Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala is...crazy, hectic, overwhelming, beautiful, magical, surreal. after having some setbacks with trying to find some cool people to share my huge hotel room i booked 5 months ago in antigua, i decided to just go for it solo. i was nervous about spending so much money with, uh, being unemployed and all, but i´m really glad i came.
this is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. besides, one of my new amigas was able to come with me for the first night, her last night in guate. and, i may be able to meet up with a few cool ladies i know through a dallas group of friends tonight, too.
the weather here is beautiful, all sunny skies and a nice breeze. it´s so nice to be able to break out the tank tops and skirts. let my new bread belly breathe a little bit. speaking of which, i had one of my best guate meals last night at a local eatery where everything was cooked up and displayed in earthenware pots. fish soup, guacamole, bananos en mole... mmm.
the processions are really mindblowing. picture huge 3 ton wooden floats carried by adults and children alike. the Virgen Mary ones are always carried by women who obviously kick butt. the reenactments of jesus´s life are...interesting. kinda gruesome and morbid, and i would think they could find a more ´realistic´ jesus but this year´s is prob almost 50 and balding. but the alfombras are the most impressive to me right now. amazing carpets of flowers and colored sawdust that line every street. what talent and exercise in patience.
woke up at 3am this morning to catch the roman soldiers riding through the town on horseback announcing the execution of jesus and an early morning procession with about a 1000 other people. a very surreal experience walking through a guatemalan town in the middle of the night to see such an elaborate sight. the bands that accompany the processions are spectacular as well. such hauntingly beautiful music.
gonna try my luck at some street food again today. can´t resist the pupusas and empanadas... as always, i say a little prayer at each church i visit, so hopefully i´ll be rewarded for thinking of others by not having any parasites come visit my insides.
here´s a sneak peak at the Semana Santa festivities: http://picasaweb.google.com/clarissa.moore/SemanaSanta2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCK7EyoHl777JnAE&feat=directlink
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