Hola Amigos ! 

No, I am not in Mexico or Guatemala, I just wanted to use a little Spanish :)

I have been visiting Illinois for a few weeks, family reunion, family visits, etc.

It is always nice to re-see the area of my birth and most of the years of my life.

Just a few quick photos to represent that thought:

Took a great, relaxing walk at Lincoln Memorial Garden along the shore of Lake Springfield. In the Garden there are MANY benches for resting and they include sayings that are worth pondering. The majority are from Springfield, IL’s most (arguably) famous resident Abraham Lincoln. It seems Abe had a lot to say and said it well in a few sentences :) One example:

Click here for a movie/video created from my photos.

I hope to have other photos, thoughts, movie/videos to share soon, just wanted to keep in touch and share some Illinois !!

Have a great day and Hello September !!

Hello everyone!! What does that title mean? I don’t know, but here goes.

My mind seems to enjoy the idea of seeing landscapes and areas of our world. 

Etc., Etc., Etc. :)

I am grateful for the many places I have been fortunate to visit during my life (Illinois, New York, Colorado, Utah, California, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Maine, Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Iowa, South Carolina, Italy, Germany, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria, France-tiny bit, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and others I am probably forgetting :) Thankfully, many of the “trips” have included family, making them very special !!

This Post is out of the ordinary for me but I wanted to share some travel “things” that I have seen while searching and planning trips.

First of all, there are a couple of YouTube vloggers that I follow pretty regular.

PaddyDoyle is one. He has been doing YouTube vlogs for maybe 6+ years. His videos caught my eye at first because he was visiting every Province in Thailand via a small motorbike. Since then he has been to Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore and now is in Switzerland.

Click here to see his latest video from Switzerland. He publishes a new Post usually two/three times a week, random days.

The other is ItchyBoots. She is a 30 something girl from The Netherlands and has been traveling the World (literally) for the past 7+ years via motorcycle. She has been through most of Europe, South Africa, Southern tip of South America all the way to North tip of Alaska and now in the northern part of West Africa. These videos are special to me because I will most likely never make it to these areas that she is exploring.

CLICK HERE to see her latest video from Ghana, Africa. She publishes a new Post every Wednesday and Sunday. Many, many past videos to watch with unique and often times challenging situations but a very real view of “life and nature around the world”.

I think it is obvious from my past Posts that I like to walk/hike/roam/wander/wonder when I visit an area and of course take photos and share the views.

I have found a few sites that have Inn to Inn self-guided walking tours that look very interesting. At first glance the daily walking distances (10+ miles) seem beyond my fitness but there are some itineraries with a difficulty level of 2 out of 5 that may work for me??

For an example of what I am dreaming about, Check Out this website and all of their cool itineraries.

I apologize if I share too much about the Denver Botanic Gardens but it truly is for me an Oasis where I can find some serenity and sanity. That being said, here is a movie/video of photos I took in July at the Gardens. Watch It here.

Enjoy !!!

Hi Everybody!!

Maybe you remember, maybe you didn’t see the Posts, but in the past I Posted about a couple of Custom Paint By Number kits I ordered from a couple of my photos. 

The first was Post #25 and it included photos of my Paint By Number for a beautiful sunset in Manzanillo, MX. Click here to see that Post.

The second was Post #104 and it included photos of my Paint By Number for one of my favorite photos, taken on Playa Las Animas (Las Animas Beach) south of Puerto Vallarta, MX. CLICK HERE to see that Post.

My third Custom Paint By Number is from one of my photos at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. This is the photo I chose:

As you will see, I did some “Artistic Pruning”, removed some bushes to reveal the Lake; did some “Artistic Transplanting”, added some yellow/orange flowers and boulders; did some “Artistic Stone Wall Modifications” to again, reveal the Lake and distant mountains.

Here are some photos during the process:

My photo was taken from the gardens at a hotel (Hotel y Centro de Convenciones Jardines del Lago) along the shores of Lake Atitlán in Panajachel, Guatemala.

The best I can find is that the tree is a kind of Araucaria Columnares? Araucaria Heterophylla? I took photos of a few (maybe the same one a few times?) in Antigua, Guatemala that were similar.

