guat, guat, guat

Gates of Lima's Barrio Chino, donated by China. Where are all the Chinese people?

Church encrusted with pigeons (all the dark dots on the outside).

Our thirteen-year-old fans from outside the church. The boy in blue, surrounded by his novias, is my Chinese "cousin."

Wellness bus in Lima. Mental health for all!

Ice cream option from ice cream shop in Lima. Cultural competence anyone?

The courtyard of the hostel in Antigua. Pretty, no?

hello from anttigua! i´ve been sick with a cold for the last 2 days or so and so have not been able to stumble to el cafe de internet. So, I will try to give a condensed version of what has happened thus far.

- wandered Lima, Peru. Fantastic city, Miraflores (the fancy developed area anyway). taxi window was not smashed and bags were not stollen. Cool! Also felt good to be in a city. At least there I know that the culture is there to be commecialized, not like in the smaller towns where I wonder if i am exploiting and destroying the culture.

- In Lima, overrun by middle-school-age kids outside a cathedral overed in pigeons. One precocious boy approached me because his grandfather is Chinese, from Canton. He asked me to pretend he was my son. Ahh, gotta love middle-schoolers.

- Crazy traveling to Guatemala. layover in costa rica. what i saw from the aeropuerto was beautiful. green and volcanic. ate papa john´s pizza. si.

- Our cabbie from Guatemala City to Antigua stopped halfway on the highway claiming that the rain made his car stall. Freaking out that we are about to be robbed-assaulted on the road during a storm. We got out and were able to hail a bus and we all survived. Uh, travel adventure not so fun, but we survived unscathed.

- Chilled in hostel room watching bad American movies on HBO while recovering from cold. Loved evey minute.

- Walked around Antigua today. Touristy colonial city. Guatemalans also short. I feel tall. But Americans all tall. Darn. Handicrafts and clothing beautiful, can´t help buying things. Money does not go as far here as Peru. What gives? Alas.

Next stop the lake, can´t remember the name, but will repot more later. Surrounded by volcanoes it is. And then on to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, which are supposed to be magnificent. Entonces, hasta luego! (oh, what do you know, but I am picking up Español.)