Archive for family
Tikal Ruins – Family Travel
Posted by: | CommentsYou know you’re walking into something crazy special when your 5 year old stops dead in his tracks, tilts his head all the way back and says “WOOOOOOOOOOOO”. That reaction pretty much sums up your feeling when you first enter the Gran Plaza in Tikal.
Since it was difficult to explain to our son exactly what the great Maya were about, we did manage to use his language and explain that this is the Great Jaguar Temple. Anything Jaguar, seems to stick really well in our heads, so the awe of this insane place is a memory for him that will never die!
Tikal 9 Years Later- Family Travel
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Tikal! What can I say, it’s so much more than anything you can imagine!
9 years ago on March 5, 2001 I came to Guatemala by myself and decided to camp out on Tikal’s grounds. Never in a million years did I ever think my life would change forever that day! But, so it did.
Next to me camped out a Guatemala guy with perfect English. Within minutes he started talking to me and I thought, great another Latino hitting on an ultra blond Gringa! However, when he started talking he was so interesting that he captivated me from the start.
9 years later, this guy and I have been married for 6.5 years, living in Guatemala and have an offspring that had to see where his mommy and poppy met!!!
So our Tikal place was revisited. Since it’s such an amazing place, this requires a few posts.
As you drive in you are bombarded with signs, but for the first time ever you actually want to experience what every sign represents:
Jaguar Crossing
Snake Crossing
Pizote Crossing
Turkey Crossing
Flores – The Colorful Island City by Tikal – Family Travel
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Flores is one of those super adorable cities that can’t be missed if you’re visiting the Tikal Mayan ruins. As a matter, I fully recommend that this is the place you stay at rather than the National Park of Tikal simply because it’s sooo damn cute and colorful with guaranteed great views of the lake!
One thing to be warned about, bring as little clothes as possible because it is SO HOT!
We took a 4 day trip up north to visit this cute little city with our son and also head over to Tikal, where my husband and I met 9 years ago while camping next to each other.
The city is like a little gingerbread city, tiny, walkable in about 10 minutes from one end to the other, if you don’t suffocate to death from over heating.
Plus, the views of the lake are amazing and almost all hotels have great views.
The best time to truly enjoy this town would be early in the morning around sunrise before the scorching heat gets you or around sunset.
But take my advice and don’t miss this precious gem if you’re in Peten!
Buffet Guatemalan or US style? Family Travel
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My mother in law came to visit us for a weekend and since we love to take advantage of people visiting us, we decided to do something we’ve wanted to for a while, but have either been too lazy or didn’t find the proper opportunity to do it.
A super popular thing to do on a Sunday morning is to go to a lovely hotel for brunch. I know this is so US, but hey, when in Rome…
So we made some calls and found that the majority of the hotels all charge ludicrous prices and don’t include stuff like coffee, tea and juice, yet justify a price tag over $20 a head. We finally settled on Soliel Hotel.
Funnily enough, I called this place 3 times and every time was given a different price, but all below $20 and with coffee and tea and juice. When we arrived, we were pleased to find what we were looking for and only $10 a person!
I have to say, it was a wonderful experience. We decided to sit outdoors, in the breezy veranda with a fountain. Yet, all the Guatemalans sat inside!
To top off the lovely stuff-yourself-til-you’re-blue-in-the-face experience, we listened to some relaxing music by the piano player!
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Maximon and his Chaotic Worshippers (or Drinkers) – Family Travel
Posted by: | CommentsWho is Maximon? Well, it’s a really thwarted icon actually, and not one that I fully understand.
He loves good rum (but is quite pleased with “Venado” cheap brand), loves cigars, and dressing in colorful scarfs and cowboy hats. He’s a throwback to a Mayan god – he’s an indigenous representation of Saint Peter – he’s a deification of Pedro de Alvarado (a conquistador who brought Guatemala into the Spanish empire and made it nominally Catholic).
Yet I have to say, there was nothing at all religious about our experience. After we hopped off the pickup that charged 10 quetzal for all of us, very reasonable, we were led through a dirt pathway to some beat up shack. No native women were permitted inside and sat on very uncomfortable cement curbs and blocks outside. By the looks of their reaction, they were there all day while their men inside were having a ball.
