During the month of February, Emily and I had the opportunity to escape the treacherous Minnesota winter and travel to Guatemala with a group of our clients. Leaving behind wind chill temperatures somewhere around negative 20 degrees, we packed our bags and didn’t look back. Little by little the group trickled into the capitol, Guatemala City, where we spent our first night shaking off the hustle and bustle of the world we left behind and settling into a more laid back adventurous mind-set.
We’d all packed lightly under the impression that we’d be scrunched like sardines into the bus that would become our second home for the next three days. So when a lovely, spacious coach bus pulled up with plenty of room for us each to have our own row, we were beyond pleased with the vehicle change. We all piled in expecting to travel two and a half hours or so non-stop, we were a bit befuddled when the bus pulled to the side of the road and our guide disappeared as he cracked a joke about stocking the bus with beer. Joking he was not as he returned shortly thereafter with a cooler full of beer, ice cold bottled water, and plenty of ‘chuchería’ (junk-food/snacks) to go around.
The countryside on the way to Mataquesquintla, a small pueblo south east of Guatemala City was a sight for sore eyes as most of us had not seen lush green in months and for many, the presence of mountains all around is something we’re not graced with at home. We arrived at our first coffee stop. Wide eyed, we poured out of the bus. We were immediately drawn to the facility where the washing and de-pulping of the coffee was done. Before we could take a real look, however, we were herded onto several different trucks, many of us in the open bed of the trucks ready for a safari-style adventure through the countryside. Off we went to a local school (El Pajalito) where many of the farmers’ children attended classes. Singing, clapping and big smiles from the children greeted us as a very warm welcome. They even sported body-sized signs and heart cut outs to express their gratitude for our visit. It was enough to melt anyone’s heart. These children are schooled, fed, and visited weekly by a doctor as a result of the coffee earnings.
Upon returning to the mill, we were fed an abundant delicious home made meal and offered more than enough spirits to go around by our gracious hosts, the Gonzales family. By the time we finished, local farmers began to arrive in their trucks filled with the fruits of hours of exhausting labor. The coffee cherries were weighed and dumped into large tanks to be washed, separated into ripe and under-ripe groupings, de-pulped, and laid out to dry on the patio. We were like children in a candy shop as we observed the processing of this agricultural product that has brought us all together from such different places and walks of life.
Later in the evening, we had the opportunity to stop at a drying facility between Mataquescuintla and our destination of Antigua. We found a warehouse full of enormous coffee driers responsible for tumble drying tons of coffee beans (fueled by pergamino). They were heated by the most intensely hot furnace I have ever seen. Opening the door to the furnace, the guide whispered, “this is the closest thing to hell you’ll ever see!” and as the flames roared and the heat poured out in waves, I had a hard time not believing him. To further emphasize the caliber of heat we’re talking about, as the furnace door closed again, I checked out the thermometer and watched it reach 1,140 degrees C.
Exhausted and ready for dinner, the bus couldn’t have picked a better time to get a flat tire. Luckily we were at the drying facility and not stranded somewhere on the mountainous highway. We were also very thankful for our faithful and tolerant bus driver, Romero, who quickly repaired it without a single complaint.
Day two we awoke in the old capital of Antigua in all its glory. When an earthquake leveled much of the colonial city in 1773, the capital was moved to Guatemala City, the nation’s fourth permanent capital. A very short bus trip brought us to the farm and mill La Azotea where we perused a coffee museum learning more about the processing of coffee and even got a chance to reach into a mound of coffee and grab a handful of the slippery fermenting beans. Blehk! Just like at the mill in Mataquescuintla, the men were hard at work lifting and moving sacks full of coffee as well as combing through the coffee on the patio under the strong burning rays of the sun.
Another few hours on the tour bus (a bonding-mobile we had become semi-fond of by this point) ended as we disembarked at a wet mill in Santiago Atitlan just in time to behold the gentle citrus colors of dusk as they danced upon the mountain peaks giving way to the purple of the starry night sky. A familiar sight of farmers, one after another in their pick-ups full of all the coffee they could pile in, paved the way as we approached the mill. The same process ensued as farmers unloaded and weighed their harvest only this time, we had the chance to check out the de-pulping process up close and personally. Three men stood knee-deep in the pulp, raking it out of the way and getting it ready for other local farmers to come and take away as fertilizer. I smiled at them and vocalized our excitement to observe the processing of coffee at origin and how much their hard work means to folks like us. Asking permission to shoot a photo, they gladly agreed and smiled back as they posed, chests puffed out. Despite the difference in culture and the fact that the workers were on the opposite end of the industry as we were, it is coffee that we have in common and a simple smile that made a personal connection. With night now fully upon us, we slowly made our way back up to the bus, taking our time to enjoy the same twinkling sky that I usually neglect to notice from home. Life is so very sweet.
Five minutes or so later, we’d reached the heart of Atitlan, where we’d spend the night. The big bus of gringos that couldn’t seem to make it up and over the hill seemed to be the most excitement the town had seen all day as locals emerged from the dark streets and wandered towards us, unsure of whether or not to smile or make eye contact. It was like being caged animals in a zoo, peering out of our little window openings at the faces below. With the help of a few boys working a street side hot dog stand, we finally made it and were released from captivity. The night was spent around the spacious tables of the lodge at our hotel sipping Zacapa (the world famous Guatemalan Rum) and Gallo (the national cerveza) and the night just wouldn’t have been complete without a salsa lesson and some jitter-bug moves (that we fortunately caught on video).
The sight the next morning, which happened to be Valentines Day, was astounding. Gazing out onto the majestic waters of Lake Atitlan nestled in-between mountains and even a couple of volcanoes, we were again reminded of the indescribable beauty and diversity of the world we live in. A double-decker boat carried us to the charming town of Panajachel on the opposite side of the lake where we consumed large numbers of ridiculously huge and delicious pancakes and wandered the streets carefully choosing which mementos we absolutely couldn’t live without. A dry mill in Guatemala City was next on the list but unfortunately, due to construction and traffic on the way back, we weren’t able to make it. Needless to say, after visiting 4 towns in 3 days, we couldn’t grumble for long. We cleaned ourselves up and made ourselves pretty for our last dinner together.
Being my first trip to origin, I was blown away by so many aspects of the experience and by the immense amount of labor and sweat that go into producing and processing the world’s finest coffees. The warmth of the people and the charm of the culture will undoubtedly lure me back and the beauty of the countryside was a much needed reminder that the world is so much more than the sky scrapers and freeways amongst which I live each day. Before embarking upon our adventure, each of us knew that we were in for an exceptional treat but I do believe that looking back on the trip, our hopes and expectations of the experience were abundantly met and surpassed.
--Amanda Eastwood (amanda@cafeimports.com)
