From La Ceiba to Guadalajara

route 1

This part of my journey starts in and around La Ceiba (1) where there are Garifuna villages like Sambo Creek, where Negro populations live since centuries. They are supposed to speak English, but I didn’t hear this until arriving on Utila (2), one of the Bay Islands. It is a cheap (?) place for not very interesting diving, but fortunately you can see the spectacular Whale Shark here. After spending one day in San Pedro de la Sula (3) I entered well known terrain, because seven years ago I already visited Livingston (4), Rio Dulce (5) to see the incredible canyon here, and Panajachel (6) that rests along the shore of Lago Atitlan, the most beautiful lake of Central America. Lago Atitlan sets the stage to meet on of the most beautiful and friendly people I have ever met, the Maja women, and around the lake there are pittoresque villages like Santiago Atitlan (7), San Antonio and Chichicastenango (8) well known for its colourful markets and mysterious atmosphere surrounding the churches. More colourful Maja’s can be visited in Todos Santos (9) in an intimate valley, where life looks like it hasn’t changed for centuries as well as in Zunil, near Quetzaltenango (10), where it was a delight to walk to Fuentes Georginas (some hot water pools) under while passing meadows, watching flowers and listening to the sound of birds. After a long bus journey Mexico City (11) was another stunning and unexpected highlight before moving to Guadalajara (12), a not well known city in Mexico where ca 6-7 million people are living, to visit my friends Leo and Ruth.

route 2

Happiness is a strange thing. Most of our life we strive for it, but most of the time it seems hard to find. And suddenly it pops up every day, unexpected, in things so small you hardly notice them. This happened to me on many days and many occasions during this last moth of travelling. Most of the time happiness was accompanied by amazement, beauty and emotion, and yes an intense feeling of love I haven’t felt earlier in life. Well only maybe now and then when I am painting.

So this time I start in the middle of my journey in Panajachel, where I fell in love with all the Maja women I saw.


Panajachel

Already sensitised by the indigenous people of Bolivia and Peru and their beautiful clothes, the Maja women drilled a deep hole in my heart and filled it with a lot of inspiration and joy.


Traditional Maja Clothes

From my memories from 7 years ago I remembered their colourful dresses and I was afraid these memories were (in part) fake, it all was a mind trick! .BUT IT WASN’T, IT WAS BETTER THAN BEFORE.

In many parts of Guatemala, mainly the highlands, you will find the Maja’s. In most villages only the women still wear their original clothes (In Todos Santos I saw mean wearing traditional clothes and they looked very tough in them.).


Tradiottional man in Todos Santos

All villages have their own styles and often you can see complex weaving patterns and incredible colour combinations. Although the women certainly are not very pretty, they look very sensitive and feminine, and most of the time I considered them living art pieces. Needless to say their little children behind their backs were another piece of eye candy. Those people are to be swallowed!


Todos Santos 2

Not only are they colourful, but also are they extremely kind. It really was difficult to say goodbye to all the 3 Maja women (the last in western clothes!) who were running hostels in Panajachel, Todos Santos and Quetzaltenango and also the women on the streets, in the shops and on the fields were normally melting my heart away. One of the nicest activities during the day is to make a Maja woman or child smile. Your reward will be a face expressing shyness on the one hand and joy on the other. It is an addictive game.

Happiness is also meeting an old friend. In this case it is Lago Atitlan, who is the friend. 7 years ago I rushed through this area in an organised tour. This time I just wanted to enjoy the lake and its surrounding villages. Lago Atitlan is the most beautiful lake of Central America. The scenery is spectacular with three volcano’s posing behind the lake, the lake itself being part of an old imploded caldera now filled with water.


Lago Atitlan

Although much smaller than Lake Titicaca it has the same spiritual energy, and it is easy to sit a few hours to enjoy the intense blue colours of the water, the mountains, the clouds, the boats on the water and the people.


The life around atitlan

On one of these days I made a boat tour to several villages along the lake. Some very touristy (San Pedro),


Vieuw from San Pedro

others less touristy (Santiago Atitlan)


Santiago Atitlan

and the third almost in its original state of mind (San Antonio Palopo). Here the people lead a peaceful life as farmers, many women are weaving the local textiles and invite you in their shop. They certainly have had sales training because always their first question was: “what is your name”?, and the second: “where are you from”? As for the view this is one of the most idyllic places along Atitlan.


