Travel Advice

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode enjoys a few moments of solemn reflection in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Several villages dot the landscape around Lake Atitlan. Probably the most visited is Santiago Atitlan. The shops on the narrow streets sell paintings, handicrafts and richly embroidered fabrics. Each region of Guatemala has its distinctive embroideries. In Santiago Atitlan it's birds: Quetzales, macaws, you name it.

What is also unique to the area is the headdress the women wear. It's a thin red woolen band that wraps around and around the head, forming a sort of halo effect. Of course the women make it look easy but it's a thin strip of wool and I don't know how they wind it around without anything slipping. The tradition is very old as these headdresses can be found on monuments from at least 1200 years ago. This area is also known for ikat, a tie-dyed thread used in weaving.

In the square there is a church that's a reminder that it was not always so peaceful in Santiago Atitlan. Guatemala suffered immensely during a 30-year civil war which ended in 1996. Many civilians died or disappeared. Some of the deaths were caused by guerrillas, some by government militias. Sometimes one masqueraded as the other to shift blame.

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode explores the rich spiritual and religious traditions of Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Guatemala is a Catholic country for the most part. But due to its rich pre-Christian traditions, many of the old customs have been incorporated into Catholic rites. Sometimes the lines get blurred, as in the case of Maximon, a mixture of Judas Iscariot and St. Simon, who always seems to be smoking a cigar. His popularity stems from his human weaknesses (and in colonial times, because the church didn't like Judas, the Mayans adopted him as a form of protest for being forced to renounce their old beliefs) - he's the patron of prostitutes, mob bosses and other characters living on the fringes of society. An offering to Maximon, or Hermano Simon, consists of a bouquet of 7 herbs, all meaning something.

In a small village near Antigua we were taken to his chapel. Along the street were shops selling candles not unlike the Cuban "Santeria" and herb bouquets. In the courtyard was an old woman smoking a huge cigar and a shaman performing a ritual on someone - he was smoking a cigar, chanting, and dancing. Inside the chapel was the statue, with a modern suit, tie, hat and cigar. Loads of heady incense and people lined up to make offerings. A little creepy...

More wonders to tempt the curious traveler unfold in Part 4 of The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode's trip to Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Each day brings new wonders in Guatemala. From the markets in the highlands to the ever-present volcanoes, to the strange "Buddhas" in the town plaza in the town of La Democracia, this country continues to fascinate. The "Buddhas" are actually pre-Olmec stone sculptures about 2,500 years old. They are huge boulders minimally carved, probably because of the lack of sophisticated tools, i.e. metal, with the feet and arms wrapped around the body, which is a round blob.

Scientists call them the "Fat Boys" of Guatemala. They're magnetic, by the way. We don't know if the sculptors knew that, but they are. They're also rather endearing, with open eyes staring to the heavens. No, these roly-polies are not space aliens; people here were astronomers even 2,500 years ago. Some think the Fat Boys are star-gazing.

On the way to Atitlan we stop at another market, in Solola, where men have bat wings embroidered on their shirts. Solola is derived from the Mayan "ztotz," or bat. Bats live in caves and thus lead the way to the underworld. This passage from one world to the next is very important in Mayan mythology. The market is the event of the week: Students banter, farmers bring their produce, and anything from dried fish to socks is sold. There is much laughter and music all around the square. Add the ubiquitous colors of the huipiles, or embroidered blouses, and the entire scene is quite overwhelming - and fun.

Guatemala, home of the ancient Maya culture, reveals still more of her present-day secrets to the Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Our guide felt one market was not enough for us, so after departing Chichicastenango we were treated to a vegetable market in Almalonga, where they had the hugest carrots I'd ever seen, along with limes the size of grapefruits. Not genetically altered either, it's just how they grow them here.

Next there was the animal market at San Francisco del Alto, teeming with pigs, goats, cows, sheep and pedigreed puppies (don't ask). Along the way Tony tells us all the things that have come from this area: Chewing gum - the word "chicle" like in Chiclets," is Mayan; cotton - the Mayan word is "kotone," tomatoes (who knew?), avocados, chilies and squashes, among others. Chocolate came from the Aztecs up in Mexico, but they have it here too.

Then we stopped in an obscure town called San Andres Xecul and were led to the square. There stands the most peculiar church you will ever see. Remember about the fusion of Mayan and Catholic beliefs (see article on Chichicastenango)? This church takes the cake: Yellow facade (color of corn and the sun, i.e. life), 2 lions representing the coat of arms of the King of Spain, except they're not really lions at all, they're jaguars (Hey King, we're just peasants, we're not very good at making lions! Ha ha, joke's on you, your Maj!). Then there's loads of cute angels with jaguar heads underneath, and corn motif artwork. This is all done in various colors and makes religion look like a happy thing. Their God is forgiving and kind, not vengeful and austere.