The blogging adventure will continue again once I have moved to Hereford, end September 2022: "All about ASH" Volcanic and last Wednesday's!

This weeks Orchids!

“If only”

The Scriptures “moveth us, in sundry places” these words are part of the opening exhortation for the ordering of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer. I heard them beamed across the ether to Guatemala direct from Hereford Cathedral for Choral Evensong for Ash Wednesday.

Hereford Cathedral

It was odd listening to Cathedral Choral Evensong whilst lying in my bed at 9:30 in the morning being “moved, in sundry places” thanks so to some very dodgy food yesterday! I have been “moved in sundry places” for the last 18 hours and am about ready for it all to stop! (sorry, if that is all too much information!)

The rather grey looking noodles with a lump or two of “meat” were served to me by a very sad and obviously poor young woman, desperately trying to eek out a living by not quite running a “comedor” (food stall) based around a two ring burner and a barely functioning fridge! But having committed myself I felt I could not back out of the set lunch! “If only” the one good thing about the lunch was the piping hot tortillas which had an amazing taste. With the meat I kept thinking “lamb” but then Lamb is not available here ( or when it is is VERY expensive) and it wasn’t pork or chicken and yet the bones seemed to small for Beef ……………… so was probably Goat. The biggest shock to my system (before being moved that is)was the Q.18 (£1.60) is was charged!

Shame really as last Thursday in my usual “comedor” (in the same town of San Antonio Aquas Calientes) I had an animated discussion about food and the women agreed to cook a really nice fish soup/stew with lots of camerones. Seeing the shop barred and locked I can only assume some family problem had befallen them….. I really hope it is nothing too serious. I miss my Q.13 lunch (£1.25).

“If only - part II”

Here is not the place to go into details but “if only” somebody had chosen their words more carefully I would not have spent 48 hours in turmoil over my future role here, suffice it to say that somebody had found just the right way to “light my blue touch paper” and the fireworks were spectacular! Still now things have simmered down maybe it will lead to a better solution!

Today “was” Ash Wednesday

Hence being moved in sundry places by the Dean of Hereford on Radio 3! (Hello Michael [Mr.Dean] if you are reading this!) and Antigua is starting to get geared up for its orgy of processions leading up to the biggest display of religious procession for Holy week IN THE WORLD! The five principal churches in Antigua kick off by each having a procession on the five Sunday afternoons leading to Holy Week.

Numbers have mysteriously appeared on some of the pavements, which are the allotted spots for the 80 or so men required to hoist each float into the air. Every things builds over the next 5 weeks to a gory re-enactment of the Crucifixion in Front of the Cathedral on Good Friday.

I will be posting pictures of the various processions over the next few weeks and special Lenten blog in a couple of days!

“Kak Ik”

I am pleased to report that my first venture into the truly traditional Mayan dish of Kak Ik was a success, and will be posting the recipe shortly!

Talking of things Mayan…… all you all prepared for the end of the world on 21 December, 2012? As Guatemala was/is the epicentre of the Mayan World everybody is expecting a huge influx of tourists this year drawn by all the hype over the calendar.

I have started painting again! (First effort after a year or so!)

“Mayan Art Project”

The art project continues to gather steam, next week we start to put the story together as all the masks will have been completed. Santiago Zamora is in the highly and volcanic region of Guatemala (as is Antigua) and was/is the region of the kaqchiqel (pronounced kah-chi-kal) speaking Maya.

Despite it being required by law the schools are not teaching the children their own native language and so they children are loosing touch with their incredible heritage. I am hoping that starting with this project they can start to explore the stories history and rich, rich tapestry of their culture in more detail. I am starting by reading the “Popol Vuh” which is the Maya holy book. It is sad to think that traditions are still being lost, just as missionaries are still “encouraging” Mayan-folk to turn away from their heritage and embrace evangelical Christianity, I really hope that in Santiago Zamora I can encourage the children to treasure their heritage a bit more.

The art project is a start! And the Calendar will be a great excuse for further work on this – as nobody is expecting the end of the world soon. Which leads neatly back to being moved in sundry places and explosions!

“Back to explosions”

The prospects of Volcan Acatenango erupting could be on the cards in the next 20 years as small explosions have occurred twice in the last 90 years!

Santiago Zamora sits nestled in the foothills of the volcanoes Acatenango and Fuego!

In the crater of Fuego! (Obviously it is not me!)

A typical cloud of smoke- seen most days!

“The only known historical eruptions of Acatenango volcano occurred in the 20th century, between 1924 and 1927 from just north of the summit peak (Pico Mayor) and again in December 1972 from the saddle between Yepocapa and Pico Mayor. These phreatic explosions generated ballistic volcanic bombs that fell near the summit craters and fine volcanic ash that fell up to 25 km away.”

The three volcanos visible from Antigua

Volcán de Fuego ("Volcano of Fire") is an active stratovolcano in Guatemala. It is close to the city of Antigua Guatemala. It has erupted frequently since the Spanish conquest. "Fuego" is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Smoke issues from its top daily, but larger eruptions are rare. On August 9, 2007 Fuego erupted spewing lava, rock and ash. Guatemala's volcanology service reported that seven families were evacuated from their homes near the volcano.^[1] The volcano is joined with Acatenango and collectively the complex is known as La Horqueta.

This is my foto of Fuego on a typical day! A puff of smoke every 20 minutes or so! Some days more, some less!

A major eruption of either of these volcanoes would be truly devastating!

I have decided to devote my next blog (out in a couple of days) to all things Lenten – it is so seriously observed here that it deserves special investigation!

Finally back to Good ‘ol mediaeval Christianity

Jossefet and I decided to go for wander round the town Friday evening to see what was happening and my word it was jumping! Everybody was out the street outside the Cathedral was full of food stalls and their was a carnival atmosphere! It would appear that everybody was out to visit the cathedral and see its “sound and light” presentation for Lent – the four horsemen of the Apocalypse – with sound effects booming voices and certainly designed to give everybody(but especially the kids) a good foretaste of what eternal damnation awaits if they fail to keep a good Lent, fail to go to confession, fail to keep the rules of the Catholic Church and probably refuse to eat their greens! A great demonstration of the “Love of God” and Yes ~I am being ironic here!

More pics in my next blog "LENT ANTIGUA STYLE"

But the “atol de elote” and the “platinos in mole” from the food stalls were great ~ am hoping this is a weekly Friday night event!

Caminando

Sunday 26 Joseefet and I went for along walk as we were thinking of changing abode for somewhere cheaper and larger ~so we took a bus to Ciudad Vieja (3miles from Antigua) and then strolled back through several small pueblas looking at churches and life on the way! This weeks gallery is from that walk.