more thanksgiving pics...
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6:19 AM
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Thanksgiving Feast... 11/24
So as part of my Spanish classes, I was assigned to prepare the traditional Thanksgiving dinner for my family and some friends here, and along with the dinner tell about the history and tradition of Thanksgiving (in Spanish, of course). It started with writing an invitation, delivering them to our special guests, planning the meal, shopping, cooking, and finally giving my little presentation about Thanksgiving while we all pigged out on turkey. We had the dinner on Friday for the convenience of all – seeing as how its not a holiday weekend here…. The weeks before I had been doing a bit of internet research, requesting recipes, and emailing my mom for turkey tips.
By Thursday the menu was set (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn, cranberries, rolls, gravy and pumpkin pie) and I went to the store to pick up all the essentials. Things like sweet potatoes, a roasting pan, potato flakes, and corn were easy. Luckily, my favorite neighborhood store had a small little display of Thanksgiving foods including the Stove Top stuffing and the turkey gravy mix. Unfortunately they were out of cranberries (which were given up on after 3 stores proved fruitless) and come to find out that green beans are a hard find fresh, they don’t exist in the can, I would have had to improvise for the cream of mushroom soup, and the fried onions – yeah, right. Anyway, so that was immediately scratched off the list. It took a bit of hunting to come across pie plates (not big on pies here, I guess…they are more cake people) but ended up having success in that department. When I was at the store I ran into another American girl who was shopping to make Thanksgiving dinner as well. She had run into some of the same difficulties as I had – lack of essential items – and I ended up giving her my pie crust recipe right there in the middle of the store because she couldn’t find a premade one. Talking with her about all that was involved and thinking about the 16 dinner attendants I would be feeding got me a little nervous. Especially considering I had never done more to prepare the Thanksgiving feast than the green bean casserole – and that was the one thing I couldn’t make here!
The last and most important, of course, was the turkey and since my research had taught me that a frozen bird needs a couple days of refrigeration to thaw, I was definitely on the hunt for a fresh one. There were a couple available at my grocery store, but we had decided to also try at Costco in hopes of a better price. We didn’t make it there until early evening, so when it was discovered that they only had frozen solid birds, or precooked “smoked” ones, I got a little anxious and started imaging what we would tell the guests when they arrived to a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. Thank the Lord though that the turkeys I had seen at the first store were there still, although we ended up buying a partially frozen one because it was a bit bigger – 10.9 kg to be exact (about 22 lbs). So that night I let the turkey sit in a bath of warm water to aid in the thawing process, and made the pie crust and had it all ready to go in the pan to alleviate some of the rush in the morning.
Friday started off with making the pumpkin pie at 8am then putting it in the oven so I could have the turkey cooking by 10am. I have never even touched a raw turkey, so it was a little interesting, but with the general instructions from my mom I managed to open it up, remove the innards and stuff it with the stuffing. It turned out to be a very good thing that I put the bird in the oven at 10am (as you will come to find out it took quite a while to get to the point of eating it…). The rest of the day went smoothly – prepping the tables, decorating and putting up a Christmas tree at the school (where I was cooking and we were hosting the big event) and I even got to go for a run while the bird was sweating away in the oven. The rest of the stuff were kind of last-minute things – I had to wait for the turkey to be done to put in the sweet potato casserole, and the corn and the mashed potatoes and gravy would wait until just about eating time as well.
Now I knew the turkey would take awhile to cook but I thought that putting it in at 10am for the 6pm dinner time would be somewhat sufficient. My mom told me that her stuffed 19 lb turkey had taken 6.5 hrs so here I had 8 hrs to spare. Plus, I knew we wouldn’t eat at exactly 6 anyway…people tend to arrive kind of late and you don’t usually walk in the door, sit down and stuff your face right away. But at 6pm when my meat thermometer only read 160 degrees and stayed that way for the next 30 minutes I got a little nervous. I had to call my mom and plead my case for this turkey that had cooked for 8.5 hrs and still only read 160 degrees. (Another note worth mentioning is that Luisa drove around to about 11 different places and ended up having to go all the way in almost downtown San Jose to get a hold of a meat thermometer!) I decided to turn up the oven just the slightest and do my best to be patient. At 7 I saw a little progress on the thermometer and by 7:30pm I was thrilled to find my thermometer read 180 and the built-in timer pop up as well. Finally! It was a hefty guy to pull out of the oven – given the 22lbs of bird plus the additional weight of the stuffing – but I managed. I gave it the mandatory 20-30 minutes of chill time and got the last items in the oven and on the stove before enlisting Luisa’s brother, Benson, to handle the task of carving. I will say that the bird came out a perfect golden brown and glistening. So with the bird all sliced up and the rest of the goods out on the serving table we started the feast about 8pm. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the food, as evidenced by the comments as well as the nearly licked-clean plates that were finally retired to the kitchen.
After eating I shared my bit of history and tradition of Thanksgiving with everyone. It turned out to be almost 20 minutes long, although to me seemed only about 5. I did it all in Spanish and Luisa told me afterward that it had sounded good and very fluid, so that was cool. Then came the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream and whipping cream (bummer that Cool Whip is not available here…) which was also received with praise, although by already full stomachs.
Luisa and I were at the school until about 11:30pm washing all the dishes and pots and pans and storing the leftovers (a good amount of turkey, a whole pie, and little bits of everything else). It was definitely a long day and very tiring by the end, but definitely worth it! I would say that my first Thanksgiving meal was a smashing success. And it doesn’t hurt that it was probably the best Thanksgiving meal my guests had ever eaten! Ha. That was a little bit of a comfort for me as I was cooking and preparing – at least they couldn’t say “It’s not as good as last year!”