San Antonio Polopo

Farming in San Antonio Polopo

Next day I return to Santiago


Santiago atitlan 2

The shops here are very tasteful and the colours of the weavings are always a delight. Walking around Santiago fills me for some unknown reason with a joy more than the other villages around Atitlan. Santiago is backed by 2 volcanos and around the tops the cloud formations are always spectacular. Little fishing boats contribute to the peaceful atmosphere.


Santiago Atitlan the shopping area


One of the busiest and most colourful markets (and therefore touristy) is in Chichicastenango, ca. 1,5 hours away by chicken bus. The most important market is held on Sunday and from everywhere vendors come to sell their goods, like woodcraft, jewels, stones, textiles, masks, bags, paintings, Maja calendars etc.


Chichicastenango market

You have to hassle before buying, an activity that becomes pleasing after a while, but you don’t stand a chance against people that do this all their lives. On one occasion I probably performed very bad, because two girls started to giggle when I had bought something. They gave me the feeling I was a stupid tourist, who doesn’t know anything all (which in a sense is true!).

One of the tricks to sell you stuff is that as soon as you enter their shop they name a price and ask you to bid. When you start bidding you are lost!


More wares

The market of Chichi is held on a square flanked by two churches. The atmosphere surrounding these churches is very strange. Although it is supposed to be Roman Catholic, the locals have integrated their former belief and f.i. you see people burning offerings in front of the church to chase away the bad spirits, and in the church you can see leaves which is some expression of the connection to mother earth (but that was a long time ago when I heard that). The mystery is enhanced by the music. It is difficult to define what it does to me. It has a strange rhythm, where I imagine people walking for a few meters in a slow pace, then standing still for a few seconds before marching on with a weary heavy stride.


waving the spirits goodbuy


This pig has been very naughty and is going to be send to Spain

I was glad that in 7 years not much had changed. Everything was in the same place and also the village hadn’t changed that much. A comforting observation in this era of rapid progress and bulldozers.


At the end of the day


How different that was in Livingston on the Caribean. As soon as I set foot on the peer I didn’t recognise anything at all, and so I changed my original plan and stayed one day to refresh and find my lost memories…..


Livingston

I didn’t find them. The whole village has changed. Originally most of Livingston’s houses were made of wood, but now in the main streets all houses are made of stone. I remembered a dirt road close to the sea, where the local fishermen were drying large amounts of fish. In my memory there were hardly houses there. Now you hardly can see the sea anymore, and only in some places you can still see the traditional way of drying the fish.


Drying the fish

I must admit that I liked Livingston better than before. The people are wealthier, the village is cleaner and tourism has not yet destroyed the friendliness of the people. But for how long? There are plans to build an airport in this place that nowadays only can be reached by boat, a beautiful journey along a coast with tropical vegetation and idyllic beaches. Who will move in next? Real estate agencies??


Livingston 2

With them a group of tourist will move in that will change the mentality of the local people. A small example that I saw was this when I saw a group of three awful Dutch women, the kind of tourist that have no respect for other cultures. One of the women was walking around like some sort of missionair, she certainly thought she was doing she was doing goods deeds – invading peoples personal space unasked- giving children sweets and pens. Later the two other people were talking to each other: ``did you see that, and they weren´t yet aggressive.``


More Livingston

By that time my blood was boiling. How can people have a brain size not bigger than that of a canary. It is this sort of tourist who ruins tourism. They should shoot them!

Livingston was the last beach town I visited and also here I found my happiness. It is one of the so called Garifuna villages. Originally they were black slaves that were put on the Island of Roatan (Bay Islands, Honduras) by the British in 1797. From there they have spread along the Caribean coast of Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Nicaragua.


Recipe 1

And again it was difficult to understand where this happiness came from. I hadn´t won the lottery to become a millionaire. I wasn´t driving in a big four wheel drive. I wasn´t watching one of those mind puzzling series about extra ordinary people living extra ordinary lives (which are also called Soaps), my hotel wasn´t five starred with airco, luxury bar and colour television. I didn´t have sex with four women at the same time, or four women in a row (in fact I didn´t have sex at all).