Well, it is your lucky day again :) I have a bonus movie/video of more Street Art, the ninth one. It seems to be a little more difficult to find “Street Art” but I try to be mindful and consciously look for it while walking.

ClicK HerE for the movie/video.

Have a Good One !!

Hello to Summer (the season) and everyone reading this Post !!

Sunday, June 25, 2023, was a great day to escape Denver and head to Rocky Mountain National Park for a visit with Mother Nature.

I went on the CDOT BUSTANG bus from Union Station to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are a few stops/ pickup points along the way, including the Estes Park Visitors Center if Estes Park is your choice for the day. Click Here for all the details, costs (very inexpensive) on the BUSTANG service. I highly recommend, especially since it eliminates the need for the Timed Entry ticket!

I purchased the one day Park Individual Visitor Pass ($15) online but they didn’t  check for it, but I am sure the Karma was used :)

The BUSTANG bus unloads at the Park and Ride within the Bear Lake Corridor and it is possible to hike from there or take the Bear Lake Shuttle to several Trailheads or the Moraine Park Shuttle. At first it is a little confusing but I found that reading as much info as possible ahead of time allowed me to see a clear route as I arrived at the Park and decided on a hike.

The weather was great, beautiful BLUE skies, a few WHITE clouds, comfortable temperatures (45 to 60) a light breeze, so grateful. Not part of the weather, just a result of past weather, the GREENS and Greys and Whites and ……. were so crisp and clear and the sounds of the streams and waterfalls, some visible and some in the distance just so healthy (I just don’t understand EarPods, to each their own I guess).

CLICK HERE for my movie/video created from my photos. I apologize if it is a little too long, just couldn’t leave out any of the views :)

I took the 7:00 am (another at 8 am) bus from Denver and arrived at the Park and Ride lot before 9:30 am. I left the Park on the 3:15 pm bus (another at 4:15 pm) and was back in Denver at my apartment around 6:30 pm :)

Here are a few of my photos that show a little of Mother Nature’s BEAUTY!!

OR, falling on a parking lot and becoming part of a muddy puddle or flowing through a sewer or …….. ??? 

I guess we only get to choose some things ???

Have a great day wherever you are !!

(Just an idea, but in the future I would like to get a few photos from each viewer/future viewers(hopefully) that show something about their “world”, their “view” from a favorite window/seat/road/path, etc. make sense? With the photos I would create a movie/video to just mind travel for a few minutes.) Thoughts??

Hello again !!

Recently I visited Redwood City, CA and San Francisco, had a great time visiting, walking, eating, exploring and watching 9 innings of a CUB WIN (I really don’t follow MLB much but I will say the new time clock between batters and between pitches seems to be a great idea).

Wunderlich County Park was a great place for a short hike in a “young redwood forest”. Just one of many, many, many areas West of Interstate 280 from San Bruno to the north and Santa Cruz to the south.

Squeezed in a visit of the 35th floor at One Embarcadero Center in the San Francisco Financial District. A lot of windows and a lot of spectacular views :)

Click here for my movie/video created from my photos there.

Monday I returned to Denver but not without some “challenges”.

The flight boarded on time (11:15am) and was at the runway when the pilot said he was “pulling over” and shutting the engines down??? Not a mechanical issue but the Denver Airport had just issued a “Ground Stop” because of thunderstorms. Then the decision was made to return to the gate/terminal where we eventually de-planed and waited for the Denver Airport to reopen.

Finally/thankfully we boarded again and left around 5:35pm pacific time and arrived in Denver Airport about 8:45pm mountain time. I proceeded to the “Train to the City” and that was smooth as usual. Normally I can catch a short bus to get me within a 5 minute walk to my apartment. Normal didn’t work that night. I waited 15 minutes past the scheduled bus arrival and no bus, and noticed no other buses arrived at the underground bus terminal. I overheard a security guy say that they were trying to figure out what to do. (What to do about what??) I then realized that the buses were all messed up because a lot of streets were blocked because “fans” were flooding/blocking some streets because the Nuggets had won the NBA Championship, oh boy!!

