ABOUT A TRIAL AND THE HARD ROCK

Guatemalan rainy season.  Photo: Reuters.

Weather these days:  Rainy season kicked off with a huge hail storm, but generally sunny and mild.  Still.  It will get worse soon.

Favorite shows this season: Game of Thrones and House of Lies. Both about the brutality ensuing from different forms of abuse of power. Downton Abbey was pretty cool.  All that ridiculous and fluffy but beautiful period drama! 

So.

Back from spending the last months back home in the US and living a few weeks in Mexico City, about which I will write presently.  Right now, truly overwhelmed with work, as I am about to start teaching a course here in Guatemala City starting in less than 2 weeks. Procrastination is the name of my game, so I am quite behind lesson planning and all that jazz, and trying real hard to catch up after all that traveling.

Meanwhile, here I go again, trying to be a concientious and dedicated blogger.  The hope and idea is to provide y'all with useful information..

Bocuse D'Or 2013 Competition. Photo: Business Insider

Foodie News: Guatemala was selected with Brazil and Mexico for the grand finale of the famous international competition Bocuse d'Or in Lyon this year.  Guatemala's team won the top award for "Best Country Representation" and is now No. One "Bocuse d'Or Latin America" for 2013. I am not surprised at all, because Guatemala has excellent gastronomy at all levels. 

On a darker note: Guatemala is among the top 20 most violent countries, with less than 7% of its homicides/violent crime ever solved.  The Economist published an interesting article on January 24th which claims that slowly and tentatively, things are getting better. That article can be read by clicking here.

Personally I don't believe that crime is getting better, as crime rates have recently soared, the President's "hard fist against crime" campaign promises notwithstanding.

The really big news these days: The genocide trial that has riveted and polarized the nation, with people frothing at the mouth and going at each others' throats in the social networks and online news commentary pages.  For an accurate rendition of what is going down, nothing like The New Yorker;  for a summary of the trial-related issues, click here.

Mayan women attending the Guatemalan war crimes trial. Photo: Teinteresa.com.es

I got to say, most people siding with the accused military on public forum discussions don't seem to "get" that the trial is not about determining if there was a genocide or there wasn't one.  That has long been established by the United Nations and other national and internation expert entities. Moreover, it was even discussed in the Peace Accords, under the assumption that there had been some genocidal actions.  The trial is to determine if the accused were or not guilty of genocide, not if genocide occured. Look, at this point, denying the genocide is sort of like denying the Holocaust.

In order for people to understand this, they must be informed about the definition of genocide and the reports that have established its occurrence in Guatemala. But of course, most people shouting at each other about the trial and its related social issues tend to be uninformed to various degrees. They go by what they hear their favorite talking heads say, rather than read.

This affects both sides of the issue, those who defend the military and those who want to see them on trial. A recent poll showed that even public university students in Guatemala, who have been very vocal against the military, have scant understanding of the meaning of genocide. And so you all can imagine the tenor and level of argumentation going on in the public sphere with a few lone voices trying to make sense.

I must say, however, that the testimonies given during the trial by victims and survivors of wartime violence are truly harrowing.  I just cannot imagine anybody making up those stories.  You'd have to be really harsh and callous to dismiss them as "lies and manipulation" as many here do, at least in the ideological right wing segments of the population.

President Otto Pérez. Photo: C24 TV

Presidential drama: The president himself, Mr. Otto Pérez, was mentioned by a former military witness as being in charge of military in the region in question during the time when the killings were going on.  At first he took the position of being neutral, stating publicly that the tribunals must be left to do their jobs. Yet on other occasions, he still reiterates that there has been no genocide in Guatemala.  I guess he must be nervous as all hell with what is going down.  I would be if I were in his shoes!

An interesting little sidenote: While General Rios Montt gets to enjoy sleeping in his own bed every night of the trial (he is under house arrest), his former subaltern also on trial is jailed. Or so I read. How's that for fairness?

