Guatemala

One of my favorite parts of traveling is experiencing new culture. This trip afforded me that opportunity on multiple levels. Living with a Guatemalan family I got to experience culture on an entirely different level. Mari and Leo made us feel like we were a part of the family from the moment we walked through their door. They spoke to us only in Spanish, which forced me to practice and learn, something I am extremely grateful for. We were lucky enough to celebrate Los Dias de Los Muertes with our host family. We were beyond excited for the meal that Mari prepared....something that takes 3 days to prepare should be amazing, right?!? Ummm, not when your talking about Fiambre. 13 meats in a cold soupy broth with pickled vegtables....sounds delicious right?!? After our delicious meal we walk to the kite festival which is held once a year on this day. Every day AFTER El Dia de Los Muertes we enjoy amazingly, delicious food prepared by Mari. She provides us with a cooking lesson one night (a priceless moment). I will attach her recipe for Chile Quila's at the end of this post. Leo is an amazing man. He feels like our granddad and prides himself on teaching us about life and the ways of the world. He does this every night and yes he does it entirely in spanish. I think our favorite moments in the household are those spent with Mari laughing. She has a laugh that is contagious and it is fun to watch her. For you ladies that were there, "locos in la calle", "el burro", and "el bebe de comida"....a few of the phrases that brought tears of laughter to our eyes.


*To see more of my Guatemala photos visit my website www.evanescentphotography.com I have also posted photos on facebook.*

Some pictures taken in Antigua

at the kite festival

dinner with our host family

part of a shrine inside their home

at the market in Antigua

on the streets of San Felipe

a definite art form

San Felipe

In addition to living in a Guatemalan household I also got to work in the culture. Our week started out in a Mayan Clinic in Sumpango. We ended the week working in an orphanage for mentally challenged children. The ride to the clinic was an interesting one. If you have never rode the chicken bus it is very much like a roller coaster. A school bus, stuffed with at least 3 to a seat, the driver accelerating at every turn. I am happy to say that I can check this off my bucket list :) Working in the clinic allowed us to see the simplicity of medicine. This also became apparent in the orphanage. With all of our fancy bells and whistles in the states, the fundamental principal of nursing remains the same. The nurse's there do the best they can with what they have. I was inspired by their dedication and the work they do at the orphanage is "saint" worthy.

chicken bus

Mayan villager in Sumpango

We end our trip in Guatemala by taking a road trip to El Paredon. We meet amazing new friends there, share delicious paella, adopt a dog and name him Diego, we sleep in mosquito nets and wake up to the sound of the ocean. AND.....of course, we surf!!!! The view from the lineup is something I will never forget. We are in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a village, we are surfing and we are watching El Fuego, an active volcano smoke in the sky. I feel extremely lucky. These are moments that I will never forget.

yummy!!

sunset El Paredon, Guatemala

Chile Quila

(i will do my best with this recipe, i watched mostly and i wrote half the instructions in english and half in spanish, also all ingredients are approximate)

Ingredients

Guisquil (1-2 large)

Roma tomatoes (10 or so)

olive oil

salt

queso fresco (sliced)

eggs (3)

flour (tbs or so)

vegetable oil

water

Directions

Peel and slice guisquil, boil in about a cup of water for 10 minutes, add a dash of salt

Boil Roma tomatoes for about 10 minutes and drain. (save water, it will be used in the next step)

Blend tomatoes in blender with 1/2 cup of water, a dash or two of salt, a tsp of olive oil and a little of the leftover tomato water. Put aside. This will be used as the topping at the end.

Place a slice of queso fresco in between 2 slices of guisquil

Using only the white part of the eggs, blend with a hand mixer until frothy. Add yolks and blend slowing adding in about a tbs of flour

Oil pan, dip guisquil in batter, fully covering both sides, pan fry

Add sauce to the top of each guisquil after frying

YUMMY!!!!!!!!

El Salvador

A surf trip summary.....

1. wake up at 4:30 a.m., watch the sunrise, take some pictures

2. surf, swim in the pool

3. eat, then nap, stay cool anyway possible!!!

4. swim, surf again (if it's not too windy)

5. eat, head to bed by 9 p.m.

-throw in a day trip to see the sights and an overnight trip to Las Flores and you truly have the perfect surf trip :)

Here are a few photos from our trip...will post more to facebook over the next week.

