Meeting #6: Beyond Book Club Guatemala
December 27, 2017 – December 30, 2017
“May it fly high
more than the condor and the royal eagle
And in its wings, may it raise up to the sky
Guatemala, your name, immortal!”
– The National Anthem of Guatemala
For our 6th book club gathering, we were faced with a dilemma. Where to go next? Where to travel? We had been all over the U.S., from coast to coast, to five different cities, and we found ourselves trying to decide what we hadn’t done. The answer, when we found it, was certainly not what any of us expected several years ago when we took the sacred book club oath to read good books and have good times.
We were going to Guatemala. The book club’s first ever international trip. From the stunning mountains and preserved history of Antigua, to the pristine crystal blue waters of Lake Atitlan, and all of the verdant jungle in between. In a rare feat, this was the second book club trip in a row where 10 of the 11 members were assembled. (We’re going to get all 11 soon, just you wait). Even better, almost all of the book club members were flying from New York City together.
Great for the book club, terrible for people who like flying from point A to point B in peace and serenity. They figured out what they were in for when our latest piece of apparel, the book club hat, started making its appearance on all of the book club heads. After connecting through Houston, and landing in Guatemala, we shuttled to Antigua.
On our first day, we explored the cobblestone streets, remarkably well preserved colonial architecture, open air markets, and of course, the food. Tacos. Chile Rellenos. More tacos. Not insignificant amounts of Mezcal. (The base of our Guatemalan food pyramid).
For our first activity, we went to Finca Filadelfia for an extensive tour of the coffee plantation and a private coffee tasting for the book club members. We went up and down the mountain, learned about the rich history of coffee in Guatemala, picked our own coffee beans, all before getting an extremely unhealthy caffeine buzz in our own tasting.
During our two days in Antigua, we had both of our book discussions, for Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind, and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout. Stimulating, yet very different novels. On the next day, we set out for Lake Atitlan. We were transported by book club member Carlos’s uncle Tito and extended family. The Palacios family would turn out to be integral to our trip. After a trip through the mountains, we arrived at the shimmering blue of the lake. We were lucky enough to charter a boat out on the water for the day. Lake Atitlan is a truly special experience, nestled amongst the mountains.
After our time in Antigua, meeting the locals, enjoying the lake, and taking in all of the big hats, beautiful and rich culture, and varied cuisines (and nightlife) it was time to draw the official book club portion of the trip to a close.
Half of the book club headed back to the airport, and book club members (and, maybe coincidentally, the single ones too) traveled back to Antigua for a few extra days in Guatemala – including New Years Eve. Suffice it to say a good time was had by all.
There wasn’t much rest, there wasn’t much relaxation, but the sixth book club gathering in Guatemala was a resounding success, and raised the bar on the trips the book club has ahead of it.
Beyond Book Club 