WALKING ON BURNING LAVA.

Lava, Pacaya Volcano

I know this is going to sound soooo "let them eat cake!" but I just love the calming sound of the cleaning woman mopping the floors and, most especially, of her ironing clothes, with that soft hiss of the steam and back-and-forth slosh of the water inside the iron. It's just so soothing.

I also like to be able to order "room service" from the garden-cafe of the inn to my apartment, my favorite being the yogurt, granola and tropical fruit breakfast (see below) with my own home-made granola. This comes not necessarily from a desire to "mother" our guests as much as from the simple fact that I cannot find commercial granola that satisfies my standards. So, I make it.

Okay, I've tried my hand at making cheese, despite the plethora of awesome cheese in Guatemala. Don't ask me why, I don't know where these "nesting" behaviors come from! Weird, I know.

Anyhow. Talking of guests. Lets get to Krishna and Simonette, among others.

One of the most asked-for sites here is the Pacaya Volcano. Everybody wants to hike it! Recently Simonette and Krishna were here, visiting from New York. Simonette and I went to the same alma mater and presented at some of the same conferences in our past academic lives. Krishna is a talented photographer. What I didn't know was that they were such intrepid travelers! I mean, the backpacking bus-jumping type that go everywhere on their own.

These photos have been borrowed from Krishna as, to my shame, I have not been able to hike that volcano yet. There are all sorts of tours there; horseback tours, gourmet tours (with a personal chef that serves lobster and all), etc. Some are really very affordable, around US$30.

So, above Krishna standing by (on?) burning lava and Simonette making new friends, obviously not wasting any time! I am happy they enjoyed themselves, jealous that they are so bold and adventurous. I had a good time with them one night we went out partying in a group to the bohemian pubs nearby. Sometimes, it just feels good to "talk American!"

Which leads me to, this week we went to one of the most famous pubs, 100 Puertas (100 Doors), located at an old neighborhood alley build in 1890. All the old houses there are now pubs, except for one that is an excellent tailor shop owned by two ancient looking tailors who look right out of some Norman Rockwell rendition for a Charles Dickens story. That's another thing here, great tailors, unbelievably low prices.

Anyhow, we went there with two of our current guests, who are national-level Guatemalan community leaders living in the USA, working on migrant rights, among other things. Turns out that they are here meeting with international representatives and the Guatemalan government, to achieve that Guatemalans abroad be able to vote in Guatemalan elections from whichever countries they may be living in.

This will be interesting, since Guatemala's government--regardless of ideology and party--keeps demonstrating, time and again, with the utmost lack of inhibition, that they have very little regard for the recommendations and concerns of civil society and human rights representatives. Or for those of the majority of voters.

It might also change the character of the elections, to have voters casting in their votes from abroad. People in general don't like change, but Guatemalans truly abhor it. This penchant to stick to "the way it has always been" may have its quaint enchantment sometimes, but when trying to get anything practical done, it just plain sucks.

Anyhow, we have been extremely busy with one group coming in after the other, all of them interesting--groups of community and street performing artists from all around Central America coming in to plan a huge arts event, a group of university students on a fellowship to attend a United Nations workshop, a group of 60+ high-school students coming for a marching bands competition (now that was noisy!) and so on.

I go to sketching classes on my free time, one at the Centro Cultural Metropolitano (a beautiful palace build in the 1930s) and one in the University of San Carlos extension at their Paraninfo campus (a breathtaking Art Nouveau complex built in 1892), both within walking distance. These classes range from $4 to $10 per month! And anyone can sign up. Others are free. These buildings should be visited when coming to Guatemala City, they are truly beautiful.

I also do research at a couple of historical archives nearby, hoping to write it all up into some semblance of an article at some point. Truth is, I also spend insane amounts of time watching re-runs of The Tudors and of Jon Stewart on the Internet!

Meanwhile, I prepare to return back to teaching university next year. Feels too soon.

Pictures of volcano courtesy of Krishna Raghunath.

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In the Historic Center of Guatemala