my guatemalan adventure!

i know that i have been mr. MIA for the past long while now but in that time i managed to put together a collage of video shorts from my time in guatemala and i post it now to share with you. for me, memories flood back when i watch it  and i imagine for those of you who i met along the way the same will be true for you. and for all of you friends and followers who tuned in regularly to read watched or looked on as i conquered guatemala this should be fun or at least a worthy distraction to life.


enjoy!     my guatemalan adventure

adventures on the high seas!

Part 1

as i mentioned in my last post a new and exciting adventure was awaiting me over the next wave. i shall recap.

monday morning we made our way over to roatan, one of the bay islands, to meet with our captain bill, discover our ship and sort out our immigration papers. at 6:30  am a catamaran arrived at our dock to take us to our neighbouring island. the seas were calm and the ride was delightful. lying on the net with the sun warming us while watching the water race below us. what could make a better picture? why dolphins of course and dolphins there were. the journey was not without incident, what ever is? one of our prospective crew was "brought to her knees" with the rocking of the cat. concern for the days ahead lay in her face but she was not deterred, committed and excited she was and forward we proceeded.

arriving on roatan we met our captain bill, a 60 plus american with a long white beard. we had heard many a warning with regards to the captain and the boat. there are many a drunks and just plain miserable people on the water as there are on land and to be cooped up with one for days on end in a confined space...no good. the boat as well. there are boast of all shapes and sizes in all sort of conditions and we had been scared to believe that the sailboat would either be in disrepair or super tiny barely fitting one let alone 5!

one of our first questions upon realizing that the captain was a kind, quiet and thoughtful man was "tell us, what is the size of your sailboat?" we had taken bets on the size and the guess ranged from 32 foot to 42 foot. bill responded with a bashful pride, "56 foot". our collective jaws dropped. wow.

with our large bags, mine larger than the others well at least heavier, we boarded the little inflatable with an 8 hp outboard in two shifts to ferry to our new home for the next 5 days. me and neil were the first two to witness the majesty of "second summit" our 56 foot, double mast one of a kind floating home. we were both unequivocally blown away. it was beautiful, it was visible with every detail that this was a work of love. we learned later the bill had spent the past two years bringing the boat back to its original splendor and then some (that is a personal opinion, i as i never saw the ship before). while in rio dolce he refitted the entire ship with teak from the local jungle creating a stunning look and feel. our fears were dissolving and our and our excitement was growing.

after two days in roatan (not on as we were living on the boat) we woke a touch before dawn to head out on our way. the journey began. 

we were expected to operated in teams and the teams in shifts. what i mean is that neil and i, a team, were expected to have 3 hours on the helm while the other teammate was on "watch". this means that a team was on for 6 hours then off for 6 hours while the other team was on duty. as we started off this was a none issue. clear skies and simple seas, it was fun, it was easy (that is once we got the hang of handling a 56 foot sailboat). neil and i were took the first shift and it was great, exciting, simply amazing. mark and eileen were up next and as with us after a bit of learning curve (mark more than the rest of us, he was literally doing doughnuts!)

end of part 1

a new chapter

first off let me apologize for my lax attitude as of late on this, my blog. for the past 3 weeks my friend marc joined me for 1.5 weeks in guatemala and utila, honduras. i wont catch you up completely as so much has happened but i do hope in my down time to update bit by bit on the amazing good times.


tomorrow morning i will be leaving the island of utila by catamaran to the island of roatan,  5 hour sail. i am heading there with 3 new friends that ive been diving with over the past 2.5 weeks to meet a 'captain bill'. to arrange our papers in order to help him crew his sailboat to rio dolce, guatemala! this is a dream i have had for a long time, to crew a sailboat. i first had the idea in australia but i could not convince a captain to train me on his boat, as suck i was left wanting. again in indonesia and in thailand, i just couldnt catch a break. until now.


captain bill is an 80 something texan who desperately needs crew to help him get his sailboat from roatan to rio dolce for the upcoming hurricane season. we saw a sign on a message board (one on the road not on the internet) asking for experienced crew for an ALL EXPENSE paid sail. we called anyway. he was reluctant and reiterated his desire for experienced sailors but the next day he called back. i think he was worried that none would come forward and couldnt risk it. needing to get the boat back he has decided to take the chance. yay for us.