Aaanyhow, it has been up to now, and I guess it will continue to be an interesting and groundbreaking trial.

 Hard Rock Café, Guatemala City.  Photo: Hard Rock Café Facebook.

What I did come home to find is that The Hard Rock Café has opened on the block next to ours and on weekends, despite soundproof glass in our apartment, we get to suffer the torture and indignities of very loud playing by extremely mediocre cover bands.  The Hard Rock is the only of its chain in Central America and it is kind of ... quaint, to put kindly ... to see young people taking their pictures in front of its big, garish neon sign on the corner.

The segment of the Guatemalan public that can afford places like this is notoriously fickle (and relatively small, as well), so it will be interesting to see how long the fascination for the Hard Rock lasts, before they all move on to the next trendy thing.  As for me, I haven't set foot in a Hard Rock Cafè since my kids grew up and nothing in my memories of the chain impel me to want to return.

 Historic Center of Guatemala City.

Talking of going out and about, Transmetro announced its Historic Center route schedule:  Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturdays from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, Sundays from 8:00 am till 7:00 pm.  This is a scenic ride that is well worth the time to take.  To learn more about the Transmetro bus (a pretty safe public transportation option), read the post I wrote on public transportation in the city by clicking here.  It's worth a spin.

If you go, don't miss out on the awesome Mercado Central, the Central Market, right behind the Metropolitan Cathedral (and the Cathedral's pretty nifty museum).

Well, it is Friday 6:30 pm and the day has ended. I'm expecting my delivery order of Chinese take-out to arrive at any moment (fish tacos and spicy curry rice noodles if you must know). So that is it for now, till we meet again. I shall stay in situ for a while and am in the mood for writing. Thank you for visiting!

TWO GUATEMALAS

Snow in Guatemalan highlands. Photo: Emisoras Unidas

Weather these days: In the city, lows in the low 50s and highs in the low 70s (Fahrenheit). Windy and foggy, with some moments of lovely sunshine. As you can see from the photo above, however, it snowed somewhat heavily in the highlands.

The snow looks lovely, but it is not as fun as it seems.  The rural highland populations are used to intense cold but not a foot of snow.  Their resources may not be sufficient and it may cause damage to the soil and future crops and fodder for farm animals. It is also hitting the area of San Marcos, recently hit hard by an earthquake. One hopes that this won't last long!

It seems as if there were two Guatemalas.  Mostly poor (snow-bound) rural Guatemala and modern, urban Guatemala.  Well-to-do Guatemala and dismally poor Guatemala.  Things might be significantly better if people here realized they are really only one and demanded more in services and care from government and powers-that-be, even if they are doing well at the individual level.

Moi reading at home (and my bookshelf)

Reading these days: I am on a brief respite from academic pursuits, so am reading for pleasure. Just finished Say Her Name by Frank Goldman (read my review on GoodReads.com and/or LibraryThing.com), The Pale King by David Foster Wallace and The Risk Society by Ulrich Beck. Am now tackling the 6-tome series of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, as well as a history book, The Thirty Years War by Herbert Langer (because I'm a nerd like that).

By the way, if you're going to spend some time here, you may be as delighted as I was to know that Sophos bookstore in Fontabella (12 calle, zona 10) has recently published paperbacks in English for about US$10 (Q.90.00) which is practically what they cost in the US.  The selection is not very wide, but its okay-ish.

 

 Spring in my balcony

Despite the fog, wind and chill, the weather is usually spring like in the capital city. It just feels colder because as a rule, buildings in Guatemala have no central heating.  People are used to wearing sweaters and chunky socks inside the house and using space heaters. One gets used to it too!  

A friend of mine from the US just recently told me he doesn't know how he would manage if he did not have centralized A/C and heat, but it is quite easy to get used to in this weather.  At least in the city it is never extremely hot nor extremely cold.

