el Remate, Peten, Guatemala

There is a small town called el Remate on the road to Tikal, Guatemala.

The highlight of visiting this town was meeting local Guatemalan artist Erwin Bendfeldt, a truly unique and passionate sculptor.

Erwin owns and operates the Sak Luk Hotel.

In my opinion, the Sak Luk is Erwin's' unbounded imagination living in real life on his property. Every place you look you will find another unique piece of his artwork, some tucked between tropical plants that he collects for their healing properties.

Besides an adventure for the senses to visit, the Sak Luk offers some excellent Italian food. Erwin is half Italian so his pasta dishes are mouth slurping good.

I had a chance to talk to Erwin in depth about his artwork, and got a better sense of the sheer passion and love he has for his country and the natural elements he uses to create his work.

He also tells of times when Lake Peten Itza was home to the fresh water crocodiles that inhabit some of the other lakes in this region. He tells of visions of seeing his spirit crocodile when swimming in the lake on full moon nights. Stories that are easy to believe when the jungle rules this area and the animals are part of the intricate intertwining of life here.

Erwins newest undertaking is a snack bar (pictured above, not completed at time of photo) that resembles his totem, the crocodile. Sadly, I missed the opening of this newest piece of his artwork. But I am sure the spirit of the crocodile was there watching over with ancient eyes.

There are many things in this world that defy explanation. I am learning to accept the unknown and unexplainable. And besides, it makes life more of an adventure than it already is.

Chiquimula Rodeo, Chiqimula, Guatemala

Chiquimula is home to a big rodeo here in Guatemala. Cowboys from Costa Rica, USA, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador all come to compete in the latest bull riding techniques.

This is a huge event in Chiquimula. The ladies are dressed in their finest tight-tight jeans and cropped shirts. The men all have the latest in western hats and belt buckles. And some even carry side firearms. Which are legal here with a permit I am told. Must be for those pesky stray critters that wander out at night.

The bull riding event is very intense...with lots of cheering for the favorite rider. The bulls just look hot and annoyed and want the whole thing over with. I can't blame them for looking ticked off. It's hot in Chiquimula in the afternoon. And dusty. Everything usually gets done is the cool afternoons or evenings. The fair goes on till the wee wee hours. Lots of bright colours and wonderful smells of summers-gone-by.

And cows.

Tikal, Peten, Guatemala

I don't think enough can be said about Tikal, Peten, Guatemala.

It's history alone would take years to fully understand, and then a lot of it is speculation at best.

Tikal seems to be in the middle of no where. Jungle no where. I was told the reason Tikal flourished was the presence of flint in the area to make weapons. Makes sense.

There are several archaeological sites surrounding Tikal. The most recent discovery being in the el Mirador Basin that is being excavated and restored now. The tallest Mayan building is here and the restoration project is being run by Dr. Richard Hansen.

I am still letting all of this seep into my being. Truly life changing images and experiences.

Tikal, Peten, Guatemala

 

Tikal is simply one of the most incredible archaeological sites in the world.

The site itself is in a national park that covers approximately 576 square kilometers.

There is ongoing restoration work being done so some of the structrures, even though you can still climb up to them, are not totally visible due to scapholding. Not a problem as the hundreds of other buildings are almost sensory overloading in their sheer size and splendor.

You have no doubt you are in the jungle when you visit Tikal. The paths to the building complexes are through paths cut in the huge jungly trees. Spider and howler monkeys live in the tree tops, and the sound of their calls is enough to make your knees turn to jelly the first time you hear them. They are quite active in the early morning and afternoon. You almost get used to that screaming sound ....

Lots of different and exotic species of birds to watch out for as well. That is if you can tear yourself away from the jaw-gaping sights of the ruins long enough to search for them.

The vision of miles of uninterrupted jungle from the tops of some of these pyramids is surely humbling....and well worth the time spent to actually get here.

I, for one, will never forget this experience.

Flores, Peten, Guatemala

 

Flores is the capital of Peten, Guatemala. It is set on an island joining the mainland by a manmade causeway.

Flores is one of the main tourist destinations on the way to Tikal. There are lots of small hotels, hostels, and eatery places here to explore and enjoy.

There is a small island off of Flores that is home to a working museum of many different items. Old radios and some gadgets I could not figure out what they were used for. Lots of Mayan artifacts and a very interesting curator that is a whole story himself. Well worth the short lancha (boat) trip to visit and spend an enjoyable hour or two chatting away in the shade of the ceiba tree that seems to dominate the space here.

Lake Peten Itza, Peten, Guatemala

Lake Peten Itza is on the road to Tikal, Peten, Guatemala. I'm not sure if many people that go to Tikal realize that this beautiful gem is just waiting for you to take a refreshing dip or just sit and enjoy the almost unbelivable Caribbean colours.

I spent almost a week here exploring her secrets. There used to be fresh water crocodiles living here, sadly they are gone now. But the local people remember the "time of the crocodiles" with almost mythical memory. In the middle of the Peten jungle that is not hard to envision.