That meant I would get some exercise and walk (35 minutes) to my apartment :) It was a “nice/edgy” walk up 17th (avoided 16th St mall) and made it with no more issues :)

How’s that for making a short story long?? It could have been longer but I left out parts I couldn’t explain :)

This is totally unrelated but do you remember mom’s chair that I painted about 4 years ago??

Well, I guess it’s time to publish this Post :)

Happy start of Summer !!

Hola Amigos !!!

 If you choose to watch the movie/video linked below, you will see that April showers definitely brought May wildflowers and green, green, green to the Boulder area, specifically the Shanahan Ridge area.

The Trailhead is very accessible from Denver via the RTD bus route Flatiron Flyer and  then a short transfer on the RTD Skip bus route.

Click here for my movie/video created from my photos.

While being this close to Boulder, I couldn’t resist a short visit to the Pearl Street Mall and a Gyro sandwich at Falafel King :)

Here are some photos:

Well, guess what? First time this has happened but I had just completed this Blog Post and was adding the final line and I tried to correct one thing and, poof, just like that the Post was Blank and I couldn’t recover it.

Now, do I try and repeat what I had written or just treat it as a new Post? 

I don’t know, but here goes!

Hello everyone!!! (I think I said everybody previously? :)

Sunday was a nice day for a long walk. Recently the skies and air have been hazy and smokey due to wildfires in Canada, believe it or not. It seemed better today and the participants in the Colfax Marathon were probably grateful for any improvement.

I chose to walk to the Denver Botanic Gardens to see how Spring was progressing.

Click Here for my movie/video created from my photos.

In addition to the photos I shared a few notes on the areas of the Gardens where I am so fortunate to help during volunteer shifts. Still waiting for the day when I am “working” there and I look up to see someone I know :)

Actually, two weeks ago on Sunday was a nice day also and my walk that day was from my apartment westward down 16th Avenue to the 16th Street Mall all the way to Confluence Park and back (4 miles total?) The South Platte River and Cherry Creek “conflue” (my word :) there :)

Hard to imagine how businesses can survive after the 2+ years of disruptions for COVID restrictions/shutdowns and now this?? 

CLICK HERE for my movie/video created from my photos during the sanity walk.

I know what you’re thinking, it must be your lucky day, 2 movie/videos at no extra cost :)

Thankfully I have made it this far without erasing my thoughts again, thanks for hanging around!!

Hello everyone, still there?

I haven’t Posted in a while, just haven’t been “Feeling IT” !!

Just a side note, 3 years ago on April 29, 2020 I published the first Post of MyShadowProductions. You can see it here! (Obviously, I did not know how the “Live” photo setting on the iPhone camera worked, hope it doesn’t make you dizzy?)

In an effort to get re-started, I have reminded myself of an excerpt I read in the book “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown that was a big part of my initial impetus to “do a blog”. 

Here it is from page 53, middle of third paragraph:

“…Our unexpressed ideas, opinions and contributions don’t just go away. They are likely to fester and eat away at our worthiness. I think we should be born with a warning label similar to the ones that come on cigarette packages: Caution: If you trade in your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.”

Maybe a little too harsh? I don’t really think so, for me I can see how it rings true.

Here is a LINK if you want to read the first 40 pages of her book :)

Anyway, I started the MyShadowProductions blog in April of 2020 during the start of the insane COVID stuff.

Prior to that I had tried to share some travel photos and thoughts on JOURNO. You can CLICK HERE to visit those posts.

A few “themes” that I have tried to keep in mind along the journey have been:

MyShadow (of course :)

HAIKU Poems, Clique Aqui to see the Posts that include my HAIKU Poems.

Spring is here again

New growth, colors, warmth, sunshine

Time to move forward

I continue to keep an open eye, ears and heart for other Posts, not sure where that leads, but hopefully I can find “IT” to photograph and share.

By the way, Spring is Springing, albeit rather slowly, but here are a few early signs at, you guessed it, the Denver Botanic Gardens:

Always interesting what might be visible out my apartment window and nearby streets:

Car bombarded by the Murder of Crows in the Neighborhood 

April 18, 2023 4:30am Emergency Response to something.

What? Why? I don’t know!

