David and Lili's World Tour

GUATEMALA

May 2007 - Poptún, Guatemala City, Antigua, Chichicastenango, Lake Atitlán, San Marcos

Lake Atitlán is so special that I have been here now four times. Panajachel is the touristy gateway to the lake, where a speedboat will take you to a remote village, for example San Marcos La Laguna. Swim every day in the perfect water, eat delicious vegetarian food, and enjoy fabulous views of volcanoes. The climate is comfortable, and the vibe is backpacker friendly.

The political situation is mostly stable since the end of the civil war, and that is good. Tourism has grown along with the population and improved infrastructure, but the military is still dominant. Locals complain about the soaring cost of public education, lack of clean water, violence in the capital, the deadly imprudence of truck drivers on the newly improved highways, cocaine trafficking from Colombia to the USA with a complicit military, the associated problems of drug money and crack addicts, and an indigenous population who suffer discrimination and hardships.

I imagine how things would be different if the CIA, in a well-documented operation, hadn't evicted president Arbenz Guzmán to protect the interests of the United Fruit Company. Guzmán never implemented the land reform for which he was elected, thanks to US military action, and the United Fruit Company's continued profits were ensured. Meanwhile, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara were in Mexico, increasingly frustrated at being unable to help the peasants defend themsleves against the blatant, illegal, and reprehensible American economic and military imperialism. This is what made Che so angry that he became a revolutionary. And to this day, Guatemala's indigenous people are still in dire need of that land reform. To anyone who still thinks the American invasion of Iraq was about anything other than power and oil, remember that it is now a proven historical fact that the USA invaded Guatemala for bananas.

April 2007 - Tikal

Tikal is awesome, one of my favorite places in the world. Great hiking trails and fabulous Maya ruins in a pristine jungle! I always stay within the National Park. It's worth the extra hotel expense to enter the jungle at sunrise and sunset (most tourists sleep 50 kilometers away in Flores). I love the jungle; it makes me feel ALIVE. Tikal lies within a large protected area, full of ancient trees, colorful birds, monkeys, and other critters. It is a good thing, because unprotected jungle is turning into cattle pasture so quickly, there will soon be nothing left. On previous visits I sometimes slept on a small platform near the top of Temple 4, which was magical, but so many tourists fell to their deaths that they closed off the access. Oh well, Tikal is still very much worth an extended visit. I sometimes slept in the jungle in a hammock rigged with mosquito netting too.

In other words, go to Tikal and get yourself some jungle time. While you're at it, spend a month exploring the rest of colorful Guatemala. I think you will like it. Just be careful in the dodgy areas.

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