By Thursday the menu was set (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn, cranberries, rolls, gravy and pumpkin pie) and I went to the store to pick up all the essentials. Things like sweet potatoes, a roasting pan, potato flakes, and corn were easy. Luckily, my favorite neighborhood store had a small little display of Thanksgiving foods including the Stove Top stuffing and the turkey gravy mix. Unfortunately they were out of cranberries (which were given up on after 3 stores proved fruitless) and come to find out that green beans are a hard find fresh, they don’t exist in the can, I would have had to improvise for the cream of mushroom soup, and the fried onions – yeah, right. Anyway, so that was immediately scratched off the list. It took a bit of hunting to come across pie plates (not big on pies here, I guess…they are more cake people) but ended up having success in that department. When I was at the store I ran into another American girl who was shopping to make Thanksgiving dinner as well. She had run into some of the same difficulties as I had – lack of essential items – and I ended up giving her my pie crust recipe right there in the middle of the store because she couldn’t find a premade one. Talking with her about all that was involved and thinking about the 16 dinner attendants I would be feeding got me a little nervous. Especially considering I had never done more to prepare the Thanksgiving feast than the green bean casserole – and that was the one thing I couldn’t make here!
The last and most important, of course, was the turkey and since my research had taught me that a frozen bird needs a couple days of refrigeration to thaw, I was definitely on the hunt for a fresh one. There were a couple available at my grocery store, but we had decided to also try at Costco in hopes of a better price. We didn’t make it there until early evening, so when it was discovered that they only had frozen solid birds, or precooked “smoked” ones, I got a little anxious and started imaging what we would tell the guests when they arrived to a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. Thank the Lord though that the turkeys I had seen at the first store were there still, although we ended up buying a partially frozen one because it was a bit bigger – 10.9 kg to be exact (about 22 lbs). So that night I let the turkey sit in a bath of warm water to aid in the thawing process, and made the pie crust and had it all ready to go in the pan to alleviate some of the rush in the morning.
Friday started off with making the pumpkin pie at 8am then putting it in the oven so I could have the turkey cooking by 10am. I have never even touched a raw turkey, so it was a little interesting, but with the general instructions from my mom I managed to open it up, remove the innards and stuff it with the stuffing. It turned out to be a very good thing that I put the bird in the oven at 10am (as you will come to find out it took quite a while to get to the point of eating it…). The rest of the day went smoothly – prepping the tables, decorating and putting up a Christmas tree at the school (where I was cooking and we were hosting the big event) and I even got to go for a run while the bird was sweating away in the oven. The rest of the stuff were kind of last-minute things – I had to wait for the turkey to be done to put in the sweet potato casserole, and the corn and the mashed potatoes and gravy would wait until just about eating time as well.
Now I knew the turkey would take awhile to cook but I thought that putting it in at 10am for the 6pm dinner time would be somewhat sufficient. My mom told me that her stuffed 19 lb turkey had taken 6.5 hrs so here I had 8 hrs to spare. Plus, I knew we wouldn’t eat at exactly 6 anyway…people tend to arrive kind of late and you don’t usually walk in the door, sit down and stuff your face right away. But at 6pm when my meat thermometer only read 160 degrees and stayed that way for the next 30 minutes I got a little nervous. I had to call my mom and plead my case for this turkey that had cooked for 8.5 hrs and still only read 160 degrees. (Another note worth mentioning is that Luisa drove around to about 11 different places and ended up having to go all the way in almost downtown San Jose to get a hold of a meat thermometer!) I decided to turn up the oven just the slightest and do my best to be patient. At 7 I saw a little progress on the thermometer and by 7:30pm I was thrilled to find my thermometer read 180 and the built-in timer pop up as well. Finally! It was a hefty guy to pull out of the oven – given the 22lbs of bird plus the additional weight of the stuffing – but I managed. I gave it the mandatory 20-30 minutes of chill time and got the last items in the oven and on the stove before enlisting Luisa’s brother, Benson, to handle the task of carving. I will say that the bird came out a perfect golden brown and glistening. So with the bird all sliced up and the rest of the goods out on the serving table we started the feast about 8pm. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the food, as evidenced by the comments as well as the nearly licked-clean plates that were finally retired to the kitchen.
After eating I shared my bit of history and tradition of Thanksgiving with everyone. It turned out to be almost 20 minutes long, although to me seemed only about 5. I did it all in Spanish and Luisa told me afterward that it had sounded good and very fluid, so that was cool. Then came the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream and whipping cream (bummer that Cool Whip is not available here…) which was also received with praise, although by already full stomachs.
Luisa and I were at the school until about 11:30pm washing all the dishes and pots and pans and storing the leftovers (a good amount of turkey, a whole pie, and little bits of everything else). It was definitely a long day and very tiring by the end, but definitely worth it! I would say that my first Thanksgiving meal was a smashing success. And it doesn’t hurt that it was probably the best Thanksgiving meal my guests had ever eaten! Ha. That was a little bit of a comfort for me as I was cooking and preparing – at least they couldn’t say “It’s not as good as last year!”