we are taking the cat tomorrow and captain bill is going to pay for it! once arriving there, a more expensive island than utila, he is going to let us stay on his boat while our immigration is sorted out. and with luck on wednesday we will head out on our way for what will either be a 2 -3 day sail. on which we will be expected to do everything (whatever that is, i will let you know when i find out).


now just a few pictures on my desktop from the past few weeks here on utila.

me underwater 20 meters

me and dora down at 25 meters

me and friends at water key (i am second from the right)

wedding part dos

so i became (but for a short time) the official photographer of not only the bride and groom but also the 'matron' and a few other couples. eventually i had to pull the plug, so to speak. insisting that though i would love to take their photos all day i had a job to do and a short time to do it in. they were gracious and backed off and i was left with the my intended subjects. 

we cruised from pre determined spot to predetermined spot accommodating for those lovely wedding photos that couples cherish. i felt so alive like finally after so much indecision with my life, my plans, my abilities, generally myself, i was able to see and feel like myself. not only believing that i was good at what i was doing but knowing i was great at it!

finally the bride was on her last legs having not eaten all day the photo session was becoming too much for her to handle and so just shy of getting to all the positions i had envisioned the day before it was time to end. regardless of the fact that i didn't get them to all my preconceived positions i was very pleased with what we had accomplished in such a short time considering all the hurdles that we faced namely the language barrier.

someone came up to me and zan and said that the bride and groom wanted a picture with us in front of the building. ok, sure why not. but when we got to the front and posed together for our own photo the bride and groom were nowhere to be seen. as we looked around the back door of the 'wedding car' opened and the bride waved us over. i thought to thank us, i was wrong, instead we were invited into their car! ok, sure, why not.

they were about to get some food and asked if we had any preferences, not wanting to be difficult i stated i had no restrictions nor preferences. zan however is a veggie and asked for a salad. quickly the groom and father-in-law got out of the car and ran across the street towards, of all places, mcdonald's. really, was my first mcdonald's experience in guatemala going to be in the back of a bridal car? as it turned out no, it wasn't. rather it was pollo campero. what's that you might be asking. well before you get to excited, it is the latin equivalent of KFC. so there i was sitting behind a beautiful bride in her amazing typical wedding dress eating greasy fried chicken! whats more is that zan, my veggie friend, who ordered a salad opened her container hungrily only to find strips of chicken on top. i now had a side of chicken strips. mmmmm. 

before the food finished we were on the road off to the reception hall. i must admit it was pretty weird driving around town in a car. since being in xela i had been in two cars: a taxi and the bride's brother's car when we went off for lunch. and now here i was cruising around a city i have gotten to know from the sidewalk in the back of a sweet SUV, eating my pollo campero while sitting behind the newest kind of bride, what a difference a day makes!

i was not prepared for what came next. if there were 150 people at the ceremony there were 450 now filling the reception hall. every woman save 5 or 6 wore typical dress, i found out tonight that their fancy special dresses alone would have cost upwards of $500. that is ALOT of money here. money aside it was an amazing site! and when i say every woman i mean, every woman, child and young, young girl. i have never seen anything like it. the colours were bright, vibrant and everywhere! the room as well had morphed into much more for when i left it 12:30ish. obviously now it was filled with people but more so the audio component of the event had only started to arrive in boxes when i was leaving. now it was blaring in front of me (yes i chose that word on purpose) with 2 literal walls of speakers (floor to ceiling) looming and booming with the sounds of the over a dozen piece band. the place was going off!

what followed was truly special. i was afforded the opportunity to not only witness some ancient mayan traditions and ceremonies but i had front row seats! what an honour. i have since described it as opening a national geographic and stepping into one of the pages. introduction dances to gift exchanges brought in on the heads of the matrons i was there, mouth agape delirious with wonder (and as it turned out a bit later some bad chicken) 'shooting' (taking pictures) away. for the first time since arriving in guatemala i was not only being allowed to take pictures of women in their uniquely stunning attire but i was being approached and ASKED to take their photos. i was in heaven. (until the chickens fought back that is).

