Mad Traveler Photo Monday: Guatemala
This shot is from the Feast of All Souls and All Saints — some know this as the Day of the Dead — in Santiago Sacatepequez, a name I love to say as fast as I can. It is taken on what was known in the times of the Ancients as a film camera. A Pentax K-1000, in fact, sort of a fully manual student camera which I loved dearly and still have in a tomb-like drawer of such things back home.
The giant kite seen here does not fly but is merely decorative for the kite festival. Read more about the giant kite festival in Guatemala at The Mad Traveler.
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Hey, great stuff Kevin!!
Film camera? Did you get to the festival by hitching a ride on a Model T and then immediately send a telegraph back home telling about the experience?
Model T? Dear fellow, lest that be the proper title of a beast of burden, I understand not what you say. Forsooth, I suspect ye to bear the mark of the devil.
In the 1980s I was in esquipulis Guatemala. (I hope that is spelled correctly) and they had a festival of hot ari balloons. These carried a small fire of sticks in them and lifted off about the time it was getting dark and brightened up the sky. I wondered how often they came down and started a forest fire! But that isn’t why I came to this page. I have a brand new TESOL certificate and am looking for work in Central America.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Der Fish
For money and job prospects I’d say Panama. But I am sure you can work for peanuts and have a wonderful, meaningful time back in Guatemala too. In Thailand they do the same, little paper lanterns, and sometimes they start fires when they come down.
Sorry, Der. This comment went under my radar! In the 80s? During the war! Wow. As for work in C.A., look to Panama. That was always solid for work and decent pay to live comfortably there. Plus a few universities in Panama City (see CELTUP). But I’d also look at Nicaragua. Probably something there, but maybe not much for money. But I always admired that place. Just my two belated cents!
Thanks Kevin,
Yes, I married a Nicaraguan gal in 1978. We travelled by car as far as the Honduras border, but they wouldn’t let her back into Honduras where I had met her. Nor would they let har cross into El Salvador. Her last name was Malian~o and her daddy had once been (according to her) the ambassador to Costa Rica, so the Sandinistas had her blacklisted. I just found this! I have a job lined up in Bonao in the Dominican Republic starting in Sept. It doesn’t pay much, but I have almost $1000 monthly from social security, so am not as in need as others may be.
That’s great, Deryl! I’ve never been to the DR actually. Some day! Does your wife ever get back to Nicaragua? I really loved it there. One of my mom’s best friends back in our little town in Wisconsin is Nicaraguan. Her husband married her in the 60s or 70s while stationed in Panama. I’ve wondered about getting a small place down there some day before tourism gets out of hand as it inevitably does. Good luck with the new job!