Guatemala Land of the Eternal Springtime

I visited a dear friend in Guatemala this past week and had an incredible time. The last time I went down was for my best friends wedding and I swore I would go back some day. I fell in love with the people, culture, scenery, textiles and crafts. On my flight down I sat next to a Frenchman who was commenting on how he had traveled the world and that Guatemala had the most polite people he had ever met.
We started off going to the gulf side of Guatemala and visited Izabal and Livingston. We only stayed for a day and then headed to Antigua. Had an amazing time walking the streets of Antigua and going to the market. Their use of color in the textiles is a bit overwhelming. I had to go visit the markets more then once to determine what I wanted to purchase. It was great to see the traditional dresses on some of the woman and children. I was told that you used to be able to identify what town the person was from depending on the the outfit worn. Now they seem to mix and match making it a bit difficult to determine what town they are from. Check out the site Ixchel Textiles to see some of the traditional outfits worn.
I was blessed to be able to spend the week in paradise with some incredible people. If you are trying to find a new destination for your next vacation I certainly recommend visiting Guatemala!