Flores, Guatemala (Near Tikal)

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Flores, Guatemala is a good place to stay if you are going to visit Tikal. There is a nice selection of hotels and restaurants to choose from. The Parque central is located on the top of the town. The town itself is on an island just across from the town Santa Elena. Tikal is about 1 1/2 hours away and staying in Flores can drastically cut your hotel and food costs. The people are friendly and polite. Lago De Peten Itzais clean and many people swim in it to cool down.This is what the streets of Flores look like.

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This is Parque Central and is a good place to get some cheap meals.
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Perhaps you want to explore Lago de Peten Itza in a leak free canoe?
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Relax and enjoy Flores, Guatemala after your excursion to Tikal.

Mangrove Tour Monterrico, Guatemala

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mangrove1

Monterrico is a wildlife refuge for different types of species of birds, reptiles and mammals. One way to see these different type of species is take a mangrove tour.

In the off season my friend and I just walked to the main boat launch and arranged
a two hour tour. The cost was 40 Q each.Most boats are simple with no engine. I think I prefer the tranquility of no engine.

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Just sit back and enjoy.

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Lots of birds to see.
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The pilots know a lot of secret passages.

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Imprenta Galvez (Print shop) in Guatemala

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imprenta4
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
15a Avenida, 3-64
Zona 1

I needed to have some business cards printed up and found this print shop by chance. If you are interested in how they use to print in the early days. Stop by Imprenta Galvez and take a step back in time.

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Belize City

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belizecity1

You won’t find any skyscrapers in Belize City. What you will find is a lot of old dilapidated buildings and very friendly people. I enjoyed my two day stay in the “North Front Street Guest House.” I didn’t go to the Caye Islands because of the high price these days. It’s very easy to catch a water taxi in Belize City to the Islands for about 10 US dollars each way.

This photo was taken from the “swing bridge” and a whole slew of water taxis are behind it waiting to whisk you away to the islands.
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Neat little building beyond the swing bridge.
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A typical breakfast in Belize City of Eggs and sausage (hot dogs).
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San Pedro (Lago de Atitlan)

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sanpedrotaste1

San Pedro is the party spot around Lago de Atitlan. Climb volcano’s , kayak, horseback riding and etc….

The Main Dock

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The main dock looking back

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Big foot is where to go for climbing volcanoes

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Caza Suenos a fine leather shop (world famous)
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They makes fine custom shoes and cloths

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Local church on top of town
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You will find a local market above the town.
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Hatha Yoga (San Marco’s, Lago de Atitlan)

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yoga1

 

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The instructors name is “Paola” and she is very knowlegable in Hatha Yoga. If you are a beginner its no problem since she keeps a steady pace. She starts with the basics and throws in some advanced positons for the more advanced students. The price is 30 Q if you would like to contribute or as much as you can afford. The sessions last about 2 hrs.

Just follow the Trail.

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Your there.

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Casa Sosa (Quetzaltenango)

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Spacious, economic bedrooms in a family home & a great atmosphere.
Maria Ulin de Sosa
10a Calle “A” 20-67, zona 1. Quetzaltenango
Please call: 7761-6682, 54321587-59447438Prices:

  • 1 day 30 Q
  • 1 week 175 Q
  • 1 month 700 Q

Prices with meals included:

  • 1 day 60 Q 3 meals
  • 1 week 350 Q 3 meals per day
Located in western Guatemala in the city of Quetzaltenango or simply Xela(shay-lah). You will find this lovely family home. If you decide to stay with the family. You will get your own room. There is a shared bathroom in the court yard outside with hot shower. You will have no access to the kitchen. The familly is currently trying to get enough money together to build a guest kitchen.

The home is located about a 15 minute walk from Parque CentroAmerica. The neighborhood is very safe. Many Spanish students stay here.

If you decide to have the family cook for you. This is the kitchen you will eat in. The mother of the house is a very good cook. You will eat with the family. She says her prayers before each meal.

Bottom line: The price is right and you can’t beat the price of 350 Q for one week including meals. Now if you need to cook your own meals then best to find a house with a shared kitchen.Pros:

  • Spacious rooms
  • Safe neighborhood
  • Hot Showers
  • Good price

Cons:

  • Currently no shared kitchen
  • Can’t do your laundry at the house

 

Weaving School in Guatemala

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Teixchel (Weaving School)

(Lago de Atitlan, San Pedro)
Location: Head straight up the road from the Panajachel dock. On your right-side.
Price: 15 Q per hour (about $2.00 US dollars) plus materials.The owner and instructors name is Berta. She can teach you the Mayan art of tejido(weaving). I began my instruction making a scarf and it’s time consuming (20 hours). I would recommend doing several smaller projects, so you can master all of the different steps of the basic setups. Just transferring your yarn/thread to different tools is complicated for the beginner. I actually bought some tools(5 dollars) and took the time consuming scarf project home. Berta sells all the supplies if you are interested in buying them.

The first step of my scarf project. You choose your colors and width and then wrap it around this jig. Then you transfer the thread to a different set of tools.

You see that stick she is holding in her hand. That is one of the difficult things you need to learn. Wrapping a nylon string around each individual thread to keep them separate. Then on the other end of the scarf there is a similar setup.

Give it a try!

 

Moon Fish Cafe (San Marcos)

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Located on the shores of Lago De Atitlan In (San Marcos)

For a great cup of coffee with a million dollar view stop by at the “Moon Fish Cafe”. Overlooking Lago De Atitlan you can get a cup of cafe con leche for 6 Q. Now I hear they do have good food. But since my meal today is of tomato’s from street vendor I can only say the Moon Fish Cafe has good coffee. I did hear a coffee grinder once I placed my order. So they use fresh beans.

Now is this view worth a 1 us dollar cup of coffee? I think yes!

Old Belize

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Museum admission: 10 US dollars
Swimming admission: 5 US dollars

Nothing old about it. Great place to park your million dollar yacht if you have one. This is basically a marina that has a 10 US dollar jungle museum, 5 US dollar swimming hole and a overpriced restaurant. I looked around for about 10 minutes and caught a bus back downtown. Now I heard the Museum was suppose to be good. The big slide into the swimming hole could be some fun.

Looks like a good and secure location to park your boat. They have security guards patrolling the area.

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