One of the most profitable exports of Guatemala is coffee. In fact, I've read that Guatemaltecos don't drink real coffee here, and instead drink instant coffee, because it's more profitable for them to sell the real stuff and suffer with the instant. I think I get it. I mean, if you could sell a pound of coffee for $10, you could buy a lot more instant coffee with that!
We have been trying various local coffees since we got here, searching for one we love. This is not only in the cafes, but also at home in our percolator. There are sooooooo many coffees to choose from! Not only are there dozens of ground and whole bean coffees in the grocery stores, but also sold by vendors on Santander, sold by traveling coffee guys who carry small stoppered glass jars of their beans, and sold by the coffee shops too.
Here are the results of our first four ground coffee samplings!
The first bag we bought was from Chalo's. It cost Q39.25 for 350 grams, or about $6.38 Canadian. It wasn't the cheapest nor the most expensive on the shelf. I thought it was a bit skunky at first but I got used to it. Bert didn't like it but when we bought a second different bag when this bag was done, he preferred this one.
Our first sample of Guatemalan coffee. Not good. :(
The second bag we purchased was Q50 for 460 grams, or about $8.09 Canadian. I thought it had an undertone of molasses. It was a bit stronger than the first, but I liked the first one better. Bert -- not impressed. Made a nasty face.
The third bag was another one from Chalo's grocery. I went down in price to see if cheaper might be better. It only got Q26.25 ($4.25 Cdn) for 350 grams. It actually had a nice smell and tasted pretty good, but like a lot of Guatemalan coffees was very weak.
Not sure if I've been spoiled by Tim Hortons' Dark Roast, but I find a lot of coffee here is not strong enough for me. I need some kick! The plus side to mild coffee is that it tastes okay without milk or cream. In fact, Bert has stopped taking milk in his coffee altogether. It's a good thing, as most restaurants here charge an extra Q2 for milk.
Our fourth bag we bought at the coffee shop that serves the best coffee in town -- Cafe Loco! (Although Crossroads Cafe is a close second.) This was the clear winner! We paid Q60 for 1 pound. That's about $9.75 Canadian. It was freshly ground on the spot by the lovely, friendly Korean boys at Cafe Loco. It's perfect: dark, rich, strong, and smooth.
Most awesome coffee we've found... so far. Thanks, Cafe Loco!
We've only been here two months now, so I know we have many more coffees to try. I think I may have a hard time getting Bert to agree to something new now that we've found one we like though!
A few days ago, Bert worked for a day helping a guy move. He made a decent Guatemalan wage of Q100 for about eight hours. That's a whopping $2.03 Canadian per hour! But it gave him something to do, plus he made a new contact in the gringo world.
While he was out making the big bucks, I walked to town by myself and explored some laneways of Jucanya (Hoo-can-YA). I was so happy to be a gawking tourist... and got gawked at myself a few times when I wandered down some dead-end alleys.
A lovely gateway in Jucanya.
So many amazing flowers in Guatemala... and we're not even the rainforest-y part. :)
Jucanya is a maze of narrow streets, with even narrower alleys like this one branching off.
One of the "main" streets in Jucanya. Narrow, cobbled, meandering. I love it!
I took this picture as I was walking down this alley, not knowing the black door was the end of the road.
I turned around and took a picture back the way I came.
Unfortunately, my camera's battery died so I didn't get any more pictures of my day. I ended up finding my way out of the maze of Jucanya and to the beach, which is really nice except for the piles of smelly aquatic plants washed up onshore. I walked through the park that we visited before on a Sunday, but this time it was mostly empty, just a few people buying snacks, six Mayan girls giggling over ice creams, and a young couple lounging on a pier.
The beach led to the delta of the river, and I thought it would be as easy to cross as last time. No such luck! The little footbridge was gone. I tried hopping over the numerous small streams but soon got stranded on a sandbar and decided to just walk straight through the water in my sandals. It was actually quite refreshing!
Crossing the river delta gets you straight to the lakefront area of Panajachel, so I walked back up Santander, bought some groceries, and then walked all the way back home. What a hike! It was probably about 10 kilometers or so in total.
Today, Bert and I went to town in search of a new guitar. He sold the one he brought here from Canada, spent some of the money having fun, and the rest on buying a nylon-string Spanish guitar and soft carrying case/kitty bed.
Willow has a new bed! (Her eyes are wonky in this picture, aren't they? Ha!)
Strumming happily!
I took a few pictures as I shopped for groceries today in Panajachel. I love this crazy town. It's always such an adventure, with so many things to see.
This is on Calle Santander heading northeast. That old Mayan woman walks around town gathering cans from the garbages, and she is always shadowed by many, many dogs. I've seen seven with her on some days!
A closer picture of the abuelita (little grandmother) with Bert & Pachi on the right.
Last week, these tables were filled with books for sale. This week it's hard donut-shaped bread and peanuts in the shell.
I wondered if there was some significance to this particular combo, so I asked on Facebook. Sifting through the joke responses -- "They are pre-Columbian artifacts." -- I discovered that today was Corpus Christi.
Along Calle Principale on the way to the market, people set up to sell lunches and snacks. This young woman makes the most amazing-smelling meat on her grill. I have yet to try it. I am shy!
The lady in the pink blouse is at the "sweets" stand. Then there's a stand of fresh fruit, and an ice cream cart!
I sometimes feel like I'm walking through an amusement park with all the little food carts. :)
While I was in the Despensa (big grocery store), I heard some hooting and hollering outside. Luckily, Bert was outside with Pachi and snapped a quick picture of some costumed folks strolling down the street! People were also setting off banging fireworks around the city. What a way to celebrate a religious holiday! :D
Here is a video I took on Calle Principale to show you what the town is like.
One of the strange preconceptions I had of Pana before I came here was what the town would be like. I remember poring over the Google map and imagining myself walking down the streets. But it's NOTHING like I imagined!
The streets are very busy, loud, smelly, narrow, and rough. They're either bumpy asphalt or cobblestones... and I'm thinking cobblestones are better! A few of the bigger streets are one-way to make traffic easier, and there are traffic "cops" at the busiest intersections at certain times, armed only with whistles and neon vests. There are some sidewalks, but other times you're within inches of the traffic, squeezing between a truck unloading Pepsi and a soot-belching chicken bus roaring through town. Chuchos (street dogs) are everywhere, sniffing, scrounging, sleeping. And people... so many fascinating people to see! Mayan ladies with their gorgeous dresses and baskets on their heads, Mayan men wearing cowboy hats and carrying machetes, people riding bicycles while talking on cell phones, school kids in a myriad of uniforms, and of course gringo tourists with backpacks, cameras, and stunned smiles.
Just another wonderful day in Panajachel!
I am doing research into doing our visa run to Mexico in a few weeks. The expat Facebook groups have been very helpful, but I am getting varying opinions on how to do things.
Most controversial of all are the notorious Chicken Buses. Read this great first-hand article about How to Ride a Chicken Bus.
And here is a lovely song that may explain a bit about them!
I am fascinated by these crazy colorful buses, but scared to take one. It has been called a Guatemalan must-try experience. Perhaps one day I will do it!