posted by Dynasty goes to CR at
6:08 AM
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GUATEMALA 10/24-29
Our trip across the border and into Guatemala was smooth, 5-star sailing, considering the modes of transportation we had experience thus far. We were able to take a mini-van shuttle bus that picked us up from our hotel in Copan Ruins, Honduras and drove us all the way right into Antigua, Guatemala. There was only 6 of us in the 10+ passenger van, so it was roomy and comfy, plus featured 2 tv screens on the back of the driver and passenger seats and DVD player – so we even watched a movie. The border crossing was quick and uneventful, as was most of the drive, until we arrived in Guatemala City right about 5:00pm. There was a ton of traffic and we had to make a few stops to drop people off in different parts of the city, so it turned out to be a pretty extensive driving tour. The whole trip ended up being about 7 hours long but it was nice to not have to change buses or anything along the way. Just sit back and enjoy the ride…
Antigua – A popular and well-known spot in Guatemala, it has become quite the tourist and vacationer hot spot. Although it maintains a lot of its age in the old structures and cobble-stone streets, it has become a more modern and up-scale destination. Featuring the favorite fast-food joints (although without the obnoxiously large plastic signs, nor traditional building structure), lots of fancy candle-lit, white linen napkin dining establishments, fine wine, chocolate, and tobacco shops, fine jewelry, and expensive boutique-like clothing. Not exactly what one thinks of in regards to Guatemala in the old days… In addition, it has become home to innumerable language schools and institutes – attracting many young foreigners who want to study Spanish. It seemed to me almost to have a small college town feel and I am thankful for the more genuine and “real” experience I had for learning Spanish in Heredia. The first hostel we stopped at appeared to be more like a college frat house than anything else, so we moved on in search of something a little more our style. We ended up at a little hotel/hostel called “Los Amigos” – the sight of what seemed to be live-in travelers and the tiger print bedspreads were a little less than appealing to me, but I told myself “you are traveling… this is what it is all about.” Our first attempt for some traditional Guatemalan food proved to be fairly successful on my end (chicken soup) but a total flop for Blake, such that he had to resort to Burger King as a follow-up. And come to find out, “Los Amigos” (the friends) was an appropriate name for our accommodations because there was more than one creepy, crawly friend to be found in the room. It was a bit of a rough night for me – passed curled up in a tight little ball, muscles tense, trying to make as little contact with the bed, and any other “friends” that might have been around. I just prayed for morning to come quick so we could be on our way.
Antigua has a huge marketplace area. There is an incredible maze of goods all under a large warehouse-lik building, plus just as many vendors or more surrounding the outside. This marketplace was like a Super Target or Walmart or Fred Meyer – the true definition of one-stop shopping. Within all this madness (probably about 1 square block or so) one could find anything from fresh fruits and veggies, fresh cut (or waiting to be cut) meat, chicken, or fish, all varieties of seafood and shellfish, kitchen supplies (dishes, pots, pans, blender parts, etc), tools for the home and shop (screwdrivers, nails, machetes, you name it), flour, sugar, and spices all in bulk, dog and cat food, flowers, not to mention the full department store-sized collection of clothes and shoes. On one outer edge of the marketplace was a dirt soccer field were men’s teams were playing. It seemed a little odd to me that all these grown men were available to be playing soccer at 11am on a Wednesday, but who knows? Maybe it was the Night Shift League…
LAKE ATITLAN / SANTIAGO
After a leisurely morning enjoying the sunshine in Antigua, we picked up our rental car and headed out to Lake Atitlan. We arrived mid afternoon and it wasn’t completely clear, but we could see the lake and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes through the clouds. We ended up parking the car and taking a mini ferry of sorts across the lake to a town called Santiago. Thus far in our time driving through Guatemala we had seen a lot of indigenous Mayan peoples, most of whom still wear the traditional hand-woven clothing. At least the women and girls do, that is. Brightly colored long wrap-around style skirts, with shirts with equally brilliantly colored woven designs of flowers, butterflies, and patterns of the like. Throughout our drive we had seen them walking along the side of the road, carrying baskets of goods on their heads, and working in the fields on the hills as well. In Santiago these traditionally-dressed indigenous people were definitely the majority, and even some of the men wore traditional garb as well – white, mid-calf length sailor-type pants, a long woven wrap-around-and-tie-belt, and hand-woven top. We arrived in the village around 6pm (it is dark by this time) and a local man met us at the dock and offered to show us to the few hotels in the town. We ended up at a decent spot, kind of mid-construction on the upper levels of the building, and we were definitely the only guests, but not bad all things considering. Walked around the town a bit in search of a restaurant but ended up finding the most food activity in what appeared to be the center park area. Lots of people were gathered and there were several “street food” shops set up. Not a disappointment at all for me! We sampled some tomales, different types of tacos, and even a hot drink that was made from plantains. On the cement basketball court in front of the school there were about 4 different soccer games going on at once. The kids didn’t seem to mind, nor be confused as to who they were playing with, against, and what direction they were going. Quite the sight to see. We finished the night with some coffee and cards at one restaurant that we did find. As we sat outside in the patio we became quite the sight in town, especially for the kids. They gathered around, sat at our table, watched us play cards, asked us for money, beer, and even water.
We decided to try and get some sunrise photos of the lake and surrounding volcanoes so got up around 5am and walked down to the dock. It was a beautiful sight to watch as the sun light up the peaceful town and illuminated the volcanoes on either side of the village, and the lake and the docks and small boats and fishermen as they headed out to work. It was a gorgeous day with clear, blue skies and lots of sunshine. We had another peaceful morning on the rooftop patio/deck of our breakfast restaurant and read and wrote and just enjoyed the sunshine and views before taking a ski boat-type ferry back across to our car.
QUETZALTENANGO
Our drive to this next destination turned out to include a significant delay due to some major construction on the highway. We sat in a line with all the other cars for probably about 30 minutes, but it was anything but boring. There were all sorts of people walking up and down the line of cars selling food snacks, drinks, and even cds. Plus there was a guy with a hot dog cart. The side of the road had been turned into the public bathroom – guys right on the edge of the road and women a little farther back into the brush and trees. There were a couple little boys that had gathered at our window and were asking us for money. Using the little English they knew to make their requests: “Give me 1 dollar.” I told one of them that I would gladly give him a dollar if he gave me 6 Quetzals in return (just under the going exchange rate). A couple kids laughed but this boy said, “5 Quetzals” so I said Ok and we made the exchange. Blake and I told him that he had to save that dollar, that in 10 years it could be worth a lot more, and that he should save it until one day when he could go to the States himself. Word quickly spread about the deal that had been struck and soon they were lining up – kids and even some adults – to do business with our newly established banking institution. We didn’t have any more 1 dollar bills so unfortunately we had to close shop early, but there was at least on happy kid among the group.
