2015 Guatemala Trip Day Three - Visiting Jose & Cesar . . . and the Best Valentine's Day Gifts Ever!

First off, I have to say that I kind of hated my hotel through the second day because the bed was like a brick.  I made a "bed" of pillows on top of the bed and then it was MUCH better.  Housekeeping noticed this and kindly brought a thick blanket and mattress topper though and life was good after that!

Patulul is about a two hour drive away from Guatemala City heading down the mountains toward the Pacific Coast.  It is also about 20 degrees hotter at all times.  As you come down the mountain, you start to feel the heat and it was a balmy 92 degrees today.  Fortunately, it has been warmer at home (in the 60s instead of the 20s my last trip), so I got a little shiny, but I didn't turn BRIGHT red.  I don't really own any long, light-weight dresses, so I borrowed one . . . aka the most unflattering dress in the world.  It was too big and had POCKETS, so it puffed out at the hips (ugh) - not really what I'm going for when I know a hundred pictures are going to be taken of me!

When we reached the community center, the family had decorated like last time, but this time the boys had picked out Valentine's Day gifts for me!  Cesar had picked the two bears and Jose picked out the duck.  Best. Valentine's. Ever.  Jose also made sure to tell me that he remembered when I visited before when he was "little" (aka 19 months ago) since he's almost 14 now. ;-)

We were then off and on our way to ice cream.  The father proudly told me that the dairy came from local cows - local as in right next door!

The kids had wanted chocolate, but sadly that wasn't a flavor available that day, so they went with strawberry and lime.  Below: Jose, Evelyn and Cesar waiting patiently.

The family enjoying ice cream, incuding little Selvin, mom Blanca and dad Jose.  I really appreciate it that Jose takes the day off work for the visit because it is rare for the father to join during sponsor visits!  I also don't sponsor Evelyn (she has another sponsor) or Selvin, but Selvin is young enough he would need to come and I'm not leaving just Evelyn out!

When bigger brother graduates, my plan is to add Selvin (assuming somebody doesn't snatch him up first) because who could resist this little face?  The staff told me that his mom told Selvin that I'd come from the United States to take him home with me and he was like, "oh ok."  I told him no because he'd miss his parents and siblings!

We soon left to head to the restaurant we were having lunch at, which also has a play area for kids, called Cabana Don Manuel.  On the way to lunch, we had a near miss of some sort (I didn't see the cause) and the van had to stop rapidly.  The two boys I sponsor had copied me in buckling their seat belts, which was good since we were in the front row.  It isn't common to wear seat belts here, even the staff and drivers, so little Selvin hit his face against the seat in front of him and Evelyn flew forward three rows into the staff person sitting there to translate.  All of the kids were ok, but Evelyn buckled in after that.  It also turns out two of the kids may have issues with dairy as both Cesar and Selvin got sick!  Fortunately, I come from a long-line of well-prepared people, so I travel with wet wipes and plastic bags . . . and I had a new shirt for Cesar so he could change.  After that, things were much less eventful!

This trip felt much less awkward and I noticed the kids and parents were also less nervous, although I think my Spanish has gotten 10x worse!  Since I plan to return and travel to other Spanish-speaking countries, I've decided to become fluent . . . wish me luck!

Prices at Cabana Don Manuel were very reasonable and it was under $10 for a 4 oz steak dinner with lots of sides and a drink!  We started with soup and the kids went over to the new play area (new as in wasn't here in 2013).  The other thing I noticed was how well the kids played together.  Here are Cesar and Evelyn playing together.

Jose decided he was too big for the playground, but he helped his brothers on the slide.  The kids also played with Selvin in the little plastic kid house.  Blanca was really happy watching them because they don't have a big area like this at home where they can run and play.

When dinner arrived, it looked wonderful (and tasted great)!  There was corn on the cob as well . . . but I ate it before I thought to take a picture!  Dinner also came with a new friend, Bella, the puppy.  The kids liked her until she started nipping at their pant legs.

After we all finished our dinner . . . well, actually unlike the hamburgers, Evelyn and Cesar couldn't finish so mom and dad got a little more, we returned to the home for me to give out gifts.  Little Selvin was surprised by his book!

Jose liked his "grown up" gifts of hygiene items and a soccer ball pump (soccer ball came later), but still liked his bubbles.  Shown in his school shoes that him and Cesar both showed off and thanked me for sending to them (pretty sure they're a holiday distribution gift).  On the clothes, I'd went one size up from the size their family records would have indicated and they were perfect!

