November in Guatemala

The very moment I stepped out of the La Aurora International Airport (GUA), I couldn’t help but compare Guatemala to the Philippines with their Ninoy Aquino International Airport-like crowded arrival area. But the arrival line is less intimidating and noise-controlled in LAIA unlike in Manila's NAIA. As I look out the window in one of my Guatemala City trips, I encountered images of nostalgia: the Romanesque-baroquely structured buildings; the humongous-looking billboard ads along the roads; the iron-gated or colorfully-walled residences and establishments; the Sagada-like wind breeze, the fully-supplied tienda, the city itself and everything else, is just like home away from home. As I closed my eyes, I could only dream of coming home again until I heard someone say, “Buenos!”

With only pop-up memories of my academic knowledge of Spanish in college, I struggled to express myself with the language I once adorned my transcripts with A’s. Luckily, I also know Cebuano which has some words almost similar to Spanish. Somehow, coupled with code switching in English and Spanish, I managed to be understood and vice versa among the local folks. In the long run, I had an interpreter to make things run smoothly.

I also had a chance to visit Antigua which I heard is a haven among tourists and expats but I was also told that it’s not the real place to be in if you’re after the true-blooded Guatemalan life. Nevertheless, Antigua has preserved and maintained mostly of its historic buildings, churches, hotels, museums, plaza and mercadito. If you are a history-enthusiast, Casa Santo Domingo is the place to be with their varied richly-preserved historic artifact collections. In Antigua, people are all over the place and even along the streets. But one thing I noticed is that, no matter how crowded the streets are with vehicles, horses and people, I never heard a single horn blown off. It’s as if people are used to the chaos; they are more patient to let anyone pass by and then just move on once it’s their turn. At the plaza, leashed dogs and friendly people are busily strolling with festive music bellowing in the air. With my mixed Chinese-Spanish heritage looks, I could also blend with the crowd and be oblivious. Just don’t talk to me or let me speak in Guatemalan!

Guatemalan food is succulent! At Barcelo Hotel and Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo, I love the way their fresh sugar-free juice is prepared, be it a sandia (watermelon), limón (lemon), papaya or piña (pineapple) or a mixture of everything natural. Guacamole, corn, tomato salsa and pasta de frijoles negros (black bean paste) are still a delight with their homemade tortillas. The smell of freshly prepared meals in the tropics with the wind and percussion music in the airwaves is such an epicurean moment to enjoy. Vegans would love their organic food but meat-lovers would also love their tender, well-done, beef steak. In one dinner occasion, the diners were showcased with a Moriones-like dance.  As expected, the mask dance presentation shook the place and filled it with music, laughter and camera flashes.

Their love for robust mix hues of warm and cool colors in dark backgrounds makes almost anything visually stimulating in Guatemala, not to mention their spotless mercaditos.  I also discovered that Jade, an ornamental gem, is not at all green as what is common in Asia but it has a lilac shade, too!

With only a few days of stay in Guatemala, I learned that it has some similarities with the Philippines in terms of culture and customs. It’s not really a surprise because the archipelago of 7,017 islands in Southeast Asia was once a colony of Spain. With this in mind, I think I will be at home anywhere else in Central-South America. Oh, and yes, I still have to hone my Spanish, though!