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What an enjoyable afternoon we had yesterday! We went on a coffee farm tour to a nearby town of San Miguel Escobar. The town is a short walk away from the original location of Antigua (Ciudad Vieja) and was named after a Spanish patron who helped the people who stayed here to rebuild their lives after a big disaster in the 16th century. We found out the accurate information on the following: contrary to the info I found online, it was not the eruption of the volcan de agua, but an extremely heavy rainfall that caused the crater to overflow, which created a landslide, that wiped out most of the town and its inhabitants-hence the volcano name. So, it has never been active.
The farmers in this area initially just picked and sold the coffee fruit. An American working with NGOs in Guatemala noticed this and helped them learn about processing the coffee, which helped them sell it as a final product (internationally) and earn more for their efforts. The organisation that supports this cooperative is called De La Gente and has made a real difference to these people's lives. Now the farmers also grow fruit and veg on the coffee farms as a back up income, but also to provide the necessary balance of sun and shade needed for the coffee to grow. We visited at the time of the harvest, which is at its peak from January to March. We also learned that the best quality coffee is cultivated in this region because of the climate conditions and that it can't grow above the 2000m because of the low temperatures. Walking up was very dusty, we didn't expect that the earth was so dry!
We then visited the farmer and his wife in their home and learned more about what is involved in the process that leads to our ready made morning coffee. As you could see on the photos, we prepared the coffee in a traditional way and enjoyed a few cups before leaving with two bags of coffee that we can take back home.
We came back on a local bus, which we discovered does not have the suspension at all! However, suffering from a bad back seems to be a lesser problem for the bus drivers here, especially in Guatemala City. Our translator explained that the gangs in the capital often try to extort money from the bus companies and frequently kill the bus drivers if the company "owes" them money. We asked why and the answer was because they are an easy target. We are learning more each day about this country's huge contrasts between great humanity and extreme ruthlessness.
To end on a more humane note, we found out after our visit that, in addition to their own children, Eduardo and Francisca adopted a baby they found on a street near their home and embraced him as their own.
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