Word of Mouth

My lovely co-worker and sometimes roommate, Mari, loves chocolate just as much as I do, but it’s not easy to find here. There’s Hershey’s, of course, and Toblerone and Reese’s and other sugary concoctions masquerading as cacao… but the real stuff, rich and dark and slightly bitter isn’t easy to come by.

Or at least, it wasn’t.

But yesterday afternoon, Mari and I were chatting at Oxford after work, and she shared some fabulous new chocolates she discovered in a little place called Kaffee Fernando’s. It was slightly pricy, but so yummy that I just had to go see the place for myself.

So this afternoon after work, another co-worker, Erin, and I joined up for the weekly market trip- but first we dropped by Fernando’s! It’s this adorable little shop down a random little alley near the Merced church; I swear I never would have found it if Mari hadn’t clued me in.

Erin and I each bought two bars. My two, lavender and lime & basil, are both unexpected, unusual flavors, but utterly delightful!

Afterwards, Erin and I went to market together. It’s always a treat to have someone to shop with! The market is like a little city in and of itself. It’s still vaguely grid shaped, just like the rest of Antigua, but the variety of things inside is random and astounding. We went in to where Erin normally goes veggie shopping, which was on the opposite side of where I usually go, but I might like it there better. It seems like every time I go shopping I get lost, and today was no exception, but it was so much more fun getting lost with someone!

Erin has only been in Guate for four months or so, but she spent three years prior teaching in South Korea. Since that’s where I want to go next to teach, I was peppering her with questions; but she loves the country and misses it, so I think she liked being able to reminisce and offer advice. She still has access to a network of people teaching there, which I’m hoping to tap into to find a school.

We split us soon after the market. Erin lives on the north side of town and I on the south; and with a brisk wind corralling grey clouds heavy with rain, we weren’t inclined to linger.

Tomorrow, I’m going to spend my free day exploring another out of the way place a friend told me about: El Pilar. It’s a park of sorts with hiking trails and three outdoor, natural swimming pools. As much as I adore living in the mountains, I desperately miss being on the water. My recent trip to Lake Atitlan was refreshing, but unfortunately it was a little too chilly to swim, and I've been dying to feel the rush of water over my skin. If tomorrow is anything like the rest of this week, the morning and early afternoon with be bright and clear and full of sunshiny goodness before collapsing into a cool afternoon rain. Eep! I can’t wait.

In other news, I leave the country on a visa run in just under two weeks! It'll be my first time visiting Belize, and my first time traveling somewhere solo! As much as I love being with friends on the road, a the prospect of week of adventure all on my own is rather thrilling.  

Cheers!