Guatemala Part 3

On the road Part 3

My new hotel is fantastic. Same price too. I have a large room, a locked cupboad for valuables, and a beautiful private patio overlooking the garden. The bathroom is huge, and has a big skylight. On a sunny day you can get a sun tan while sitting on the john. My idea of multitasking. There is also a kitchen, microwave and fridge in the common area. And the shower is HOT. 2 days of hot showers.

On Saturday morning I had a great double cappuccino and a real croissant. The weather was perfect. I went on a walking tour with Elizabeth Bell. She is very involved in local activities and literacy programs. A lot of interesting info on the Mayas and local politics.

We visited a pre-Columbian museum, which was beautiful. It had an interesting concept. The sponsor collect glass art, and each pre-Columbian artifact was paired with a piece of modern glass art. Very effective. And they played Mozart on the sound system.

For lunch I had a perfect Austrian meal. In Austria the 4 food groups are bread, cheese and butter, sausage and beer. I had some of each. Once a peasant, always a peasant.

I did appease the diet gods by having salad for dinner. I bought some packaged pre-washed lettuce, and added some olives, tomatoes, and a fresh avocado. Delicious. Washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice.

I spent a couple of hours typing Part 2. I am a slow typist.

Afterwards I just sat in the park. I have a favourite bench, up by the Cathedral. and I just sit, read, and let the memories pass over me.

I tried to find the procession that was coming from one of the villages into Antigua. I went to the tourist to get the information, and the guide told me it started in Santa Catalina. I asked him to write it out for me and he wrote it on a map. With the map in hand I went to the bus station by the market. I showed the note to a couple of drivers, and found the chicken bus that would take me there. I had some time before the bus left so I went to the market. They truly sell everything, underwear, bras, machetes, hats, shoes, fruits, vegetables, meat
and fish. Everything except stamps. I have been trying to mail some postcards all week, but can't find a place to buy stamps. I finally found the post office, but it was closed. They open late, close for siesta, close early, and aren’t open on weekends. I might have to hand deliver these cards.

At 10 I boarded my bus and showed the driver my note. I was a little concerned when I noticed quite a few of the passengers making the sign of the cross as they got on, but what the heck, I survived the shuttle rides so far. I feel invincible.

It is an interesting system. The driver has an assistant who collects the fares, stores the baggage on top, and acts as a traffic cop. When several buses meet at an intersection, at the same time, there is chaos, because the streets are narrow, and the buses make wide turns. The assistants jump off, and sort out the traffic. Meanwhile the real traffic cops stand at the side of the road, looking official.

I started to get a little concerned after half an hour. The procession could not possibly travel this far. Sure enough the guide had written Santa Catarina, instead of Santa Catalina. So there I was in Santa Caranina...no procession, no English speakers. I had a coffee, and headed back to Antigua. This ride was also very pleasant.

Each driver personalizes his bus, and this driver, a very good looking hunk, by the way, was into stuffed toys. He had at least a dozen on his dashboard, some with blinking red eyes. He had also equipped his bus with an air horn, like the big transport trucks, and he loved playing it. It was like a musical instrument. He would stop in a village, play a little tune, and within a couple of minutes half a dozen passengers appeared. It got quite crowded, and I ended up with the most gorgeous little girl sitting on my lap. Her equally beautiful mother was sitting beside me.

Life Is Great.

Back in Antigua I had some cut up fruit for lunch. I wonder if I am tempting my stomach.

Had a little siesta.

After my siesta I started to walk to the Cathedral to watch the procession. As I walked along 7 Ave. I noticed some small groups constructing carpets. In some cases it is a family affair, grandparents, parents, grand children. One little girl was making her own little carpet. It was small, but she was working very intently. In this part of the city they were using pine needles as a base, rather than saw dust.

Then I noticed the procession approaching. I was not expecting much, because this was supposedly one of the smaller processions. They build until Holy Week, which is supposed to be fantastic. During Easter week, my 35 dollar room jumps to 75 dollars.

The first thing you see a double columns of about 60 Roman soldiers, in full uniform. They walk in single file along the side of the road, not to step on the carpets. Then there comes a band, followed by several hundred penitents, all wearing, white, black or purple robes. Then there come the incense burners. All you see are clouds of incense. The scent is overwhelming. You can hear a band playing a funeral march. And then this THING appears, out of the incense. It does not move straight. It sways as it floats several feet above the road. It is 50 feet long, weighs a couple of tons, and is carried by 40 men, who slowly shuffle along. My first impression was a dragon spewing smoke. As it nears you can distinguish the float and the men. On top of the float is an oversized figure of a bloody Christ, dragging a huge cross.

It is lit, electricity being supplied by a generator that is pulled behind the float.

As it passes I feel transported back to medieval times and the dominant emotion is one of fear and dread.

This is not a loving gentle God.

Elizabeth Bell explained that the Mayas do not really understand Christianity, but they understand Christ. During the past the Mayas offered humans to appease the gods. The people offered were considered privileged, and it was an honour to be chosen. It meant direct access to the ancestors. No mention of 72 virgins though. The Mayas think of Christ as being such a chosen one. She made a point of distinguishing between an offering and a sacrifice. I don’t know. In my opinion, either way does not do much for your social life.

Following the men’s float is a women’s float. This is smaller, and is carried by about 20 women. I noticed they were wearing heels, not high ones, but not flats either.

You have to remember this procession started at 11 am, has travelled several km, and will not end until it reaches the cathedral at about 6. There were well over 500 participants, taking turns, but it still is an unbelievable task.

I went to the Cathedral and watched the whole thing again. Still the same uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

It was just after 6 and the sky was fantastic. There were just enough clouds for a perfect sunset. Beautiful range of colours from gold to bronze to red to black. STUNNING.

I read a bit and went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and went out on the patio. The starts were gorgeous,

I could see the Big Dipper clearly. I found the North Star, showing the way home....

More to come

Ralf