Monday, June 14, 2010
I need to travel more.
Using this website to track the U.S. counties I've visited: counties.visitedmap.com, I have decided that I am severely under-traveled.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Purulhá, May 23
On Sunday, May 23rd we arrived at Hotel Ranchitos del Quetzal in Purulhá, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. We were able to see several quetzal birds early the next morning, although I was unable to capture them with my camera. They stay very high in the treetops as they call to one another and dance on the wind. The quetzal bird is the national bird of Guatemala and represents freedom.
The food here was delicious and filling. We had tamales wrapped in banana leaves and drank a hearty broth before the main course of vegetables, tortillas, and carne.
It was cool and wet here, with stunningly diverse plant and animal life all around us.
It was from here that we walked to the Biotopo Mario Dary Rivera, a dense cloud forest reserve filled with steep paths and cascading waterfalls.
The food here was delicious and filling. We had tamales wrapped in banana leaves and drank a hearty broth before the main course of vegetables, tortillas, and carne.
It was cool and wet here, with stunningly diverse plant and animal life all around us.
It was from here that we walked to the Biotopo Mario Dary Rivera, a dense cloud forest reserve filled with steep paths and cascading waterfalls.
Below is a photo of my classmates gazing about the cloud forest in wonder and appreciation for its beautiful diversity.
I came home and bought a camera
There is too much to tell about Guatemala. Here begins the slow trickle of stories from my trip there.
I came back with several things: colorful hand-crafted textiles from the markets in Chichicastenango and Antigua, divine coffee grown and ground in San Pedro La Laguna, black ash collected from the streets of Guatemala City after the eruption of Volcán de Pacaya on May 27th, over 800 digital photographs, a fresh perspective of my life, new friends, and countless memories.
I came back from Guatemala without my camera; I traded it for a hammock in Panajachel. It was necessary to purchase a new camera after my return, so I upgraded to a larger but lightweight Nikon L110 with 15x zoom and 12.1 megapixels. It's a nice improvement from the 3x zoom, 7.1 megapixel Canon Digital Elph that I loved for so many years. I hope the young merchant who has my much-loved Elph will love it as much as I did and be able to use it for a long time. His name is Thomas, and his hammocks are the most beautiful in the city of Panajachel.
My new camera captures the bright colors of this hand-woven hammock:
I've taken the new camera into the yard to capture the Rocky Mountain wildflowers that greeted me on my return.
Wild Geranium:
I came back with several things: colorful hand-crafted textiles from the markets in Chichicastenango and Antigua, divine coffee grown and ground in San Pedro La Laguna, black ash collected from the streets of Guatemala City after the eruption of Volcán de Pacaya on May 27th, over 800 digital photographs, a fresh perspective of my life, new friends, and countless memories.
I came back from Guatemala without my camera; I traded it for a hammock in Panajachel. It was necessary to purchase a new camera after my return, so I upgraded to a larger but lightweight Nikon L110 with 15x zoom and 12.1 megapixels. It's a nice improvement from the 3x zoom, 7.1 megapixel Canon Digital Elph that I loved for so many years. I hope the young merchant who has my much-loved Elph will love it as much as I did and be able to use it for a long time. His name is Thomas, and his hammocks are the most beautiful in the city of Panajachel.
My new camera captures the bright colors of this hand-woven hammock:
I've taken the new camera into the yard to capture the Rocky Mountain wildflowers that greeted me on my return.
Wild Geranium:
Prairie Wallflower:
Blue Penstemon:
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