I have now roses and gardenias growing in my balcony, as well as red bell peppers and some kitchen herbs. Whereas cilantro has grown well, I just cannot make basil to grow.  And the weather, my goodness, compared to the extreme heat in Louisiana, Florida and Texas, where I have lived?  Or the extreme cold of New England and Canada, which I have visited?  The weather here is priceless!

Rush hour traffic in the evening, seen from my balcony

Another sight to be seen from my balcony is rush hour traffic in the afternoons.  For almost 3 hours, cars line up in a tight bumper-to-bumper scenario from hell and the lines get lost in the suburban horizon, as they sit in traffic upwards two hours to get to their homes.  And they honk their horns endlessly in frustrated mania, as if that would liberate them from such hell.

The city's streets--even the main ones--are way too narrow for the number of cars and the numbers of people that need to drive to the center of the city-- the areas known as zona 1, zona 4, zona 10.  Public transportation, despite recent efforts (see previous post), remains highly inadequate. Road rage shootings (and deaths) have occurred recently.  In short, avoid driving in the city during rush hour traffic.

Talking of expending frustration massively.

During the first week of January, several news media, including The Washington Post, The Daily Herald, and several Guatemalan and Latin American newspapers printed articles and opinion columns against the development of Cayalá, in the suburbs of Guatemala City.

A graceless and aesthetically unpleasant mass of stark white cement plopped in the middle of a barren field (made barren because they cut down all the trees), Cayalá strives to imitate the faux Mediterranean architecture typical of upper-middle-class retiree places such as Naples, Florida.  But at least Naples is all in warm flamingo pinks and tangerine oranges amidst palm trees and by the beach.

Paseo Cayalá. Photo: The Guardian

Despite its pretentiousness, many fail to see what has attracted such venom except that it may be representative of a certain local middle class (read provincial) ideal of what Europe and the US is supposed to be like---a woman I know actually did say to me, "It is just like being in Europe!" Yes, it invites mockery and a little compassion.  But rage?

Well, yeah, rage.  A majority of Guatemalans are illiterate, have no access to half-decent health care or even proper infrastructural services and are chronically malnourished.  I guess Cayalá just seems to many as very over-the-top.  To me the whole social structure here seems over-the-top and almost feudal, but hey, that's me.  I have never been a keen fan of positive psychology and the rosy view of life.

Either way, a couple of negative publications on Cayalá saw the light and then, I guess, the whole thing snowballed. Why international news media would be interested baffles me, but if you care to read an example, here is what The Huffington Post wrote about it: click here.  I must warn you, some of what it says is not true (i.e., reggaeton music blaring from every corner of the city! that is clearly the journalist's creative license).

General E. Ríos Montt at trial.  Photo: Prensa Libre

Another current news item here is the Efraín Rios Montt trial for war crimes. Bear and mind that all the time he ruled as a military dictator and atrocities occurred during his regime, he used to give televised sermons as an Evangelical pastor. You can read about the trial by clicking here and here.  I am not going to go into detail except to say it has been a long time coming (close to 30 years!) and I hope the suffering families of the victims and disappeared find some sort of justice from all this.

In the end, however, during those decades the Guatemalan military served ... served interests bigger than themselves, and I am not talking about the common good. Local and foreign powers took their slices from that cake, for sure.  It will be interesting to see what new, if anything, becomes unveiled during this trial.

Ah well. I am about to leave for some weeks in the good ole USA and Mexico City as well.  Will write again before I leave, however.  Meanwhile, will leave you with one more photo of snowy Guatemala.

Snow in Guatemalan highlands. Photo: Emisoras Unidas

HOW TO TAKE THE BUS IN GUATE CITY (AND FIND THE BEST ENCHILADAS)

 Eating a tostada con salsa from a street vendor

Weather these days: low in the 50s high in the mid-70s. Mostly windy and gray.

Reading these days: David Foster-Wallace's The Pale King and Ulrich Beck's The Risk Society (the first for pleasure, the second for work).

I have been sleepless in Guatemala the last few weeks because I live close to the ultramodern and ugly Dubai Center building, which is still under construction, and they have workers around the clock trying to finish it on time... on time for whatever, because the Baktun already came and went.

