Traveling near Antigua, Guatemala: an Organic Nursery, Caoba Farms, San Cristobal, Hato and Earth lodge,

Betsy and I stayed at a little "pension" in the southern part of old Antigua, about 5 blocks south of the main plaza on a quiet road.  We had meals with an interesting group of people, some coming to study Spanish, one to supervise her non-profit which helps keeps kids in school, and others just coming to enjoy the area.  They were from the US, Canada, Australia, England, and two who came to Chicago as adults but were born in Poland and Israel.  Some of them plus our neighbor Deet gave us suggestions of places to visit nearby.  There are a lot of places within 5 miles of town that were definitely worth the visit.

Deet is an American ex-pat from Chicago and elsewhere who has lived in Antigua for 24 years.  Deet took us to the local organic nursery, Vivero and Cafe de la Escalonia,  a five-minute walk down the road.

Myself, Betsy and Deet

Duck flower just before opening
Maybe ARISTOLOQUIA 
( Aristolochia gigantea )

 The site was originally a cattle grazing area but was transformed into a gorgeous organic nursery and cafe.  People come from the surrounding areas to buy plants from the  Vivero.   The planter below was made from a tire and some are sold there by the artist for about $40 each.  Last year we saw similar art work at the hotel on Lake Atitlan where we stayed.

Tire made into a planter

I tried sitting in a kiddie chair below also made from a tire and found out that they were not for sitting in but rather just for show!

Cigarette or Tobacco flower

 We saw the flower below in many different places.  Does anyone know its name?

On Saturdays at 10, Deet leads a group of people on a ten to 15 minute walk past the Vivero to Caoba Farms.  Each Saturday there is an crafts and farmers' market with lunch for sale.  The place was crowded, and we enjoyed walked through the market and seeing the organic farm.  On the way there, we ran into Bo, whom we had met at the Macadamia Nut farm last year where Bo had volunteered.  He was from the US and had worked as a surgical tech and first came to Guamala as part of a volunteer surgical team.  He fell in love with the country.

Betsy and Bo

Bo and Deet

We also saw this house blessing on a home we passed.

Peace for those that arrive; health for those that live here; happiness for those that leave.

Coffee is grown all around the area with tall trees among the plants to shade them.

Most walls have barbed wire on top to prevent people from climbing over and robbing the houses inside.

kiddie made sign inside

The entrance to Caoba Farm's Saturday fair

Below are a few of the items for sale:  Different kinds of organic honey and jams.

 Vegetables and peppers:

 Clothing:

Including recycled jeans/pants

 Farm produce including turmeric root to the left:

Nasturtiums grown on the farm and sold as salad ingredients

 Does anyone know the name of this fruit or vegetable?  It is not avocado.

Natural drinks, pesto, etc:

Natural soaps, creams, etc:

and many more including bee pollen, natural seed mixes and crakers, and a store with all kinds of natural items that I missed!

 Sit down lunch--there are 7.5 quetzales (Q) to the dollar. Homemade tortillas are delicious!

Chicken "estofado"

Women cooking on wood stoves

We walked around the organic gardens and saw covered areas, drip irrigation (pioneered in Israel), and uncovered areas with rows of  plants and herbs growing:

Chard and lettuce

Kale, the newest crop

Macadamia nut shells used as mulch in pathways

A huge rosemary bush

The moringa tree leaves, etc. can provide an amazing amount of nutrients when cooked.  Check it out online!  It may be the food of the future.  The tree is very fast growing too. We bought some cookies with moringa in them.

A moringa tree, also known as the miracle tree or tree for life

A solar dryer

Room where vegetables are brushed, rinsed and clean well with clear standards for cleanliness.  Betsy told me that cleaning vegetables before sending them to market greatly reduced produce loss.

Wash your boots before enteirng

Keep your fingernails clean and maintain personal hygiene in this area

Wash your hands before entering to work

 

At the market, we met a vendor from San Cristobal, a small town of about 650 people up the nearby "hill."  He had special spinning tops made by a man from there which reminded me of dreidels /sivivonim.

He suggested that we go up to San Cristobal the next day as there is a small market in the village and we could see the man who makes them.  Also, a local restaurant at San Cristobal, which was started by a man named Frank who owned Nim Pot,  has a vegetarian brunch on the weekends and one can see an amazing view while eating.  So Betsy and I decided to venture out there the next day, catching a ten Quetzal RT shuttle from Nim Pot.

We got off at the restaurant and walked 5 minutes up the hill to the small town of San Cristobal.  Along the way we saw palates used as fences between the street and local homes or shops.  The town looked cute and in good shape.

With people taking care to have flowers along the cobble stoned road.

We got up to the tiny town square with some shops and a church that was rebuilt after a major earthquake 41 years ago in 1976 with a 7.5 magnitude.

