C's Birthday in Antigua

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Happy Birthday!!!

This weekend we celebrated C's birthday and since he was turning the big 3-0 we took every opportunity to have a memorable time.  Friday we went zip-lining at the Finca Filedelphia, a large coffee plantation just a few miles from Antigua.

getting hooked up

It was a really exhilarating experience and the guides were all well-trained.  We got taken up to the top of the hill in a jeep, bouncing over unpaved roads through rows of coffee bushes.  The estate is over 500 acres and since this is picking season, there were many workers out gathering the ripe berries.  Finca Filedelphia roasts some of its own coffee and also supplies beans to large corporations like Starbucks.

Before we left Washington, an employee at our local S’bucks told us about all the charitable work that the company does in Guatemala and Central America.  However, I have heard rumors that the Seattle coffee giant is less than fair in their “fair trade” dealings and does a lot of under-the-table work to drive prices down before signing agreements.

yours truly in action

The zip-lining course consisted of nine lines that got progressively longer and faster.  We began in the forest and eventually ended with a spectacular flight over the canyon – nearly 500 feet in the air – with a spectacular view of the Agua volcano. It was an incredible rush, I highly recommend it!

C next to one of Antigua's colorful buildings

We also took advantage of Antigua’s great array of bars and restaurants and tried out Japanese (authentically run AND they served sake), Middle Eastern (who knew you could combine vodka and chocolate in a hookah?) and crepes (heaven).

us at Finca de los Nietos

On Sunday, we went and visited another coffee plantation located in a village about five miles outside of Antigua. We’d stumbled across a flyer in one of Antigua’s cafes and decided to take a tuk-tuk out to investigate.

C and I had wanted to take a coffee tour at Finca Filedelphia, but instantly recoiled at the sheer number of people…large groups of tourists are bussed in from Antigua as part of package itineraries and the whole thing looked like a bit of a circus.

one of the peaceful garden paths at Finca los Nietos

At Fince de los Nietos it was just us and it only cost 50 Quetzales per person for a very thorough and informative tour. The plantation is only one acre and owned by a very nice family from Maine. They have a lovely garden with all sorts of flowers trees. The coffee variety is 100% organic Arabica, which apparently thrives at higher altitudes.

Lily

C inspecting the dried coffee

The owner’s daughter, Grace, took us around and explained the coffee making process from start to finish, how the beans are picked and put through a machine to be de-pulped. Next, they are dried on the roof for several days before being fed into another contraption that removes the husk from around the bean. 

Finally, the coffee is roasted.

the roaster

Since the farm doesn’t use any unnatural chemicals, they also have an interesting tactic for dealing with pests. They use a system of compost (made from fermented coffee berries) to nurture worms that produce a special “juice” loaded with enzymes. They use this substance to spray the coffee plants; effectively protecting them from harmful insects.

As added icing on the cake, C also got to experience his first chicken bus ride on the way back into town. It was actually very clean and luckily not too crowded.  In Guatemala, the brightly painted buses (often equipped with special disco lights and thumping soundtracks) are given feminine names like “Lilian” or “Norma”.  We recovered with a michelada, my new favorite beverage in the world.  It consists of beer, Worcestershire, vegetable juice, salsa, pepper, and lime. Sort of like a Latin American “Bloody Mary”.

the birthday boy with his beverage

The website for Finca los Nietos is: http://www.fincalosnietos.com/

Earth Lodge

This weekend C and I spent a night at the Earth Lodge, an awesome and eco-friendly accommodation in the hills above Antigua. The property hosts an avocado farm, several private cabins, a dorm, and even a treehouse!

It's popular with young volunteers from the Peace Corps and also Los Manos de Christine.

The latter is a non-profit organization operated by the same people who own the language school where I work. The program runs a school in the neighboring village of Los Hatos for kids who otherwise  wouldn't have access to quality education.

To reach the lodge, a truck picks people up in Antigua several times a day and hauls them up the winding mountain road. From there its a short walk down to the property.

The first thing we did was go hiking in the surrounding area. There are a number of trails that traverse ridges dotted with small farms. We wandered all the way to the border of Finca Filedelphia, a privately owned coffee plantation on the adjacent ridge. The entire loop took around 2.5 hours and there were breathtaking views of the valley and volcanoes.

The Earth Lodge is a great place to chill out, meet interesting people, and eat some great vegetarian food. My favorite part was probably swinging in a hammock, miles away from the noise of Antigua's lively streets.

Sunset

The whole place had a great feel, very relaxed but with a nice communal atmosphere. It was also budget-friendly and there are tents available for those who wanted to camp.  It's a great place to seek travel information for other destinations in Guatemala and Central America. The lodge hosts  some four-legged companions as well, a couple of dogs and a very plump gray cat who followed us around for most of our stay.

chillin'

The glorious beach

In early March, we took our first weekend trip to the coast, about 2.5 hours west of Antigua.  Other than a small fishing village and a couple of hostels there wasn't much around, making it the perfect escape.

The mangroves

C chillin' out

Our hotel was called El Paredon Surfhouse and I'd heard about the place through word of mouth.  Set right on the volcanic beach, there are a couple of charming  bungalows on stilts, a dorm, small pool, and kitchen.

I really loved the relaxed atmosphere and there were plenty of hammocks for watching the world go by. The beach was quite popular with surfers from the city and looked like a pretty beginner-friendly spot to learn. Next time, we are definitely going to try bodyboarding, which I have missed greatly since leaving Hawaii.

El Paredon really did feel like the edge of the world and in a way - located miles down a bumpy dirt road - it is.  The coastline is rather barren; dark volcanic sand, crashing waves, miles of empty shore, buzzards circling, dusty fields, baobab trees and thatched huts that somehow made me think more of Africa than Central America.

View from our bungalow

Warning...

One of the highlights of the trip was an early morning mangrove tour. Our fantastic guide took us out in his canoe and negotiated the narrow passageways just off the river. The tide was low, so this was no easy task, but we saw a ton of avian life including parrots, ducks, herons, eagles, and several species of Kingfisher.  The community is working with a US-based environmental organization to promote sustainable logging and conservation.  

Mangrove wood is exceptionally strong and reaches maturity quickly. By replanting and carefully monitoring logging practices the residents can maintain a healthier ecosystem.  Unfortunately, some rules are difficult to enforce.  For example, the area used to be home to a large number of iguanas but since their meat and eggs are considered a delicacy, poaching has greatly reduced the population.

Another fun activity was our stroll over to the village.  There was a small school, church, and a few tiendas. Residents were friendly and I loved how the streets were literally made of sand; the windswept houses with scorched yards full of chickens and children playing soccer.

One of the main reasons we visited Paredon was so I could participate in a yoga workshop hosted by Yoga Freedom.  It was a really great experience - relaxed and informal yet challenging.  The instructor was very knowledgeable and it was wonderful to practice on the beach at dusk.

The village

The website for Yoga Freedom is: 

http://www.yogafreedom.com/

Information on El Paredon: http://www.paredonsurf.com/