The city of Quetzaltenango proved to be a more developed and modern town, although the influence and presence of the Mayan culture was still evident. The center square of the town was very much like a mid-sized European town with architecture of the like and even a large round-about roadway surrounding the center park/plaza area. We made another mini street fair tour with some mini tacos, a tostada, some mini breads, and arroz con leche (rice with milk). There was a restaurant on the second floor of one of the old buildings that had a great patio overlooking the plaza and park, so we had a great time just chatting, having a drink, and enjoying the views of the city and life below.
HOT SPRINGS & THE BEACH
We headed out early and once again found ourselves at a loss for any coffee shops or cafés that were open – even though it was almost 8am. I think folks around here would be shocked to hear about Starbucks opening at 5am. On our way out to the beach we saw a sign for the aguas termales (hot springs) so we figured we would make the side trip and check it out. It definitely proved worthwhile. A gorgeous drive up the mountain with beautiful views of the valley below and steep slope up the mountain on the other side, plus some pretty immaculately cared-for fields of all sorts of crops. The hot springs proved to be just that as well – some great steaming hot water coming out of the side of the mountain. Add to that the crisp early morning mountain air (we were well over 1 ½ miles of elevation) and blue skies and it made for a great way to start the day. The rest of the drive was smooth, save for the time when we had to pull over and stop on the side of the road so that the racers of a fairly major international, multi-day bike tour race rode on by as they climbed up the mountains. We made it out to the beach in the early afternoon and made a drive though the town. It was definitely a local spot – not big on tourists or visitors, especially not those from other countries. We found a nice looking hotel that was right on the beach and decided to “splurge” for a night. The $40 seemed like a lot to us, but in comparing that with the low-grade, sketchy neighborhood room-for-one at Motel 6 that would get you in the States, it was really a good deal. It was a hot, hot day at the beach so we immediately headed for the water. The beach was wide and vast and the view of the ocean was one of those where it seemed like you could see straight off until forever for 180 degrees without anything to block the view of blue ocean and blue sky. We finally got to see our first sunset at the beach, just in time considering we only had one more night left on the trip. Dinner turned out to be another street fair sampler – once again to my delight. This time it featured some sandwiches grilled on a bbq filled with black beans or grilled beef. Plus some fresh plantain chips, blended pineapple juice served in a bag with a straw, and ice cream for dessert. There were tons of people out and about in the town riding bikes and walking, loud music from the bars and restaurants, and all sorts of life and activity. We finished our night off in our typical fashion with some Bridge, this time by the pool at our hotel. Not bad.
ANTIGUA (AGAIN) AND VOLCAN PACAYA
We got ourselves up at 5am once again (what a vacation), but it was worthwhile to enjoy the sunrise at the beach. This beach was a good one because the way it faced allowed one to enjoy both the sunrise and sunset from the same spot. On our drive back to Antigua we made a side trip to Lake Amatitlan, which is apparently the “oldest” lake in Central America. Both of us are a little unsure how one measures the age of a lake, nor have we heard age much mentioned in regards to lakes, but hey – don’t let us get in the way of their claim to fame… Turns out that isn’t the only claim… in the main lakeside town they feature and recently constructed gondola that leaves from the shore of the lake goes up the side of the mountain. It was a pretty serious gondola too – very similar to those in Vail that that take loads of skiers and boarders up the mountain for a day of fun in the powdery white stuff. Of course the white stuff was missing here, so we are not really sure why the government thought that this gondola would be such a great investment of public funds…. We made it back to Antigua around midday, checked into a hostel (the gringo-filled madhouse we had stopped at our first night in town), turned in the rental car, then had a few hours to kill before heading out for our evening volcano hike tour. By 3pm we were fully loaded with 12 others in the typical minivan-bus and made the 1.5 hr trip up to the top of Volcan Pacaya. This is the most active volcano in Guatemala and they run tours in the afternoon so that people can hike up the volcano to the very peak and watch the lava flow in the dark. It was about an hour hike up to the top and it was dark, very windy, and chilly by the time we reached the peak. Chilly, that is, until we started getting closer and closer to the lava, all the while walking upon cooled lava that had spilled out in the past months and which can best be described as giant-sized burnt popcorn. We were able to make our way to within feet of current flows, and were able to see flows coming down on all sides in streams all over the peak of the mountain. What an incredible experience, and a great way to end our trip with something very unique and memorable.
We didn’t make it back to Antigua until around 9pm, then had a disappointing “last supper” at a “looks aren’t everything” restaurant – meaning it looked like it should be really good and they charged like it should be really good, but it wasn’t. Bummer.
GOODBYE
Our airport shuttle came to pick us up at 5am and we were at the airport by 6am and all checked in, taxes paid, and ready to go by about 6:30am. We had our true last meal of coffee and pastry in the airport waiting area before my flight left at 8 and my brother’s at 9. It was sad to say goodbye and have the trip come to an end, but it had been quite an enjoyable success – one I would gladly do again, next time in....Peru?
Antigua – A popular and well-known spot in Guatemala, it has become quite the tourist and vacationer hot spot. Although it maintains a lot of its age in the old structures and cobble-stone streets, it has become a more modern and up-scale destination. Featuring the favorite fast-food joints (although without the obnoxiously large plastic signs, nor traditional building structure), lots of fancy candle-lit, white linen napkin dining establishments, fine wine, chocolate, and tobacco shops, fine jewelry, and expensive boutique-like clothing. Not exactly what one thinks of in regards to Guatemala in the old days… In addition, it has become home to innumerable language schools and institutes – attracting many young foreigners who want to study Spanish. It seemed to me almost to have a small college town feel and I am thankful for the more genuine and “real” experience I had for learning Spanish in Heredia. The first hostel we stopped at appeared to be more like a college frat house than anything else, so we moved on in search of something a little more our style. We ended up at a little hotel/hostel called “Los Amigos” – the sight of what seemed to be live-in travelers and the tiger print bedspreads were a little less than appealing to me, but I told myself “you are traveling… this is what it is all about.” Our first attempt for some traditional Guatemalan food proved to be fairly successful on my end (chicken soup) but a total flop for Blake, such that he had to resort to Burger King as a follow-up. And come to find out, “Los Amigos” (the friends) was an appropriate name for our accommodations because there was more than one creepy, crawly friend to be found in the room. It was a bit of a rough night for me – passed curled up in a tight little ball, muscles tense, trying to make as little contact with the bed, and any other “friends” that might have been around. I just prayed for morning to come quick so we could be on our way.