Recipe 2

). I should be the unhappiest man on the entire planet, willing to commit suicide by throwing myself in front of that 4WD (which is difficult in Livingston because there are hardly cars), or jump from a rock (again difficult to find), or drown myself in the water (that I could do!). How can a loser like me feel happy under these primitive circumstances? You awful man!! That isn´t fair, you should be unhappy without all those commodities. You should be dreaming of a (very) well paid job, working your but off for 60 hours a week, so you can have a nice life in 20 years from now.


Recipe 3

In stead I was walking (op mijn ooie dooie) in an extremely low pace along the boulevard (actually a muddy path just wide enough to put my feet on) stopping every 100 meters to relax, to watch, to smell, to listen, and sometimes to sleep. Although this beach isn´t as glorious as Tayrona beach in Colombia, it did something peculiar to me. It more or less transformed my consciousness. The outer shell of my body melted, I became part of the environment and there were no empty spaces left. Everything was in perfect harmony. It is still hard to figure out what happened. I only have clues and here are some of the ingredients.


recipe 4

- a big stretch of space unfolding until the horizon
- some little wooden fishing boats (without noisy outboard engines)
- the various colours of the sea (going from emerald to deep blue)
- small rhythmical tidal waves (and their sounds)
- the smells of salt water and fish
- coconut palms (lots) close to the beach
- stretches of tropical rainforest (see those radiant greens?)


Recipe 5

- nice wooden houses with enough space around and a lot of green it to give you the feeling of liberty
- small streams running towards the sea (shall we try to find some little fish and tadpoles?)
- a nice cool breeze
- people walking on the beach (not running) talking to each other and laughing
- children playing in the water
- lots of birds (cormorants, herons, pelicans) living in peace with the locals, flying close by totally relaxed


Recipe 6

- nice sunny weather
- blue skies with some spectacular cloud formations
- a sandy beach where you can sleep for hours
- fresh water pools, where you can swim
- tiny mammals like squirrels (hear them squeak, see them waving their tails)


Livingston exit

Just a few kilometres away from Livingston and the reason I returned is one of the wonders of Central America. 7 years ago we rushed though this area, and although the weather sucked I was immediately enchanted by its beauty and disappointed we didn´t stay longer (I was doing an organised tour back then). And while I was travelling other travellers were telling me about Finca Tatin, a beautiful spot (paradise) on the Rio Tatin, a side arm of the incredible RIO DULCE.


Rio Dulce


Tropical rainforest around Finca Tatin


Rio Tatin

The canyon of the Rio Dulce is incredibly scenic. As soon as you see it you are overwhelmed by it. The only thing I could say for at least 30 minutes was: ``WOOOOOW`´. And again it is not only one thing that does this to you. For instance the canyon is not very deep (like the Colca Canyon) or very long (like the canyon de la Pata, both are in Peru). It is the combination of several elements that makes this canyon unique and gives you the intense feelings only beauty (well ok beauties too) and nature can give me.


The entrance to the canyon of the Rio Dulce

So one of my dreams of 7 years ago became true, kayaking through the canyon and becoming one with it. That day started at 5.15 an and anyone who knows me, knows that this canyon should be very special to get me out of bed that early.

During this time of the day the canyon is very peaceful. The only sounds you hear are those of the water, clutching against the steep walls of the canyon, and sometimes a splash, caused by a pelican that lets it self fall from a height of 10 meters to catch a fish.


Sunrise on the Rio Dulce


All day you can see birds flying in and out of the canyon, and in the trees close to the river there are 1000´s of herons, egrets and cormorants. If you’re a lucky you can see kingfisher, and eagles with fish in their paws.


Birds flying in and out of the canyon

Detail

And again there is the mighty rainforest. Although most of the canyon has steep inclinations, trees have managed to grow on 95% of the canyon walls with lush vegetation. The combination of bright green and the yellow from a few flowering trees completes the fiesta.


Flowering trees


Steep walls

This canyon is perfect. On top of this there is the Rio Dulce and its side arms. Although the temperature in the canyon rises everyday to circa 35 degrees, the temperature of the water is perfect for a swim.


More Canyon

The river is fed by water from the surrounding mountains and also underground wells are feeding the river. So the water is cool, but not cold, and unlike the Amazon and its side arms you don´t get boiled when you jump in.