                           

Happy March everyone!!

It is still winter in Denver, now I remember why I thought it would be a good idea to travel through February and part of March. Oh well, maybe next trip I will stay longer in lieu of returning earlier :)

Sunday I took the Bustang bus from Denver Union Station to Glenwood Springs, a 4 hour trip. Amtrak is another option and that is a 6 hour trip. The bus ride is pretty comfortable and the scenery can get very interesting. The area through Glenwood Canyon would be great to see at a slower pace. Amtrak probably has the special viewing cars if you are lucky enough to get a good seat. I don’t know if there are rafting trips down the Colorado River in that area but it would be great. The mountain walls and the River and the train tracks and the I-70 Highway lanes all weave their way through the canyon, with several tunnels as well. It would be cool to see the Construction Plans and Engineering for that :)

I got to Glenwood Springs around 2 pm and got checked into my hotel and then went exploring a little before dark.

The lifts are the older type, 2 and 3 seaters without the pull down bar and footrest. The ride up is a little slow but I like it, brought back fond memories of skiing at Alta in Utah.

The weather was great, the snow was good, no waiting in lift lines, good variety of runs and I skied until 3 pm without stopping for lunch.

Tuesday I walked/hiked around the Glenwood Springs area. My intent was to ride the local Gondola to the top of a mountain (I know what you’re thinking, he could have hiked up:) where they have an adventure park. I just wanted to see the view and get some photos but it is only open weekends during winter??

I got to see Two Rivers Park, the walking trail and different areas in Downtown Glenwood Springs.

I hiked the 0.7 mile out and back Trail up to Doc Holiday’s grave in Linwood Cemetery during a brief (30 minute) “heavy snow/wind storm”but it was fun and very scenic (what I could see :). You would have to have six really, really, really good and healthy friends to be pallbearers and get you up the mountain if that was your desired resting place :) Or maybe a mule and wagon?

I made a movie/video from all of my photos, Click Here to view it.

I read online that there are at least 9 of the “Find Your Wings in Glenwood Springs” signs but I only found 6.

Well, that’s all for now, have fun !!

Hola and Buenos Dias!

Not that it is necessary, but just wanted to go through the Photo Scavenger Hunt:

1. Guatemalan Flag

2. Colorful Bird

3. Kayak

4. Open Market Shop

5. Woman Wearing a Hat (and a mask)

6. A Cat

7. Jade Piece of Jewelry

8. Marimba Instrument

9. Dog

10. Unusual Bird - didn’t get this one - maybe same as #2??

11. Cacao Farm - Didn’t get to a farm, but saw a Cacao store

12. Basketball Hoop

13. Anyone Still Wearing a Mask - she is wearing a hat and a mask - same photo as #5

14. Calico Cat

15. T Shirt that says “It’s weird being the same age as old people” - didn’t see one

16. Cowboy Boots With Shorts - didn’t see this

17. Soccer Ball

18. Football - didn’t see a football

19. Kids Playing Any Sport - Click Here for kids playing basketball 

20. Baseball Field - didn’t see one.

21. Person Playing Instrument - CLICK HERE for Marimba players (yes, I tipped them) and don’t forget the Mariachi guys in Post #128

                     Other photos 

22. Sunrise - didn’t get a photo of a sunrise

Items not suggested but I took photo anyway:

1. Human Sized Purple Ant

2. HULK Statue

3. Quaker Oats Sign

4. Pickup Truck Loaded With Firewood (and a Chicken Bus)

5. One regret - wish I had an Allstate Insurance sign - maybe could have sold them an advertisement - “You’re in good hand(s) with Allstate” :) especially with the “monster” looming in the background 

6. Chicken Buses

7. Food Photos - really surprised nobody commented on my food choices :) Full disclosure - I didn’t take photos of the many Pollo con Papas (fried chicken with fries) that I ate.

                     “Greek Salad?” With Pizza

Poor photo quality by me but they had the best fresh Mango, Papaya and Pineapple 

                       Not so good hamburger 

Peanuts and Piña (Pineapple) also had Papaya and Mango like this - best value on the trip

      Mora (raspberry) frozen yogurt - definitely wanted “mora” of that :)

                  “Bean Sauce?” Over tortillas and eggs

I was asked in one comment to keep track of things that “surprised” me on the trip. Surprisingly, there were a few things :)

Buenos dias !!