There are several small towns dotting the shores of the lake. All sleepy and slow in the jungle heat, and alive with life forms of different kinds. Birds so many as to remain a constant background of a cacaphony. Insects bigger than most humming birds.

Turtles and fish in the lake still dance to the rythms of time.

It seeps into your marrow and fills your soul with the timeless life of the jungle. And a refreshing dip into the lake watching the heat lightening displays at night are something out of a fairy tale.

I am hooked.

San Pedro La Laguna, Solola, Guatemala

Guatemala is an amazing country. It´s so chock full of history that everywhere you look, another photo op takes place.

Most of the local people in this area are Mayan, and speak an ancient dialect called Tzutujil, usually as a first language. Spanish and English are also spoken by a lot of people that deal with tourism.

So I took the plunge and signed up for Spanish lessons. After two weeks of thinking I am getting too old for this kind of thing, I can put a sentence together and almost make others understand me. The subtle differences in certain words makes for some fun times. Today I said ... I can go swimming in the Chicken Bus. When you see what a chicken bus is it´s actually pretty funny. So, I am learning. Good thing the Guatemalans have a great sense of humour. And I can laugh at myself.

The history of the peoples here is nothing short of astounding. Everything is somehow connected to life .. and you can see this even in your walks around the town. Most of the interconnected pathways to property and homes are worn paths. Used by every footed and hoofed critter you can image. And what every footed and hoofed creature does naturally when nature calls. Makes for an interesting waterway in the heavy rainfall.

I´m still absorbing the culture. I am still getting used to not having the internet at my fingertips when I want it. But I saw emerald green hummingbirds today that took your breath away when their feathers hit the sunlight. They come within inches of you and think nothing of it. I´ve seen small children who play with marbles in dusty streets and are happier than any children I have ever seen playing games on the computer. There are lessons to be learnt here. Big ones.

Life. It sure makes you wonder what is really important and what we should be making our priorities are. Even if I have to go swimming in a chicken bus to learn.

Lake Atitlan, Solola, Guatemala

Mornings on Lake Atitlan, Solola, Guatemala are pretty incredible. There is a misty-fog over the water and the air is surprisingly cool.

I've spotted this same fisherman every morning on this particular walk I take along the lake. He always waves back at me ... and sometimes I wonder what he is thinkng. Why anyone would possibly want to take a shot of him doing what he does to eat everyday.

Sometimes I feel like a peeping-tommette person spying on someones life like this. Not sure if I have come to terms with doing "people-pictures" yet. I know we all like to see how other people in the world live. But think about it. Would we be very happy if some camera toting tourist wandered along the street where we live and started snapping pictures of us having a drink on the balcony or a BBQ in the back yard?

Nice of this man to put up with me in the mornings -- maybe we share a bond of the beauty of this place and the peaceful mornings where the birds and and water are the only sounds that lull us into a sense of "all is well with the world".

This world, this morning, anyway.

Pacaya Volcano, Antigua, Guatemala

Guatemala has a lot of volcanos. Active ones.

Pacaya Volcano in Antigua is pretty impressive. The hike up is taxing -- there are horses that will gladly huff and puff you up instead of you doing the huffing and puffing. I'm a wimp -- I took "Tamarinda" who seemed to have made the uphill trek more than once. I figured living with "horse-butt" for a day was better than total exhaustion.

The horses don't go all the way up, there is still about a 20-30 minute hike through the lava fields. I'm not kidding when I say lava fields, there were lava flows the day I was there and some brave souls were actually roasting marshmellows on sticks in the heat. The sticks never made it either, that lava is blazingly, unbearably hot. The soles of shoes were melting.

To get within mere inches of flowing lava is a lifetime experience. I'm not sure where else in the world you can get this close to Mother Nature without having fences and "Stay Back Hot Lava" signs. Here, there are none -- if you fall in or get yourself scorched, well I guess you're an adult and should known better. Lava is hot and there is no fooling around with it.

The ride back down at dusk was nothing more than spiritual. The whole top of the volcano was glowing red and there were flows of lava in streams rolling rocks along with it. I was beyond awe-struck and gaping. This is once-in-a-lifetime changing your inner self stuff going on here.

Lake Atitlan, Solola, Guatemala

I know this is a blog on Vancouver. My creative dry spell made me hop on a plane for parts of the world I have not seen or experienced yet. Well, life just keeps taking all of these interesting twists and turns, and finally I just accept holding on the for ride and not trying to change things.

This is an incredible part of the world on a lake called Atitlan.

Solola is the "department" that Lake Atitlan is located in. A department is like our Canadian provinces.

I haven't gotten to see all the villages yet. Most are from the Mayan days. Amazing culture that I'm still taking in. You have to leave your North American senses behind and just let all of this slowly seep into your pours ... some people come here and never leave. I am having a hard time putting all of this into words -- so for now I will let the camera make up for that.

With all this raw nature, I think the creative dry spell might be getting some rain.