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A day in the life of a loan officer
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 17 December 2009
Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala On Wednesday I traveled with Aura, a loan officer. My main goal was to get some signatures from Kiva borrowers so that we could use their photos in a press release. What I ended up getting, along with the signatures, was a glimpse into Aura’s life Since getting the signatures required us to [...]
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Chichicastenango, a colorful and cultural city
Blog: Nono in Guatemala - 11 December 2009
Chichicastenango is a small town at an altitude of 2070 meters in the department of Quiche. Ninety three percent of the population speak K’iche as their first language. Only three hours from Guatemala City, it’s one of the first destinations visited by tourists for its colorful market. The chichicaste
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Enchanting spots: Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala
Blog: velvet escape's blog - 3 December 2009
Lago de Atitlán is a magnificent crater lake high up in the Guatemalan Highlands, flanked by three conically-shaped volcanos on its southern shores. Small villages and towns are scattered along its banks, its inhabitants mainly Mayan communities who are entrenched in their centuries-old traditions and customs. Panajachel, the most accessible town on the lake’s shores, is [...]
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Globalization, Culture, and Kiva
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 2 December 2009
Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala I spent thanksgiving in Costa Rica with four other Kiva Fellows who are placed in Central America. Before going, the Guatemalans who I had spoken with about my trip mentioned two things: Costa Rica is safer than Guatemala, but it has less of it’s own culture. Having spent only five days in [...]
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In and out of Guatemala City
Blog: A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central and South America - 22 November 2009
Our attempt to get to El Salvador from Guatemala would have been full of confusion and frustration were it not for Marina, a Spanish force of nature, who happened to be on our bus from San Pedro. Amid the chaos of shouting and bag grabbing, as we entered Guatemala City, we found that we shared the aim to get to San Salvador. From then on Marina took control, smiling and chatting to overly touchy-feely men, she guided us through the city. And this enabled us to follow and take in the congested, industrial and smoggy centre of Guatemala’s capital.
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San Pedro - Lake Atitlan
Blog: A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central and South America - 20 November 2009
Despite the current problems with the lake it really is a wonderful place to spend some time. We chose San Pedro, one of the larger towns, with 13,000 inhabitants. Actually, first we ended up being in San Marcos. Our driver decided that was where the majority of people in the minibus wanted to go, therefore that was where he would drive to. Never mind that the bus had San Pedro written on the side, or that our tickets said San Pedro on them!
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Volcan San Pedro
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 19 November 2009
We got confident. ”If we could handle Pacaya,” we thought, “we can handle anything.” It was more or less with that attitude that we decided to climb Volcan San Pedro, the monster that looms over San Pedro town on Lake Atitlan. Never mind that the journey up Pacaya took only about an hour. Never mind that [...]
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San Pedro – Lake Atitlan
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 19 November 2009
Ahhh, another San Pedro. I was hoping that this one, as opposed to the one in Belize, might be a little more inspiring. And that, for me anyway (Rob had more well-researched reasons), was the reason that we chose this village out of the many that surround the famously beautiful Lake Atitlan. Different villages are [...]
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Connecting through prayers
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 18 November 2009
By Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala I’m Jewish, but, before every meal at Manuel’s house, we say a prayer thanking Jesus Christ. Manuel is the director of FAPE, the MFI where I work in Guatemala, and I have been staying with him since arriving. He is also a pastor at a Baptist church. So I was surprised [...]
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A welcomed visitor in Guatemala, but just a visitor
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 14 November 2009
By Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala I am the visitor. I am from Kiva. I am Jeremias. This has been my introduction for my first days in Guatemala. Tueseday, we went to San Martin. It is a two hour drive from Guatemala City: thankfully it was Marco and not me who was driving so I [...]
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Travel Video – Tikal
Blog: GoBackpacking - 14 November 2009
_ The latest High Definition video from Jason and Aracely at TwoBackpackers.com features my favorite Mayan ruins – Tikal in Guatemala. It looks like they had mistier weather than I did, however the video certainly captures what it feels like to be there – climbing the ruins and the rickety staircase up Temple 4, which actually [...]Buy travel insurance from Worldnomads.com (Lonely Planet's preferred carrier)
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Four hours on public transportation in Guatemala City – just another day on the buses
Blog: Fourteen months, four countries, and three kids - Tales from the Field - 13 November 2009
Today, I took what might be one of my last long rides on Guatemala City’s public transport system, as we are leaving the city in a few days. I had a meeting with my research assistant in Santa Luisa, Zone 6, and we are living clear on the other side of the city in San Jose de Villanueva.
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Volcan Pacaya - 23000 years and still erupting
Blog: A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central and South America - 13 November 2009
Ever climbed a volcano that's still erupting? Well if you fancy it then come to Guatemala, they let you do anything dangerous here. We're in Antigua, which is a beautiful city in the central highlands of Guatemala and one of the things that makes it so beautiful is because its surrounded by volcanos - a pretty magical sight when you look out of the window in the morning!