The drive to Guatemala City was a little less like a roller coaster than I thought, but I still haven’t learned that I cannot reach the brakes from the backseat :)

The news is that I am writing this Post from the Guatemala City Airport. I flew here this morning from Flores. I have shortened my trip and I am flying back to Denver today, Friday, February 10.

Flores was fine and I was able to get some interesting photos. I ended up not going to Tikal (Mayan Ruins/Temples) nor to Rio Dulce and Livingston.

I did get to kayak a little on Lago Petén Itzá:

For Rio Dulce and Livingston, the same, at this point of my trip I didn’t want to spend 4+ hours on a bus. Also, arrival times and connection times for the boat down the Rio Dulce to Livingston required an overnight stay in Rio Dulce, etc. Anyway, it just felt right to fly back to Denver and the Rio Dulce boat trip to Livingston can be added to future travels?

Flores Airport is very small and very close to the Isla of Flores, both good things. The first thing to notice in Flores is that the level of Lake Petén Itzá is high (boat guy told me about one meter, +/- 3ft?). He said it was due to “mucho lluvia, lot of rain” over last year or so. The high water has flooded parts of the Malecòn (walkway)/ Ring Road around the small island. Apparently there is not a solution available, at least an affordable one. On Google maps I don’t see any rivers leaving the lake, it seems to be surrounded by higher elevations?? Not my problem but I would like to know the full story.

Buenas Tardes Amigos !!

Saturday, February 4, was my last full day in Panajachel. I revisited the Reserva Natural Antigua to walk/hike/stroll the trail to El Lago (the lake) and the Playa (beach). It is a very peaceful and meditative spot, even good for wading in the Lake’s edge (after removing shoes and socks :) experiencing the spotty sand and the smooth, cobbled rocks and stones.

Saw another sunset (there has been a sunset every night here in Panajachel, probably because there has been a sunrise every morning :)

A few photos from a Mirador (viewpoint) on the way to Antigua:

I left Panajachel around 8:30 am on Tuesday and arrived back at Las Farolas Hotel in Antigua around 10:45 am in order to be closer to Guatemala City Airport for my Domestic flight on Tuesday afternoon to Flores, Guatemala via TAG Airlines.

Antigua feels very comfortable and it was easy to settle in for 2 nights.

Today, Monday February 6, I made a Day Trip to San Cristobal El Alto in the nearby hills/mountains. I took an Uber up the hill/mountain (about 15 minutes) and I walked back down (about an hour), pretty smart, huh? Be nice!

CLICK HERE for the movie/video created from my photos, it is a really cool Pueblo and Restaurant overlooking Antigua. For a day that I didn’t plan on taking many photos, I took a lot, and I could have taken twice as many, every step caught my eye.

There are also ruins of a Cathedral in Antigua that I missed in my first days here. Here are a few photos there:

I have to say it was hard leaving Lake Atitlán and it will be hard leaving Antigua in the morning. One consolation for me is that I know I helped out the Frozen Yogurt economy as much as I could :)

Well, if things go as planned, my next Post will be from Flores, Guatemala in the State of Petén, Northeast Guatemala.

Have a Great Day !!

 Wednesday, February 01, I took a boat to Santiago Atitlán, the largest village on Lake Atitlán. It is located back in a long bay on the opposite side of the Lake from Panajachel. Because of its size, I succumbed to a “travel guide” at the docks and paid for a one hourTukTuk tour. It was good, got me to the high part of town, the cemetery, the peace Park memorial for those who died in Guatemala’s long civil war, the Catholic Church and a few art shops and some local streets I most likely would have missed.

Life looks a little/lot challenging there and the pressure from the local Mayans to buy their wares is an uncomfortable feeling for me.

CLICK HERE for my movie/video created from my photos in Santiago Atitlán.

Thursday, February 2, I took the boat to Santa Cruz la Laguna for a day of hiking, truly a highlight if I dare to separate it from the other experiences.

Click on the titles below for my movie/videos created from my photos.

