Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Hola Coca Cola!
San Pedro
Ok so I know I haven’t posted for a while—since we’ve returned to San Pedro and the Lake. So much has happened, I don’t even know where to start. My mind is blown on a daily basis. It’s been really great, but I am finally coming to terms with the fact that soon, we will be leaving this place and making our way home. It’s going to be sad. We’ve made many friends here. Gotten used to things. We've become attached to the family we live with. But we also have plans now for the rest of the year, so we feel optimistic.
So for now, here is a (very) brief list of highlights since the last post.
Played poker with some locals. Daniel took it all.
Went shopping with Dr. Pizza.
Fireworks are everywhere in Guatemala! Seriously.
Filled 3rd hard drive with awesome footage.
We saw a man paddling a canoe full of boulders. I guess they have to get around somehow.
In Antigua, our car got broken into. John’s iPod was stolen. On the plus side, we had a sheet of metal installed in its place. Just the next step in the Mazda becoming some kind of Mad Max-Guatemalan hybrid.
Lava! Really. A river of bright red, molten rock. We saw it. 5 ft away! Just another thing we’ve seen here that I didn’t think I’d ever see in real life. Awesome. And it’s in the movie.
Talked about the Galactic Federation with a man called Merlin.
Climbed a Holy Mountain with Dael.
Witnessed a blood sacrifice in Chichicastenango for the Solctice.
For Christmas, we had a great barbecue with our friends Marie and Simon.
Daniel’s B-Day was fun, I think.
New Year’s was really great. Went to the top of the hill above San Pedro to check out all the fireworks. Everyone in town gives us a hug. Friendly country.
Like I say, too much happened for one blog post. Just know that this is going to be one hell of a movie. And we’ll have loads more stories and pictures for everyone when we get back.
---Zafer , “Rafael”
Ok so I know I haven’t posted for a while—since we’ve returned to San Pedro and the Lake. So much has happened, I don’t even know where to start. My mind is blown on a daily basis. It’s been really great, but I am finally coming to terms with the fact that soon, we will be leaving this place and making our way home. It’s going to be sad. We’ve made many friends here. Gotten used to things. We've become attached to the family we live with. But we also have plans now for the rest of the year, so we feel optimistic.
So for now, here is a (very) brief list of highlights since the last post.
Played poker with some locals. Daniel took it all.
Went shopping with Dr. Pizza.
Fireworks are everywhere in Guatemala! Seriously.
Filled 3rd hard drive with awesome footage.
We saw a man paddling a canoe full of boulders. I guess they have to get around somehow.
In Antigua, our car got broken into. John’s iPod was stolen. On the plus side, we had a sheet of metal installed in its place. Just the next step in the Mazda becoming some kind of Mad Max-Guatemalan hybrid.
Lava! Really. A river of bright red, molten rock. We saw it. 5 ft away! Just another thing we’ve seen here that I didn’t think I’d ever see in real life. Awesome. And it’s in the movie.
Talked about the Galactic Federation with a man called Merlin.
Climbed a Holy Mountain with Dael.
Witnessed a blood sacrifice in Chichicastenango for the Solctice.
For Christmas, we had a great barbecue with our friends Marie and Simon.
Daniel’s B-Day was fun, I think.
New Year’s was really great. Went to the top of the hill above San Pedro to check out all the fireworks. Everyone in town gives us a hug. Friendly country.
Like I say, too much happened for one blog post. Just know that this is going to be one hell of a movie. And we’ll have loads more stories and pictures for everyone when we get back.
---Zafer , “Rafael”
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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