I have arrived!
I know some of you won't believe it since I changed the date of my departure so many times (I got a few e-mails asking if I left indeed) but... I am here! I arrived in Guatemala City yesterday at 7:30 local time which is an hour later than SET (so it was 8:30 in NYC) . Before I get to my first impressions...
I would like to thank you, dearest Friends, for everything you did for me. Since I found you my life in NY got so fascinating. The past two years were amazing and the last month especially was unbelievable. In my entire life I have not received so many acts of kindness, so many presents, haven't eaten so much great food (since you took me to all these amazing restaurants). It was total bliss. The two years were bumpy years in many ways but the bitterness of life was covered heavily with sweetness and the sweetness came from you, and only the sweetness will be remembered. Half of my backpack consists of the presents I got from you: books to read in my free lazy time; camera to capture and hold wonderful moments; Ganesh to remove the obstacles (and to put some on my way so that I appreciate more when they are lifted); a locket with lotus flower to mark the new beginning; a guardian angel to protect me; a wr watch! to dive into bluest waters; a reiki candle to bring me health and wisdom; a white dog to keep me company (I named him Cumulus) and a fan to use during hot siestas; a Le Pain Quotidien t-shirt to be dressed organically. From time to time I will dig into my backpack and I will get some underwear or other such insignificant replaceable thing :). All the other things - the presents you gave me are like eyes in my head - I will protect and cherish them. But most of all I will cherish your friendship. I feel unbelievably lucky, so lucky, to have met you. To be given a chance to get to know you and your beautiful souls. Patrycja gave me this photograph of both of us looking silly in our winter hats and in the back she wrote this: "Gdziekolwiek jestes Twoim swiatem sa przyjaciele"/"Wherever you are your world is your friends." Yes, I agree! Friendship is the most beautiful, most profound thing. If you have true friendship you have everything. No matter what happens to you, if you have true friends, you will come out of deepest life dramas and most terrible falls. I feel very strong and am not afraid of anything - you gave me this strength. I collect moments and keep them vivid in my mind - whenever I think of them I have to laugh, remembering how great it was to live them. I have to laugh when I see in my mind Karla and myself running full speed to catch the L train; opening the door to Katarina with a bottle of wine in her hand: "Asia, I came here to get drunk. "; giggling with Patrycja over margaritas; decorating Christmas tree at Krzys Harlemowiec's place, sitting at the Bohemian Hall all night, talking, talking, talking; listening to Kura singing shanties; watching Akos draw on the beach of Cape Cod; hearing Curtis shout "harder!!"... To make all this short: I just love you people. This blog is for you. And for dearest ones in Poland: Hania, Chwist, Jarek and Marzenka, Michal and Basia and their families - my friends from Poland who never lost touch with me all these years of my being separated from them.
Ladies and gentelman! Here's the first part of Stories from Lake Wobegon, pardon, Lake Atitlan that is...
Guatemala! I landed and I immediately could smell a particual scent which every country, every place, has. Ryszard Kapuscinski said this in his book about Africa IN THE SHADE OF THE SUN (I think that was the title) and when I read it I thought that this was indeed the first thing I experienced in every country I went to: it's particular scent. Guatemala's scent is sweet but fresh, unlike the scent of the Carribean, which is sweet and heavy. I found a minibus to take me to Antigua (it was an hour drive) and met Kerstin and Miguel who where going to same way. They are both from Germany and came here to study Spanish for a month. The ride was $10 - I will be mentioning prices of certain things so that you will know what to expect when you come to visit me. We found hotel Luna Maya which is also a cafe and a movie theater. I got a one-bed room ($6/night). I haven't expected such luxury - to have a room of my own, and with such beautiful hand-carved furniture. We had dinner with Kerstin and Miguel at the cafe and toasted the beginning of our stay with famosa cerveza Gallo - very delicious light beer with deep taste. Beer and spinach burrito was ($3). I slept 11 hours and went outside around noon and was just stunned by the bauty of the street! Antigua is an amazing town! The buildings are brightly painted in blue, yellow, ochra, red. They age gracefuly. Inside there are courtyards with pools, benches and trees. All streets are cobblestoned. Cars move slowly, people move slowly - there's no rush to do anything. I asked for directions to Dona Luisa's Restaurant and Bakery to meet with Mike whom Ann Cameron recommended to see for help with schools and volunteer work. I was offered a ride and since travelling in the back of pickup trucks is my favorite means of transportation I accepted and was also shown around the town. Mike was not at the bakery but I left him a note that I will try to catch him in the evening. And then I did what I never did in NY. I went... shopping! I saw beautiful textiles, shoes, bags and jewerly. It was a real plasure to see so much beautiful hand-made work. I went back to Luna Maya and over lunch met Rob and his dog Rubberhead and Chris. It was very nice talking to them and patting Rubberhead (he seems to be a very special dog). Now I am at a cafe/bar overlooking the town square. It seems a trendy spot for young tourists. I came in because I liked the music, it's very urban motion music - Brett you would like it. If I can get hold of Ann and she can meet me tomorrow, I will go to Panajachel. I will see if I can get there by a chicken bus if it's reletively safe. I prefer chicken buses and collectivos than the ac'ed minibuses - they are too sterile and full of tourists in shorts looking somewhat bored;) And there's nothing more boring in this world then spending time on the bus with boring bored people!