Antigua has a huge marketplace area. There is an incredible maze of goods all under a large warehouse-lik building, plus just as many vendors or more surrounding the outside. This marketplace was like a Super Target or Walmart or Fred Meyer – the true definition of one-stop shopping. Within all this madness (probably about 1 square block or so) one could find anything from fresh fruits and veggies, fresh cut (or waiting to be cut) meat, chicken, or fish, all varieties of seafood and shellfish, kitchen supplies (dishes, pots, pans, blender parts, etc), tools for the home and shop (screwdrivers, nails, machetes, you name it), flour, sugar, and spices all in bulk, dog and cat food, flowers, not to mention the full department store-sized collection of clothes and shoes. On one outer edge of the marketplace was a dirt soccer field were men’s teams were playing. It seemed a little odd to me that all these grown men were available to be playing soccer at 11am on a Wednesday, but who knows? Maybe it was the Night Shift League…
LAKE ATITLAN / SANTIAGO
After a leisurely morning enjoying the sunshine in Antigua, we picked up our rental car and headed out to Lake Atitlan. We arrived mid afternoon and it wasn’t completely clear, but we could see the lake and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes through the clouds. We ended up parking the car and taking a mini ferry of sorts across the lake to a town called Santiago. Thus far in our time driving through Guatemala we had seen a lot of indigenous Mayan peoples, most of whom still wear the traditional hand-woven clothing. At least the women and girls do, that is. Brightly colored long wrap-around style skirts, with shirts with equally brilliantly colored woven designs of flowers, butterflies, and patterns of the like. Throughout our drive we had seen them walking along the side of the road, carrying baskets of goods on their heads, and working in the fields on the hills as well. In Santiago these traditionally-dressed indigenous people were definitely the majority, and even some of the men wore traditional garb as well – white, mid-calf length sailor-type pants, a long woven wrap-around-and-tie-belt, and hand-woven top. We arrived in the village around 6pm (it is dark by this time) and a local man met us at the dock and offered to show us to the few hotels in the town. We ended up at a decent spot, kind of mid-construction on the upper levels of the building, and we were definitely the only guests, but not bad all things considering. Walked around the town a bit in search of a restaurant but ended up finding the most food activity in what appeared to be the center park area. Lots of people were gathered and there were several “street food” shops set up. Not a disappointment at all for me! We sampled some tomales, different types of tacos, and even a hot drink that was made from plantains. On the cement basketball court in front of the school there were about 4 different soccer games going on at once. The kids didn’t seem to mind, nor be confused as to who they were playing with, against, and what direction they were going. Quite the sight to see. We finished the night with some coffee and cards at one restaurant that we did find. As we sat outside in the patio we became quite the sight in town, especially for the kids. They gathered around, sat at our table, watched us play cards, asked us for money, beer, and even water.
We decided to try and get some sunrise photos of the lake and surrounding volcanoes so got up around 5am and walked down to the dock. It was a beautiful sight to watch as the sun light up the peaceful town and illuminated the volcanoes on either side of the village, and the lake and the docks and small boats and fishermen as they headed out to work. It was a gorgeous day with clear, blue skies and lots of sunshine. We had another peaceful morning on the rooftop patio/deck of our breakfast restaurant and read and wrote and just enjoyed the sunshine and views before taking a ski boat-type ferry back across to our car.
QUETZALTENANGO
Our drive to this next destination turned out to include a significant delay due to some major construction on the highway. We sat in a line with all the other cars for probably about 30 minutes, but it was anything but boring. There were all sorts of people walking up and down the line of cars selling food snacks, drinks, and even cds. Plus there was a guy with a hot dog cart. The side of the road had been turned into the public bathroom – guys right on the edge of the road and women a little farther back into the brush and trees. There were a couple little boys that had gathered at our window and were asking us for money. Using the little English they knew to make their requests: “Give me 1 dollar.” I told one of them that I would gladly give him a dollar if he gave me 6 Quetzals in return (just under the going exchange rate). A couple kids laughed but this boy said, “5 Quetzals” so I said Ok and we made the exchange. Blake and I told him that he had to save that dollar, that in 10 years it could be worth a lot more, and that he should save it until one day when he could go to the States himself. Word quickly spread about the deal that had been struck and soon they were lining up – kids and even some adults – to do business with our newly established banking institution. We didn’t have any more 1 dollar bills so unfortunately we had to close shop early, but there was at least on happy kid among the group.
The city of Quetzaltenango proved to be a more developed and modern town, although the influence and presence of the Mayan culture was still evident. The center square of the town was very much like a mid-sized European town with architecture of the like and even a large round-about roadway surrounding the center park/plaza area. We made another mini street fair tour with some mini tacos, a tostada, some mini breads, and arroz con leche (rice with milk). There was a restaurant on the second floor of one of the old buildings that had a great patio overlooking the plaza and park, so we had a great time just chatting, having a drink, and enjoying the views of the city and life below.
