From Hostel to Home...Life in Guate

dia de los muertos

tomorrow we're off to see giant kites in sumpango! guatemala celebrates dia de los muertos with flying kites over graves and eating fiambre, both which will be seen and tasted tomorrow. stay tuned for pictures. happy halloween from guate.

much love...

antigua part two

we had plans to finally do some zip-lining through the jungle and see some monkey's, but then the rain came. the storms were so bad that the roads were washed out and landslides closed down major highways. the weather did stop us from an awesome trip to pana, but it didn't stop us from leaving the city and having yet another great weekend in guate. sure it's the second four day weekend that we've spent in antigua, but both ben and i love it there just enough to be okay with going back. it's about 45 minutes outside the city, and it feels like a different world. safe, everyone speaks english, walking is okay, the list continues with positive things to say about lovely antigua. we stayed at this great hotel called casa bella, and we both loved the rooms, rooftop terrace, staff, and the suite had it's own jacuzzi.
we STILL haven't gone horseback riding, but they are in the plans for the next four day weekend (thanksgiving). we've made it back to the city and both of us love how much our apartment feels like home. it's strange, but even the city feels like home. here is another video taken on the rooftop terrace at our hotel. it was the first time in about one week that the sun came out, so we sat outside and soaked it up overlooking the beautiful valcanoes. the wind is too bad, but you can get the picture of how amazing this city is.

central america under water

ben and i are feeling very fortunate that we live in an apartment that can withstand the rainstorm. central america is getting worked right now from the rain. school is cancelled today because of landslides and i'm at my nice apartment, safe, completely unaffected by the storm, while people are dying and losing their homes a few miles away. so sad...read a little here.

built to spill meets guatemala

i'll be honest, i've been pretty anti-social on the bus ride to school in order to maintain my sanity. i'll pop in my earphones and listen to music on the way up the hill, all while staring out the window enjoying the scenery. it's quite nice really. kimya dawson's melodies make me feel safe for some reason. or ocean beach local band, cape may...comfort. but today, today was the best feeling i've had thus far. the feeling of traveling, the reminder that living is exploring, and music is grounding. all around the globe i've had my trusty ipod, and just as smells remind us of moments in time, or foods provide comfort, built to spill is traveling for me. the song "car" has taken me on so many train rides, bus rides, hostels, alone dinners, wandering through cities, vomit panic attacks...all while traveling. i love this song. i'd forgotten how much until the bus ride to school today. amongst all the other things needed to get done after school today, i created a little slide show of places this song has been with me. watch it, and enjoy.

 

 

 

remembering antigua

this video was taken a few weeks ago on our adventures in antigua! we got caught in the rain, as we often do in guatemala, so we ducked into a fancy spot for a bite to eat. after about a half hour or so, we heard commotion in front of the restaurant, so we went to check it out. this is what had happened while we were having a drink, and waiting for food... we were able to leave the restaurant without any issues after our food was gone. crazy. here are the promised photos of ben's cooking.
yum...
everything is homemade (including tortillas, but minus the guacamole)
here are a few shots taken in antigua that are a taste of culture.
music in the street
older man painting in the garden
the streets of antigua.

enjoy the videos/photos. much love...