Here are a bunch of pictures from when our friends Max and Ana Paula were with us.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
San Pedro La Laguna
This place has been so good to us that we´re still here. The movies really coming along well. Mostly its featuring people, events, and places around lago Atitlan. One of the most beautiful places in the world. We´ve made a lot of friends here so this is where we plan to be for Christmas. Today were heading across the lake to spend the day in Panajachel, then we´re heading to Antigua for a few days, and then to Chichicastenango for the solstice celebration there. Back here by the 22nd. Thats about all I´m putting down for now. All the crazy, wild, and out of control that we´ve come across here should be in the movie so no need to write it out for now. Otherwise we´re all doing well, if we know you we miss you, and we´ll see you somewhat soon. Heading back up north a week or two after the new year.
John
John
Monday, December 7, 2009
noticias del lago
Here are some news articles related to our trip
A short article about the problems with the lake
Thanksgiving earthquake
Mob violence in Sololá
Mob attack in Panahachel
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Back to Xela, Back to the lake
Volcan Santiagito
This is the story of the first real failure of the trip for me and the last time I will enter the jungle without a guide until the next time we go and do this in a week or two. We attemped a five hour hike through what looks like a grassy plain in the sahara, over several "Indiana Jones" bridges, and through a long stretch of jungle, packed full with sleeping bags, a tent, food, several liters of water, and very heavy filming equipment in order to film an eruption of the volcano Santiagito. As I had been to this place before I imagined that with a few simple directions and a poorly drawn map I could find my way. What I forgot about the jungle is that everything looks the same and is really hot and humid. Therefore after a five hour hike ending at dusk we had to make camp with no volcano in sight. By making camp I actually mean clearing down a section of jungle with a machete and building a fire place over a carcas of a dead vulture. Yes, even they don´t survive out there. The frustrating thing for me was that I could hear the volcano errupting all night and knew that we were extremely close. The frustrating thing for everyone else was that they wanted to kill me for making them do all this hard work for nothing but couldn´t bring themselves to do it.
On the bright side, we got up early in the morning, started hiking out, turned a corner and caught a great view of the this Moby Dick of the jungle, and set up to film the shot. That required clearing another section of jungle in order to get the right view which our dear friend Max was more than happing to help with. As soon as we were set up and the erruption began a helicopter flew over head (ironically as we had discussed renting one to get this shot but realized there are no helicopters in Guatemala)and covered the sound. After this several clouds rolled in and covered the volcano so we didn´t get the shot. Had to turn around and walk to the car.
We´ll be back.
Xela
Back in Xela we recover for a few days. Say good bye to Max and Ana Paula and Daniel and Rafael say hello to Montazuma´s revenge. The true Guatemalan experience. We are staying again at Casa Argentina but we move upstairs instead of next to the Quetzal Trekkers headquarters and it gets a lot nicer. Also get a TV that works. Be sure to watch lots of De Pelicula if you have cable.
Zunil
Tried to get off the road and talk to locals and farmers but they weren´t having it. We did some filming of the road and little town up to fuentes Georinas and also came across a festival in Zunil. More on that when the movies done or if I delete those scenes then I´ll tell you later.
San Andreas
More good luck with filming here and met some very helpfull folks including an anthropologist named James Mackenzie. Spent a couple days here. We ate the smallest Thanksgiving dinner of our lives. One egg, a little spaggetti, and two pieces of fried plantains. Que rico. It was with a family however that we had met in town and invited us in. It was 20 quetzales each.
Back to the lake
We are now back at Lago Atitlan and I´m getting tired of writing. Been here for a few days, got a new translator named Kayvan, and have been getting a lot accomplished. The lake is also looking and smelling a lot better than before but now people are bathing and swimming in it again even though it has been diagnost as toxic. Today I got a bad stomach but visited a man actually named Doctor Pizza who made me some kind of herbal tea that got me 90% back to good health. One of the worst things I´ve ever tasted. More to come on our stay here in the next one.
All is well. Miss you all.
John
This is the story of the first real failure of the trip for me and the last time I will enter the jungle without a guide until the next time we go and do this in a week or two. We attemped a five hour hike through what looks like a grassy plain in the sahara, over several "Indiana Jones" bridges, and through a long stretch of jungle, packed full with sleeping bags, a tent, food, several liters of water, and very heavy filming equipment in order to film an eruption of the volcano Santiagito. As I had been to this place before I imagined that with a few simple directions and a poorly drawn map I could find my way. What I forgot about the jungle is that everything looks the same and is really hot and humid. Therefore after a five hour hike ending at dusk we had to make camp with no volcano in sight. By making camp I actually mean clearing down a section of jungle with a machete and building a fire place over a carcas of a dead vulture. Yes, even they don´t survive out there. The frustrating thing for me was that I could hear the volcano errupting all night and knew that we were extremely close. The frustrating thing for everyone else was that they wanted to kill me for making them do all this hard work for nothing but couldn´t bring themselves to do it.
On the bright side, we got up early in the morning, started hiking out, turned a corner and caught a great view of the this Moby Dick of the jungle, and set up to film the shot. That required clearing another section of jungle in order to get the right view which our dear friend Max was more than happing to help with. As soon as we were set up and the erruption began a helicopter flew over head (ironically as we had discussed renting one to get this shot but realized there are no helicopters in Guatemala)and covered the sound. After this several clouds rolled in and covered the volcano so we didn´t get the shot. Had to turn around and walk to the car.
We´ll be back.
Xela
Back in Xela we recover for a few days. Say good bye to Max and Ana Paula and Daniel and Rafael say hello to Montazuma´s revenge. The true Guatemalan experience. We are staying again at Casa Argentina but we move upstairs instead of next to the Quetzal Trekkers headquarters and it gets a lot nicer. Also get a TV that works. Be sure to watch lots of De Pelicula if you have cable.
Zunil
Tried to get off the road and talk to locals and farmers but they weren´t having it. We did some filming of the road and little town up to fuentes Georinas and also came across a festival in Zunil. More on that when the movies done or if I delete those scenes then I´ll tell you later.
San Andreas
More good luck with filming here and met some very helpfull folks including an anthropologist named James Mackenzie. Spent a couple days here. We ate the smallest Thanksgiving dinner of our lives. One egg, a little spaggetti, and two pieces of fried plantains. Que rico. It was with a family however that we had met in town and invited us in. It was 20 quetzales each.
Back to the lake
We are now back at Lago Atitlan and I´m getting tired of writing. Been here for a few days, got a new translator named Kayvan, and have been getting a lot accomplished. The lake is also looking and smelling a lot better than before but now people are bathing and swimming in it again even though it has been diagnost as toxic. Today I got a bad stomach but visited a man actually named Doctor Pizza who made me some kind of herbal tea that got me 90% back to good health. One of the worst things I´ve ever tasted. More to come on our stay here in the next one.
All is well. Miss you all.
John
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