GuatemalaDailyPhoto

First Act depicts the daily life and dancing of the Chorti People, an ethnic group of Mayan origin.

Second act depicts life and dancing of the Garifuna People, brought to the country as slaves during colonial times.

Third act is about Day of the Death and kite flying. For Mayan people, the flight of kites symbolizes the journey of relatives soul to the after life. If the kite flies high; it means the soul is ascending to heaven. If the kite is having trouble gaining altitude and stability; it means the soul is going to the purgatory. And if the kite fails to lift or dives down, it means the soul is going to hell. Think about it next time you see them kites.

The Artists:

Actors of Proyección Folklórica Zoel Valdés, founded by Professor and Folklorist Zoel Arturo Valdés Molina, with 35 years of experience interpreting Guatemalan Folklore and Traditions.
It was a three acts play. I’ll have more photos tomorrow.

I spent yesterday’s morning at Zone 1 Guatemala City and I bumped into a herd of goats and of course I had to have a glass (cup) of their milk. Delicious and nutritive for just Q5/$.63 cents.
tchin tchin..

Piñatas, you can find hundreds of different designs and colors and you can even have them custom made.
This is on Zone 1, Guatemala City adjacent to Parque Colón, an entire street allocated to piñatas business.

Rock Culture is dying down here in Guatemala.
In fact, there is no single good Rock radio station anymore, the last one they tell me changed its style more than three years ago; now they play pop music. But there still some loyal young people out here.
By chance I ended up at this autograph signing by Alan Boguslavsky, former guitar player of one of the most renown Latin America rock bands. The Dream of the Dead, by Alan Boguslavsky.

Scratch Tickets have arrived in Guatemala!
Great, now we can go spend our money on hopeless odds.
As far as I know, this is the only Scratch Ticket in Guatemala, and it became available two months ago.

One of the beauties of the Streets and Parks of Guatemala is that you can assemble a full meal with no difficulty.
You can start with a fruit antipasto,

a drink of your choice, including local beer,

your main course; in this case, a perfectly season steak and some scallions,

and as a dessert: Your choice of a Guatemalan Granizada -slush-

or a variety of ice-cream flavors.

Bon Appétit!

Street Fashion, Sixth Avenue, Guatemala City.

I know you all have seen more elegant, more sophisticated, more abundant and richer versions of a Desayuno Chapín -Guatemalan Breakfast-.
There is not set of rules nor it is written in stone what a Desayuno Chapín should be, or should contain. In my opinion, the Desayuno Chapín should reflect Authenticness -my word-, devotion to aboriginal ingredients, and the most important; Practicality. Again, in my opinion; Desayuno Chapín is about what’s practical but still tasty, not about presentation or fanciness. And what I show you here is what a Desayuno Chapín is and has been for the largest segment of the population, especially in the countryside.
And I’ll have this Desayuno Chapín go against any at a distinguished restaurant.
Que ricos estan los frijoles -So tasty are them Frijoles- I told the female attending the shop. Es que estan hechos con cariño -It is because they are made with love/passion/affection- she tells me. That’s something you are not likely to get at a fancy restaurant.

OK, for this one I’m going to require assistance.
I’ve been to many towns, big and small throughout the country and I’ve seen this Water-Jar style sculpture. This particular one is at a park on Sixth Avenue, Zone 1, Guatemala City.
Is there a social context about this theme? I’ve asked people around the parks where I’ve seen them but everyone is as clueless as I am.
Can Anyone elaborate on this?

World Car Free Day, Guatemala.
I was very impressed by the amount of people who showed up.
This time, I’ll let photos speak for themselves.
Enjoy.
I rode from my house in Villa Nueva, a good 10.8 miles to the event, plus a 5 miles loop we did around downtown Guatemala and back to Campo de Marte, and I rode back to my house.
Campo Marte is accessible on a short 30-45 minutes bicycle ride from any of Guatemala City’s Zones and some people showed up driving their motor vehicles with the bike mounted. Come on! It was an event to encourage you to ride your bike to it. Failed!
Besides that, everything was great. I felt an amazing sense of camaraderie.

Please allow me to show you a beautiful peace I got myself at Mercado Central on my trip yesterday.
I’ve seen this same work on the Mercado de Artesanias (Artisans Market) in La Antigua Guatemala for double the price.
Don’t forget when you go shopping here you are to haggle. When –by your accent or looks- you are taken as a tourist, you’ll be given a higher price. Make sure you ask for a better price.