Blogger is all kinds of messed up
I don't know what the hell is wrong with Blogger, because I can get to the direct link of my last post, but for some reason it doesn't show up on my main page (or in my list of posts in my admin). So anyway, here it is, the third installment of my Guatemalan journal. I hope you enjoy it.
On second thought, that's kind of silly, let me just repost it here:
-- At the hotel in Chichi, about 1pm
Something in this garden smells wonderful - a faint flowery smell I can't quite place. So far today I've wandered around the insanely large market covering most of the town (the largest in Guatemala, I hear), and I've seen another religious procession where the locals carry life-sized figures of saints and set off "bombas" which cause gringos like me to duck and take cover. They also infuse the Catholic traditions with Mayan rites such as burning offerings.
The above figure was repeated many times in many places throughout Guatemala, in several different forms. His name is (phonetically) Moshimon, and his legend dates back hundreds of years. I gathered that his duty was as a sort of patron saint of merchants, but I could be mistaken.
In the calm shade of the giant avocado and twisted lemon trees, the bustling market seems so far away, though it is only on the other side of that wall. To my left is a steep drop to the lower town we haven't visited yet, and an awe-inspiring vista of mountains and forests. White, puffy clouds salt the clear blue sky, and it feels about 85 degrees in the sun; with shade and a cool breeze, it's just about perfect. These months are considered their summer due to the dryness, but the coolness isn't really surprising considering the altitude, which I'm told is roughly 6500 feet. Well, we're off now to see some Mayan ruins!
In my journal, I apparently neglected to describe how interesting the ruins were. Well, not the ruins really - they were just an old rock serving as an altar - but the people at the top. In the photos below, you can see them performing their ancient rites, many of which involve the cardinal directions and burning offerings of sugar, tobacco, and other interesting things (like the two cans of carrots which exploded in the fire, raining fleshy orange bits at our feet).
We passed another religious procession on our way back from our hike.
This was the lamp in my room. I thought it was funny.
1/22/2006
How bizarre - this was semi-posted previously; it could be direct-linked, but never showed up on the main page. This is the third part of my Guatemalan series, transcribed from my travel journal. Click here for parts 1 and 2.
-- At the hotel in Chichi, about 1pm
Something in this garden smells wonderful - a faint flowery smell I can't quite place. So far today I've wandered around the insanely large market covering most of the town (the largest in Guatemala, I hear), and I've seen another religious procession where the locals carry life-sized figures of saints and set off "bombas" which cause gringos like me to duck and take cover. They also infuse the Catholic traditions with Mayan rites such as burning offerings.
The above figure was repeated many times in many places throughout Guatemala, in several different forms. His name is (phonetically) Moshimon, and his legend dates back hundreds of years. I gathered that his duty was as a sort of patron saint of merchants, but I could be mistaken.
In the calm shade of the giant avocado and twisted lemon trees, the bustling market seems so far away, though it is only on the other side of that wall. To my left is a steep drop to the lower town we haven't visited yet, and an awe-inspiring vista of mountains and forests. White, puffy clouds salt the clear blue sky, and it feels about 85 degrees in the sun; with shade and a cool breeze, it's just about perfect. These months are considered their summer due to the dryness, but the coolness isn't really surprising considering the altitude, which I'm told is roughly 6500 feet. Well, we're off now to see some Mayan ruins!
In my journal, I apparently neglected to describe how interesting the ruins were. Well, not the ruins really - they were just an old rock serving as an altar - but the people at the top. In the photos below, you can see them performing their ancient rites, many of which involve the cardinal directions and burning offerings of sugar, tobacco, and other interesting things (like the two cans of carrots which exploded in the fire, raining fleshy orange bits at our feet).
We passed another religious procession on our way back from our hike.
This was the lamp in my room. I thought it was funny.
posted by Ali at 2/06/2006 12:23:00 AM
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