HOT SPRINGS & THE BEACH
We headed out early and once again found ourselves at a loss for any coffee shops or cafés that were open – even though it was almost 8am. I think folks around here would be shocked to hear about Starbucks opening at 5am. On our way out to the beach we saw a sign for the aguas termales (hot springs) so we figured we would make the side trip and check it out. It definitely proved worthwhile. A gorgeous drive up the mountain with beautiful views of the valley below and steep slope up the mountain on the other side, plus some pretty immaculately cared-for fields of all sorts of crops. The hot springs proved to be just that as well – some great steaming hot water coming out of the side of the mountain. Add to that the crisp early morning mountain air (we were well over 1 ½ miles of elevation) and blue skies and it made for a great way to start the day. The rest of the drive was smooth, save for the time when we had to pull over and stop on the side of the road so that the racers of a fairly major international, multi-day bike tour race rode on by as they climbed up the mountains. We made it out to the beach in the early afternoon and made a drive though the town. It was definitely a local spot – not big on tourists or visitors, especially not those from other countries. We found a nice looking hotel that was right on the beach and decided to “splurge” for a night. The $40 seemed like a lot to us, but in comparing that with the low-grade, sketchy neighborhood room-for-one at Motel 6 that would get you in the States, it was really a good deal. It was a hot, hot day at the beach so we immediately headed for the water. The beach was wide and vast and the view of the ocean was one of those where it seemed like you could see straight off until forever for 180 degrees without anything to block the view of blue ocean and blue sky. We finally got to see our first sunset at the beach, just in time considering we only had one more night left on the trip. Dinner turned out to be another street fair sampler – once again to my delight. This time it featured some sandwiches grilled on a bbq filled with black beans or grilled beef. Plus some fresh plantain chips, blended pineapple juice served in a bag with a straw, and ice cream for dessert. There were tons of people out and about in the town riding bikes and walking, loud music from the bars and restaurants, and all sorts of life and activity. We finished our night off in our typical fashion with some Bridge, this time by the pool at our hotel. Not bad.
ANTIGUA (AGAIN) AND VOLCAN PACAYA
We got ourselves up at 5am once again (what a vacation), but it was worthwhile to enjoy the sunrise at the beach. This beach was a good one because the way it faced allowed one to enjoy both the sunrise and sunset from the same spot. On our drive back to Antigua we made a side trip to Lake Amatitlan, which is apparently the “oldest” lake in Central America. Both of us are a little unsure how one measures the age of a lake, nor have we heard age much mentioned in regards to lakes, but hey – don’t let us get in the way of their claim to fame… Turns out that isn’t the only claim… in the main lakeside town they feature and recently constructed gondola that leaves from the shore of the lake goes up the side of the mountain. It was a pretty serious gondola too – very similar to those in Vail that that take loads of skiers and boarders up the mountain for a day of fun in the powdery white stuff. Of course the white stuff was missing here, so we are not really sure why the government thought that this gondola would be such a great investment of public funds…. We made it back to Antigua around midday, checked into a hostel (the gringo-filled madhouse we had stopped at our first night in town), turned in the rental car, then had a few hours to kill before heading out for our evening volcano hike tour. By 3pm we were fully loaded with 12 others in the typical minivan-bus and made the 1.5 hr trip up to the top of Volcan Pacaya. This is the most active volcano in Guatemala and they run tours in the afternoon so that people can hike up the volcano to the very peak and watch the lava flow in the dark. It was about an hour hike up to the top and it was dark, very windy, and chilly by the time we reached the peak. Chilly, that is, until we started getting closer and closer to the lava, all the while walking upon cooled lava that had spilled out in the past months and which can best be described as giant-sized burnt popcorn. We were able to make our way to within feet of current flows, and were able to see flows coming down on all sides in streams all over the peak of the mountain. What an incredible experience, and a great way to end our trip with something very unique and memorable.
We didn’t make it back to Antigua until around 9pm, then had a disappointing “last supper” at a “looks aren’t everything” restaurant – meaning it looked like it should be really good and they charged like it should be really good, but it wasn’t. Bummer.
GOODBYE
Our airport shuttle came to pick us up at 5am and we were at the airport by 6am and all checked in, taxes paid, and ready to go by about 6:30am. We had our true last meal of coffee and pastry in the airport waiting area before my flight left at 8 and my brother’s at 9. It was sad to say goodbye and have the trip come to an end, but it had been quite an enjoyable success – one I would gladly do again, next time in....Peru?
posted by Dynasty goes to CR at
6:05 AM
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Thursday, November 02, 2006
On to Honduras... 10/21-24
So we dropped off our rental in Chinandenga, Nicaragua, hopped a bicycle taxi, rode in a mini-van bus to the border, were mobbed by "borderites" who were ready to feast on the gringos. Seriously, it was a mob scene. A bunch of bicyle taxists wait at the bus stop to try and pick up passengers that need to cross the border. So they run alongside the van before it even stops and peek in the window to see whose aboard. And of course upon spotting us they were immediately yelling that they would take us to the border. By the time we stopped they were on all sides of the van, calling into the windows. Blake and I were in the back seats and by the time the other passengers has gotten off, but before we had a chance to move, a couple of guys were climbing on the bus and trying to grab our bags for us and get us to ride their taxi. It was too much for me - I finally yelled out to them "Esperese, por favor! Hasta que bajamos. Fuera del bus!" Which means basically "hold your horses, PLEASE! Wait until we at least get off. Get out of the bus!" They seemed to be a little surprised by my outburst but it served to get them out of the van and a little breathing room for ourselves. After we got out and grabbed our bags they were right on us again like white on rice. The bus driver pointed out one guy to me who was standing back from the mob scene and told me to go with him, because he was well-known and a good guy. I was happy to oblige and enlist the services of someone a little less forceful so I pulled Blake out of the mob scene and we got on the bike and got out of there. The rest of the border experience was much more smooth and peacful, thank goodness. And when we made it safely to Honduras we were able to board a minivan bus that was leaving momentarily for the city and main bus station to the capital of Tegucigalpa.
WEATHER - Honduras was already an improvement in this department. It was a bit more of the "scattered showers" that we had been expecting rather than the all-day downpours. Still some clouds, but a bit more blue sky to be seen, and even a patch of sunshine or two.
