¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome to my blog! I can´t promise daily or even weekly entries but I think it will be a nice central place to write about my travels and to receive comments and feedback from friends and family. Please feel free to post comments and opinions to share with other readers.
Here I am nearing the end of month number one of my Central American travels. It´s been a busy month learning Spanish, climbing volcanoes, enjoying natural hot springs, exploring coffee plantations and visiting hippie towns. I have managed to acquire some basic survival Spanish, but I have a long way to go.
Unfortunately, last week I was very sick because it seems there are parasites having a little fiesta in my stomach... and after a few awful nights, spent in close proximity to the bathroom, I feel much better and have regained about 70% of my strength.
I am now in the beautiful town of Coban in the middle of Guatemala where Semana Santa has begun and the town is flooded with religious processions, loud music and people everywhere enjoying the festivities. I have yet to experience the mayhem of Semana Santa and am leaving the city tomorrow for a day trip to Semec Champay, a gorgeous tropical national park complete with waterfalls, caves and hiking trails. I fled the crowds of Antigua to come up here because it seems that with the influx of tourists and Guatemaltecos, around Easter, Antigua is not a safe place to be during the biggest festival of the year. I will be up north in a week to enjoy Easter from Flores, near the Mayan ruins of Tikkal.
Just a quick side note: you may or may not have heard about Mel Gibson´s new film called Apocolypto which is filmed in Guatemala and focuses on an urban legend, written and directed by Mel, about the Mayans. A word of advice-don´t bother seeing it. In my opinion, this is a ridiculous film of the Mayans which displays them as savage lunatics. Mel clings to his argument that this is fiction and by no means historical, but most Guatemalans are in an uproar because of this racist depiction of their culture and past. I know it could be argued as just another film, simply meant for entertainment purposes. On the othe hand, when most of the world knows little about Guatemala or Mayan history this film tends to discolour a culture with a much richer past. This is definetely much different than the action films we have been accustomed to seeing because you won´t find any automatic weapons, swarms of helicopters, explosions, or speeding cars. So, if you aren’t opposed to graphic, brutal cinematic violence, get in line for Apocalypto this weekend! See it on the biggest screen possible, stuff your face with popcorn and ooo and ahh along with the raging crowd.

A Poem to Travel By.

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I've been circling for thousands of years
and I still don't know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?

~ Ranier Maria Rilke ~