ROAD TRIP TO XELA AND BACK

Xela's Cathedral

Weather: Lovely and sunny, but too damn cold at times.

Among the highlights of the past week is our trip to Xela. That is the city of Xelaju in Quetzaltenango, a 3.5 hour drive from Guatemala City.

However. Before I get into that, y'all have got to check this out. Just today I went to Fontabella, a shopping center in Zona 10 where Sophos abides--the best bookstore in town--and while I was perusing books surrounded by many men in suits (turns out there is a big doctors' convention in town) I heard bagpipes! Bagpipes in Guate? WTH??? Well, right outside, Bagpipe Paul was playing bagpipes! I guess he is British or American. His website is PaulGaitero.com (Paul the Bagpipe Player).

It was hilarious! A lot of people were going "What is that noise?" and children hollering "mommy, mommy he's wearing a skirt!" (children's voices seem so brain-blasting when they are up close!). I guess not all that many had heard Christmas Carols played by a real bagpiper! At least, not outside some TV show on cable. So anyhow, just a bit of trivia for the day.

Road Sights: Young men climbing onto back and roof of collective taxi

Back to Xela. So we got on the (extremely curvaceous) highway and stopped in Tecpán, of course, for a late lunch. In case you don't know this, Tecpán has a mini-hamlet of Tyrolean style log cabins managed by--I guess--German descendants who smoke meats and produce cheeses in the region. It is almost the middle of the way to Xela and their food is awesome, so we go to Tecpán often for a hearty repast. Highly recommend it.

View of valley, mountains and low clouds from the road

Getting closer to Xela, awesome views. These are the highlands, and I believe Xela is around 8,000 feet above sea level. So the clouds get denser and denser, and lower and lower. Weather gets significantly colder.

Fog can get really very dense, very quick. Kind of scary. (View from car)

It is really pretty. Forests, mountains, volcanoes, lots of golden wheat, corn, super cute tiny brownish sheep. If I didn't live in an apartment, I'd consider one of those as a pet. On the other hand, at this stage of our life, we have outgrown children and pets--or rather, the children outgrew me--and we don't care to have dependents of any type. We like to be able to hop on the car and just go somewhere. Anywhere!

Art Decó Façade in Xela

So. I digress. Back to Xela.

The entrance to the city of Xela is ugly, but once in the city the architecture strikes you. Very pretty, very real. It is sort of like Antigua, but much more real, much less Disneyland-ish and it has some more contemporary architecture as well. Also lots of tourists, but much more European and less American, which has its advantages. Europeans don't promote intense "touristification" the way US tourists do. AND... as opposed to Antigua, it is not starting to look like a retirement community for US expats.

On the other hand, I am told that Europeans are less amenable to part with their money, so their influx doesn't aid the local economy as much. (I know, I know, it is a stereotype and not our experience at all in our hotel, but this is what shopkeepers in Xela tell me). It more likely has to do with Antigua having an older crowd with, arguably, more financial resources.

I like Antigua too, don't get me wrong. And I got nothing against the aged and my compatriots at all but, you know... just one of them things. In that sense, the ambiance, Xela is just better. More chill, more real. But perhaps Antigua is more service oriented.

Hotel: Pensión Bonifaz

We stayed at the famous Pensión Bonifaz Hotel which goes by around ... maybe close to US$60 or $70 per night. We paid that because we got a discount through my brother, who works with cruises. It didn't hurt.

Nice place. HUGE. It has parking with security, it is very clean, and the room we had was simple, comfortable, very ample and had a breathtaking view. One of its advantages is that it is half a block away from the main plaza of Xela.

View from Hotel Room

If you like hiking volcanoes, hot sulphurous natural water sources stemming from mountains, trekking and all that stuff, in Xela you'll be in heaven. Chichicastenango with its popular and humongous Mayan market on Sundays is like an hour or so away, and so is Panajachel and Lake Atitlán. I wanted to go to the Almolonga Valley on my way back, as I have been told it is worth the trek, but that didn't happen. So next time.

There is a helluva lot of history in this region, but I won't really get into it today. You can buy the book when you get there.

View from Hotel

There is lots to do in Xela and most everything is happening around the plaza or within walking distance. We were surprised at how international it is. Among the places we tried and loved, is Royal Paris restaurant, with a French menu and nightly live music.