The water is clean, it doesn´t stink or taste bad


Clear waters


bad – in fact it is the opposite – and it is very clear. You can snorkel and hee! I am swimming in my aquarium!! All around me are the fishes I know from back home. They are called cichlids (a large family of colourful fish you can find in central and south america and Africa) and here they belong to the big Cichlasoma family.


Mojarra

Can you imagine how it feels to meet your friends from back home in the wilderness, and see how they behave in real life? I swam for hours to watch these fish taking care of their children (sometimes more then 1000 in clouds like dust following their parents). Sometimes they are big (more than 30 cm) and they taste nice too! Here they call them Mojarra.



Rio dulce

One of the other nice things about travelling alone is that you often meet interesting people. In Finca Tatin (and later in Panjachel) I meet Marcus, an American who now lives in Thailand. He is a Vietnam veteran and receives a pension because he is not allowed to work anymore, thanks to the liberating efforts of our felliow Americans over there (f.i. napalm bombings and agent orange).


Fouraging heron

Marcus has been travelling almost everywhere and he is an excellent story teller. One of the most interesting stories is about the Kalash in Pakistan. They are relatives of the army of Alexander the great, who left them behind. Their culture and language is related to Classical Greece.


Rio Tatin

Furthermore he awakes my interest for Fang shui (the art of organic building) and Krishnamurti (one of the greatest philosophers of last century).


Rio Tatin2

At night you can sit close to the water, watch the stars, see the lights of the fireflies and listen to the incredible songs of the (howler)frogs. Memories of Serere fill my mind. Yes I am sure the Rio Dulce is paradise and the people that live here are the chosen ones.


Rio Tatin3

Another colourful person I meet is Jan Zaal, who runs a somewhat run down hostel in La Ceiba. Jan is a 80 old Dutch, and boy can he talk. For 5 evenings he speaks hours and hours about his life. He escaped many times from death, f.i when the Germans shot him in his foot when he escaped, and later he survived (with only one other survivor) an attack by the RAF on a German train. He served in the nay in Indonesia, and sailed on a merchant vessel for more than 15 years. He married a Honduras woman and settled down in La Ceiba in the 60ties.


Jan Zaal


He tells me about organised crime and corruption in Honduras, which is even far worse than I already had thought. He owns a piece of land close to the beach, but the Mayor has sold this piece to an American. His argument: “I am the Mayor, so it is mine”!

By the way this is only minor corruption in a country where the rich are extremely rich and most of the people are extremely poor. And there are not many countries where people go to the beach in private helicopters and park their heli´s in front of the have-nots.


Parking a heli

I explored the area around la Ceiba for a few days – I went to Sambo Creek to visit another peaceful but poor Garifuna village

Sambo Creek

Garifuna kids

Fishermen in Sambo Creek

and tried to explore the tropical rain forest of Pico Bonito,

Pico Bonito

but the main reason for going to La Ceiba was Utila, one of the bay islands. So I took the boat, left the harbour,


The harbour of La Ceiba

and 90 minutes later we crossed the reef and arrived. Utila is a place where you can dive and according to many people I have met it is very cheap place for learning and very spectacular.


Utila

Both of these statements are not true. If you want to learn diving for less money you can better go to Tatanga in Columbia, and according to me the diving is boring here.


Clear waters

Although the water is clear here and some areas have nice corals, the whole area is heavily overfished. So apart from small colourful fish inhabiting the reefs, the enormous big schools of fish and the big predators surrounding these schools, characteristic of a healthy ecosystem and witch I have seen in Egypt and the Great Barrier reef – are not seen.

Still I enjoyed the diving trips around the island because of the clear waters, the beautiful colours and the desolate beaches.


The colours


Me diving

Desolate beaches

Close to Utila you have the romantic uninhabited islands you dream of possessing one, and one (Pigeon Key) is actually inhabited. On a space of 400m x 100m (maximum) people are living in nice houses, and they haven’t left much space left to shit. But they were able to build three churches here! The people live from fishing and tourism.


Pigeon key

Another funny aspect of life on Utila is how people talk. It is a mixture of English, Spanish and other languages, and they speak extremely hard and like to curse. If you don’t curse you don’t behave well!