We entered and were told again that we have to pay. This has nothing to do with our guide who so far has said nothing at all, but at least he got us here. It was 10 quetazal each, since I only had 100 quetzal and there was 4 of us, I ended up not getting any change back. Because the little man who hovered over me so closely, that I got drunk just from his breath, took it bowed a few times and smiled. Apparently, this would not only cover the entrance fees but also allowed us to take a multitude of photos!
All the while, there wasn’t a peaceful moment in the room with the shaman like men dancing, bartering and requesting money for every wink of an eye and every movement. If it wasn’t so entertaining and chaotic, it would be highway robbery. But trust me, this is a once in a lifetime experience and so far worth every single penny!
The icon itself is moved every year from one home to another around the village. It’s usually done by a huge ceremonial parade and the people who get to house this ‘religious’ doll are honored. Of course they are, they become so wealthy and so drunk, they should be grateful.
At the end we were scooted back on a pick up and driven back to town, all in one chaotic mess when we were still trying to figure out what the whole Maximon thing is all about. Right as we were about to part with our quiet, but directive guide, our boat captain miraculously appeared at our side. So I decided it was time to go and took out the 10 Quetzal, the guide told us in the beginning, only to find out now its gone up to 100!
How does that happen? I mean 10 q is low, and we knew that, but without any warning and after another 120 q spent on the actual Maximon activity itself the price skyrocketed. For sure we weren’t paying that and managed to bargain down to 50q which he took happily. As we started walking towards the boat, our captain started telling the guide to give him half! The chaos never ends. The little man, humbly but effectively, folded up his money and walked away!
And I’ll say this again, this is an experience NOT TO EVER BE MISSED!
Santiago, Lake Atitlan's True Metropolis – Family Travel
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re new to Lake Atitlan area, chances are you will hear about Panajachel and think this is the biggest town on the lake. Well, it’s not. It may be the most notable one for the foreigners that populate it and visit it, however, the biggest city is actually Santiago.
When we first pulled up to this town we were amazed with the amounts of boats that are parked at the dock. Even though, you can drive into this city, the majority of the people still use wooden canoes as a mode of transport. FYI, it takes a good 1-2 hours to go anywhere with these little guys, obviously, there is no rush for anything!
So what’s the big deal with this town as compared to the next. Well, it’s tradition. First of all, its main inhabitants are Maya and they are still practicing their traditional ways here. Their religion has long ago mixed with the Catholic church, but this town still holds one of the highest esteemed Mayan Icons – Moximon. But we’ll get to that whole scenerio next week (it deserves a full post of its own!)
Once we stepped foot off our little boat on to the pier we were instantly surrounded by little kids and older men selling their services as tour guides to take you to see Moximon. One little guy stood out from the rest, no idea why. Maybe he was the most humblest of all, but we decided on him. He quoted us a price of 10 Quetzal which is about $1.20. Yeah, I know, ridiculous price! And obviously too good to be true. But since my husband is Guatemalan and we definitely didn’t have any language barriers, we believed him.
The tour included the city center, catholic church and Moximon. Since the town is more or less the same as the rest of the villages and it was scorching hot out, we decided to bypass all that and see Moximon.
We were asked by our little guide, “do you want to see the fake Moximon, which is here in the center, or the real one?”
Is that even a necessary question?
So off we went to see the real one. He was located about 2 kilometers out of town so we needed to take transportation there. We waited and in a few minutes a pick up packed with indigenous women and men flew past out, stopping for a heartbeat as we rushed to get on board. We all towered these people as though we were giants.
The ride had just begun! Even my husband, born and raised in Guatemala knew very little about this tradition. And our pick up was certainly skyrocketing us to get there.
The chaos had just begun…
Cruising Atitlan's Villages – Family Travel
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After a successful bargaining deal with the head hancho of the Panajachel Piers, we were on our way.
The tour was to take us to 4 villages. The first one was Santa Catarina de Laguna. Now that I’ve done this village I can honestly say, I would not choose this as the starting point.
It’s a truly indigenous village, however it lacks the BOOM you want when you come to somewhere like Lake Atitlan, known for it’s Mayan traditions and eccentric foreigners and expats.
