Angela's Livingston Guatemala Love Story

Another day for Angela of Livingston Guatemala.  We find Angela at her post in the Hotel Leddie.  It sits at the crest of the high climbing hill leading from the island town boat dock.  She’s Botticelli‘s Guatemalan Venus firing up coffee at 7 a.m. Testosterone-encumbered guests snore off last night’s Gallo and continue to dream of Angela’s many graces.

It’s mid-February.  It’s Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and the day will be a hair-shirt scorcher.  Mercury will get to the 40-degree point before factoring in the humidity.  Our heroine will not be able go to the Guatemala Caribbean side where the air is fresh and cool. Others may sit on the shady shore watching pelicans dive for lunch in the breeze.  Her work keeps her nailed o the hotel and oblivious to devotions coming her way from the transient men folk.

Maybe it’s the heat or the unrequited lustings of guests, but for some reason she feels a planking displacement today.  Ragged clouds of memory from her old life trail around her as she cleans, scours and sweeps.  It is this beat in her temple that may have caused her to lock all of the hotel keys in the bathroom off the wonky patio.  And for entrance there is only a small window that even her slender frame won’t fit through.  If Leddie the hotel’s owner finds out she will be in the doghouse for sure.  Again.

Seeing her distress, two besotted guests, Cellini and Vermeer, try to help by taking turns poking from the outside at the keys marooned in the inside lock.  Then an attempt at a credit card break and enter only leaves Vermeer’s ATM card a chipless and impotent cash source.  He’s only got 5 Quetzales on him.  Looks like he’s in for a longer stay than planned.

She’s standing with bucket, cleaning rags and abandoned broom deciding what to do next when a pair of Blue Morpho butterflies appear. They hold fleeting court in the patio every day.  Each has an iridescent azure and turquoise wing span of five inches.  They are among the largest butterflies in the world and are as common in Livingston Guatemala as sparrows in Toronto.  No matter how many times a day they pattern through the garden, she is there to connect with them.

They try to help and easily enter the locked WC, but the keys have too much heft even for their combination wing power.  They circle her head offering consolation, but they’re butterflies so how many ideas do they have during the course of their 115-day life time? The Morphos are doing their last loop around Angela, letting her know one of her bra straps is showing, when Veronica of New Port walks in.

Veronica is another sort of princess. She’s kind too but a bit grumpy from spending too much close-quarter time sailing on the Rio Dulce with her boyfriend on his two-man Topper Hermanson sloop.  They’ve put in to Livingston Guatemala ahead of a storm muttering in the distance.

Antigua Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala offers Vacation Travelers a number of Vacation options not found any other place in the world. Guatemala is vast with interesting and diverse vacation destination, Beach areas Monterrico and Livingston Guatemala, Lake Atitlan and Tikal Mayan Ruins. Once a year Antigua Guatemala is the showcase for an amazing series of Religious events that start with Ash Wednesday and follows through to Easter holly week celebrations know as or Semana Santa.

During the 6 weeks of Lent leading up to Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala each Sunday during Lent religious processions criss cross the streets of Antigua as Churches in Antigua Guatemala and area carry Large Wooden Floats one could call them through the streets of Antigua with floral carpets placed on the roadways before the processions.

Travelers come to Antigua during this period of time to participate in these events. For most Travelers who are not familiar with this period in Antigua they are for the most part only spectators. Each Sunday during Lent carpets made of floral pieces are designed by Locals with amazing artists skills These carpets are called Alfombras. Artists spend some times 8 hours with many volunteers to prepare and decorate these carpets only to be walked over and then swept up after the procession has past.

George of George’s Guatemala Travel Club each year builds an Alfrombra in front of his home in Antigua Guatemala. george lives in one of the oldest barrios in Antigua Guatemala. Close to the famed San Francisco Church. Last year near the last week of lent I had guests stay at our Vacation Property in Antigua. Upon there arrival we invited our guest to help build an Alfrombra at Georges house. This was an amazing time for all. Then one of the largest Ondas came through Georges small neighborhood. Almost touching the walls of Georges house to make a turn. Our Guests a Canadian Couple from British Columbia simply stated “I cannot image how you can top this”.

Being in the travel business sadly we all become jaded by these events to us Lent is another time in our life to appreciate our love for Guatemala and for Antigua. Through out Central America Semana Santa is celebrated in each of the Central American Countries.

After this event with our Guests George I discussed the idea of offering Workshops and Tours for Travelers to Guatemala during Lent and Holy Week to be able to participate in building Carpets, not being a spectator, become a participant what a great idea. The building of an Alfrombra is a once in a Life time opportunity for Travelers considering Antigua Guatemala for a winter Vacation.

Travelers interested in this adventure experience in Guatemala can find out more by simply using google and typing Guatemala Travel Packages to find George. Along with Tours George operates one of the top complete Travel Service Organization in all of Guatemala.

Guatemala Travel Review | Beautiful Alfombras

As I’ve said many times before, there is no better place to Travel to Guatemala for Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua Guatemala. One big reason why this is true is because you cannot step more than a few feet during this time without seeing a spectacular Alfombra, which are amazing street Carpets made of flowers and colored sawdust as part of the Lent and Holy Week in Guatemala.

Most tourists are relegated to only viewing Guatemala’s beautiful Alfombras, which begin adorning the cobble-stoned streets of Antigua Guatemala during the Hight Travel season to Guatemala which starts on Ash Wednesday. Next year, however, make your Travel plans to Guatemala and have the most unique opportunity offered Travelers to Guatemala of actually build a Semana Santa Alfrombra in Antigua Guatemala!

When planning Travel to Guatemala Georges Guatemala Travel Club announcing the creation of the 2013 Travel to Guatemala Semana Santa Alfombra Workshops – a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually build an alfombra and thus “participate” instead of just “spectate”.

The “genesis” for these workshops came from having guests/clients to my Antigua Guatemala home during Semana Santa (for 2 years in a row now) to build Semana Santa Alfombras – an experience that has absolutely delighted everyone lucky enough to participate.

This past year, a lovely Canadian couple traveled to Guatemala in a 24 hours straight so that they could have the chance to build an Alfombra in front of my house in Antigua Guatemala… they are still blogging about the experience!

“What an amazing, and utterly unforgettable time we had with George as part of our Travel adventure to Guatemala” this couple wrote me later, “we LOVED having this opportunity to actually build an alfombra.

You MUST give this opportunity to ALL your guests – they will never forget it!”