--Qi-x (El Tunco)--

Our home away from home...great people, awesome vibe, chill place (thank you Francisco!!!) I would highly recommend this place to anyone that is planning to stay in El Tunco!

I got to wake up to this every morning...I'm a lucky girl ;)

--El Tunco--

A tranquil beach with a large rock that resembles a pig....full of surfers, backpackers and people from around the world. If you're looking for a true surf culture this is your place.....

  

--El Sunzal--

Apparently Sunzal breaks 365 days out of the year...if you're looking for consistent surf, this spot is money. The paddle out is pretty long, but so are the rides. We surfed Sunzal pretty much everyday. A perfect right point break with rides that go on forever I consider this the best wave I have ever surfed. The lineup tended to be crowded with surfers of all abilities. We were lucky enough to actually see Sunzal firing, it was 8-10 ft the last two days we were there. We were warned by the locals that when the surf was big the current was strong. This became very obvious as I watched people paddle out and drift quickly east. I was unsure whether or not I was going to paddle out, but after watching people go out and studying the wave for about a half hour we head out. After 3 or so exhausting hours and a mild sunburn we decide to call it quits. Our last day and one that couldn't have ended better...damn I'm gonna miss that wave.

Unfortunately none of these photos do this wave justice!!!! I preferred to ride this wave, not take pictures of it :) But I promise you if you like a right point break and you like a long ride, this wave is PERFECT!!

--La Bocana--

A fierce left, fast, steep, and barreling on a good day....a great photo spot because the wave broke very close to the beach. A favorite of the locals and firing our last two days in El Tunco. 8-12 ft at low tide...

--Las Flores--

Well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive from El Tunco!!! A completely deserted surf break, surrounded by jungle and absolutely breathtaking. We stayed at a small hostel/surfcamp with a few other guys from the states that were all there for the coming swell. Our dinner was fresh fish, rice and a salad cooked by the locals, $3 for our dinner and $15 for the night. Our room resembled a cell in Alcatraz, but the view was priceless. The night we arrived the surf was small, but the swell came in overnight and Las Flores was a perfect barrel by morning. The a.m. lineup (5 a.m.) had at least 25 guys, all extremely GOOD surfers, I truly consider myself lucky to have caught "A" wave there. With no chance of catching a wave at the peak (a 7'6" just won't make the cut :( I had to wait on the inside section and find a wave without a guy on it already...haha good luck with that!!

Our place for the night....

The boat heading to Punta Mango

--Lake Coatepeque--

One of the "new" 7 wonders of the world--truly breathtaking!!!!

--Volcanos--

Amazingly beautiful and still active, here are a few of the volcanos that we saw.

--Coffee Plantations--

--Tazumal Ruins--

Part of the Mayan Ruins, this is merely the top of the pyramid. The ruins lay in the middle of a small town and the people still actively dig to try to uncover more of this amazing site.

San Francisco

I spent this past weekend with 12 girls in what I consider one of the most amazing and beautiful cities. 12 girls???? ...bachelorette party of course! I am a wanderer by nature AND I am also unable to sit still for any length of time (some might consider this borderline ADD). Soooo as much as I wanted to wait for the other girls to wake up each morning I found myself on my own exploring this great city. My wandering led me to phenomenal coffee shops, french bakeries and some of the most unique neighborhoods. I found myself exploring with Lina most afternoons, as it is utterly impossible to keep 12 girls together for an entire weekend. We talked to random strangers, wandered through the ghetto and projects, got drooled on by the homeless, met some of the nicest locals (yay Bill!!!) and laughed at my clumsiness...A LOT!! My sense of direction is terrible and without Lina I surely would have gotten on the wrong bus at least once (probably a lot more). Lina and I travel the same....we leave early and come back late. The house we rented merely a place to keep our suitcases. Each evening we met up with the rest of the girls and got ready for the night. Kinda made me miss having roommates for a minute...getting ready is a lot more fun with 11 other girls :) We went to some amazing restaurants, my favorite a tapas place that put Cafe Sevilla to shame....sorry, I love Cafe Sevilla, but it did. The last night we had a serious wine and cheese spread and had a little lingerie party for the bachelorette, Colleen....your welcome Bruce!!

The weekend left me with amazing memories, love for a wonderful city, and as always the yearning for more travel. Here are a few of the photos I took...

Chinatown....

Randomness throughout the city

 

Lina....in the zone!