TRANSPORTATION - Definitely a more developed country, Honduras doesn't feature the wide variety of man, motor, or animal-powered modes of transportation that we found in Nicaragua. After a short ride in the minivan from the border, we boarded a big tour-type bus for the 3 1/2 hour ride to Tegucigalpa. The plethora of salespeople with fruit, drinks, and food at the bus stop and even boarding the bus was not a new scene to me, but the fact that several young boys were selling microwaved popcorn was definitely a new photo op. Considering how much I love micro popcorn, I was loving the sight. I did refrain for purchasing though... I try to limit my intake of my usual American treats. Gotta try new stuff, right?! In Tegucigalpa the taxis were a sight to be scene. I would have to say that the average age of the cars was probably 1978 - a lot of old Toyota and Honda hatchbacks, and some crazy old station wagon types. It was like riding in luxury if we managed to snag a taxi from the 90s. Another thing about the taxis is they don't have meters. When you hail a cab you ask how much it will cost to your destination, and if you are not happy with the price you can try and bargain a bit, or try your luck with the next guy.
LIFE - The capital city of Honduras is a sharp contrast to that of Managua, Nicaragua. Gone are the donkey carts and available once again are all the American fast food chains. Plus the new "Megamall" in addition to the already present Multiplaza mall - both of which are as nice, if not nicer than malls in the states. Since Blake had lived about an hour or so away from the city for 9 months 4 years ago (while in the Army), he already knew his way around pretty well and had some old stomping grounds that we checked out. Teguc offers a fancy high rise Intercontinental Hotel, and Marriot among others. Plus Tony Romas and TGI Fridays. Definitely more like the major cities that one is used to in the states. There are still some old parts to the city, plus mostly narrow, windy, and hard to figure out where you are going streets. It seems like to get from any Point A to B you have to take 3 rights, a round about, 2 lefts, and a few up, down, and arounds. Everything is very spread out and there are lots of hills, so it is definitely not a place you go walking around from place to place.
SIGHTS - On one of the hills above the city there is a huge statue of Christ holding his arms out. During one patch of clear sky we hailed a cab to get up there and managed to get a few good photos of the city below before the clouds rolled in and the rain came. A definite highlight of Honduras was catching a Honduran league futbol match in the stadium. It was quite the scene of crazed fans dropping sticks of dynamite to support their team and get folks riled up. Plus, instead of the usual behind-the-counter hot dog and soda stands that we have, they have a bunch of street food carts set up all around the inside of the stadium. So its like a street food fair right there in the stadium. Plus there is no end to the folks that are walking up and down the aisles selling beer, soda, cigarettes, gum, banana chips, french frieds, and all sorts of other snacks. One can easily be so distracted by everything that is going on around and forget to watch the game. It proved to be an entertaining one though, and the hometeam came away with a 3-0 victory. Yipee.
After we left the capital city we stayed a night at the Copan Ruins, very near the border with Guatemala. This was a picturesque little town, complete with stone streets and steep hills and a cute center square, all with the back drop of lush green tree-covered hills. The town is a bit of a tourist spot as it is home to the southern most site of Mayan ruins.
ACCOMODATIONS - In Tegucigalpa we stayed at a new hostel, right across from the airport. It was nice and clean and offered free internet and even towels (which is definitely not a usual occurrence on the hostel scene). There were only a couple other folks at the hostel - a couple guys from California, one guy from England, and one guy from Denver (ironic). In Copan we found a great little hotel for cheaper than our hostel had been and even was a private room and bathroom with a TV. Pretty high class for us.
FOOD - We were definitely fans of the traditional Honduran food and had the most fabulous experience at a spot called El Patio. Aside from the great atmosphere - mariachi band, big wood tables and chairs, huge open dining area, and waitresses in traditional dresses - the food was definitely something to write home about. Each of the main meals comes with a whole boat load of sides, so its a good thing we just ordered one. First comes the anafre de frijoles and another de queso - basically this was a ceramic pot of refried-like (but better) beans, with a bit of cheese and sour cream-like sauce and homemade tortilla chips. All of this was sitting on another ceramic pot that had a little warming candle inside, making it like a bean fondue. The cheese one was the same type, but the cheese itself is what really makes it great. Its a white cheese, kind of like mozarella, but better. Then there was a side of veggies (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower) that had been soaked in a vinagre juice of some sort (thoroughly enjoyed by me - the veggie eater of the 2 of us) and then another side of a tomato, onion, cilantro, pico-de-gallo-like salsa (also thoroughly enjoyed by me - the only tomato eater in the group). That was enough to fill me up, but Blake still had the main course coming... a HUGE skewer (probably 14 inches long at least) of big chunks of pork and beef, grilled to perfection. Blake somehow managed to put away the beef while I handled the tasty grilled carrot slices in between each. Needless to say, we left very fat and happy, and quite satisfied with our traditional Honduran food experience. We enjoyed another anafre of beens and cheese with chips in Copan, as well. Had to get at least one more in before crossing the border! And there was a nice surprise when the lemonade drink I ordered proved to be fresh indeed, and was more like a lime slushy. I am won over by the strangest littlest things... Oh, I also had the most delicious cream of asparragus soup in Copan. It was totally fresh, not too creamy, and just the perfect flavor. Plus it came with this fabulous homemade garlic bread, even with little chunks of fresh grilled garlic and herbs on top. Turns out it was made out of a hot dog bun, but who cares?! Definitely the best hot dog bun I have ever eaten!
So Honduras receives a good overall rating in my book. The food didn't disappoint, the weather proved a little more condusive to travel and exploration, and we got to do and see a lot of different stuff - from a local futbol match, to seeing Mayan ruins, to having a drink in the fancy lounge of the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel.
WEATHER - Honduras was already an improvement in this department. It was a bit more of the "scattered showers" that we had been expecting rather than the all-day downpours. Still some clouds, but a bit more blue sky to be seen, and even a patch of sunshine or two.