That means that there is hammering and slamming all through the wee hours. The Hard Rock Café at Dubai Center is also ready to open. They are promising an outdoor lounge with live music. The noise that will come with that! Lord have mercy.  But more on that some other day.

The soon-to-be-finished Dubai Center building in Zona 10, Guatemala City

Today's post is how to move around safely in public transportation in Guatemala City as well as where to find really good enchiladas and other goodies.

Taking public transportation in Guatemala can be relatively safe or unsafe, depending upon which type of transportation you take and in what area of the city you transit. What most abounds are old camionetas, the equivalent of chicken buses. These tend to be grossly overcrowded and poorly maintained. They are also subject to constant robbery and violent crime.

Though riding one does not mean certain death and can be a pretty peaceful experience, I would suggest you try to avoid these as much as you can. Unless you enjoy extreme sports.

A typical city camioneta

However, there are two relatively safe bus lines here, provided by the City government, with orderly established bus stops and security:  Transmetro and Transurbano.

Transmetro are the green buses you'll see around specific areas of the city and, in order to board, you have to insert a Q.1 (one quetzal) coin in the coin machine at the entrance of its bus stop cabins. One quetzal is approximately 15 US$ cents, so imagine riding the bus in the US for fifteen cents!

 Transmetro. Photo: Municipalidad de Guatemala

You can find a map of Transmetro routes by clicking here. The green route is very scenic and free on Sundays. You can definitely take it for sightseeing.  It takes you along the wealthier residential areas of Avenida de las Americas and Avenida La Reforma, straight to downtown Guatemala, where you must alight at Plaza Barrios and either walk from there or take the bus known as Transurbano (more on that one later).

If you get off at Plaza Barrios, which is a very wide and pleasant plaza (with some interesting monuments), make sure you visit the Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum) which is right there on the old Train Station, and check to see if they still have an off-and-on again exhibit titled Porqué Estamos Como Estamos.  Both are very cool!

The Transmetro red route takes you to industrial areas and working class suburbs, some of which may not be safe if you don't know where you are going. Just saying!

  Plaza Barrios and Museo del Ferrocarril (Train Museum). Photo: Chapín Urbano

The other bus with security is the city line called Transurbano, and Transurbano buses are blue.

If you alight from Transmetro at Plaza Barrios, you can walk a couple of blocks and catch a Transurbano to take you further across most of the downtown/historic center area (zona 1).  Or just walk the pedestrian avenue called La Sexta, it takes you across all of downtown right through the middle.

From what I understand, a Transurbano ride during the day costs around 1.10 quetzales and at night, 2.00 quetzales.  Bear in mind that to board on this bus, you must first purchase the tarjeta prepago SIGA, a pre-paid card called SIGA.  You can find a listing of customer service agencies where you can purchase the card by clicking here.
 

 Transurbano bus. Photo: Prensa Libre

The Transurbano ride through downtown is also pretty interesting and scenic.  You can find information about Transurbano routes by clicking here.  However, if you are just going to stay a few days and want to do some sight-seeing or need to visit government, banking or most corporate offices, you are pretty much well-served by sticking to the Transmetro line (green buses).  You don't need a prepaid card for Transmetro.

Of course, you can always hail a taxi cab. Just make sure they are company cabs!  When I don't feel like driving in Guate City's chaotic traffic, I just walk or take a cab.

Transurbano for women and children.  Photo: Prensa Libre

As an interesting aside, there is a Transurbano line specifically for women and children younger than 12-years-old, for those who want to feel safer from the prying eyes and ways of males, I guess.  From what I understand, it is very popular, moving around 25,000 women and children every time it runs.  Prensa Libre reports that bus drivers have had to fight off men who try to force their way in to ride these buses, which I found between funny and scary.

This line runs only on Fridays and only to the more far out working class suburb colonias (subdivisions) of Villa Hermosa, Nimajuyú, Justo Rufino Barrios, Canalitos and others. 

