janusz l's photostream  

Walking down from the ruins of Yaxha , beautifully preserved archaeological site . It has over 500 structures including 9 Temple Pyramids. It may not be as popular as Tikal but more fun for photographers … and Yes I will post something from from the ruins. We went down to see the lake , no big deal – walking down but returning up with all that gear … wow .

The three wise monkeys or sometimes called the three mystic apes .. or Domenica , Aracely and Oscar
On the steps leading to old church Iglesia Cerrito del Carmen in the historic part of Guatemala City.
One of the benefits of being around great photographer and artist that takes mostly people images is … taking people images . Having great models helps as well :-) . Just wandering around and playing with kids. Here is Domenica ( a lot of you know her pictures – even on some icons of the groups :-) , her friend Aracely and cousin Oscar. We had fun .. a lot of fun . I will post few more “me shooting people” pictures .

Parrot – I know that but if it is Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot – not 100% sure – looks like one . I looked up some information about them … and they are one of the most popular – my kind of a bird .
We found them in Guatemala on the way back from Tikal close to the lake Peten Itza in El Remate.
I always made fun of avian photographers and not to worry – I'm not going to turn into one anytime soon :-). Still it was fun.

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Guatemalan countryside , Just south-west of Morales . Beautiful rolling hills and variate of trees including palms. A lot of pastures but somehow cows are different , they could be standing in 2-foot grass but they look skinny … not sure they are looking after the figure … they don't like grass in particular or maybe all that green stuff has limited nutritionist .

Please view large – makes huge difference

Convent of Santa Clara founded in 1699. The convent's first church was completed in 1705, but destroyed in 1717. The remains standing today are those of a new church and convent started in 1723 and finished in 1734. A complex of corridors and stairwells gives access to various parts of the shadowy ruin. Truly beautiful and peaceful and I'm sure that I will return.

Bit of facts about Antigua Guatemala … you maybe surprised
Antigua Guatemala, founded in 1543, was the seat of Spanish colonial government for the Kingdom of Guatemala, which included Chiapas (southern Mexico), Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The full title bestowed upon the city was Muy Leal y Muy Noble Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemala, that is, the "Very Loyal and Very Noble City of Saint James of the Knights of Guatemala." For the first century or more of its existence the city did not live up to the pretentious official title, but it ultimately grew into the most important city in Central America, filled with monumental buildings of ornate Spanish colonial architecture. By 1773, in addition to the cathedral and government palace the city could boast of over 30 churches, 18 convents and monasteries, 15 hermitages, 10 chapels, the University of San Carlos, five hospitals, an orphanage, fountains and parks, and municipal water and sewer systems. According to many authors, Antigua Guatemala in its heyday, with a population of perhaps 60,000, was surpassed in the New World only by Mexico City and Lima.

This image is inspired by image created by Katie for her exhibition … unfortunately I can find it :-) but I have space below to include it later.
www.flickr.com/photos/28015872@N02/