EL MIRADOR I.III.II.I – DAY ONE 02/10/22 Oh. My. God. I couldn’t believe the time had finally come. Months before, when my itinerary was still in the works, I had stumbled upon one of the coolest things to do in Petén. Amongst the many Mayan ruins in Guatemala, there were a few hidden away in the depths of the subtropical […]
IV.II.I – Land of the Inca
IV.II.I LAND OF THE INCA Coming back from somewhere you thought you could never leave is always impossibly difficult; trying to come to terms with the fact that that routine is now over and things will never, ever feel that way ever again. The same had happened when I came back from Colombia, Nepal and Hungary. This time round, despite […]
I.III.I.II – Flores: Day Two
FLORES I.III.I.II – DAY TWO 01/10/22 Admittedly, Belize left me a bit dry when it comes to Mayan ruins. Sure, there were Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, the ATM cave and the Marco Gonzales Archaeological Reserve (if one can actually count that), but, these totalled three days of excursions in three weeks. That’s it! Back in Mexico, visiting ruins was almost […]
IV.I.VIII – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
IV.I.VIII A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM My time in Cambridge was mostly about medicine. In six weeks I had ample time to enjoy what the city and its surroundings had to offer. I can honestly say I have the fondest memories of that place. I had adventures to my heart’s content, and gained enough knowledge to my mind’s desires. It was […]
GUATEMALA – PEOPLE
GUATEMALA PEOPLE POPULATION Guatemala is the most populous country in all of Central America, with a population of around 17.6 million, despite a large number of diaspora all over the world. The majority of the populations consists of Ladino people; a mix of Mestizos and Hispanic people, with some 41% being Mayans of which the K’iche’ and Q’eqchi and Kaqchikel […]
GUATEMALA – LAND
GUATEMALA LAND GEOGRAPHY Guatemala is bordered by Mexico on the north and west, by Belize and the Caribbean on the north-east, by Honduras on the east, by El Salvador on the south-east, and, finally, by the Pacific on the south. The country is divided into three major regions by two mountain ranges crossing the country from west to east, giving […]
GUATEMALA – HISTORY
GUATEMALA HISTORY PRE-COLUMBIAN Whilst the first evidence of human settlement dates back to some 12,000BC, the main players in the country’s Pre-Columbian history were the Mayans, with the height of their power here being between 300 and 900AD, with most of their cities being abandoned by the end of the same period. POST-CONQUEST By the time Spanish conquerors arrived in […]
GUATEMALA – COUNTRY
GUATEMALA COUNTRY NAME The name Guatemala is believed to be derived from Cuauhtēmallān; a Nahuatl word that translates to “a place of many trees”, referring to the abundance of kidneywood trees found in the area when discovered during the Spanish Conquest. Another possible explanation for the name would be the Mayan word ‘Guhatezmalh’ which means “mountain that vomits water” in […]
I.III.I.I – Flores: Day One
FLORES I.III.I.I – DAY ONE 30/09/22 It was time to cross yet another border. Always, every time, unfailingly, I’m a friggin wreck. When the time approaches, I feel my heart thumping like crazy – as if suddenly I’m this criminal who’s trying to run away from another country, as if my bag is full of explosives and weapons. I had […]
IV.I.VII – The Brightest Month
IV.I.VII THE BRIGHTEST MONTH A few months before enrolling into my penultimate year, Momma Bear and I had applied for a medical elective in the UK as part of a programme offered by the University of Cambridge. Somehow, some way, we both got accepted into the same programme. Of course, this was no valorous feat. Applications are on a first come […]