A great moment of happiness occurred during my boat trip with wsorc. I paid 40$ for a special trip to spot whale sharks. I WANTED TO SEE THEM. And it is very exciting to spot whale sharks.

First you have to look for birds along the horizon, and when you get closer you can see an amazing phenomenon. Over an area of sometimes more than a 100 meters it looks like the water is boiling (the boil!). As you get near, all along the edges of the boil you can see manta rays and ‘the boiling’ is caused by thousands of fish that are jumping out of the water.



The boil

(What actually happens is that tuna fish are hunting, they enclose schools of little fish, helped by mata’s, and force them to the surface.)

And somewhere in the deep………. lures the whale shark!!!!!, ready to pop up in the centre of the boil. It is this uncertainty that makes it almost a Hitchkock movie, and as soon as you see the contours of this very big shark, you are filled with amazement and happiness.


Part of the shark

And then……… you jump in the water.

You jump in to snorkel with this beautiful creature. If you are lucky you can see it swimming next to you for several minutes and you can observe its magnificent pattern of white dots. Sometimes the sharks are closely followed by pilot fish, which clean the shark.


Snorkelling in hell

We saw four whale sharks that day, and although they were not very big (5-7 meters, where they can measure 19 meters). I will always remember Utila for its wale sharks.


The dots

And so I am nearing towards the end of my journey. I had to kill some time in Guatemala before going to Mexico.


Going to Todos Santos

Of all the countries in Central America, Guatemala is by far the nicest and although less green (or because of it) than 7 years ago, the highlands reminded me in many ways of the altiplanos in Peru and Bolivia, helped also by – as earlier told – the Maja’s and their traditions.


Altiplano landscape 1

Altiplano landscape 2

In Todos Santos (north of Huehuetenango) another episode of Wim’s Happy Adventures. This probably has been the laziest hike I have ever made. I stopped every 5 minutes to inhale the landscape, and in many places I sat on my ass for at least 30 min.


Todos Santos

One time I slept close to a small stream on the verge of the road, and passing Maja women were probably surprised to see this western vagrant. But I enjoyed intensely the rural atmosphere, people working on the land, the women behind their ancient weaving machines, the sounds of timber cutting , the sounds of far away animals like chickens, barking dogs, booing cows, and farting pigs. Furthermore the views of the landscape, the narrow valley, the smells of the pine trees, the flowers of a relative of the Puya Raimondi and the round shaped hills.


Puya Raimoundi?

These valleys are so peaceful that it is hard to imagine that people are fleeing in large numbers to the cities resulting in big and dirty conglomerates like Guatemala city, Managua, Tegucicalpa etc.


Rural landscape in TS

In Zunil close to Quetzaltenango similar experiences. I wanted to see a big volcano, but it had hidden itself in a blanket of clouds,


Zunil

so I started to walk and again the beautiful far sights (this time reminding me of Colombia),


beautiful farsights

the friendly peasants, the incredible amounts of different flowers, hummingbirds and the sounds of numerous other birds force me nine kilometres up the mountains.

People working on the land

Flowers

For me it is evident that although according to our standards of living the people here are poor, the people here lead happy lives. There is more than enough varied food, they have a home and a family, the people live in social communities, and they have control over their lives and time. What more do you need? A beautiful environment? Of course it is not always so. This picture i made in Quetzaltenango.


Drunk on the streets

On the top of the hills there is Fuentes Georginas, natural sulphur hot springs where I swim for an hour in a tropical setting. A nice ending of again a beautiful day!


Fuentes Georginas

And then it is time to say goodbye to Guatemala and start my 30 hour journey to Mexico city. It feels like the end of my journey, because I don’t expect anything anymore. Many people have told me in the past how horrible Mexico city is (overcrowded, 25 million people, dirty, air pollution, traffic jams, dangerous etc.).

snow on the way to Mexio city

Pines on the way to Mexio city

My whole image of Mexico City shatters within 30 minutes upon arrival at the bus station. MC has a beautiful clean metro-system that brings you to almost everywhere in the city. Every 2 min. a new metro arrives at the station, so there is no need to hurry, and the metro is never stuffed. There are even separate places for women and children to get in, if they don’t want to be touched by horny dirty little men like Mauricio. The system transports 5 million people every day.

