Some days I wish I could be invisible. These are also the days when it seems impossible to put the camera down.
After meeting people, my favorite thing to do while traveling is taking pictures. Without the ability to paint, draw or scribble and a voice worse than Harry
Caray I've often said that taking photos is the closest thing I can do to actually being artistic. And it is a day like today in a place like the
Chichicastenango market where would-be photographers like myself salivate. The colors, layers, textures and sheer
differentness (for lack of an
actual word that i like better) of the market's wares are gimmes that could make my 2 1/2 year old nephew look like a good photographer. But it's the people that I really would love to shoot. The bright, elaborate clothes. The pensive expressions - perhaps wondering if enough money was made to feed the family. The worn faces and deep lines indicating a lifetime spent working in the sun.
Ahhh, to be invisible. For now, I'll have to settle for the less invasive cut-fruit shots.
Another place I would have loved to have taken photos was on the bus into Chichi which was perhaps the most crowded I've ever taken. At some point, the cramped discomfort turns to humor. Just when you think it is physically impossible to fit one more person, the stops keep coming and people keep packing in. On this particular ride, there were NINE people filling the row (and aisle) in front of me - we could have fit all of the American League and half of the National League if we kept going - when a woman got on with a live turkey bobbing its head out the back of a blanket/backpack tied around her neck. Chicken buses are famous here in Central America, but this was my virgin
turkey bus experience.
Finally, the wonderful day in Chichi was topped off with a procession/parade followed by a bizarre fireworks display that included people dancing around in a pyrotechnic costume that sent light and fire in every direction - including into the scurrying crowd. All in good fun for the
Quema del Diablo (burning of the devil) festival. Time to hurry back to the "hotel" - our curfew there has been extended to 10pm for this special night - after that, the doors are locked.
Some days I wish I could be invisible. These are also the days when it seems impossible to put the camera down.
Time is winding down here and the anticipation of getting home and seeing everybody (and all the decadent food) at Christmas is growing. I feel a certain laziness at times and often have the "if I stay in one place for the rest of my trip or if I don't see anything else, that's totally fine" feeling. It's amazing, though, how this tends to make everything you do even more special. Perhaps it's because there are no expectations, perhaps it's because I feel like I am playing with house money. Regardless, I feel pretty lucky.
Guatemala is many people's favorite place to travel in Central America and it is easy to see why. Though there is a lot of crime here - mostly in the capital, but increasingly against tourists - there is also incredible scenery, great markets and a huge indigenous population - giving you a much more 'authentic' feeling than in many of the places I've visited.
