Guatemala September 2012

Not feeling much like writing these days. I'm doing the facebook thing which satisfies me in 50 words or less from time to time. I just thought I would share photos from a trip to Guatemala in September 2012.

Night time view from the park.

A view thru a hole in the wall

The buildings are straight, its the streets that are crooked

A new vine on an old wall

This church reminds me of a wedding cake

This plant reminds me of a dread wig and I love the hanging orchids. At least I think they are orchids.

Antigua, 4 guys on the street

Antigua in the late afternoon

 

Friends

Guatemalan Independence Day marching bands

Hand woven fabric

The Hope

 

Three Friends

A street in Panajachel

I love to see the character in this woman's face. What a life she must have lived, and the stories she can tell.

 

Clerks relaxing outside a shop in Panajachel

Saying goodbye to Lake Atitlan on my last full day before returning to Belize.

Panajachel

A look inside, from the street to an inner courtyard

 

 And now for the music portion of the blog...

I think this video was shot in Argentina

Tuk Tuk

Panajachel street scene

Agua

Hanging orchids

Majorettes

Love this photo shot in the late afternoon in Antigua. I love long shadows.

Antigua

Hanging Heliconia, which is from the banana family

Soft focus

The flower shop in Antigua

Shops in Antigua

Old things in Antigua

Blue flowers

Electric Avenue

More old things

A pimped out red chicken bus

More wedding cake churches

Independence Day Parade, Caye Caulker, Belize

 

Illustration Friday - Round

Hand painted silk

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A Lovely Day

I woke up this morning with this song is going round and round in my head. Back and forth up and down doing my local shopping on Caye Caulker, from Miss Julia's to Deals on Wheels to Chan's Supermarket to Chinatown, oh I just noticed a new chicken place next to the bakery. Screech-HALT! Delicate balance, I'm riding my pink beach cruiser in a wrap skirt. I'm not worried about flashing anyone, the skirt is definitely long enough, plus its a girl's bike so I don't have to fling my leg over the bar. I am more concerned at not getting it wrapped around the chain and me spilling onto the sandy street legs up, my groceries hanging in sacks off each handlebar. Kick stand down, bags balanced so the bike doesn't tip over, I get on and off, but sometimes just straddling the bike and shouting "You got avocados?" "You got cilantro today?" "How much bananas for dolla?" I pass the tortilla shop and turn the corner Slowly maneuvering around the giant muddy water holes left from last night's rain I pass Chan's hardware on my way to BTL to pay the phone bill and LOVE FM is playing Don't Worry, Be Happy. I couldn't have said it better myself, as I put the kickstand down, tromp in and say "MORNING!"
"Morning Miss Lee Ann, I haven't seen you in a while"

Bill Withers - Lovely Day Lyrics

When I wake up in the morning love
And the sun light hurts my eyes
And something without warning love
Bears heavy on my mind.
Then I look at you and the world's alright with me
Just one look at you and I know it's gonna be
A lovely day
When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
And someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way
Then I look at you and the world's alright with me
Just one look at you and I know it's gonna be
A lovely day
-----------------------------------------------
My taste in music roams around and around but right now I'm loving Pitbull and all of his collaborations with other artists. So enjoy my picks!







Or you could head over to Oceanside and kick off your flip flops and whynd wind wynd, and shake the fringe on your skirt. Ladies, you know you want to.

Photo Friday - Seashore

On Caye Caulker, kids are kids. You will see them playing marbles on the sandy streets, kicking balls, and if they don't have a ball, kicking a plastic bottle, riding bikes, playing like kids used to play before the internet and x-box.
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Sundown

Sugar Kisses

CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO WHILE READING THIS POST to get the same feeling I had when writing it.

"No Sugga inna Caye Caulker bring fram de City" the text message read on Tuesday morning, from Shirlene.
"No sugar on the Caye, need to get some before you drop me at the water taxi." I tell my taximan
HE: Well gud luk wid dat, sugga scayce right now."
ME: For tru? Chiney shop noh hav?
HE: It all inaa de newspapa, dey carry too much da Guatemala, sell it on de block markit, get 6 times de amount we pay inna Belize. Greedy sukkaz.
ME: Me noh pay tenshun da newspaypa
So I dash into Sav-U-by-de-roundabout, to the sugar aisle and it was empty. EMPTY. EMPTY EMPTY. Almost in a panic (sweating and hyperventillating) I asked the young boy stocking the shelves, about sugar... "Yu hav, yu noh hav?"
"We hav" he say, slowly backing away, "Sugga scarce, yu cyan hev only 5 pownd." and went to the back room to get it.
"All de mi giv me is 5 pownd" I tell my taxi man, "Mek you ker sum fa me" I hand my taxi man a $5

Midmorning clandestine sugar purchases. My taximan comes out of the store walking nonchalant, like the sugar is for HIM, giving a little skip. A conspiratorial smile on his face. Hmmmph! Always a way to beat the system.

The crux of the problem is that there is no production problem in Belize, the sugar prodcers say they have been selling enough to the local distrubutors, but these same distributors have been illegally exporting sugar to Guatemala, shorting the local economy, because they can get up to 6x the amount than what we pay here with our government price controls on basic commodities.

So, with sugar so scarce, I have stopped vacuuming the ants out of it.

"What are these insects?" a tourist man said pointing to the sugar jar.
I pretend to peer at it, knowing full well what he's pointing at. "Oh, those are just sugar ants" not paying him any mind "Totally edible."
I see his stomach turn. I actually physically see it, and think "stop being such a cry baby man".
"Well if you don't like them, which by the way I do, extra protein and all, just wait till they float to the top of your coffee and then skim them off."
"Here, let me show you." and I drop a teaspoon of sugar into my coffee, the ant floats up, I skim him off in one swoop. "Because I am not freakin throwing this sugar away, sugar scarce you know."

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Photo Friday - My World

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I made this at photofunface.com

Photo Friday - Manufactured

Shot in Cozumel, Mexico.

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