Perspectives of a Wandering Geographer

I arrived in Guatemala on a Tuesday and realized by Friday that I would be stuck on the weekends by myself.   The other ½ dozen or so volunteers at the school are 50+ years younger than me so I doubted we would be hanging out together.   Ten years ago, I’d seen a lot of the city of Antigua in the two weeks I was here.   I didn’t want to sit around feeling bored and lonely.   Where could I go?   Violeta, the owner of the place where I’m staying, had recommended a travel agency four blocks from here.   Diana, the other volunteer staying here, gave me a flyer from the agency that listed trips.   A day trip to Lake Atitlán caught my eye because it is renowned as one of the scenic crown jewels of Guatemala.   The price for a day trip was $55 which included a modern mini-bus ride for the 2+ hour trip each way.   Once at the lake, you got a guided tour via boat to three towns. I’m not much for tours but figured a day-tour would be okay.  So on Friday, I booked the trip with the agency.  And o

Some of my readers may be wondering about my experiences at Escuela La Esperanza (School of Hope) where I’ve been volunteering.   Getting to the school and back from where I’m staying is a bit of a commute.   The school assigned me to a room on the southeast side of the city of Antigua while the school is in Jocotenango which adjoins Antigua in the northwest.   They did so because of my veggie diet. And yes, Violeta and Fernando have been feeding me good veggie meals.   It’s about a two-mile walk to the school but it takes me 45-50 minutes because parts of it are a bit of a challenge:   narrow sidewalks that are 6+ inches above the streets and where there’s scarcely enough room to for two people to pass each other; cobblestone streets that are tough for walking (I wouldn’t dare try to walk them in anything but hiking boots); and heavy, crazy traffic – big American school buses converted to city and intercity buses which belch diesel fumes (a year of being around them would leave me w