Side
What a blocked road can cause.
Well on the island, almost since I arrived they been doing repavement on the street. So they closed a few block for several weeks (sometimes more)
Well from where I live to the gas station is a simple short trip, two blocks forward, turn left, seven blocks forward, and you are there.
But las night, after the left turn, I find that just 2 blocks ahead the street is closed. No Problem I said, just turn left, and at the neareast possible right again and soon I'll be on the other street that takes to the gas station.
There I go, when on the next trun, horror, its full, since there was a crash ahead, but being a few meters after the next corner, its just a matter of just making a bigger round-turn. Anyway just 15 minutoes to get to the next corner. Turn, and surprise, i forgot that street just goes one block before joining to another street that goes to the other side, so need to turn. After like three more turn, finally I get to one main street that crosses the gas-station street, so it should be easy now. Mistake, turns out that they changed the flow of the street I needed to turn, to help with the traffic caused by the blocked street, so needed to go a few more block more, making me ending lamost in the point I started, just two blocks closer to downtown.
At the end I did arrived to the gas-station, after a long trip, making over half an hour on a trip that usually takes 5-7 minutes
Kisses
Jessica
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Side
Monday, May 19, 2008
The monster is back.
The monster is back.
After almost 2 months without dressing, and more than one month without updating flickr or blog. The monster is back.
I was kind of ultra busy from work, add to it a certain feeling of not wanting to do much or put effort.
But hopefully this time is not a one-time Jessica appearance in between.
Thanks to all who sent messages or email worrying.
Kisses
Jessica
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Simple
Simple
A photo from the basement of the Capuchinas Convent in Antigua, liked the way lights goes in.
Detail from an Alfombra in Antigua
Detail from an Alfombra in Antigua
I ended with thousand of photos of the Alfombras, I liked this pattern a lot
Scary
Scary
Its a religious setup, but due to the very little lighting, the closed space of the basement and stairs, more than devotion it causes fear.
Maybe that the purpose, to inspire what is called "be fear of God"
Alfombra Antigua
Alfombra Antigua
Another Alfombra (carpet) form the Antigua Prosession, this with flowers, fruits and plant, a very pretty and impressive design.
Barbequed food
Barbequed food
On the Holy week verbena, the similarity and difference of some mexican and guatemalean food caught my attention.
At a start, in Guatemala this kind of fast food is called "Refacciones" a term that i as mexican associate more with car fix parts. Here in Mexico que called them "tentempi" or "refrigerio" o algunas "lonche" a near term to the english lunch.
Back on topic, what we Mexican call "Torta de Pollo" in guatemala is "Pan con Pollo" a piece of bread with chicken inside. wel the breads are different, but still is basically the same.
Other is the meat from the photo, over there is sold as "Tortilla con carne", that is basically the same as "Tacos de Carne" in Mexico, but well, the thing is even when its basically the same, a tortilla and a piece of meat, since the taco is folded, and here they are given kind of apart, its a different thing.
Interesting.
Monday, March 31, 2008
La Merced
La Merced
The Church of "La Merced" (Mercy in english) at Antigua Guatemala, the one I liked the most.
Carpet on the La Merced Church
Carpet on the La Merced Church
Part of what makes the Holy Week different in Antigua, is the "Alfombras" or carpets.
On the streets where the procession is going, people create those carpets, some with plant, and with other kinds of materials.
Lots of pretty and colorful designs.
This was the first "Alfombra" I saw that day, outside the church of La Merced, the starting point of the procession.
Lomo Relleno
Lomo Relleno
I was told the name in spanish is Lomo Relleno, is pork meat, in a roll , filled with more meat.
Domingo de Ramos in Antigua
Domingo de Ramos in Antigua
The day I arrived to Antigua, was sunday, when its the festivities of "Domingo de Ramos", translation would be something like "Palm Sunday"
I liked the palms that were on sale, so I decided to take a photo.
The Palm Sunday festivity, is because of the day Christ entered to Jerusalem, and begins the Holy Week. People buy the palms, go to mass, where they are sprinkled with holy water. Those palms, are then burned, and the ashes are used next year, on "Miercoles de Ceniza", Ash wednesday.
Volcan de Agua in Antigua
Volcan de Agua in Antigua
This is a photo of the "Volcan de Agua" outside Antigua
Antigua was the city of Guatemala I was the most days, used the time to see how Holly Week is on that city.
Around Antigua there are 3 volcanoes.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Its Lava
Its Lava
The most interesting part of climbing the mountain, was to see lava, from little place where little lava was slowly coming out of the rocks, to lava in an almost solid state moving really slowly, to hole where one could see lava like in the photo, or full rivers of lava moving.
And the amount of heat is amazing.
Top of the Pacaya Volcano
Top of the Pacaya Volcano
This is the view from near the Top of the Pacaya Volcano.
All volcanic rock and ashes, had to be very careful when walking, since the rock moves, breaks, sometimes is really hot when there is lava moving under it, can even break open a lava outing. In fact one person in the group cut himself with a piece of rock.
A very impressive thing to look, like a view of another planet.
Pacaya Volcano
Pacaya Volcano
Once in Antigua I took a trip to the Pacaya Volcano, although there are taller volcanoes around, the interesting thing is that is an active volcano that has lava flowing.
According to a sign at the entrance, its a 2200 meters climb, a good exercise.
This photo is a look of the volcano from the base.
Tamal Guatemalteco
Tamal Guatemalteco
This is a Tamal, Guatemalean Style.
Inside it, thre is a full piece of chicken (leg) in tomato sauce
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sunset on the Peten Itza Lake
Sunset on the Peten Itza Lake
Well a photo of the Sunset over the Peten Itza Lake, I like it.
