A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH PLANTAINS

And let the Guatemala season begin!

Arroz con frijoles, rice, beans and steaming hot corn tortillas; so simple, so amazing, you may be able to tell that I just had lunch and am one happy vegan traveler right now! 

During my lovely lunch I was thinking of all the incredible travel experiences this remarkable country has country has provided me over the years

One of my favourite memories of Guatemala was a journey I made around five years ago. 

I was riding my motorbike through quite an isolated part of the country, the terrain was beautifully rugged and every now and again I would pass a small Maya village, Guatemalan's are friendly people and unsurprisingly, they were curious to see a Gringa (tourist) riding a large motorbike through their countryside.

The day was warm and I stopped to drink a jugo de jamaica, a cold refreshing hibiscus flower tea, it was just what I needed and after all the locals had had a good look around my motorbike, asked me all about my family, (why I wasn't married already) and what did I think of Guatemala, they seemed satisfied so I went on my way.

Dropping in Altitude the climate becomes tropical, the road dustier and the scenery began to change, I'm happily riding past cacao and plantain, keeping my eye out just in case I spot a Quetzal, Guatemala's national bird,  it’s remarkable and very distinctive looking with a bright red chest and elaborately long tail feathers.

Two seconds later and I found myself in a ditch, beside my bike, ouch (I only said I liked riding motorbikes, not that I was particularly good at it).

Time to asses the damage, flat front tyre; wonderful as I'm carrying a spare inner tube and now I get to practice my tyre changing skills (after watching all those you tube videos), my time has come! But, low and behold, the spare inner tube is torn, a cruel twist of fate, now what?

I didn’t  wait too long before a truck pulled up with two locals asking if I was OK and did I need any help, yes, I probably did! 

On relaying the story I was instructed to start collecting the leaves from the plantain plant and although I didn't question it as my fate was essentially in their hands, I thought maybe we were going to have lunch, steam some plantain or something similar, regardless, I kept on picking. The leaves of the plantain are thick, strong and fibrous, I was about to learn a lot more about their uses than I had ever imagined!

My two new amigos begin to scrunch the leaves up into tight balls and then stuff them between the metal rim and the tyre, cleverly creating a fake inner tube - absolute genius, roadside rescue Guatemalan style! 

They told me to just keep going as quickly as possible, why, not because I have plantain leaves in the rim of my tyre, because if make it back to Antigua before 7pm I'll be able to buy tamales which are delicious steamed corn parcels usually with a filling such as loroco, an edible flower.

This is one of my favourite memories of Guatemala it gave me an appreciation for plantain that few other people have!

Thinking back on this journey it made me realize that travel, unlike any other activity or action has the unique potential to inspire you, educate you, make you realize that you are capable of more than you ever imagined should you step towards the outer edges of your comfort zone, time and time again travel makes me realize that people, all over the word are, fundamentally the same.

Lets get vegan travel on the map.

Em x

OVER TO YOU

What's your favourite vegan travel story, I would love to know! Please let me know in the comments box below.

DECEMBER EXPERIENCES

Vegan dinner parties, organic farms, chocolate workshops, nature walks, vegan Guatemalan cooking class and more on this years New Year's Eve Special here >>>