ARCHIVES: CENTAL AMERICA

THE STAR-CROSSED SHANGRI-LA: Guatemala’s Ixil Triangle
After a tortuous bus ride through the Guatemalan highlands, I’ve finally arrived at the village of Nebaj. A cobblestone street is lined with white, adobe buildings, streaks of rain visible against their red, tiled roofs. The damp air smells of pine needles. Panoramic, mist-shrouded peaks barely visible in the distance resemble the coast mountains of western Canada.

THE WHOLE ENCHALADA: Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca, however, brings a taste of everything - art, music, cuisine, culture, handicrafts, architecture, jewelry, museums and monumental history - to the table; and the result is a feast of all things Mexican - all in one delightful place.

THE CITY OF DAWN: Tulum, Mexico
As I start my visit to Tulum, and pass through the low entrance in the wall I’m instantly taken back through a time warp. Once inside the perimeter, I scan across the sixty well preserved buildings within the wall. The Mayans were great stone masons. These buildings are from 500 to 1200 years old and still stand tall.

DISCOVERING ONE OF MEXICO’S BEST KEPT SECRETS: Melaque,Mexico
Oscar bound the hind legs of a long-horned Brahma cow, poured 100%-proof sugarcane alcohol and Ibarra Mexican chocolate into a tin mug, shoved it under the cow’s teat and began milking. Offering us a round of steaming frothy mixture, the farmer chuckled and said: “Good Latte! Si?”

MELANCHOLY AND A DIRT WRAPPED SURPRISE: Antigua, West Indies
I sit crouched in a dirt pit. The relentless heat of the Caribbean sun sears my scalp and sends sweat slithering down my spine. A feeling of pure elation surges through my veins. This would not be paradise for everyone, but for me, it was pure perfection. I am one of about a dozen archaeology students who had chosen to spend a month up to their elbows in grave dirt in Antigua, assisting in the excavation of an 18th Century Naval Hospital Cemetery.

A COLONIAL GEM: Guanajuato, Mexico
I ascend to a panorama that plays like a scene from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The narrow street I’m on is clogged with people and traffic in every direction. Honking, belching cars compete with mariachi music that blares from a nearby café. Stately mansions and magnificent churches preside over the chaotic street scene.