Santa Cruz la Laguna Docks Hike

Santa Cruz to Jaibalito to Tzununa Hike

Then on Friday, February 3, I went back to San Juan la Laguna to hike to the San Juan Mirador (viewpoint). The hike was fine, pretty steep but “only” 20 minutes up :) The boat ride back was another story. The wind direction and speed (maybe 20 mph?) made for some pretty serious waves, like 4ft in spots. Needless to say the boat ride was up and down and all around and wet and adventurous. Normally the ride would be about 35 minutes but it took one hour this time. Luckily the wind died down a little after halfway back and the water almost looked “calm” back at the Panajachel dock.

CLICK HERE for my movie/video on the San Juan La Laguna Mirador Hike.

For a quick view of the waves at the San Juan la Laguna Dock Clique Aqui.

Hope you are having a good weekend !!

Hola y Feliz Febrero (kind of like Favero? :)

Hello and Happy February!!

Sunday, January 29, was kind of a day off so to speak. Did a lot of walking around Old Panajachel, finding the old church, Iglesia San Francisco from the 16th century surviving multiple earthquakes with repairs.

 I found a place to buy deodorant, not as easy as you would think:

Tuesday, January 31, I made a random decision when I woke up that it was going to be the day to try a Chicken Bus ride. Sololá is a city up the mountain from Panajachel about 25 minutes away, perfect. The bus stop is about a 10 minute walk from my hotel. The bus was arriving just as I got there so there was no time to change plans etc. I got on, found a seat and immediately heard the song “Under Pressure” playing, felt appropriate and cool.

Chicken buses are usually old USA school buses, I swear the one I was on used to be Springfield School District 186 (took me to high school 1971) or PORTA Schools :)

The ride up the mountain seemed fast and curvy and back and forth but enjoyable. As the bus moves along, the driver’s helper walks by to collect the fare, Q5, that’s right, about 75 cents each way, amazing.

I departed the bus right in Centro by the Parque Centro and started walking and exploring. The Market was especially cool.

Click Here for the Sololá Day Trip movie/video, I hope you get a feel for what was a truly enjoyable day.

While in Sololá I spotted a Granizada vendor heading to work. She setup shop in front of the church and I tried a Granizada de Limón (shaved ice, lots of spices, too much salt, spicy tomato juice, crunchy snacks, lime juice, etc.). It tasted kind of like a virgin Bloody Mary?? Cost Q10 about $1.25.

I asked if I could take a video while she made the Granizada and Clique Aqui to view it :)

When I got back to Panajachel I walked down to see the Lake and buy some piña (pineapple).

Walking back to the hotel I saw these guys :)

Buenos Dias Amigos, because it is Monday, Jan 30 morning when I am writing this.

Well, the trip is almost half over or there is a little more than a half left to experience.

In the past few days I have been able to visit some additional villages around Lake Atitlan.

Each village has a different “feel” and/or vibe to offer. Panajachel is where my hotel is, Hospedaje el Viajero, and is a general “jumping off point” to visit around the Lake. 

San Marcos and Tzununa-think Hippies, San Juan-Artsy, San Pedro-backpacker party, Santa Catarina de Palopó-painted houses/buildings and weaving And possibly one of the best locations for a soccer field, and San Antonio de Palopó, ceramics and weaving. I realize as I write this that my photos may not display all those items, for me, I do not like to take photos of the display booths with no intention of buying.

Also, it is a mental battle to understand the large volume of handcrafted materials that are available and being displayed and sold? In all the villages. I just hope and pray it is life sustaining for those involved. Truly a lot of talent and variety.

In my movie/videos below, I have a photo of a woman weaving in Santa Catarina de Palopó. I asked her permission before taking the photo and she was proud to say yes. I donated some Quetzales for her willingness.

San Marcos La Laguna and Tzununa 

Santa Catarina de Palopó 

San Antonio de Palopó 

Hola Amigos !!

Lake Atitlan is something very special, my words and photos cannot relay the beauty !