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Antigua – Impressions
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 12 November 2009
Antigua – the old capital city of Guatemala, rather than the Caribbean island – is so beautiful that it lures you in and says, “Hey. You’ve been travelling for a while. You must be tired. How about you stay here for a bit? A week? Two? Oh, why not a couple of months. Why not [...]
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Semuc Champey – An Extreme Sport In Itself
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 12 November 2009
From the photos, it looks like a peaceful geological spot, where you can take a few photos and maybe have a leisurely swim in one of those amazingly blue naturally-formed pools. Certainly, from the photos, it doesn’t look challenging. But you don’t just go to the natural limestone bridge. At least, I imagine you can, but [...]
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El Retiro – The Gringo Community
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 12 November 2009
Like El Panchan in Mexico, El Retiro is a little community of cabanas, hammocks and camping space set out in the middle of nowhere. It has a restaurant, a sauna (not all of Guatemala is hot, hey), hot showers, a tour organiser, wi-fi, for heaven’s sake… all set by a river on a hill surrounded [...]
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Semuc Champey
Blog: A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central and South America - 11 November 2009
Semuc Champey, in the middle of Guatemala is a place not to be missed. It is located in a valley with steep forest clad walls overlooking several natural crystalline spring water pools. There is a natural limestone bridge below which there is a 40ft waterfall flowing into the Cahabon river. As if thats not enough to keep you entertained, the river also flows through caves, which you can enter at your own risk!
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The Mission To Coban
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 11 November 2009
I’ve just re-read my post about Belize City. It was a little harsh, and I’ve thought of another pro: there is no malaria there. Good, hey? Anyway, in case you didn’t get it from that post, we were in something of a hurry to leave Belize City, and so we decided that the best thing we [...]
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Coban and a seriously classy restaurant
Blog: A Travel Diary from Mexico, Central and South America - 10 November 2009
Back in Guatemala and halfway through a long day of sitting in cramped minibuses, it was clear that reaching our favoured destination, Lanquin, was going to be a very tall order. Although Guatemala is nothing like as big as Mexico, getting around takes longer than you think. The roads have to zig-zag up and down mountains and even if they have tarmac on them, it takes a while. Plus you have to factor in stops and the sometimes agonisingly slow speed of Guatemalan life! Though this is all made up for by the stunning scenery.
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Nine foods I will miss when we leave Guatemala
Blog: Fourteen months, four countries, and three kids - Tales from the Field - 10 November 2009
As we move each three months to a new country, I find myself thinking of the foods I will have less opportunity to enjoy in our new destination. Of course, the next destination will hold new delights, but there are some things about Guatemala I will definitely miss.
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Dealing with violence in Guatemala City – one of the murder capitals of the world
Blog: Fourteen months, four countries, and three kids - Tales from the Field - 8 November 2009
Deportees who arrive in Guatemala City have to learn how to deal with the urban violence, especially gangs, guns, kidnapping, and extortionists. Depending on whose statistics you believe, Guatemala is either the second or fourth most dangerous country in Latin America, and among the top ten homicide capitals of the world. Although the Peace Accords were signed in 1996, ending the decades-long civil war, homicides have been on the rise since the end of the twentieth century in Guatemala City.
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Sipacate’s beauty, despite the rain
Blog: Fourteen months, four countries, and three kids - Tales from the Field - 7 November 2009
We met Carlos on the boat ride from San Pedro to Santiago de Atitlan. A tall man with a big, bushy, white beard, he was hard to miss. Carlos, a Guatemalan American retired mathemetician in his sixties, was planning to go to Sipacate with some friends of his. We had not made up our mind if we would stay in Santiago de Atitlan or keep on moving. Nando played some music on the boat and chatted with Carlos most of the 45 minute trip across the lake. Once we got to Santiago de Atitlan, Carlos invited us to have a beer with him.
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Celebrating el Dia de Los Muertos in Todos Santos
Blog: Nono in Guatemala - 6 November 2009
In Guatemala, there is a big celebration on the 1st of November. One of the place to go for this occasion is Todos Santos, a small village in the Cuchumatanes mountains in the north west of Guatemala. They have kept their traditions alive and one of them is the horse race on the 1st of November. I had wanted to go the years before but never had the opportunity. So I decided to organize a trip with Simone and Emma, two friends from England.
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Tikal – Pros and Cons
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 6 November 2009
Tikal, in case you haven’t heard, is one of the most famous, well-preserved and extensive Mayan sites there are, in the middle of a jungle in northern Guatemala. As I’ve pointed out before, there are an awful lot of Mayan sites, and they’re all constantly turning up new surprises as the excavations slowly but surely [...]
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The Taxi Drivers of Santa Elena
Blog: Viva Latin America! - 6 November 2009
I’ve been through Santa Elena, in the north of Guatemala, twice now. The first time we were heading for Flores, the more picturesque town on an island in Lake Peten, as one does when one wants to go see the ruins at Tikal. The second time was to get a connecting bus to the south [...]
