Guatemala City, and Lima Peru in 2010
It’s been awhile since I last posted an item to my blog, but I think there’s a new trip you might like to hear about!
Wednesday I’ll be leaving for Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. We’ll be shooting an interview there with Edgar Suyac, a Guatemalan archeologist, for an upcoming Smithsonian Exhibition called ‘Infinity of Nations.’ While there I hope to visit Antigua once again, which is one of my favorite Central American cities. It is a beautifully vibrant city located in the Central Highlands just a short trip from the capital that still bears the scars from a volcanic mudflow that devastated the city during the 16th century.
From there, we’ll be flying to Lima, Peru which will be my first time crossing into South America. We’ll buzz right over Costa Rica, which previously was the southernmost country I ever visited.
In Lima, we’ll be shooting an interview with a Quechua historian. The subject matter of this interview is a carved gourd from the Arica region (close to the Chilean border.)
After my work is done, I hope to explore the Northern section of Peru. I have heard terrible stories of deadly land-slides in the region of Cuzco and Machu Picchu, so I have decided to stay away. Transportation is reputedly impossible in some parts of this tourist mecca; and I wouldn’t want to strain an already overwhelmed infrastructure just for my sightseeing pleasures.
There are many interesting sights and experiences in the North: pre-Incan sites hidden in the cloud-forests of Chachapoyas, rich ancient tombs of the Sipán culture around the coastal city of Chiclayo, and the unique contemporary afro-peruvian culture of the Ecuadorian border region. Suffice to say, I am very excited about the journey, and thankful for the opportunity to see this fascinating part of the world.
Please keep an eye here, on my blog, and I will try my best to post updates from the road.
Tags: Guatemala, Guatemala City, Latin America, Latin American travel, Lima, Peru, Preparation, Travel