The night we were there they had a Cuban trio---excellent guitar, excellent trumpet, excellent singer--who were singing traditional Cuban sons. Other nights, there is a French jazz singer and a flamenco group and I can't recall what else. The atmosphere was really friendly and nice, as well.

The Alliance Française close by also looked interesting. It is a French language school and had a bistro kind of place open at night with music. We shall go next time.

Casa Noj's Art Gallery

There are also Middle Eastern, Italian and Indian food restaurants, among many other types.

Casa Noj is a block around the plaza, a very pretty Colonial house with a fair trade café, and they always have an art exhibit in their gallery. The view from the gallery windows onto the plaza and around is worth the visit. We love art, so for us, it is always a treat to visit an art gallery--or several--anywhere we go.

Mayan women weaving

As almost everyplace in the highlands of Guatemala, lots of beautiful textiles. In this region, I saw a lot of deeper, richer hues of red in the textiles. Around Lake Atitlán, last I went there, I saw lots of deep blues! It's really interesting, the way the traditional regional colors are still maintained. The market place was very disappointing. The best still are the Central Market of Guatemala City and Chichi's market.

Young American woman teaching street kids how to read

We were sitting at one of the restaurants in Xela one day and watched how the young woman above, American I believe, was teaching street kids how to read. Wow! My mind immediately flies to people like her every time I hear people going on with the absurd "Young people today have no values!" blather.

And if they watch too much TV and read nothing, if they seem hooked on immediate gratification, sorry, but look at the parents and not to the kids. Either way, I know way too many young people doing great things, so that kind of myopic "young people are no good" prattle annoys me.

Xela Street

One can walk the streets of Xela for hours and not get bored. They are similar to the ones in Antigua, if a but less manicured. Cobblestone-paved streets, colonial houses in rich hues and so on. But streets tend to have very steep inclines---our calves were hurting like hell after a couple of days!--and are also more curved and narrower. It was supposed to be cold when we were there, yet during the day we walked around in t-shirts. Warm and nice, with chilly evenings.

By the way, Xela is a ferment of arts--music, literature--just as Guatemala's Historic Center. Out of Guatemala's historic center is where all new things in the way of music, theater and literature are coming. And a great many of these artists actually come from Xela! So if you want to see what's up with the arts scene in Guatemala, it is happening in Xela and/or the Historic Center of Guatemala, and there are a great many exchanges and interchanges between these two cities. Which is one of the coolest aspects of my job, that I have to get involved in all this.

Xela Street

The mood in Xela is super, super chill. And quieter and safer than Guate City and Antigua. Great for a vacation.

Oh! One place you MUST go to which is not by the plaza is the Cemetery. OH. MY. GOD.

It is such a trip!!!!

For starters, it has some really grandiose historic mausoleums. Some are amazingly kitschy--Egyptian pyramids with sphynx-like figures, for example--and many others have beautiful funeral art brought from Italy in the 1800s. For some reason, a bunch of the marble angels from the 19th Century have their heads cut off by vandals. I was told later that probably to sell them to collectors.

We spent over an hour in that cemetery and didn't manage to finish it all.

Xela Cemetery

Another place that is A MUST is the very bizarre--and I do mean bizarre!--Museum of Natural History, right on the plaza. I assure you, words do not suffice. And for US$1 entry fee, definitely worth it! I promise you that it is odd and bizarre in so many ways, you will never forget it.

Interesting Pre-Columbian figure at the Museum

There are some interesting Pre-Columbian pieces, all in a jumble and with no dates, no eras, nothing. Nada. The figure above is, I guess, some sort of maize deity. It is female, as it has a pair of (very saggy) breasts. I just love the corncob head. I wish there was an explanation as to what it is supposed to represent.

Moth-eaten stuffed panthers and lion at the museum

They have a wide room full of stuffed animals from around the world, in differing stages of decay. The ones above are caged--not quite sure why--and I didn't photograph it out of delicacy, but one of them has its genitalia in full... how shall I put this ... lets just say they wanted to make sure the public realized it was a fully potent male.

Mating stuffed squirrels at the museum

The squirrels above are stuffed and shown mating. I guess? Is this their way to ensure visiting children learn about the birds and the bees? For when we went there, the stuffed animals room seemed to be the favorite room for kids of all ages.

Stuffed kitty at the museum

So they have interesting stuff, such as a whale's jaw, for example, and then they have stuffed cats and dogs ... I can imagine the teacher going "Children, this is a cat ... and this is a dog... had you ever seen any of these before?" At least they didn't show the cat and dog in some reproductive pose.