Guatemalan enchiladas

Guatemalan enchiladas are very different than Mexican enchiladas and, in my opinion, much better tasting. Moreover, they are also much healthier!  They are light in calories and refreshing.  Piled on large toasted tortillas, you will find--if they are well-made--a big scoopful of pickled veggies tinted red by beet juice. Over that, some spicy stirfried ground beef, topped by parsley, dry "Zacapa" cheese, and a slice of boiled egg.

I heartily recommend them!  Warning: They are very messy to eat. You can try eating it with cutlery, but typically you'd eat them with your hand, balancing the toasted tortilla and biting into it.

Another good thing to eat is tostadas.  They are toasted tortillas slathered with tomato sauce (salsa), black beans or guacamole, topped with dry cheese, parsley and a slice of raw onion (I hate raw onions). My favorite ones are tostadas con salsa, the ones topped with tomato sauce.

Close-up of an enchilada

Two places that sell really good enchiladas are the restaurant of Hotel Panamerican right in the midst of the Historic Center. Also in Casa Chapina in the upscale hotel district of zona 10 (they are not expensive though!). The address of Casa Chapina is 1a Avenida 13-42 Zona 10, half a block away from the Camino Real Westin Hotel and right besides the Holiday Inn.

You can find a bit more about the enchilada at the famous Antigua Daily Photo blog by clicking here.

Rellenito de plátano (plantain dumpling)

Talking of delish Guatemalan food, for dessert it is worth to try rellenitos de plátano, fried plantain dumplings filled with sweet black beans.  They are soooooo good!  The one above is from Casa Chapina.

New Year's Day was very dull around here. Everything was closed!  Moreover, it had been a very long holiday, so most everybody left the city.  It truly felt like a ghost town. You could see couples and groups of tourists wandering around all day like pale souls in purgatory, dragging their boredom after them like rattling chains.  One of the very few places open was Casa Chapina (and MacDonald's!), so that is where we all ended up.  A center of light and good food in the midst of desolation.

Casa Chapina (really good Guatemalan food and steaks)

What else is new? Another bus burning!  Today was the first day of school for many schools and universities, and alleged USAC students--that is the state university--took over and burned a camioneta right on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, creating even more chaos than normal in daily traffic.  I say alleged because they were all wearing hoods, so none were recognized and none were arrested. By the time authorities arrived, they had all disappeared. There were no injuries. Ah well! Never a boring moment in Guate City. 

I must confess that, remembering how I felt upon returning to school on miserable cold and wet days after winter break, I can relate to wanting to burn down something.

  
Happy New Year, you all.  May it be peaceful and healthy. Will return in a week or so!

IF EVER YOU BREAK A TOOTH IN GUATEMALA

 Palacio de Correos (Post Office Palace), Downtown Guatemala

Weather these days: Perrrrfect!  High in the high 70s, lows in the mid 50s.  Clear blue skies, breezy.

One recent Saturday night I broke a molar.  Excruciating pain ensued.  Of course, no dentist was going to be available on a Sunday, so I resorted to La Muela Felíz (The Happy Molar), a very kitschy dental clinic chain in several working class Guatemalan neighborhoods.

Facade of La Muela Felíz in Zona 4

So by 8 am on a Sunday morning there I was, getting fitted for a temporary bridge and fitted for a permanent one.  The place is absurdly kitschy --think of Pee Wee Herman's house!-- but very clean and comfortable.

By the way, in case you ever have a dental emergency, you can call them at 2360-0945 for directions to any of their different clinics through the city ... and they are also on Facebook (of course!)

Saint Antonia, Patroness of Dentists (I guess?)

Anyhow, this being a viscerally Catholic country, there are saints inside out of the clinic, starting with Saint Antonia at the entrance, standing proud over a concrete molar.  There was also a life-sized St. Francis of Assisi statue at the top of the stairs --don't ask me why!   I suppose the purpose is to give some prayer opportunities to those faithful folk fearing the ordeal to come.