TRANSPORTATION - Definitely a more developed country, Honduras doesn't feature the wide variety of man, motor, or animal-powered modes of transportation that we found in Nicaragua. After a short ride in the minivan from the border, we boarded a big tour-type bus for the 3 1/2 hour ride to Tegucigalpa. The plethora of salespeople with fruit, drinks, and food at the bus stop and even boarding the bus was not a new scene to me, but the fact that several young boys were selling microwaved popcorn was definitely a new photo op. Considering how much I love micro popcorn, I was loving the sight. I did refrain for purchasing though... I try to limit my intake of my usual American treats. Gotta try new stuff, right?! In Tegucigalpa the taxis were a sight to be scene. I would have to say that the average age of the cars was probably 1978 - a lot of old Toyota and Honda hatchbacks, and some crazy old station wagon types. It was like riding in luxury if we managed to snag a taxi from the 90s. Another thing about the taxis is they don't have meters. When you hail a cab you ask how much it will cost to your destination, and if you are not happy with the price you can try and bargain a bit, or try your luck with the next guy.
LIFE - The capital city of Honduras is a sharp contrast to that of Managua, Nicaragua. Gone are the donkey carts and available once again are all the American fast food chains. Plus the new "Megamall" in addition to the already present Multiplaza mall - both of which are as nice, if not nicer than malls in the states. Since Blake had lived about an hour or so away from the city for 9 months 4 years ago (while in the Army), he already knew his way around pretty well and had some old stomping grounds that we checked out. Teguc offers a fancy high rise Intercontinental Hotel, and Marriot among others. Plus Tony Romas and TGI Fridays. Definitely more like the major cities that one is used to in the states. There are still some old parts to the city, plus mostly narrow, windy, and hard to figure out where you are going streets. It seems like to get from any Point A to B you have to take 3 rights, a round about, 2 lefts, and a few up, down, and arounds. Everything is very spread out and there are lots of hills, so it is definitely not a place you go walking around from place to place.
SIGHTS - On one of the hills above the city there is a huge statue of Christ holding his arms out. During one patch of clear sky we hailed a cab to get up there and managed to get a few good photos of the city below before the clouds rolled in and the rain came. A definite highlight of Honduras was catching a Honduran league futbol match in the stadium. It was quite the scene of crazed fans dropping sticks of dynamite to support their team and get folks riled up. Plus, instead of the usual behind-the-counter hot dog and soda stands that we have, they have a bunch of street food carts set up all around the inside of the stadium. So its like a street food fair right there in the stadium. Plus there is no end to the folks that are walking up and down the aisles selling beer, soda, cigarettes, gum, banana chips, french frieds, and all sorts of other snacks. One can easily be so distracted by everything that is going on around and forget to watch the game. It proved to be an entertaining one though, and the hometeam came away with a 3-0 victory. Yipee.
After we left the capital city we stayed a night at the Copan Ruins, very near the border with Guatemala. This was a picturesque little town, complete with stone streets and steep hills and a cute center square, all with the back drop of lush green tree-covered hills. The town is a bit of a tourist spot as it is home to the southern most site of Mayan ruins.
ACCOMODATIONS - In Tegucigalpa we stayed at a new hostel, right across from the airport. It was nice and clean and offered free internet and even towels (which is definitely not a usual occurrence on the hostel scene). There were only a couple other folks at the hostel - a couple guys from California, one guy from England, and one guy from Denver (ironic). In Copan we found a great little hotel for cheaper than our hostel had been and even was a private room and bathroom with a TV. Pretty high class for us.
FOOD - We were definitely fans of the traditional Honduran food and had the most fabulous experience at a spot called El Patio. Aside from the great atmosphere - mariachi band, big wood tables and chairs, huge open dining area, and waitresses in traditional dresses - the food was definitely something to write home about. Each of the main meals comes with a whole boat load of sides, so its a good thing we just ordered one. First comes the anafre de frijoles and another de queso - basically this was a ceramic pot of refried-like (but better) beans, with a bit of cheese and sour cream-like sauce and homemade tortilla chips. All of this was sitting on another ceramic pot that had a little warming candle inside, making it like a bean fondue. The cheese one was the same type, but the cheese itself is what really makes it great. Its a white cheese, kind of like mozarella, but better. Then there was a side of veggies (broccoli, carrot, cauliflower) that had been soaked in a vinagre juice of some sort (thoroughly enjoyed by me - the veggie eater of the 2 of us) and then another side of a tomato, onion, cilantro, pico-de-gallo-like salsa (also thoroughly enjoyed by me - the only tomato eater in the group). That was enough to fill me up, but Blake still had the main course coming... a HUGE skewer (probably 14 inches long at least) of big chunks of pork and beef, grilled to perfection. Blake somehow managed to put away the beef while I handled the tasty grilled carrot slices in between each. Needless to say, we left very fat and happy, and quite satisfied with our traditional Honduran food experience. We enjoyed another anafre of beens and cheese with chips in Copan, as well. Had to get at least one more in before crossing the border! And there was a nice surprise when the lemonade drink I ordered proved to be fresh indeed, and was more like a lime slushy. I am won over by the strangest littlest things... Oh, I also had the most delicious cream of asparragus soup in Copan. It was totally fresh, not too creamy, and just the perfect flavor. Plus it came with this fabulous homemade garlic bread, even with little chunks of fresh grilled garlic and herbs on top. Turns out it was made out of a hot dog bun, but who cares?! Definitely the best hot dog bun I have ever eaten!
So Honduras receives a good overall rating in my book. The food didn't disappoint, the weather proved a little more condusive to travel and exploration, and we got to do and see a lot of different stuff - from a local futbol match, to seeing Mayan ruins, to having a drink in the fancy lounge of the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel.
posted by Dynasty goes to CR at
10:49 AM
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