I realized that their sister, Evelyn, was older than I was thinking, but she still liked the puzzles I brought her.  I was also happy to see that Blanca had been carrying one of the rags I gave her last time in her purse to wipe the boys' faces and the green towel hanging there was also a prior gift. :-)  The coconut with the straw was from the family to me . . . and the first time I've ever had coconut water straight from the coconut!  There was also a "bonus kid" again, although this time it was their other cousin, Nelson.  This time I had a "bonus kid" gift for him and his brother of small cars.  The kids still had their toys from last time too and obviously had taken good care of them.

We left shortly after and the staff kindly took me to the same road-side store as last year where soccer balls are roughly $10.  I bought one for both boys and for Edy & Juan.

I'm not a particularly religious person, but it was still moving when the father, Jose, came out to the car to thank me for everything I do for his kids and to tell me that he knows God will richly reward me for everything I do.

The families are so unbelievably generous and, given that I had jocotes for the first time last time and now the coconut, the kids aren't the only ones having new experiences!

I'd heard the police here can be corrupt, so I was a little nervous when we were pulled over for a random road stop on the way back to Guate City, but they apparently decided we weren't drug runners and the white lady was in the van voluntarily, so we were on our way!

2015 Guatemala Trip Day Two - Miraflores Museum (Museo Miraflores) and Miraflores Mall

I had decided I'd try venturing out and around the city on my own instead of taking tours this time.  So, after sleeping in for a bit, I caught a taxi to the Museo Miraflores, which is about the Mayan ruins they found in Guatemala City called Kaminaljuyu.  Kaminaljuyu was one of the first important Mayan cities (peak 400 BC to 100 AD) and had the first literate upper class of all the Mayans cities.

Sadly, most of the ruins have been covered by the city itself.  The original city was abandoned when the lake it was built on dried up - archaelogists believe this occurred due to overusage for agricultural purposes.

The museum cost Q40 (about $5) for foreigners.  That is one thing that is very common in Guatemala - there is often a much cheaper rate for locals than tourists.  If you read all of the signs, this museum will take you about an hour.  Compared to Popol Vuh and Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, what this museum offers that is unique is the integration of the items you're seeing into how the people lived.  It was here that they noted it is possible to tell if a bowl was used for cooking or not by whether the bottom is blackened and where they had examples of the typical foods Mayans ate.  They also had a display talking about burial rituals and the division of labor between men and women.  If you skip it and see the others, you won't miss much in terms of the actual types of artifacts, but I did like the focus on the lifestyle that was given here.

This guy was found in Escuintla on the South Coast and would have been one of a pair of statues guarding the entrance to an important building.  He's from 700-900 AD.  This guy is unusual because he still shows signs of having red, black and yellow painting.

























I also found it interesting here how many items were out where somebody could touch them (I didn't), which is somewhat uncommon in the US.  Again, the stories here made the items interesting, such as learning that the statutes with big rounded bellies were made to represent obese men who made up a "cult" from Monte Alto, Escuintla that spread to other parts of Guatemala.  These statues were from 400 BC-250 AD.  You can see how intricate the carving is and how detailed given the limited tools they had.

There was a nice display of different items made using obsidian as well:

I found the mushroom carvings to be interesting.  At Museo Miraflores, it was noted that they are frequently found in agricultural fields and are thought to possibly be property boundary markers; however, there are other possibilities, including that they represent hallucinogenic mushrooms that the Maya are known to have eaten.

There were also example of ceramics from later periods with elaborate and colorful depictions on them:

If you're interested in reading more about how these items were used and the cultural significance, then visiting Museo Miraflores is a great idea!

Since the museum only took an hour and I'd asked the cab driver to come back in two hours, I went next door to the Miraflores Mall.  It was obvious pretty quickly that the mall was upscale, although largely full of Guatemalan people.  I don't know if it was the places I visited or that I just wasn't paying attention, but one of the first things I noticed was that the women were largely wearing skinny jeans and sweaters (low to mid 70s is sweater and coat weather here).  I also saw many women in traditional Mayan clothing even in a modern mall, which I thought was fantastic!  There were a small number of women wearing skirts at the knee or below, so short skirts are still not found here.  Neither are super tight or low-cut tops.  I saw them sold in the mall, but not a single person wearing them.

