First Taste of Plantains

Santa Catalina Arch 3/11/17
This morning was the very first time I've ever had plantains, and the firsts just kept coming. Today, we had a tour of the beautiful Antigua. The cement colored intensely on all the walls indoors & and out, continues to rock my world. The people, with skin and clothing equally as radiant, are burning a brand in my mind. There are flowers of every shade traveling downwards everywhere you look. Blown away doesn't even begin to reflect my state. Guatemala is colors.

Intricate Church Architecture 3/11/17

The View 3/11/17

Alfombra (Carpet) 3/11/17
We hiked up to overlook Antigua and the sweat and wheezing was worth it in a lot of ways. As we watched cars the size of peas and people the size of even smaller peas from our mountain in the sky, we mapped out with our fingers where all we had travelled to get there. Through the city of Antigua and all of it's vibrant buildings (some with Holy Week alfombras inside already), past the ruins of a beautiful church, under the iconic Santa Catalina Arch, and amongst the paw prints of many a stray dog, and up through lots of native foliage, the view was incredible. It was one of my favorite views, the only rival being that of the
coffee fields and their brightly colored cherries.


Something that I noticed, because I work in retail coffee, was that as we walked through the town the only people inside coffee shops were the tourists. Most likely because a cup of coffee was about the same price as a cup of coffee is in the US. The coffee shops were aimed at tourists rather than locals. The culture of coffee was totally different than the culture in the US. Americans value our coffee outings and spend a significant amount of money on coffee drinks whereas there is no way frugal Guatemalans are going to spend 30 quetzals (4 American dollars) on a cup of coffee whenever that could cover a payment on something more necessary. Instead, many drink coffee in their homes when it is available. That leads me to our first dinner with a coffee farmer.

Much to my surprise, whenever we walked into the home, there were coffee beans drying in the walkway leading to the home. Just in the middle of the pathway. It was the first time we saw coffee drying, so it was another pretty cool first! Homemade tortillas, chicken and vegetables are the norm here it seems. A wonderfully tasty norm, but a norm nonetheless. The family also prepared horchata for us to drink and it was way better than any horchata I've had in the US and according to them, it's incredibly easy to make! What a treat! We had a small cup of their coffee (served in the most beautiful mugs) after dinner. The coffee was just amazing, maybe it was the beautiful weather and full stomach, but the night felt perfect.

I learned a lot about Guatemala today. I learned about its colors, its passions, its people. I cannot wait to see more.


Jessica Jill Harrell


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