Experienced this sunset Thursday night:

Just a few photos of the Lake:

Click the Titles below for the movie/videos created from my photos on Tuesday and Wednesday:

San Pedro La Laguna

San Juan La Laguna

Hotel Atitlan Botanical Gardens 

Reserva Natural Atitlan 

Here are some questions I have received in Comments on previous Posts:

 A few thoughts, can you keep track of things that really surprised you that you have seen and will see and list at the end of your trip.??

I will try :)

Also will you see a rain forest, if so a monkey. Look for a soccer ball, football, kids playing any sport, 

There are Rain Forests near Lake Atitlan, Flores and Tikal (going there next) and there are Monkeys (monos) but can’t guarantee I will see one :) I checked off a few of the Photo Scavenger Hunt items in the following movie/videos.

Can you see a sunrise.

Sure, if I get up early enough, but not too excited about walking in the dark and finding a place to view a sunrise :) Maybe in Flores and/or Livingston it will be convenient for a sunrise.

Are those mountains or volcanoes in the back ground? Are there any active volcanoes?

Yes :) Yes - Volcan de Fuego and Volcan Pacaya

I don’t know how to get out of this font ????

Adios for now, enjoy your day !!!!

Buenos Dias a Todos !!

Monday, Jan 23 I visited 2 different “Fincas” in Antigua.

Valhalla in San Miguel Dueñas is a macadamia farm with a restaurant and a spa. It has a very interesting story of its owners and how it has evolved. Please Google it.

Click here for a movie/video created from my photos at Valhalla.

In the afternoon I took a TukTuk ride to Jacotenango to visit Finca La Azotea, a coffee farm, Mayan music “museum”, equestrian area, restaurant, beer garden, just about everything :)

CLICK HERE for a movie/video created from my photos at La Azotea.

Today, Tuesday Jan 24 was a travel day from Antigua to Panajachel on the shore of Lake Atitlan. About a 2.5 hour drive with an Uber type driver through the hills, countryside, mountains, curving up and down roads, villages and farms.

Here are some photos of my first day here at Lake Atitlan, an amazing story of its own that I will be learning more about.

Also, here is a photo of the Guatemalan currency that I haven’t shared yet:

Adios for now :)

Hola from Monterrico, Guatemala.

Arrived here Friday, January 20 and leaving today, Sunday January 22 back to Antigua for a couple of nights.

I thought it was pronounced Moan-tare-rih-ko but quickly learned it is Moan-tare-ree-ko:)

I survived the shared shuttle ride of 3 hours. On the route from Antigua to Monterrico the shuttle passed through the towns Santa Maria de Jesus, Palin, Esquintla and Iztapa to name a few.

People from Guatemala City can save time on their trip by driving to La Avellana and then loading their car on a ferry to Monterrico. Here are a few photos where the ferries unload in Monterrico:

Monterrico is on the Pacific Coast and has “black sand” due to the volcanic history in Guatemala. Also, when you read that the sand gets hot, believe it, it gets HOT!!!

Monterrico seems to be a “weekend beach” for Guatemalan families from Guatemala City, Antigua and surrounding towns. The beach stretches for miles in both directions but the sand is deep and hot, not the best walking conditions:)

In some areas my footprints (boot prints) were the only ones:

Late afternoon up to sunset seems to be when visitors migrate from their hotels, pools and restaurants to the beach. Saw some horses on the beach as well as too many ATV’s, but those riding the ATV’s seemed to enjoy it.

It was strange to not see pelicans diving for food, must be better hunting grounds elsewhere or maybe it is hard for Pelicans to get a Visa to fish?? 

Click Here for a movie/video created from my photos in Monterrico. Colorful bird and open market can be checked off of the Photo Scavenger Hunt list. 

Remaining Photo Scavenger Hunt items are: Kayak, unusual bird (not sure I will know usual or unusual :), cacao farm, t-shirt that says “it’s weird being the same age as old people”, cowboy boots with shorts. Please feel free to add items at any time.

I have to confess that I am getting an “Uber type” driver/car back to Antigua :)

Buenos Dias/Tardes Amigos!!

I have been in Antigua Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and leaving Friday morning for Monterrico on the Pacific Coast. It will be a 2.5 hour ride in a shared shuttle van.