Entrance to La Muela Felíz

When we went in, I thought that the stone figures on the walls were reproduction of Mayan idols until I realized that they were cement reproductions of molars!  Clearly the people at this dental clinic want you to make sure there is no mistake, you are there to get your teeth taken care of. The molar motif is just crazy.

Chairs and floor tiles with molar motifs

Crazy aesthetics aside, the consultation is free.  I had to go to several appointments in which they placed a temporary plastic molar while the permanent one was elaborated.  Then the installation of the permanent one on another date and a third one to ensure all was working fine.

The whole thing cost a grand total of approximately US$250 (or Q.2,000) and you pay in installments. They gave me quote for US$50 (or Q.400) for a set of several fillings (yes, I have yet to go back for said fillings).

Colorful waiting room at La Muela Felíz

Try to calculate how much that would cost in the US!  No wonder I know people in the US who prefer to fly here to get their dental work done.  Even with the plane ticket, it is worth it.  I don't think you could possibly get it done in the US for anything less than 5 or 6 times that amount.  And I felt very comfortable with the care I received.

Molar motifs on the balcony ironwork at La Muela Felíz

Other than that, life has been good if busy.  Our community-organizing students finally graduated and it has been one of the best groups we have had up to now.  As their final project they had a very clever photo exhibit, in which they showcased historic downtown buildings and, having provided sticky-pads and pencils for the public, asked them to write memories evoked by the images in relation to some life experience at those places.

Our community-organizing students

The exhibit was held at the former Post Office Palace (Palacio de Correos), which today functions as a state arts and music school.  It was really interesting to see how many people have memories they want to share about the patrimonial buildings photographed and exhibited by the students.

Public at the student photo exhibit (and participants writing).  Photo: Jose Manuel

The walls around the pictures were soon covered in sticky pads, as all sorts of people, from children to art students, passers-by and security guards, wrote up all kinds of memories they had of the buildings.   Our students periodically retrieve  the handwritten notes throughout several weeks, to later publish them with the photos in a memory booklet.

The idea is to demonstrate how important these patrimonial buildings are to common citizens on a day-to-day basis, for they are still in use, even if  --like the former Post Office nowadays an art school-- they have been re-purposed as something else.

Member of the public writing a memory related to the patrimonial building she is looking at.
Photo: Jose Manuel

Upon their graduation, which was at the new Cultural Center of Spain on the pedestrian avenue (La Sexta) of the historic downtown, the City mayor, the Ambassador of Spain, and other notables attended.  These new community organizers commit to work for the betterment of the cultural life and physical environment of the historic neighborhoods of downtown Guatemala, which is where most of them live or work.  This kind of citizen support and contribution is very important, because the City Government has scant resources.  Hence, the Mayor taking the time to attend the students' graduation.

Up to now, the program has had excellent results, and each group that has graduated continues, to this day, to organize festivals and events that increase conviviality among neighbors, as well as lobby for the betterment of the physical environment of their barrios.  We are very proud of this program and our alumni.

The New Cultural Center of Spain on "La Sexta" in downtown Guatemala City

If you are looking for stuff to do downtown, go walk La Sexta. It is a pedestrian street that spans about 12 blocks or more, all full of cafes, restaurants, stores, and now the Centro Cultural de España (Cultural Center of Spain) which offers, free of charge, national and international movie screenings, theater plays and more.

Anyhow, on my next post I will comment more on the social and political happenings these days around here.  It won't take me so many months to write again, I promise!  Just a few days.  I am, after all, on vacation. 

HIKING THE WILDERNESS IN GUATE CITY (YES, YOU CAN!)

Hiking path, Ciudad Nueva Ecological Park

Weather these days: It's the rainy season, y'all, so it pretty much rains every . single . day. What can I say! Carry an umbrella and wear a light hoodie.

