Travel Advice

Pyramids that rival the pharaohs' await The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode in Tikal, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
The Mayan city of Tikal dates back to 800 BC and at one time was home to over 100,000 people. The entire complex is a national park and Guatemala's pride. Howler monkeys make eerie noises which make you think you're in Jurassic Park. We were lucky enough to see not one but three toucans in the same tree. Other colorful birds, among them the trogon from the quetzal family, abound. If you are fortunate enough, you just may see the peanut bug which is a huge green thing in the shape of a peanut. They are very rare and I'm told they bite. We saw two mating - eeeeuw.

Tikal is spectacular - a much bigger area than I expected and surprisingly easy to get around. The walking paths are wide enough for 2 cars, though passenger vehicles are forbidden. The weather was unusually mild due to this year's La Nina effect (The same La Nina which caused such a horrible winter in the US also cooled off the jungle.) It's a quiet place, permeated only by jungle noises. The mounds of vegetation hide ruins which will not be dug up (only 15% of the city is uncovered), so we can only imagine Tikal's grandeur in days past. A careful balance is kept with nature in this very unique ecosystem.

Is it a museum, monastery or hotel? The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode reviews the Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua, Guatemala. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
The Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua is a most unusual place. It's built along the ruins of a colonial monastery and in addition to being a 5 star hotel, the best in Antigua, it houses several museums. From the outside you can't imagine its grandeur, but once you enter through the gates, be prepared for surprises.

The hotel itself is outstanding - the rooms have fireplaces, balconies overlooking wonderfully colorful gardens (more toucans and parrots!), and along the passages are neat pieces of antique statuary and furniture. Very old-worldish. The ruins of the monastery are a museum in themselves, but they also house statues, paintings and other Spanish colonial artifacts. There are also a couple of art museums on the grounds, and a very small pharmacy museum. All are free to hotel guests, and non-guests pay a very reasonable fee.

The ambiance in the hotel is superb and the staff is dressed in these monk-like cream-colored outfits: loose linen pants with matching hooded tops and a brooch/clasp in front. Very elegant. The hotel also has the usual amenities: pool, restaurants, bar, etc., but more of an open air environment - you access everything by walking through the gardens. The restaurant serving the huge buffet breakfast is out of this world - made-to-order omelets, waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, local specialties, fresh fruit and bread, everything your heart desires in the morning, accompanied by birds singing and a gentle breeze. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are grand. What more can a person ask for after a long day's touring?

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.

Oh Maya! The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode continues her journey through Guatemala with a stop in the mystical town of Chichicastenango. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
Sometimes you get lucky. Most tours arrive in "Chichi", as they call Chichicastenango here, the morning of the market day. But if you arrive the day before, as we did, you will see the throngs of people coming in from the countryside, all dressed up in colorful traditional Mayan clothing, setting up their stalls in anticipation of Market Day (every Thursday and Sunday). We got to Chichi in the afternoon and marveled at the clean mountain air and the colors around us.

Our hotel, the Mayan Inn, had no TV or phone in the room. What it had was loads of character, lovely woodwork, a wood-burning fireplace in each spotlessly clean room, a flower-filled courtyard complete with colorful macaws, and friendly and efficient service. It's also right in the middle of town.

The first thing that hits you about the market in the morning is the panoply of colors - rich, vibrant textiles embroidered and woven by hand. Though the market is thriving, there's only a din, a quiet din, no loud hawking. The only ones whose voices you hear are the tourists who start pouring in around 10:30 and are mostly gone by noon. But to be in Chichi on market day in the morning is special, very special.