This mall was also extremely expensive compared to what I've seen other places in Guate - $15 for a basic baby outfit, $40 for jeans, $15 for a paperback book and $35 for a soccer ball.  Of course, I also had the $100 soccer ball fiasco.  There was a bin marked with items on sale, so I grabbed two soccer balls from it, even though the price was still around $20 each.  As it turned out, that price was "starting at" and I had selected a $100 Nike soccer ball.  When the clerk told me the price, there was fortunately a very nice bilingual lady nearby who was able to tell them to cancel the sale!  I'd read ahead that Q50-60 for taxi rides in the city was standard, but the driver charged me Q75 - apparently, you're supposed to barter with the white taxis, but that really isn't something I enjoy.

When I got back to the hotel, I decided that for the last two days after visiting my sponsored kids that I'd take tours after all.  I contacted the tour group inside the hotel and the group I went with before, Guatemalan Adventures,  The prices were better with Guatemalan Adventures, so I booked the tours with them again!

2015 Guatemala Trip Day One - Arriving in Guatemala

I'm deeply unhappy with American Airlines.  After paying for "main cabin extra" seats with more legroom, they switched my flight and put me in what they call "preferred" seats.  In this case, that happened to be a window seat over the wing with standard legroom.  The seat is supposedly in a better location, but I get a window seat to see the view - not the plane wing.

UPDATE: American later credited the charge for my flight to Guatemala, but did the same with my seats home and after contacting them THREE times, I still have no refund.  Boo on American Airlines!

Arriving in Guatemala was a much different experience this time.  I already knew to expect a fairly modern airport, albeit small.  I again breezed through customs, despite hauling a large suitcase and several other bags with me, while people who looked much less likely to be hauling stuff into the country were selected.  Not sure if the voluntary declaration of gifts under the duty amount or me greeting them in Spanish helps . . . or if I just don't look like the smuggling type, but I haven't been selected for inspection in a single country I've traveled to yet.

I'll put in a quick good word for my suitcase.  When I check luggage, I have a Traveler's Choice Tasmania hardside case with 4-way spinners and I love it!  Better yet, it has been through 3 international trips now, with a connection on all of them, and it still looks new.  I'm very happy with the durability so far!

The large white shuttle from my hotel, the Barcelo Guatemala City was waiting for me as promised!  The driver spoke English and Spanish, so that would be helpful for those with no Spanish.  The airport staff will take your bag and haul it to the shuttle and then expect a tip.  The standard tip for this is $1 per bag (roughly 7.65 quetzales) or Q10, so it's a better deal to pay them in USD . . . or just hang onto your bag if you don't want to pay them for pushing it 10 feet.  The same is the average tip for your shuttle bus driver, which is paid when you arrive at the hotel.

I knew immediately when I stepped into the hotel, that despite the cost not being too much more than the bed & breakfast I stayed in (about $100 more for the week), that it was a LOT fancier.  The lobby had a piano bar in it for starters.

I quickly learned that the cheaper per-week rate was partly because they then charge you extra for EVERYTHING.  Want wi-fi for the week?  That will be $35.  Want to eat at the breakfast buffet?  If it isn't included in your room (apparently some people get a voucher), that will be $17.25 per day.  The business center charges for everything, including computer usage.

When I got to my room, it was lovely and as nicely appointed as anything in the US and came with a huge selection of toiletries.  

I also had a reasonably nice view of the city, both during the day and at night:

I was a little disappointed that the dinner buffet in the La Vista Restaurante had very few items that were Guatemalan and it was pretty spendy for Guatemala (~$22).  If you like staying in hotels where you feel like you never left home, the Barcelo is a great choice and you'll be surrounded by other Americans and Europeans.  If they offered more traditional dishes, like pepian or tamales, I'd like the hotel a lot more!

2013 Guatemala Trip Day Five - Last Child Visit, a "walk" and mosquitoes!

So far in my trip, I'd managed to avoid getting bitten by any mosquitoes.  While malaria isn't present in Guatemala City, they do have dengue fever, which I was surprised to learn is spread by daytime biting mosquitoes.  I didn't have any particular issues with getting bitten, even though I usually get eaten alive; however, on the fifth day I went to an amusement park where there was standing water and I did get bitten during the day.  Fortunately, I didn't get dengue fever!

The day started with me meeting my kids at their community center.  I couldn't visit the homes of these three because they live in a "red zone" in Guatemala.  In the red zones, the gangs are so strong and well-armed that the police don't even go in and Children International relies in part on resident volunteer parents to help communicate with the families.  The first two pictures are with the siblings I sponsor, Edy and Katherine, who have matching fantastic smiles!  I also met Keisy on the same visit since they all lived in the same area.

Since they were all teens, the staff had recommended a day at the amusement park Mundo Petapa Irtra, so we were off!  The kids had never been to an amusement park before, so they wanted to start with something tame - bouncing kangeroos.