As part of my job in local development (with international aid funds), I had to organize an outing at an ecological park located within the urban perimeter. The Govt. of Spain works with the Calmecac Foundation, which recovers urban green spaces to turn them into parks, so it was a natural choice to take our students to Parque Ecológico Ciudad Nueva, managed by this organization at the very end of the Ciudad Nueva neighborhood (it ends at the edge of a steep precipice, or barranco).

Precipice (barranco) at the end of Ciudad Nueva Park

Guatemala City, located at about 5,000 feet above sea level, is built in a valley surrounded by mountains. Nevertheless, the city itself straddles some hills surrounded by deep abysses known as barrancos. Barrancos are the natural water repositories, as well as the lungs, of the (extremely polluted) City of Guatemala.

Note: Barranquear, hiking some of the urban area's barrancos, is a very popular activity among city youngsters and has been so for centuries. All sorts of interesting fauna and flora can be found in these places: birds, mammals (raccoon-like critters and smaller wild felines) (non poisonous) snakes, and big-ass insects.

Students going down into the barranco

The park extends and goes down into the aforementioned barranco, which we hiked with a capable (and very patient) Calmecac guide, Architect Ricardo Molina. The views from the altitude are simply amazing. Very steep drops. If one falls down some of them, one is certain to break one's neck. Or at least some other bones.

There was no way we could get to the very bottom of the barranco due to time contraints, but along the way we saw caves and gigantic agave plants, trees and all sorts of species of beautiful lichens and plants. There are ponds and rivers at the bottom, from what I am told, and these water bodies supply specific areas of the city, such as the Historic Center.

We learned to do stuff, like how to read tree bark to see if the environment is lacking moisture. Not that this is going to come in handy in my day-to-day life, but still. It's interesting.

The species of gato de monte or wild cat, can be found at some Guatemalan barrancos

Even though we did not see any, there are interesting mammals in these barrancos.

I have seen the wild cat species before at another barranco (I have done this before), and they are pretty much like very large, yellow cats. Their fangs are a bit longer than regular cats. And they seem to be both scared of and hateful towards humans. From what I recall from previous personal experience, if you bump into one, its back hair raises, it arches its spine and it'll hiss showing its fangs before turning around and dashing away from us. Not that I blame them!

Pizote, mammal typical of Guatemalan urban barrancos

So, what do our students do? They come from all walks of life, and are taking a 6 months course in community-organizing we offer via a Government of Spain institution in partnership with the City Government. Most of our students come from the old neighborhoods or barrios of the Historic Center of Guatemala. We help them learn how to organize their neighbors for the betterment of their barrios and public spaces.

The point of this in-tune-with-nature exercise is that our students be able to experience the ways in which natural environments can be brought into urban and densely populated areas, and how these endeavors are not impossible or all that hard to achieve. To my surprise, many of our students are already very involved in ecological activities in the urban area, from different levels of recycling to greening roofs and creating vertical gardens. I have to say it, our community-organizing students are a truly amazing group.

Climbing back up again from el barranco

The climb back up was a paradoxical experience, as it was both easier to accomplish yet much more painful, probably because we were so tired already. Going down is very slippery-slide in those steep hiking trails. Going up involves a lot of pulling yourself up from whatever you can grab onto. It helps that when going up, you're not looking down into the abyss!

I ended up with blisters on my hands and heel and my thighs and shoulders ached explosively for days afterward. After all, there is a lot of "pulling yourself up" from lianas and protruding roots and stuff like that (don't try grabbing on to the belt of the person walking in front of you... they seem not to like that!). It was all worth it. The smell of damp earth and leaves, the beautiful and impressive views, some really strange plants, the fresh wind, etc.

Mirador or sight-seeing deck in the park towards the precipice. Great place to take photos! Photo: Calmecac

One of the ways in which I found that this activity had worked best of all, was that at the end of the hike the students had become much more tighter and cohesive as a group. I guess it truly was not only a learning and informative experience, but also a bonding experience as a group.