As a matter of fact we were quite disappointed with the experience and immediately changed tactics since out of the 4 villages, 3 others were exactly like this one.
Once that was taken care of, the craziness was about to begin…
Evening Trip to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan – Family Travel
Posted by: | CommentsPanajachel is the bustling city of Lake Atitlan area. It’s not the biggest city, that would be Santiago, but it’s by far the nuttiest because of all the foreigners that have settled in this area. On top of that, it’s like the gateway to the rest of the Lake’s villages and market central for anything you can possibly want to get!
We took a quick stroll through this town after arriving to Atitlan before eating dinner.
We arrived a littl too late just as the sun was about to set. However, that didn’t stop the chaos that seems to never go away. The streets were full of tourists, more food stands than you can ever imagine, and tons and tons of aging bohemians (hippies) or how ever you want to call them. They sell jewelry and practically live on these streets. I remember spending lots of time in this area about 8 years ago. And I swear they were here than and will be here 8 years from now!
But the fun part was buying my brother a grilled corn. Since corn is the staple food of the indigenous they sell it everywhere. He almost broke a tooth biting into one. Let’s just say it spent way too much time on the grill!
Plus, before we headed back to our lovely hotel, we found a stand selling crazy looking fruit. Ironically, they were extremely flavorful!
Show Me a Hotel With a Playground and We're There!
Posted by: | CommentsWhoever thought that one day I would base my hotel searches on which have the best playgrounds! That’s what happens when you travel with a little boy. And in our case, a super energetic kid that needs to burn off energy otherwise we’re all in trouble!
Beside the planning of our trips changing drastically, our vacations themselves have taken a detour from the standard let’s-get-to-know-the-area. Now, I find myself hopping from playground to playground.
But here’s the clincher: it’s so much fun. I’ve discovered that when traveling in different cities, especially somewhere like Manhattan, that the playgrounds are in the best parts of towns, in small parks that I probably would never have visited if it wasn’t for my son’s needs.
So out of all my travels which is my favorite city for great hotels near playgrounds and parks? NYC! Without hesitation. Funny enough, I’m a city girl myself. Raised in and around Manhattan, but never ever did I see all the great kid ops for playgrounds. Some are so discreetly placed that you’d never know one exists until you look closer and not only see the quality of it, but also how safe they are. Since I moved to Central America, we like to return to Manhattan often and now are set on staying in hotels that are close to parks (Central Park, my favorite) and playgrounds.
There are several noteworthy kid-friendly hotels in NYC, however nothing beats having a playground or park nearby.
Family friendly hotels near Central Park are given winners. Three of my favorites are: The Hotel Beacon because of its proximity to it. Plus, they have a kitchenette. The Loews Regency hands out jump ropes and backpacks for kids to use when you venture out to CP, and the Buckingham Hotel offers apartment style rooms with kitchens (including a stove top), and is within walking distance from the ice skating rink and zoo.
So mix it up a bit, start a different kind of search when looking for hotels, you’ll be surprised what travel gifts your kids can bring you!
This is a TravelingMom dedicated post!
Arriving to Lake Atitlan – Family Travel
Posted by: | CommentsDid you know that Lake Atitlan has been named as one of the most beautiful places on Earth? Once you get a glimpse of it, you’ll be in full agreement!
The drive from Antigua to Panajachel, the main town of Lake Atitlan, took us about 3 hours. It was actually a gorgeous drive through the highlands of Guatemala where the majority of the indigenous live. Living in Guatemala you get used to seeing them, but my brother has never really had a glimpse into their lifestyles and we had a blast passing them along the way.
When you book a hotel without knowing much about it, you really don’t know what you’re going to get. So you can imagine our surprise when we found out that we were staying at a 4 star hotel! Hotel Atitlan blew us away!
It was right on the lake, in its own private cove so away from the hustle and bustle of Pana, but a 5 minute drive nonetheless. We actually didn’t even want to go exploring because the grounds were so amazing, with a pool, and a small aviary.
But the best part were the views from our balcony!
Finally after an hour of drooling and checking out every nook and cranny of the place we decided it was time to venture out and do what we came here to do: Explore!
