Alan Irwin’s Blog

We’re back in Antigua with a reliable wireless internet connection, however Cox Communication (our email host) is having a problem sending emails. We are receiving email just fine, but are unable to send any responses. Cox has no estimate on how long this will take, so we’ll just keep posting to the blog and then [...]

This entry is going to be a valuable lesson in relationship mediation. Ostensibly, it will focus on the Mayan Ruins at Copan. I (Alan) will be discussing the ruins themselves: the amazing carvings, the access to the ruins, and the history of the site [Harriet: blah, blah]. Harriet will be writing about our journey to [...]

Once again, Alan is writing this entry, so plan to be adequately informed. Lake Attitlan is located at the base of 3 volcanos which (geologically and aesthetically) define the valley. There is a series of villages that surrounds the lake, and the biggest of these, Panajachel (known as Pana), has become a vacation spot for [...]

Harriet needed a break from writing (it is her vacation and all) so you’re all stuck with me for a few entries. I promise to try and reduce the “engineer” flavor of my writing. In the Highland region of Guatemala, Chichicastenango is a village of 49,000 people at an elevation of 6000 feet … oh [...]

Dia de los Muertos is a major holiday in most of Latin America and one of the reasons we chose to visit Guatemala this year. The day prior to la dia grande, we visited San Lazaro cemetery where people were sprucing up the family monuments, white-washing walls and generally cleaning up for company that would [...]