Then, it was on to the log ride - the kids wanted to take turns riding with me, so it was Edy and Katherine's turn:

Fortunately, the two families seemed to like each other!  You can see where the siblings get their smile as their mom has one to match.  I love it that their mom wears traditional Mayan clothing also!

While my teens all seemed more comfortable with a virtual stranger showing up to see them, there were differences.  Edy & Katherine were both rather shy, but they smiled a lot and showed a lot of interest in what I was saying . . . they just didn't talk much themselves.  I noticed that the staff seemed concerned that I'd be put off by the kids not talking and were pushing them a little and reminding them I'd come a LONG way to see them (helps to speak some Spanish & know what they're saying lol), so I reassured them that I understood and I wasn't offended at all.  I hope that the concern hasn't been triggered by past sponsors who WERE offended, but I know some sponsors visit and post that they didn't feel a connection to the kid(s).  I suspect there have been sponsors who visited and ended up not continuing with a sponsorship, which is a sad thought . . . and it bothered me a little - not that the staff were concerned, but that they felt there was anything to be concerned about.  Having been a shy child myself, I can only imagine the pressure to be "likeable" so your sponsor stays your sponsor!  Keisy, on the other hand, was peppering me with questions so fast that I couldn't keep up with her.  She wanted to know everything about how we celebrate Christmas, what we normally eat, did I drive a car, what are houses like in the US, etc.

One thing I noticed WAS consistent is that all of the kids wanted American food.  Out in the rural areas, there wasn't fast food, but the kids wanted hamburgers still, while I ordered a native dish.  Juan wanted pizza and my kids today were DYING for some McDonalds.  The staff does a great job of trying to keep things simple by having everyone order the same thing (since we were a HUGE group), but it was funny that when I tried to order from a different place to get something local, they were going to have everyone eat there . . . so I had McDonalds also.

Despite eating fruit, coffee cake and coffee at the homes of my kids, the only day I was sick after eating was within hours of eating at McDonalds - boo.  Of course, hard to say exactly where I picked up a bug at, but I did find it ironic.  Having said that, it was just an upset stomach, so I avoided any major issues during my whole trip.  I did have to soak my toothbrush in iodine water after accidentally rinsing it in the sink though!

More great pics of the families from the end of the day:

I also had my only "unsafe" feeling moment after returning to my bed & breakfast.  The B&B staff suggested it was safe enough to walk to a small market a few blocks away.  I felt fine the first couple of blocks, but was waiting for a break in traffic to cross, when I heard four "rough" looking guys talking about the gringa across the street.  Fortunately, I understand enough Spanish to realize that if I didn't want to lose my possessions, I should come up with a plan quickly.  I was in front of stores, so I went inside one to browse until the men left.  I went promptly back to my B&B and decided that walking around alone, even a short distance, wasn't a good idea in Guatemala City.

2013 Guatemala Trip Day Two - Antigua

Unlike many tourists to Guatemala, I did not stay in Antigua, so my tour there was the first time I saw the colonial city.  While Guatemalan Adventures did accomodate me as a single traveler and gave me all English-speaking guides, on this particular day the rest of the tour was Spanish-speaking.  Fortunately I speak quite a bit of Spanish, so instead of having the tour guide repeat everything, I just had him clarify when I didn't understand.  Focusing on translating what was said meant I missed some photo ops though . . . like the apparently famous arch in town!

Typical colorful Antigua buildings with the Cerro de la Cruz in the background:

One of my favorite stories in the city was about this fountain that was put in, but was so shocking that the native people hid their eyes when they passed it!  

Antigua was a fascinating city with a mix of buildings still in use and many ruins from the numerous earthquakes that destroyed parts of the city.  In fact, Antigua was the third capital before Guatemala City, but most of the city was destroyed by earthquakes in 1773.  While there were famous sites, like "La Merced" in good condition . . . 

there were many that were still in ruins.  The ruins of Convento Santa Clara was one of my favorites - the purple flowers growing in the ruins around the fountain was very peaceful and the contrast of the new growing out of the old was symbolic to me.  There were virtually no other people here outside of our group, which added to the tranquil feeling.

The Cathedral de Santiago was also fascinating.  There is an area in good repair that is still in use, which is attached to sprawling ruins that were part of the original cathedral built in 1543!  While I didn't feel comfortable taking my DSLR with me to Guatemala, the ruins here made me wish I had - my old camera didn't really do them justice.

What a view!

 The eye in the sky!

The plants here are HUGE!

