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Guatemala, Day 3 - Antigua

Published
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Amit
on December 26, 2007
in travel
. 1 Comment

Recently I went on a trip to Guatemala. This is Day 3 of my 9 Day account.

jades.jpgWe get up late (by comparison), maybe 9:30. We go over to a store named Jades, and pick up some gifts. Later we stop by an outdoor market. Looking at what they charge at the bazaar, I wonder if I was ripped off. We start the day off slow, visiting Casa Santo Domingo, a former monastery converted to a luxury hotel (how is that for a commentary on man’s transition from worship of God to worship of the Almighty Dollar). The ruins are impressive, including an open air altar with 50 foot ceilings.

window.jpgaltar.jpgcrypt.jpg

e_bell.jpgWe then head over to Antigua Tours, and meet the illustrious Elizabeth Bell, an Antiguan tour guide and travel agent who has been called one of the best tour guides ever. She sets us up instantly and painlessly with a coffee tour, volcano tour, and hotel for our next stop, Panajachel. Elizabeth shows consummate grace under the time pressure my buddy has all but conjured. She’s one fine lady. I wish we would have had time to go on one of her legendary tours, but alas, it is Sunday.

urquizu.jpgcart.jpgWe eat lunch at a local haunt called Cuevita de los Urquizu. The aroma from the curries is irresistible. The food is fantastic, probably the best we had in Guatemala. We wait at about 2pm for the shuttle to take us to the coffee tour, but it never comes. Elizabeth had given us her home number if we ran into problems (how amazing is that!) and I took advantage of it to get her to compel the tour operator to properly retrieve us. After a long hour, we are picked up for the tour.

plantation.jpgcoffeebeans.jpgJosue, our guide at the tour, is terrific. Because it is Sunday, we cannot see the farm and the machinery in action, but it is interesting nonetheless, since I have never even seen a coffee bean before. The coffee they serve is black without sugar, but it tastes as though it has milk and sugar, it’s that good. The sun sets behind the Acatenango volcano as we head back towards Antigua.

We walk around Antigua at dusk, taking in an early evening mass (they LOVE them some God here). Later, we stumble into a wine/cigar shop, where I pick up a Cuban to smoke in the central square (Parque Central). We reminisce about our college days, a bittersweet pasttime. Afterwards, we have a great meal at Fonda de la Calles. There, we run into Marty, a former Pan Am stewardess who we met at the wine shop. She does social work with kids who live in Guatemala’s dumps. After a big dinner and a bottle of wine, we turn in for another early morning to see the volcano.

Guatemala, Day 2 - Tikal

Published
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Amit
on December 17, 2007
in travel
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Recently I went on a trip to Guatemala. This is Day 2 of my 9 Day account.

The alarm goes off obnoxiously at 4:30 am. Defiant, we sleep in at first. When I finally wake up to check the time, I nearly have a heart attack when I see it is 6:15 (our flight is at 6:30!). Adrenaline rushes then ebbs as I realize that we are on Central Time.

We make it to the flight. The security process is far more civil than in New York, highlighted by the fact that there is a large, dedicated “recovery area” where you can at least sit down and put your shoes back on. Flying on a regional airline, we realize that air travel is a much bigger deal to people from Guatemala. What is a frustrating means to an end for us is a wonder to them. We sleep for most of the short plane ride to Flores, then deplane for a shuttle to Tikal.

We climb the ruins, which are a bitch. They are pretty impressive, though. After walking around for 4 hours, I ask my friend how long he thinks we’ve walked. He estimates 1.5 miles and I am incredulous. I say we must have been doing at least 20 minute miles. I invent the concept of the “exertion-adjusted mile,” and calculate that we must have done around 7-10 miles!

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Deathtrap!Sprouting2109108684_a32d2607ed_b.jpgLater, we ascend an absolute deathtrap. My friend asserts that this

is the best part of the trip. I learn that I am acutely afraid of death. Not heights, so much as falling to my death. Tikal is amazing, a civilization sprouting thousands of years ago from the jungle. The imagery of huge stone temples poking out from the treetops is very symbolic.

That night we return to Guatemala City, then to the former capital of Antigua, which is beautiful. Mariachi sing, and children are so pervasive, you’d think it was Disneyland. We stay at Quinta de las Flores, which is way too far from the action of the central square. Though Quinta is beautiful, in retrospect, Casa Azul would have been a better choice due to the location. We have steak and wine at El Sereno, which is just ok considering the high price. Afterwards, we go to Riki’s for a drink - it’s a lot smokier than any bar in New York but you can’t get a michelada in New York either.