Antigua has many different cobblestone streets, churches, ruins (from past earthquakes), doors, windows, a main plaza/square, a few smaller parks, no street lights (that I saw), a few Stop (Alto) signs and many speed bumps. The traffic flow of cars, trucks, taxis, tuktuks, bicycles, motorbikes, etc is slow orderly and absent of horns.

The weather has been great, cool in the morning 55ish and highs in midafternoon 73ish, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies.

I checked off a few of the Photo Scavenger Hunt items in the following movie/videos; cat, marimba, multi colored (wooden :) bird?, rare (wooden) bird?, woman wearing a hat, woman wearing a hat and mask, calico cat?( might be just grey and white?), basketball hoop.

Click here for a movie/video created from my photos More Walking Antigua. Including (Hike to Cerro de La Cruz and Tropical Garden at my hotel Las Farolas)

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It was a reasonable way to get a 20 minute shuttle to the mountains from Antigua.

Tenango is used as a compound at the end of city names like we use …burg, …ville, …town. Cities in Guatemala like Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Jacotenango, Volcan Acatenango, etc.

WiFi has been terrible this evening but I think I have finished for now. Need to get some rest, not really looking forward to the shared shuttle ride tomorrow, had to get that whine out :)

Hoping there will be a sunset or two at Monterrico :)

Have a great Day !!!

 Hola Amigos !!

Well, I made it to Antigua Guatemala with no problems. Basically a full day of travel. Left my Apartment in Denver around 7 am, Uber to Union Station, train to DEN airport, 10 am DEN to IAH (Houston) about 2.5 hrs, change to Central time from Mountain, 4 hour layover, flight to GUA (Guatemala City) about 3 hours, quick walk through airport to Immigration, get Guatemalan Quetzales (money $$) at ATM, exit airport and just outside by Cafe Barrato (cheap cafe) find taxi driver holding a sign with my name. It is about 8:30 pm at that time so it is dark for the drive to Antigua. It took about 45 minutes to an hour. Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America (Mexico City in Mexico is larger but Mexico is not part of Central America). That being said it took most of the time through curves and hills and speed bumps and rumble strips and bridges and tunnels and considerable traffic of cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes. Are you dizzy yet?

Then, after an exit, the road turned to cobblestones and the young driver proudly said “Bienvenidos an Antigua” (welcome to Antigua). About 10 minutes later we pulled up to Las Farolas Hotel for Check-in about 9:15 pm Central Time.

A few photos of airports, Hotel lobby and room:

Someone had left this book behind @ Houston Airport. It was fun watching people walk by and their reactions and thoughts about maybe picking it up :) Finally a cleaning guy picked it up with a big smile as he read the title and back cover :)

                          Path to Immigration at GUA

                Hotel Lobby, it is not a Seminary :) I just liked the table.

When I was checking in to Las Farolas (street lights) Hotel the girl at the Reception said she was trying to find a room that did not back up to the street ( I assume those rooms have a little street noise?) She said she could give me a better room but there was one problem, it didn’t have a hairdryer :) That will probably be the easiest decision of the Trip/lifetime, lol.

Here are my first sights of Antigua in daylight, right outside my room and at breakfast:

       Desayuno Chapin (pronounced cha pean) Nickname for Guatemalans.

    Scrambled eggs, Fried Plantains, Sausage, Beans, Bread, Cheese, Fruit Juice

After breakfast and a shower it was time for MyShadow to take a walk around Antigua. The hotel provided a basic but good map to help.

         MyShadow looks a little timid holding the phone camera, lol :)

Here is the expected weather for my days in Antigua :)

There are three Volcanoes around Antigua; Volcan de Agua, Volcan de Fuego and Volcan de Acetenango. You will see them in the photos.

Click Here for a movie/video created from my photos in Antigua Guatemala.

If you check the Comments in my previous post, click here for that, you might notice from the movie/video that I was able to check off a few items on the Photo Scavenger Hunt. Items like; Dog, Guatemala Flag, Jade Jewelry, Open Market Shop, can you spot them in the movie/video?

Interesting city so far, with some similarities with San Miguel de Allende in Mexico but less gentrified and much less Canadians and Americans.

Buenas Noches for now!