After that (brutal, brutal!) climb back, we all plopped around the deck to catch our breath, enjoy the view, drink cold water and have our snacks. We enjoyed an informative talk and a debriefing session, all of which was done in an ambiance of great camaraderie and friendship.

The students bonding on the sight-seeing deck

Calmecac offers a longer guided walk that takes around 4+ hours (more time than we could afford) down to the very bottom of the barranco, walking across it to come out at another park a couple miles away. Both of these parks offer ample parking space and other amenities, in case hiking through the wilderness is not exactly your thing (in general, not my thing either! Believe me).

One thing, though, is that because Calmecac concentrates on recovering local plant species, it is not a "prettily manicured" type of park. It is, however, comfortable, safe and clean. I find it beautiful and refreshing in its own style.

One of Calmecac's play areas, built in ecologically-friendly wood

Entry to the park is free, but there are some small fees for camping and guided hiking walks. The park has security, so that campers and hikers can engage in their favored activities in reasonable safety. The park also offers kiosks with barbeque facilities and bathrooms. It is clearly a very popular place for families, as we saw several family groups with children enjoying a late lunch, walking the hiking paths and playing on the swing sets.

Ricardo Molina and Marta Ayala. Photo: Calmecac

Calmecac and the park are managed by a group of staff and volunteers under the direction of Ricardo Molina and Marta Ayala, who have also opened other ecological parks throughout the whole country. To contact them you can click here for more information or visit them at www.calmecacguate.org.

In short, the outing was a great success, although my body ached terribly for days afterward. If you haven't done anything like this before but want to try, this is a great way to start. Make sure you bring a couple bottles of water, though, for you are going to need it. Oh yeah, and mosquito repellent! You are going to need that too.

Dulce de leche caramel

Other things going on are that, in my eternal quest to become useful in the kitchen, I learned how to make that ubiquitous dessert-candy called Dulce de Leche. There are two types: made from goat milk or from bovine milk. If made from goat's milk, it is called cajeta and it is stickier, like taffy; and from cow's milk, it is called dulce de leche (milk candy). What it is, it's basically a very thick-creamy caramel.

Some people prefer it liquid, as a syrup, but I like it very silky-creamy and richer in taste. It is very easy to make.

Boiling can of condensed milk

Buy a couple of cans of condensed milk at the supermarket. It has to be sugared. Sugarfree won't work.

You cover the can/s in water and boil them for a couple of hours. For added richness, you can boil for 3 or 4 hours. If you like it more liquid, boil a much shorter length of time.

Some people boil it in a pressure cooker, but I am terrified of pressure cookers. I know the pressure cooker will save on energy, but bad things have happened to me when I have used one in the past. Flashbacks of food dripping from all over the kitchen ceiling and walls haunt me still.

Dulce de leche is done!

Anyhow. Once you have boiled them for the required time, making sure they are covered in water all the time so that you don't have some parts cooked better than others, you turn the stove off. You let them cool. Once cooled, open the cans and voila! Dulce de leche.

Place it in a covered container and you don't need to refrigerate it. It can hold its own outside the fridge for a long time, and it remains softer outside the fridge. And this is why you make it rather than buy it: It is richer than the commercial kind bought at the supermarket.

What can you have it with? You can eat it by itself, or else, on ice cream, crepes, bananas (raw or roasted), on toast, as icing or filling for cake, to make candied apples or on obleas (big very light cookies made of the same material that communion wafers are made from). Or... some people grab a spoonful and mix it in their coffee, in lieu of sugar.

One of the most popular commercial cajeta brands

With goat milk (cajeta): If you are allergic to cow's milk, make it with goat's milk, but that involves a lot of standing by the stove and stirring milk with sugar for over an hour, till most of the milk has evaporated and you're left with a sludgy sticky mixture (which actually tastes delicious). It is so labor-intensive that you're better off just buying it ready made at the grocery store.

Anyhow, that is it for today. A little bit more about living in Guatemala City. Next post will probably talk more about work and nightlife. Till then, I wish you well!