Visiting The Craft Markets of Chichi, Guatemala (Chichicastenango)

I recently embarked on an adventure through Central America where I called in on Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. Although I was excited about all of my destinations, it was the last country on the list that I  couldn't wait to visit. I have long been a fan of colourful Guatemalan crafts, so when I heard Central America's biggest craft market takes place there, visiting it was on top of my vacation wish list. 

The market takes place on Thursdays and Sundays at Chichicastenango (know as ChiChi or Santa Thomas). The area has a strong Mayan heritage reflected by its population. Trade begins at dawn and as well as crafts, there is produce, livestock and flowers. But it was the crafts I came for, and I wasn't disappointed. 

Here are some photos I took of Chichi market to give you a flavour of what a kaleidoscope of colour it is.

Mayan women are so colourful and the market is flooded with stalls that sell traditional clothing, all made from colourful fabrics and embroideries.

Purses - the main gift I brought back for friends as they were small enough to fit in my backpack without adding additional weight. 

Top hats!

Belts are a key accessory for Mayan women 

A typical stall

Another typical stall - filled with colour and gorgeous things

Shawls - my one colour shawl that I brought from home paled in comparison to what women all around me were wearing

Well you can't have a market without handbags!

Womenswear - tops are all one size and get fitted after

More belts - so hard to pick which to buy!

Yet more belts but with a different look

I didn't realise beading was a Guatemalan craft but there were beaded creations everywhere...

...including these pen covers

Traditional Mayan womenswear - I also noticed that all female sellers had these lace aprons

Some stands were on the streets in tables, others inside a covered area and some were simply up alleyways laid out on the floor

If you want to make your own clothes or textiles from scratch, there was plenty of colourful fabric to purchase

Stripes were very popular!

As well as countless stores selling beautifully embroidered fashion, homeware and accessories there were also stalls selling embroidery floss - in every colour imaginable

At this stand dyed floss and yarns were sold by the weight

Shopping is thirsty work and there are plenty of places to enjoy a refreshment stop

The market is like a maze but this church surrounded by flower sellers is in the middle and it helps you find your way when you get lost among the hustle and bustle

If you do make it to the outskirts of the market the rest of the town is rather beautiful

Even the graveyards are spectacularly colourful

Locals queuing for the buses

The market was an incredible experience. I went on Sunday and it was such a colourful, vibrant and interesting place. However it's not so rare to find what was on sale. Guatemala is filled with crafts markets wherever you go and one thing I discovered was that at Chichi items were more expensive than other local markets and surprisingly, very few sellers were open to bargaining. Most came up with ridiculous figures they wouldn't budge on, but if you go to the quieter parts there are some amazing offers to be had. 

At the end of the this post I have listed some advice for surviving Chichi, but I also wanted to mention that not all crafts in Guatemela (i.e. the one's I photographed here) have a rainbow coloured and embroidered feel. 

I also visited a fair-trade community weaving project located on the lakes and these handwoven items were completely different to anything I found in the market. Cojolya has a fascinating gallery that explains the significance of weaving in Mayan life - I loved this Mayan belief:

'God spun the sky and drew out time like the thread weavers spin to weave cloth.'

The centre arranges weaving lessons and tours and can tell you who made every item that is for sale

As much as I loved Chichi, the best place I went shopping in Guatemala was in the colonial town of Antigua. Such a beautiful place. It's also home to a huge shopping fair-trade department store which feels like an art gallery called 'Nim Po't, filled with handmade items, but again with a community, co-operative feel. 

There is wall upon wall of masks

I wanted this rocking horse so much!

Gorgeous handprinted chair which I would have bought if I could have carried it home on the plane

Artisans are able to bring there stock into the shop and have it sold, and it's the biggest collection on Mayan crafts for sale in the world. The shop is epic, save at least an hour to rummage through it all. Prices are fixed but exceptional value. 

A taste of Antigua

If you're ever in Antigua I urge you to visit -you'll get lost in Nim Po't's world of wonders; thankfully there are sofas to sit down and take a breather in when the shopping becomes to overwhelming. 

If you're planning to visit Chichicastenango (which I recommend!) then here's my advice:

Getting there:
I boarded a direct bus from Antigua which left at 4pm on Saturday (picked me up from my accommodation) and then arrived at Chichi at 7pm. 

However I had to speak to several travel and tourist shops in order to book that bus. The main way tourists get to Chichi is the 7am bus on market days, it leaves at 7am, arrives at Chichi 10am and leaves around 2.30pm. This truly is a tourist bus packed with foreigners weighed down by cameras. As soon as it hits 10.30am the market is swarming with these visitors and their tour guides - most companies want you to take this bus but don't listen. 

Keep asking until you do find a bus going the night before so you can set off at dawn when it opens so by the time the other tourists arrive, you've already seen the market, got to understand how it works and know where everything is, so you can shop stress-freely. 

Staying there:
The guidebook said it's vital you must book accommodation in advance as it gets busy. I found no private Air B&B accommodation, nothing on the usual online accommodation sites like Expedia, Lastminute etc and general Googling also didn't throw up many options. The I came across a place called Hotel Giron and it was perfect. I phoned up and reserved accommodation - it was basic but located right in the heart of the market which has so many benefits, like when I needed a break, I came back and could put my shopping down. Accommodation was no where near as full as expected and I wonder if it's a scare story making tourists come on that morning tourist bus.