At 9 pm, it was time to take a bus again, now more to the south towards Guatemala Capital City. Luckily it was of the Pullman type buses, so it was comfortable, so again, one night sleeping on a bus. To Guatemala City arriving at 4am.
Turkey Plate
Turkey Plate
As I was saying, I took the time in the island of Flore, Guatemala, and decided to eat something.
So I eat a delicious plate of Turkey, prepared guatemalean style. It was delicious.
Peten Itza Lake
Peten Itza Lake
Well I am back after one week away on Vacations, for the Holly Week
I made a whole circle around on my trip.
Lets see, I started on my island, friday night at 9pm, from there a bus to Chetumal at the east, where I arrived at 4am, well most of the time was sleeping on the bus, so really didnt felt time passing, of course, not the best way to sleep.
At 5 am, take the bus from Chetumal to Flores,Guatemala, to the south and a little bit to the west. Arriving around 2pm.
Once in Flores, Guatemala, had to wait a little time, that was good, I took the time to eat, and stretch the legs a bit.
Took one of the boats to the Lookout point, from where one can see almost all the Peten Itza Lake.
The photo is my attempt (badly done) to do a panorama with Photostitch, one can easily see (even in this small version) where the photo join points are.
Other is since my flickr account is of the free ones, the maximum side has to be 1200 pixels, so it looks all tiny. But still one can see the lake, the island of Flores, a couple more islands, the town of SantaElena, and a bit of jungle.
Because walking 5 more meters (15 feet) is so terrible
Because walking 5 more meters (15 feet) is so terrible
Ok, I understand that it is more desirable to park close to the destination, specially if one is to carry things to or from the car.
But there are timers, in which in some people, that need to park as close to it, makes it look as if for them walking those extra 5 meters is harmful. It is interesting to see how sometimes just to save walking a few more steps, people keep driving around or waiting for long times.
One example from the other day, on the store park place, there were a few park spots like around 100 meters away, but there was one car that looked like going out just 20 meters ahead (or 80 away), so the vehicle in front decides to go and wait for the car that might go out in the not so closer spot. And it waited long for the people and kids to put the bags and then go inside. It was waiting even after I walked the 100 meters of the other park spots, and entered the store. So just to avoid walking 20 meter, waited for a few minutes. Well it might not look like if a few minutes would be such a big deal, indeed, but there are other times when people would go for longer times just waiting for that park place.
But the most ridiculous was yesterday night, at the park place outside of where I go to do exercise, while I parked, get all my stuff out of the car, a car went around the whole parking lot 3 times. At the end it parked "far from the entrance", or in other words, next to where I parked. I listened how one of the girls said to the one driving "Great, now i am late for my class, while you were here just driving around"
The other girls says "I wanted to park closer, so not to walk that much"
I was totally like "WHAT???", it was not even 30 meters(10 feet) to the entrance, and that was for her to walk that much, and her destination was to a place to do exercise, so what would be so bad of just walking a few steps more , even might be good for warming up (well not really being such a short distance)
Anyway, thats just how humans are.
Kisses
Jessica
Purple and Black
Purple and Black
I love how purple and black go together
Purple blouse whit decorations
Straight black skirt
Black boots
And a fairy necklace.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Murmuro
O rojos que con fuerza fluyen
libres impulsos os alimentan
alcanzad vuestra meta deseas
surgir y bañadme completa
decision que por las sombras surge
encuentra en la luz su termino
Silencio que ocurre cuando os miro
anhelos y esperanzas buscando ser hundidos
no temo ante el color de vuestra fuerza
generoso y vibrante escarlata
recibid con gusto mis latidos
explotad y regalarme el olvido.
Sorry no english translation this time
Arita
Arita
-Mom, do you know someone by the name Arita- asked Matilde, that night after deciding that no mater how much she tried to remember, the name didn't brought a memory.
-Not exactly by that name, but you were the only person who called her that.
-I used to called someone like that??? How could I not remember.
-You really don't remember??? I can understand it was in your early childhood, but I would think you would remember your Aunt Sara, or Arita as you used to call her.
And like if the memory long gone started to come back, Matilde's memory slowly build a face, first a small head, with a pair of tiny squared glasses in front, that were more likely floating in front of a pair of eyes in a color so dark it was almost black, with a tender but sad look. A mouth with a tiny hint of a smile. Certainly it had been a long time since Aunt Sara's death, and almost that time since Mathilde stopped thinking about her.
Slowly a few memories started to surface, the day Arita showed her the new swing installed in her garden when she was 5 years old, and that for many visits would be her place. Or the day they went shopping for the little gnome statues for the front garden, and she picked the one who was carrying the toolbox. Or the year the two of them decorated the Xmas tree with teddy bears instead of the usual decorations.
And then she remembered, how just a little before she became 8 years old, she went to her first funeral, a dark room, the ugly noise of several voices all talking in whispers, like wanting to hide. The long lines of chairs with too many people she didn't know. The tears in her mother's face and her shaky hand as they walked through the room, towards the big wooden box that looked so strange, so new and old at the same time. Her curiosity to look inside, the feeling of danger as she hold the border of the box while making her feet go up, and then
-Matilde, Matilde, are you okay - said the voice of her mother through the phone
-Yes, mom, is just that I started to remember- said as a little tear started to appear.
-Are you going to Sara's house? Do you want me to go with you?
-No mo, thanks, but I think from her letter that she wanted me to go alone.
Aunt Sara's house, Arita, a place were she created memories on her childhood and somehow she had forgotten them all. Why, why????