When I arrive in the historical centre, close to my hostel Moneda I see one of the biggest squares in the world (the 3rd biggest). This great square, called the Zocalo, has elegant buildings and a big cathedral. I am struck by lightning, this is a great place, comparable with Buenos Aires, and maybe even better.


Zocalo 1

Zocalo 2 national palace

So next days I explore this city and am impressed by the parques like the Alameda,


Alameda

Mexican patrol in Alameda

elegant buildings like the museo de Bellas Artes,

Museo de Bellas Artes

art exhibitions like the open air exhibition of the work of Rodin, large governmental buildings like the National Palace,


Rodin 1

Rodin's lessons


Colourful people on Zacalo

I realise Mexico city is not a place to explore for only three days, so I have to make a choice. First I visit the museo Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo is a Mexican paintress who’s very personal work give a deep insight in her painful life. As a young woman she has a terrible accident that always plays an important role in her life and causes her to die on the very young age of 47.

She was married to Diego Rivera, also a famous Mexican painter (of big murals), which can be seen in many Mexican cities. The movie Frida with Salma Hayek as leading actress gives a very good impression of their lives.

Although there are only a few paintings of Frida and Diego, walking through this museum and the garden was again a delight. Artists like to collect tasteful and funny stuff, and all the items in the house like pottery, chairs, tables, books, masks, strange objects, the decoration etc. create an atmosphere of joy and lightness. Immediately you are great friends with them. You actually can feel the joy for life these people must have had. I spent a few hours in their garden unwilling to leave this spiritual place, and inspired by it I begin to mumble: “to feel without feeling………” and I try to write down what has happened to me in the past year.


garden and part of house of Frida Kahlo museum

Then I move to the Anthropological museum. This museum is build in a newer part of the city, Chapultepec, in a tasteful park, where there are further a zoo, and numerous other museums. You can spent weeks in Mexico city. As if the Frida Kahlo museum wasn’t enough, the Antropol. Mus. completely erases what is left of my ego. As a little child with big eyes full of fire I walk around uttering OOH’s and AAAH’s and WOOOOW and HOW BEAUTIFUL. This museum might have been the best museum I have seen this year.

It has a lot in common with the museum in Lima, but this museum is even bigger, and the building itself is another piece of art.


Antropological museum

I don’t have enough time to see everything there is to see, it might take a week. So I walk instinctively and look at those things that grasp my attention. The museum gives an overview of all the pre Colombian cultures of Mexico and because Mexico is a big country, there is a lot to show. There are reproductions of temples, and sights. There are murals, art objects, pottery, ceramics, statues and lots of information. I was especially struck by an Aztec Sun stone. A round object more than 4 meters in diameter with very delicate carving. The view of this stone frees hidden energy in your body, and you are almost hypnotised by it. A good example to show how good the ancient people understood the force of the sub consciousness.


Sunstone

Maja stele

Leaving the museum I encounter another open air exhibition. This time it is pictures. The theme is water and they are hanging here because a few weeks before the world water forum was held in Mexico city. The pictures are of extreme beauty, it just can’t end this day.


Water exhibition

The main reason for going to Mexico City is the pyramid complex of Teotihuacan. It is one of the cultural highlights of Mexico and of Pre-Colombian architecture. In fact it is for me the most impressive temple complex I have seen in Central and South America.


Temple of the Sun

The Temple of the Sun f.i. is an enormous amount of stonework 63 meters high, Patrick would be glad to build it, and the plaza’s, the small temple complexes and broad avenue called the Avenue of the dead give me an enormous respect for the architects that build this place.


Temple of the moon

It again showed me the richness of the cultures that existed before the Spaniards discovered this continent and destroyed most of the civilizations that were living here. It nowadays is hard to understand the lack of respect the Spaniards had for these sophisticate people. But also in our times it is easy to see modern conquerors in the name of liberty destroying other civilizations out of greed, for power, money and lack of sensitivity.


The design of the city

Detail

Finally I left Mexico City and took the bus to Guadalajara –another bus journey this time 7 hours- where I met my friends Leo and Ruth. In this city and its surrounding I will stay three weeks before moving back home.


In mexico they have big toros

My travelling has come to an end for now. Hope you enjoyed this story!


Los endos