Interesting portrait of murdered founding father (?) character

The painting above is definitely over the top. It is clearly an early 19th Century portrait of some hero or founding father character. We shall never know because, guess what! There is no card, no tag, nothing that may inform the museum-goer who he is. Or what is going on! If you notice, the guy is not only slumped in his regal chair, he has a blood stain on his shirt, a pool of blood at his feet, and his cane and top hat lay on the floor. Why does he have like a handky in his hand? Again, WTH??? There are no docents there to inform the public of anything. So, it shall remain a mystery.

Entrance to Pasaje Enríquez

Bit of history: Pasaje Enríquez was at one point in the 19th Century the top shopping center of Central America. Or so the plaque tells us. What I can tell you is that it is beautiful and on the plaza. Full of really cool pubs and cafes, as well as a Spanish school catering to foreigners.

At night on weekends the place is bursting with young revelers, more of a college crowd. During the day it is a cool place to have lunch. The second level has a bar on a balcony that hangs over the plaza. It is the coolest place to sip a sangria and watch the people mill around at the plaza below.

Interior Pasaje Enriquez

We really liked the pizzas at Tecún, a gourmet pizza place inside Pasaje Enríquez. We had the sundried tomato, grilled eggplant pizza and it was to die for. In general, the food is much cheaper than in Guatemala City or Antigua.

Best. Pizza. Ever. at Tecún in Pasaje Enríquez

Café La Luna is not at Pasaje Enríquez, but a couple blocks away from the plaza. Housed in a cocoa factory over 100 years old, it is a very funky café which spreads through several rooms full of very old and curious antiques. The chocolate is the best! It is real Guatemalan chocolate.

Unlike the hot cocoa we drink at home, this chocolate is brewed from ground cacao beans made into tablets, with no milk added. More bitter and less fattening than our hot cocoa, but 100% chocolate. It revs you up! The food is also pretty decent, mostly Guatemalan snack munchies. I bought some sugarfree chocolate tablets to make chocolate at home.

Chuchitos tamales and Hot Chocolate at Café La Luna

I had the chuchito tamales, small and roundish corn tamales bathed in tomato salsa. Goes very nicely with the hot chocolate. By the way I have read in several places that this drink was given to Mayan warriors as an energizer and a treat, way back in the day.

I have to say, in Xela, besides walking a lot, one also eats and eats and eats! It's crazy how much one eats there.

Café Bavaria

A couple another cool places: Café Bavaria, a desert café a block away from the plaza--the cakes looked awesome, and the coffee was great. And El Cuartito, a very funky and cozy pub with interesting art on the walls, delicious food and drinks--their Tom Collins with a twist is awesome--they have live music during the nights and a full list of exotic teas as well. I recommend their hummus, it was delicious.

See? I told you, all one seems to do is eat! And drink. And walk.

Low clouds again on the way back

Because we have kept a full house for months now at the hotel and it has been lots of work, especially for my husband, it was excellent to be able to get away and get to stay at a hotel where, for once, we were the guests!

It was glorious to disconnect, as well, from the dismal political scene that is engulfing Guatemala and, actually, the rest of the world. Not surprisingly, the new government is placing military personnel in key government positions, so it is like, here we go again...

Anyhow. One thing in Xela was we kept bumping into friends from Guate City. It is a small country, Guatemala, we keep bumping into friends everywhere we go.

On the way back home we stopped at Antigua to have lunch, where we tried a new place, The Epicurean, and the food was really good. Cool little place, it has a deli, a garden restaurant, a good menu. Again we bumped into friends there, twice!

After Xela and Antigua, though, we were glad--very glad--to be back in Guatemala City. Nothing like getting back home. We still would not change living in the city for either Xela or Antigua. We always consider it, but it always comes back to, well, this IS the city! Livelier, busier, funner. Jobs and business are always better here. We are not backpackers nor retired! (yet!)

In Xela for example, by day 3 we had totally run out of things to do, unless we wanted to go hike mountains (not!). We are not big on the way-too-chill factor of Xela except for a vacation and Antigua is too cutesy (and overpriced), even if we enjoy going there often to have some fun. But to each his or her own, different people enjoy different places. If we had little kids or were old we'd probably like either of those places more. So, the day might come (who knows?) but till then, here we be.

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