Much love to you all.
I would like to thank you, dearest Friends, for everything you did for me. Since I found you my life in NY got so fascinating. The past two years were amazing and the last month especially was unbelievable. In my entire life I have not received so many acts of kindness, so many presents, haven't eaten so much great food (since you took me to all these amazing restaurants). It was total bliss. The two years were bumpy years in many ways but the bitterness of life was covered heavily with sweetness and the sweetness came from you, and only the sweetness will be remembered. Half of my backpack consists of the presents I got from you: books to read in my free lazy time; camera to capture and hold wonderful moments; Ganesh to remove the obstacles (and to put some on my way so that I appreciate more when they are lifted); a locket with lotus flower to mark the new beginning; a guardian angel to protect me; a wr watch! to dive into bluest waters; a reiki candle to bring me health and wisdom; a white dog to keep me company (I named him Cumulus) and a fan to use during hot siestas; a Le Pain Quotidien t-shirt to be dressed organically. From time to time I will dig into my backpack and I will get some underwear or other such insignificant replaceable thing :). All the other things - the presents you gave me are like eyes in my head - I will protect and cherish them. But most of all I will cherish your friendship. I feel unbelievably lucky, so lucky, to have met you. To be given a chance to get to know you and your beautiful souls. Patrycja gave me this photograph of both of us looking silly in our winter hats and in the back she wrote this: "Gdziekolwiek jestes Twoim swiatem sa przyjaciele"/"Wherever you are your world is your friends." Yes, I agree! Friendship is the most beautiful, most profound thing. If you have true friendship you have everything. No matter what happens to you, if you have true friends, you will come out of deepest life dramas and most terrible falls. I feel very strong and am not afraid of anything - you gave me this strength. I collect moments and keep them vivid in my mind - whenever I think of them I have to laugh, remembering how great it was to live them. I have to laugh when I see in my mind Karla and myself running full speed to catch the L train; opening the door to Katarina with a bottle of wine in her hand: "Asia, I came here to get drunk. "; giggling with Patrycja over margaritas; decorating Christmas tree at Krzys Harlemowiec's place, sitting at the Bohemian Hall all night, talking, talking, talking; listening to Kura singing shanties; watching Akos draw on the beach of Cape Cod; hearing Curtis shout "harder!!"... To make all this short: I just love you people. This blog is for you. And for dearest ones in Poland: Hania, Chwist, Jarek and Marzenka, Michal and Basia and their families - my friends from Poland who never lost touch with me all these years of my being separated from them.
Ladies and gentelman! Here's the first part of Stories from Lake Wobegon, pardon, Lake Atitlan that is...
Guatemala! I landed and I immediately could smell a particual scent which every country, every place, has. Ryszard Kapuscinski said this in his book about Africa IN THE SHADE OF THE SUN (I think that was the title) and when I read it I thought that this was indeed the first thing I experienced in every country I went to: it's particular scent. Guatemala's scent is sweet but fresh, unlike the scent of the Carribean, which is sweet and heavy. I found a minibus to take me to Antigua (it was an hour drive) and met Kerstin and Miguel who where going to same way. They are both from Germany and came here to study Spanish for a month. The ride was $10 - I will be mentioning prices of certain things so that you will know what to expect when you come to visit me. We found hotel Luna Maya which is also a cafe and a movie theater. I got a one-bed room ($6/night). I haven't expected such luxury - to have a room of my own, and with such beautiful hand-carved furniture. We had dinner with Kerstin and Miguel at the cafe and toasted the beginning of our stay with famosa cerveza Gallo - very delicious light beer with deep taste. Beer and spinach burrito was ($3). I slept 11 hours and went outside around noon and was just stunned by the bauty of the street! Antigua is an amazing town! The buildings are brightly painted in blue, yellow, ochra, red. They age gracefuly. Inside there are courtyards with pools, benches and trees. All streets are cobblestoned. Cars move slowly, people move slowly - there's no rush to do anything. I asked for directions to Dona Luisa's Restaurant and Bakery to meet with Mike whom Ann Cameron recommended to see for help with schools and volunteer work. I was offered a ride and since travelling in the back of pickup trucks is my favorite means of transportation I accepted and was also shown around the town. Mike was not at the bakery but I left him a note that I will try to catch him in the evening. And then I did what I never did in NY. I went... shopping! I saw beautiful textiles, shoes, bags and jewerly. It was a real plasure to see so much beautiful hand-made work. I went back to Luna Maya and over lunch met Rob and his dog Rubberhead and Chris. It was very nice talking to them and patting Rubberhead (he seems to be a very special dog). Now I am at a cafe/bar overlooking the town square. It seems a trendy spot for young tourists. I came in because I liked the music, it's very urban motion music - Brett you would like it. If I can get hold of Ann and she can meet me tomorrow, I will go to Panajachel. I will see if I can get there by a chicken bus if it's reletively safe. I prefer chicken buses and collectivos than the ac'ed minibuses - they are too sterile and full of tourists in shorts looking somewhat bored;) And there's nothing more boring in this world then spending time on the bus with boring bored people!
Much love to you all.
posted by Asia Kabat at 1:49 PM
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