Food for sale

Three small tables of crafts

The table of the man who made the Guatemalan dreidel:  He makes quite a few wood toys, several of which his grandson enjoyed playing with.  

Betsy got this cue Purim grogger / raashan!

A grandma selling asked how many children I had and I showed her photos of my family.  We both had three children, but when I told her I had 5 grandchildren, she said that she "beat" me.  She had 8!

While I was chatting, Betsy saw this sign and wandered over to a cute store, where she bought several things including candles that probably will fit her hanukkiah.  We found out that the candles were not made locally but soon they would be  as the owner is constructing a candle making shop above this store.  Most people from this town work in Antigua but it would be nice to have a few more being able to stay and work in San Cristobal.  Betsy loved this mini pitchers and pails below and we both got a few.

Look how he repurposed egg containers to hold incense for sale!! 

We walked back down the hill, passing a local hotel/ restaurant that also looked inviting:

and then continued down a bit to get to the lovely restaurant, Cerro San Cristobal for their Sunday brunch.  This place is a lovely organic farm and farm to table restaurant with an amazing view!

I love the fresh, white, slightly tart cheese below and the plate is beautiful

 Two types of ripe platanos below

 Yummy, my plate:  two fried eggs, white queso frsco, fried cauliflower, beans, veggie tamale, fruit with crema,
especially papaya

Lots of choices of breads and tortillas

We then walked to the orchid greenhouse, with over 300 varieties grown here.

 A more modern wash basin

The organic garden beds are well-labeled and used drip irrigation
 Beets below

 Fennel or dill?

Oops!  Can't remember the name of the plant below.

 Roman lettuce--i.e. Romaine

 night flower or nasturtium Both its flowers and leaves are edible and featured in the salads at the Cerro San Cristobal restaurant.  The leaves are a bit peppery, according to the web site.

One of three large water reservoirs on the property, for irrigation during the dry season

 A weaving loom used by the woman who sells products below the restaurant

 A CBF light bulb protected by a used plastic  bottle

A memorial  to Frank Mays, who died in Dec. 2016, the founder of this farm
and restaurant and of Nim Pot

 Similar to the hojas de Eva that I remember from the Amazon almost 50 years ago

A gorgeous Henna's chick--so symetrical

A first attempt at a wind mill, made from a metal barrel, to help with the irrigation system.  Unfortunately, there has not been enough wind at the sight to make it worthwhile according to the administrator.

And our final destination near town:  Hato and Earth Lodge.  One can take a shuttle from a motorbike shop on 5th Av S for 20 Q.  Just stop at the shop and they will call the Earth Lodge for a vehicle to come down. unfortunately, we were unable to find the stop so we took a cab.  It was a bit far to walk and possibly a bit dangerous for two obvious tourists to walk. We got out at the town of Hato--where the H is actually pronounced.  it is a rather poor town with a school and a women's health clinic.

Sign by entrance on the wall:  Inhabitants of Hato, please.
Do not through garbage...
Don't dirty the water...
Don't pull out trees...
Thanks for your help.

Tin roofs below the road with mountains in the distance

Betsy walking down the dusty  road

Dog sleeping by the side of the road

Vaccinations for children, birth control for women

When we saw the sign below, we turned off the road and went down a rather steep path.  

The restaurant was open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for breakfast and lunch and dinner only by reservation.

Earth Lodge gives a percentage of sales to the school in Hato and encourages visitors to contribute.
I'd love to come back with grandchildren some day (and their parents) to sleep in the tree houses for two days!

Drinking ea and eating avocado while watching the view below.

Information on Earth Lodge--It is not a "budget" hotel.  People can expect to pay 200 quetzales a day for meals and room, or about $28 per person for the cheapest accommodation!  Explanations are in Spanish and/or English.

Eating outdoors at Earth Lodge

Walking back up the hill from Earth Lodge

A public washing area in Hato, a very common site in towns and villages

As soon as we got out of Antigua, the air seemed cleaner and we heard more chirping and loud calling of birds--though we did hear plenty of birds calling each morning in our little pension too!    While Earth Lodge was mainly a place for foreign tourists, The weekend brunch of San Cristobal, the Caoba farm weekend market, and the organic nursery was mainly filled with Guatemaltecos.  

Our cab dropped us off near the lookout of Cerro de la Cruz, a big cross overlooking Antigua below.

It is an easy 10-20 minute walk to get up to this site from town, a famous viewpoint of Antigua.  It is named for a wooden cross that was placed on the hill in 1930.  Later it was replaced by a concrete one and is often illuminated.  

 Several locals sell items at little posts.  I bought a pair of earring from the man who made them. 

 The view of this site is lovely.  

I was concerned that it was not safe to go up, but police guard the site and the path well, 

and it is busier on the weekends. So we walked down from the spot into town, smiling at the colorful walls along homes as we walked back to town.