the traditional aspects were mixed in with what i'll call western traditions like the cutting of the cake, the first dance (but they had a few) and everyone seemed to enjoy both aspects with gusto. when the traditional aspect finished up the band kicked it up and the crowd got to their feet and began to dance up a storm! the air was light with happiness.

eventually the bride and groom, exhausted from the day of nerves, happiness, excitement and love, were ready to take their leave. (and not a moment to soon as i too was done from their day.) shaking hands, hugging, a few tears and they were off.

and so ended my first ever wedding photography experience and more than that a one of a kind glimpse at some beautiful cultural traditions that not even my guatemala housemates who looked at my pictures knew what they were! 

i wish the hugo and rebecca all the luck in the world going forward.

the hangover that led to the wedding

so it all started the day (thursday) that i thought i was going to die. (not literally but nearly so). my house mate, zan approached me and told me that there might be an opportunity for us to be the official photographers at a traditional wedding happening saturday (today). all was confirmed well before i felt human but that didn't impede my excitement and my nerves....a wedding? wow? i've never been the 'official photographer' before, yes i've been the 'official unofficial photographer' at a friends wedding but there was no pressure, i was there for fun to take fun candid shots of all my friends and family. this time it is going to be different. as the expression goes, the buck stops here. there is no one, not even technology, that i can pass the buck onto should every shot be over/under exposed or god forbid the lens cap was left on? i could see a riot of 500 guests rushing towards me to see who could stake the gringo first, for all i know i'd have started a new guatemalan tradition at weddings, as saint patrick ushered (or killed, not to sure on the official story) all the snakes out of ireland, the weddings would spell the end to the gringo infestation or guatemala.

enough of that. there will be no riot and there will be no expulsion of gringos from guatemala (well not on my account anyways). 

i have just finished the first portion of the day. up at 7 and at the salon for 8. the salon is where the reception will be held and in what i am to understand is guatemalan tradition the groom, his friends and some family are in charge of the set up. my role was to follow the groom and catch him in all his pre ceremony glory while zan would follow the bride as she embarks on her day of nerves and anticipation. not having yet spoken to zan i do feel as though i got the shorter end of the stick on this one (i am not saying i wanted to follow around a bride on her wedding day but setting up a banquet hall for the festivities that would follow was not how i envisioned my first gig as a wedding photographer!

time has run out and i have to run to the municipal building where the ceremony is to take place. odds are this will resume in the morning, 

{pausa}

wow, what a night! well afternoon and night! it was so very cool i feel now that i should warn you that this will probably run on as it was a night of firsts and i have to share.

i left you as i left my house on my way to the municipal building where the wedding was to take place. when i arrived i was full of nerves. as i mentioned this was my first wedding and i didn't know what to expect, how to act, where to be or what to do. the front of the municipal building was locked. i freaked. {deep breath} the groom gets out of his car with his parents. the door to the building opens. and from somewhere deep within a calm takes over. 

{maybe it was the dozens of huge political events, rallies and fundraisers i organized and oversaw during  the past decade or maybe when you are FOLLOWING YOUR BLISS peace finds you and not the other way around. maybe it was both.}

on the front steps i took some photos of hugo, the groom, and his family with the tall columns stoically standing guard in the background. from there we moved into the garden, i quickly assessed what i thought would be the best shot, overruling 'dad' and directed them to my preferred position in the garden. after a few minutes with them in the garden and sea of colour and smiles began to flow through the front door. ensuring that they were wedding guests with hugo i made my way over to them to begin what was to be a very long day full of hundreds of photos, smiles, traditions, excitement and love. 

confirming with the groom, mc (a more serious and officious role than back home, so much so it is shared by two people!) and the mayor (he was officiating the ceremony) that i could stand up on the raised platform where the ceremony was to take place, take my photos and use my flash. then realizing that the time was upon us for the bride to arrive. rushing down stairs to the front steps, regaining my composure and my heart rate. i waited.