The rest of the day was spent seeing the Ciudad Vieja (literally, "old city") and another local market.  A few highlights:

It's very common here to see barbwire along the tops of homes, the top of gates, etc - in case you needed any reminders that the country isn't the safest place in the world.  Having said that, I again felt very safe on my tour.  At one point we were free to walk around a handicrafts market and I left to walk to a small market for an item I needed without feeling in any danger at all.  You do need to watch out for cars though - the cars do not yield to pedestrians.

Yellow is popular cathedral color - the cathedral in Ciudad Vieja.  I liked how the fountain, cross & church lined up visually.

I absolutely LOVE the beautiful, bright colors of the local Mayan clothing!

The Dominican Republic and Why I Buy Travel Insurance

So, most of the posts about the DR will be under my regular travel blog since the trip is largely for fun.  Between work travel, opening a travel credit card (hello 45,000 miles!) and using said card for every expense under the sun since opening it, I had enough miles for a trip to the Dominican Republic.  While I'm there, I will be visiting the only sponsored child I have in that country, so there will be a few mentions about the DR on this blog. :-)

Fortunately, I will not need any additional medications!

On the off chance I get sick IN another country, I always buy travel insurance.  While there are policies that cover just medical costs if you get sick (and potentially medical evacuation if you need or want to return home for treatment), I pay slightly more for a full coverage package.  Having flown enough to know that you can be delayed for weather (major problem in the winter), computer glitches, etc. I know that a single night, last-minute at a hotel near the airport can easily run $100, which is more than a full policy will cost.  Add in the benefit of the policy covering change or cancellation fees for illness or a death in the family and for me it just makes sense.  I've never spent more than $80 on a policy that could easily save me a $100 to tens of thousands for a serious overseas illness or injury.  I personally use the meta-site insuremytrip.com to compare policies for a given trip and to ensure I have the coverage I need.

2013 Preparations - Vaccinations & Blood Donation

With this being my first visit to an area requiring special vaccinations, I wasn't quite sure where to start.  The State Dept site pointed me in the right direction with a link to the CDC:

CDC Travel Site

First off, you'll want to be up-to-date on routine vaccines, which I am.  Secondly, the vaccines recommended for the majority of travelers are:

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid

 As it turns out, your regular doctor can probably manage HepA, but not likely typhoid.  I was then on a quest to find where to go.  If you live in the Portland, Oregon metro area, the cheapest place to get the HepA shots (assuming your insurance won't cover it) is through Multnomah County.  They don't cover anything else though, so for $15 more you can do it all at the Portland Industrial & Travel Clinic (PITC).  They beat the next cheapest place (Walgreens) by $85.  Walgreens did tell me that most insurance covers some of the expense as a preventative care scenario, so if you have insurance, confirm coverage ahead of time because PITC does not bill insurance.

On the off chance that you might need a medical procedure in Guatemala, you may want to consider HepB as well.  I already had them as a routine vaccinations, so I don't need those.  Water purification tablets are also advisable.  Depending on the area you'll be visiting, malaria drugs may be helpful as well.  There is only one day of my trip that I will be in a risky area, so I am still debating whether it's worth it.  I may just take extreme mosquito precautions in regards to clothing, sprays, etc. on that one day.

There are diseases in Guatemala spread by mosquitoes with no vaccines, so be sure to take extra precautions in regards to clothing and mosquito repellants even if you aren't in a malarial area!  Also note: If you donate blood, travel to malarial areas restricts you from donating for a year.

2013 Preparations - Safety and the State Department

You may not know this, but Guatemala isn't entirely what one would call safe.  It has a very high murder rate per capita and I can't even visit three of my kids because they live in what is called a "red zone."

Here is a link to an article about a life in the red zones - areas so unsafe that the police won't even enter because they're outnumbered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12385301

Here is another link that describes these communities below.  As Mexico (directly North) and Columbia (a bit South) both wage war on the drug cartels in their countries, the drug cartels are squeezing into the middle - in part into Guatemala.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asentamiento

Because of the rather violent state of things in Guatemala, I have registered (and I recommend others register) with the State Department.  This ensures they know to look for me should any major violence break out or a hurricane or other natural disaster occurs.  Fortunately, all of these things are unlikely since I'm traveling outside of hurricane season and I have planned well to try to avoid the situations most likely to end in violence.  The below link will allow you to see the current travel info about Guatemala, look up any other countries of interest, and register for Safe Traveler if interested:

United States State Department - Guatemala

Having established the relative lack of safety in the country, I will stick with visits organized by the group I sponsor with (Children International) and other organized tours.  More info to come later on my tours!