Cobán

So, now I've been here for six weeks allready. It's just crazy how fast time passes by! And still I didn't present you all to my home town Cobán. At least not properly. So now, when I'm really fed up with working on the thesis, I'll give myself a nice break and you some new information and pictures to enjoy...

In the town of Cobán lives about 30 000 people. 10 000 of those are under the age of 15 and only 1 500 are older than 65. Only 18 000 of those are Mayan, which is a low number for Alta Verapaz where the general numer of indigenous people are arond 720 000 out of 780 000. But you don't want this boring statistics do you? I'll try to give you some facts that are easier to handle. :)

Cobán is a pretty calm town. Not to many tourist find their way here, and if they do they mainly arrive when it's getting dark, checking in on a hostel (about 30Q or 3 dollars a night) and taking a tourist shuttle the next morning to the waterparks of Semuc Champey or up to the north jungle with the ancient Mayan pyramids of Tikal. But we actually have a handfull (or maybe not really full...) good restaurants and a lot of bakeries where you can buy yourself some white bread or maybe some white bread... That's a bit unfair though, I've actually found both doughnuts, banana bread and muffins here, but what can I say, 'borta bra men hemma bäst'! (missing daddy's homemade cinnamon rolls...)

Here is one (or maybe two) club/discotec to go to. It's open on Saturdays and that day all the cool guys from the close by villages arrive in their newly washed cars, without side mirrors and with some buckles, but with neon light underneath it and with loudspeakers screaming out the latest reggaeton songs. Well, I haven't been to tempted to go there yet...

The centre of Cobán, as in every other Guatemalan town I can recall, consists of 'the central park' surrounded by a church, the municipality and some other important institutions. There are always a lot of food vagons in the park, some beggers and all to young shoe-shine boys and nut selaesmen/-boys. We have two streets leading through the centre, both one-way-streets of course. And we have the wonderful Plaza Magdalena, the shopping centre I think I told you about before. A great mix of everything needed...

Any way, I'll stopp writing now and instead try to give you some glimpses from my temporary home town. And then I'll make Friday night with my orange juice, 4Q/half a dollar (it mostly contains from sugar, but at least I thought it would be a bit better than all the soda and other softdrinks I find here, because it says that it contains some vitamines...), my bag of butter toffees, 4,5Q, and a newly bought movie, 15Q (it's burned I know and I probably got fooled when I bought it at the market, but hey, what can a single blond girl do?!) So my luxuary Friday night will cost me about 3 dollars, which is more than most of the people here earn during a whole day of work. *Sigh* I might try to get the juice to last for two days to make me feel a bit better about my self...

Trevlig helg!


Mi casita, with Rosa always taking care of our home and house.


The high school girls that are lodgers here just like me come from all over the north and central parts of Guatemala.


My family that I first got to know four years ago, with one brother missing in the picture...


The missing brother!


The Guitar Heroes!


Rosa with some of her sisters, three of them living with us right now. (In total we are sixteen people sharing six bedrooms, only me and the two oldest brothers having our own rooms...)


Publicity car with LOUD speakers going around in the streets.


This is how we carry things here, using our heads! (I'm not to good at it yet...)


Badly taken picture since I was trying not to show my camera... But it's one of all young boys here in Cobán out on his daily work.


And this is how we travel, either micro or chickenbus.


"If you just put a small sign on your wall we'll give you colour for free!" Tigo is one of the biggest phone companies here and this is not the only Cobán home painted like this...


Except from the stores in the small shopping centre there are not many places where one can find first hand clothes. But if you are fine with second hand stuff, the private 'pacas' with clothes directly from the states are everywhere! I'm sure there are about fifty of them in Cobán, not kidding! And there is no organization in size or colour. But it's cheap! Best pacas sell all clothes for about 10-15Q (1-2 dollars) a piece.


Shoes anyone?


House.


Pink house, not sponsored...


Plaza Magdalena shopping centre. The owners are according to my sources German so it's built in German style... I don't know, someone else than me thinking of a church..? At least it's next to McDonalds!


Central Park.


The Municipality.


Taking away the old paint on the streets...


... to be able to re-paint it!


Fruit? Drinks? Anyone?


Cobán street after one of the pre-easter-processions...


Sunset.

.

Kommentarer
Postat av: Sanna

Gud vilka fina bilder! Trevligt att få se några delar av hur du har det... Ser ut delvis som jag tänkt men mest totalt förvånande! ;) Puss

2009-04-25 @ 17:32:29
URL: http://zanita.blogg.se/
Postat av: Leo

Nice pictures! Now we know a bit more about the places that you've been lately!



Still enjoying the food? =)

2009-04-28 @ 00:09:05
Postat av: Felix

Really great pictures, Jonna! Though I want to see one of you carrying something heavy on your head before you leave Guatemala ;)



PS- I think "chickenbus" would be a good name for a rock band.

2009-04-28 @ 06:51:28

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