Guatemala, Day 1 - Arrival in Guatemala City

Published
by
Amit
on December 17, 2007
in travel
. 3 Comments

Recently I went on a trip to Guatemala. This is Day 1 of my 9 Day account.

cncl_martinez_a.jpgFlying out of LaGuardia to Miami. Sat next to a councilman from Washington Heights named Miguel giving a proclamation to a Dominican organization. Turns out he is a pretty prominent Dominican city politician. Glad I gave him my business card! We talked politics, mostly about the illegal alien drivers licence issue.

My Miami flight to Guatemala City was delayed. I finally arrive at Hotel Otelito, Hotel Otelitoand enjoy a great steak, with frijoles and black beans at the in house restaurant. The tortilla soup was pretty good too. Otelito is highly recommended by Lonely Planet, as a “boutique hotel.” My travel buddy arrives a little later on and we wander around Zona 10, which is where all the town’s hot nightspots are. We settle on Panagea for drinks. Everyone is very attractive, young, and very white, which surprises us. We are almost completely ignored but we have fun anyway. We call it an early night because we have to get up impossibly early tomorrow for a flight to Flores.

Restoring my faith

Published
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Amit
on November 27, 2007
in General
. 1 Comment

At Disability Awareness Day at Fenway Park, a young autistic man sings the national anthem. When he stumbles, the entire crowd helps him along to the end.

This movie did a couple of things for me.

1. Renewed my faith in humanity. Sounds cliche, but it seems that generally, people are good.

2. Renewed my faith in America. It is still great to be an American. America, Fuck Yeah.

3. Surprised me. Turns out not all Red Sox fans are douchebags!

Prince Alwaleed, you are awesome.

Published
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Amit
on November 8, 2007
in General
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alaweed-76082380.jpghttp://www.pornnation.org/images/Ron%20Jeremy2.jpgw_newton_060607-js07611-1.JPG

What is it about Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al Saud that captivates me so? Is it that serious “I will buy and sell your whole family” look that draws me in? The Wayne Newton hair? Those dope tinted aviator eyeglasses? The Ron Jeremy porn-stache? Or is it all of the above?

No, its the fact that according to him in a recent interview, he mentioned that he bought his roughly 180 million shares of Citigroup at an average price of $2.75 a share. The last time it was around that price? 1991. And he has the balls to gloat about it! What a badass. Even at its current prices, that is still over a 10X gain on his money.

When discussing a possible successor to Chuck Prince, Alwaleed had the following to say:

Q: Do you have anybody in mind?

A: Frankly speaking [and he LOVES to say "frankly speaking"], I don’t have anybody in mind….My recommendation and advice for them is they don’t hire anyone unless this guy has expertise in banking. I told them, next time no lawyer, please.

Ouch. Guess I should withdraw my resume.

Finally, a wireless solution for digital cameras!

Published
by
Amit
on October 31, 2007
in General
. 1 Comment

A couple of my friends have started a “one a day” photo project, which I am thinking of joining. However, I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of uploading a picture every single day, so my laziness won out. As a result, I started to look into Wireless Digital Cameras. Basically, you had three options.

1. The Nikon Coolpix S50c (old model, $210) or S51c (new model, $264). 4126zd1pakl_aa280_.jpg These are the most recently released wireless cameras. While it was nice to have an wireless 8 megapixel camera (on the S51c) combined with a small form factor, there was still a huge problem. The wireless component only allows you to upload to Nikon’s proprietary image hosting site, myPicturetown. From there, you must log on to a computer to transfer those files to Flickr or your imagehoster of choice. So there’s that additional step you have to take, and all the while, your photos are inaccessible to your friends.
2. The Canon SD430 ($250). 41n3xe45rl_aa280_-1.jpgWhile it has the good optics that we’ve come to expect from Canon’s digital lineup, the problem with this model is that it is old. Originally designed as a response to Kodak and Nikon’s original offerings, the technology in this camera is dated, with only 5 Megapixels. There’s no image stabilization on this model as with Canon’s newer models. But you can upload directly to Flickr. Again, on balance, not the ideal solution.
3. EasyShare One ($240). 41kw0b1dvbl_aa280_-1.jpgThis camera is so old Amazon doesn’t even sell it anymore. Worse, in order to get it wireless, you have to buy a separate Kodak Wi-Fi Card that sits in a second slot in the camera. Finally, it is only 6MP, with no image stabilization.

Moreover, the problem with all these cameras is that the technology in them will ultimately become obsolete.

Enter the Eye-Fi SD Card. 51cbxrk-q4l_ss400_.jpgIt is, in my opinion, a terrific solution to the mediocrity of today’s wireless digital cameras. It is a 2GB SD Card that, when configured properly, will upload to a plethora of different photo websites, including your own website with Gallery installed. It is compatible with almost any SD card-based digital camera. Now I can use this with the camera I actually want to buy, the Canon SD870IS ($325). And if that camera breaks or becomes obsolete, I can still use the Eye-Fi with the next one. Gizmodo says the Eye-Fi works flawlessly. I think I am going to bite.