but not for long! minutes later the bride arrived in her decorated car and done up self. she was wearing a white veil, traditional to us westerns, but it complemented her traditional mayan dress. a stunning combination. she was dead nervous and it was visible and justifiable. and it was my job to calm her down if there photos were going to turn out. with a few jokes and funny faces she had relaxed to the point of no more clenched faces just lovely smiles.

leading her into the building shooting all the way in. pausing on the stairs for some classic shots. and continuing on her way into the hall. this is where i left her and made my way up to the front of the room just to the left of where the soon to be man and wife would sit.

they were both nervous and it was amazing to share with them such a special time in their lives. the mayor who was officiating the ceremony was, as most politicians, very verbose and from my cramped position kneeling on the ground it seemed to last longer than it actually did. but after 50 minutes the newly married couple made their way down the aisle and out main hall to the balcony and awaiting masses. 

after a longer than 'normal' (north american standards) receiving line it was finally MY TIME! now MY TIME was to be short and i was prepared for that having mapped out 6 positions around the garden and around the columned outer-hallways to take some formal couple portraits. it was going smoothly until some of the family who were sort of following us at a distance decided that they were not going to miss the opportunity of having a professional photographer in their midst and not getting a photo of them in these stunning 'positions' aka locations.

end of part 1

stay tuned for more....

Xela Futbol Video

sunday finally a day of rest

after much school, yoga, friends, activities, dancing, football (watched not played) and soaking in natural springs 2700 meters above sea level i finally have a day to just sit around, attempt to study (notice attempt), chill in a cool new found cafe while listening to a funky eclectic collection of music while enjoying my favorite guatemalan beer, gallo.

yesterday (saturday) was lovely, exciting and at times a bit freaky. it all started with an early start to say goodbye to a new found friend, allan, who was off from our casa to greener pastures in san pedro (a place near and dear to my heart) before heading back to the US. after walking him to the bus office and waving him off we struggled up the hill to our casa for some much needed breakfast.  mine was quicker than normal as i had an appointment to meet a group from my school for a trip to fuentas georginas, a group of thermal springs that flow from the volcano. it was lovely. it was hot. it was heaven on my yoga beaten body. while soaking away the clouds rolled in...

*this means something different at altitude than it does where we all come from. at altitude, 2700 meters, the clouds are not up above but below, in front and all around. it was eerily beautiful. the steam off the pooling water added to the effect. 

...surround us was a flora that could only be described as 'jurassic', with leaves that defy the description of large and could be, if needed, used as an umbrella for two! aside from my group of 7 all others were from guatemala city or xela, out for the day to relax with the family or a romantic time with their special person(s). after 4 odd hours of soaking, chatting and all around chilling out we decided to head back to the city. i was hoping for a chance to catch a nap before my second futbol experience.

nap successful. waking up refreshed and ready to go, after a quick bite of course.

having purchased the tickets earlier in the afternoon due to the popularity of the match and not wanting to miss-out we only need to 'pre-game' it before heading to the stadium. it was pandemonium, it was wild it was CRAZY. people everywhere. food vendors. jersey vendors. scalpers. and did i mention crowds and crowds of people everywhere! we entered the stadium to the sound of drums, horns and cheers (it was still 45 minutes still game start). the smells of bbq making me salivate likening me to pavlov's dogs, i was cool with it though they smelled AMAZING! coming up from under the stands, looking up, shocked by the crowds above. i was shocked and wondering where the heck we'd be sitting. as it turned out all the aisles were filled with people using them as seats. so in order to get to the top row (standing only) we had to get through many a guatemalteco who were unreasonably angry at the interruption regardless of the fact that they were sitting in the bloody aisle!

the crowd was in full form. energy was high. shouting was loud and fireworks a plenty. the game was much more interesting than last weeks, with goals, yellow cards and even a few red cards. the ref was making such shitty calls that a mass of SWAT dressed police on the field to escort the blind refs off amid cans, bottles and even fireworks being thrown and shot respectively to the field.

when it was all said and done the score was tied 2-2 and the crowd was happier than last week but not by much. xela still sits in first place and it is my hope that next week we can take it to the next level and win. 

today no hangover but also no studying, lets hope i can get on that. wish me luck.