Prices:
Generally prices were premium but still so much cheaper than if the items were bought in a UK store. As I mentioned bargaining isn't favoured on stalls, but there are aways to shop cheaper and it's down to who you shop from. Stalls in quieter parts of the market have such good prices there's no need to bargain - I recommend hunting those out. 

Also there are many informal sellers, women who simply walk around selling their wares - they are all up for bargaining so if you see one, don't run away, chat to them and if you see something you like, bargain until you're happy.

Length of time: 
1/2  a day is sufficient and in that time you'll be able to go around the whole market and have time to go back and find your faves to attempt some bargaining!

Finding it all too much?
Don't be afraid to take a break, walk away from the market to the quieter outskirts, or book a tour guide to help you navigate your way through the markets. 

So there's my memories and advice about Chichi, if you have an appreciation for crafts than visiting is essential, and if you simply want to immerse yourself in the Mayan community then hang out and people watch.

Here are a few more snaps taken in Guatemala...

Morning walk around Antigua

Antigua from above, the town is laid out like a grid system

After Chichi I travelled by chicken bus through hilly terrain to the lakes

Chicken buses are public transport and are old American school buses, they are used all over Central America

Aaah, the memories!

Visiting Labyrinth Bridge: Daytrip to West Wycombe Park (where they filmed the opening scene of the movie)

I've been a huge fan of the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth (1986) for many years and actively follow 'fan' related stuff on the internet. Last year through social media I heard it was possible to visit the location of where they shot the opening scene of the film and I knew immediately that I had to make a fan pilgrimage there. I finally chose Sunday...

In the opening scene, the lead character Sarah, played by Jennifer Connelly is seen reciting a passage from a book called Labyrinth. But then the clock strikes, the heavens pour open and she realises she is late to babysit her brother, so she runs over a bridge in a park, in the rain, and then continues to run home. 

This is the bridge in question: a still taken from the film...(circa 1986/85)

And this is it now, in 2015...located in West Wycombe Park.

West Wycombe Park is located just outside of London. I caught a train from London Marylebone to High Wycombe and then walked 2.9 miles to get to the park. There are buses that go there (but only 3 a day on a Sunday) it's advisable to drive but as the sun was out, a stroll there seemed like a good idea, even if it did end up taking an hour. The park are the grounds of a manor house which is still lived in by a family. Finding The Bridge was not as easy as I had expected - there are in fact many bridges in the park. I walked around it twice inspecting every bridge from different angles until I finally worked out which one it was.

See what I mean - there were many beautiful bridges at the park...

In the end my companion Worm, (a character who appears in the movie) spotted the exact location.

The original worm from the movie

As I knew I was on a mission to find The Labyrinth Bridge I wore my special owl dress which represents the male lead in the film The Goblin Kind, Jareth, played by David Bowie - whose character often disguises himself as an owl.

David Bowie & Jennifer Connelly in character

I videoed myself running across the bridge too in true Fan style! 

The rest of the park is Stunning. Visitors can either pay to only visit the gardens or the house and the gardens. I paid £5 for the grounds only. Sitting in this park is the perfect way to spend a free afternoon. You're not allowed to picnic here but just sitting down and taking in the epic views is enough to revive, refresh and de-stress you. The park is a good size, not too overwhelming. 

I sat back and watched swans and ducks, this handsome one caught my eye as I had not seen this variety before and there was only one. 

The park is only open 2pm-6pm and it's possible to spend all four hours there simply taking it all in. I love parks, I go to them at every given opportunity and am blessed to have so many great parks in London, but I have never been to a park like this before. It truly does have a magical feel to it, an air of fantasy and a little taste of what heaven must be like.

Here are the opening hours - they are sadly very limited but then it is someone's home so I guess they like to keep it to themselves too.

Just across from the park is West Wycombe's Hell-Fire caves, I didn't get a chance to visit them on this trip but if you follow the signs up a hill you can look down and get great views of the park (you can just about see the house in the distance.)

The house doesn't have a tea room but there a couple in the village just outside the park. I chose to have mine at West Wycombe Community library - which is the finest public library I've ever seen. Outside are chairs and tables to eat tea alfresco, while inside is a wonderful public library with sofas, surrounded by handmade items for sale.

I bought thus cushion which was made by one of the librarians, she was very sad to see it go but I promised to give it a good home.

I timed my visit to get the last bus of the day back into town which left at exactly 18.14 on the dot. While we were waiting, Worm made himself a friend; a giant snail. I think we'll need to come back again so they can visit eachother.

Never watched Labyrinth? A few years ago it was really hard to do so. I spent six years on a waiting list to get hold of a VHS copy (no really!!!) but now it's easily obtainable on DVD is regularly shown at cinemas and is also on You Tube. (It's up to you if you choose to watch it for free, but what I would say is if you watch the first couple of minutes you can at least see the shot I'm talking about!)

Thanks:
The following people inspired me to go on this pilgrimage
LabyrinthWiki, Anthony & The Trevi Owl.