiful textiles.

    On the way back, we stopped for lunch at a more traditional Guatemalan restaurant where we were tortured throughout the meal by a very loud maremba. Back in Antigua, our guide took us past a jade museum and workshop quite close to our hotel. The jade here is beautiful and comes in many colours. It is specific to this area, formed by the local volcanos and quite different from Chinese jade.

    We booked into a jade workshop for tomorrow and learned a bit about the history of jade while we were there.

    After a short rest back at the hotel, we went for dinner at an Italian restaurant which - like most meals here was adequate. The highlight again- playing UNO.    Read more

  • Lahra CareyCentral America 2018Traveler

    Jade and the jungle

    January 7, 2019 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    A more relaxed morning. Charley wasn’t feeling great so we left her in bed while we had breakfast around the corner at the sister hotel.

    Another beautiful day. After breakfast we walked to the Jade museum where we were booked into a workshop to create a piece of jewellery from jade. It was so much fun - and quite challenging! We each began by choosing a piece of raw jade stone in a color we liked, and then had to use a cutting machine followed by 4 stages of sandpaper to smooth and polish our piece. We all made pendants - Mitch made a pick, Charley her Mayan star sign, Alex a teardrop and me a cylindrical pendant. We were all thrilled with the results - despite emerging with severely shaved nails and cuticles.

    Then lunch on Parque Central before heading back to the hotel to clear out of our rooms.

    One more hour before we got collected for the airport run and we chose to return to the central artisanal market (can never get enough of these!) as Alex hadn’t seen it. A quick visit then back to the hotel to collect backs and head to Guatemala City airport.

    Just a 45 minute flight and we arrived in the dark to Flores - in the middle of a jungle setting.

    It feels like we’ve been dropped onto another planet! Humid, quite with only the sounds of jungle nightlife, we are staying in simple tropical - style villas.    Read more

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