Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-11-20

The very edge the beautiful Amatltian
lake for it's Is miles in length. This
lake is the resort and picnic grounds
Of the city, which is is miles away.
Special trains leave the city every
Sunday with the crowds of pleasure
seekers, for boating and fishing are
most enjoyable on the smooth water.
As we travelled along we could see
steam rising from the hot water that
dubbed out of the cold water at the
edge Of the lake.
The air is cooler now and by the
time we reached the, city, at 500 p. M,
it was quite cold A wrap was very
necessary, yet this is their summer.
Guatemala City is always cool and the
people all walk with quick, business
like air. A carriage drove US over the
stone streets with, many a jolt and
bump and finally landed US at the big
double doors Of our hotel.
The city is laid out in the usual
Latin-American checker-board fashion
with the park in the center surround
ed by the cathedral and other impor-
tant buildings The iron fence inclos-
Ing the. park separates an inside walk
from an outside one Both are wide
and accommodate the double lines Of
strollers going in opposite directions,
the women generally on the inside.
The band, which is exceptionally har.
monious and spirited, plays the while
At the entrance to the park there Is
a large bronze statue Of Columbus
mounted on globe which is support
ed on the backs and shoulders OF
bronze figures which. stand on 4 larger
globe that rests on a pedestal. The
whole proclains great strength and
victory.
The Market.
The market of Guatemala City must
not be overlooked, for it is very large,
the building occupying whole block,
while every available space of the
eartheh floor is covered with stalls
with just space enough between them
to permit persons to pass. In fact. in
wandering around it is very easy to
get lost, there are so many aisles.
The women who have charge of
most of the stalls come early in the
morning with the little ones; the
latter amuse themselves all day long
by making mud pies on the floor.
The street scenes all over the city
are vastly interesting and ever chang
ing. with men and women gracefully
fitting baskets and bundles on their
heads, the soft tread Of the barefoot
ed women being relieved by the clat
ter of the sandals worn BY the men,
In fact. the street scenes represent
the market in motion with the intro
duction Of a donkey here and there;
whose identity is completely lost I'M
der the burden he bears.
Cost of Living Not High.
Living in Guatemala is very cheap,
and for little money one can have
many luxuries. A man getting an or.
binary salary in our country would
find his pockets not sufficiently large
to hold the same salary here, so would
deem it necessary to take along a
suit case on pay day.
The Guatemalan peso, or dollar,
which equals about. six of our cents,
is divided into reals, medio-reals and
cuarto reals, the latter being the min
imum, and one equals about three-six-
teenths of our cent.
Guatemala City is somewhat shut
In from the world, the nearest port,
San Jose, being S. miles away. There
fore it is not SO generally sought by
tourists or pleasure seekers. 1t is a
rich field for the artist, the two dis
tinct casts lending material for light
and shadow, while from earth to sky
the multiple colors call into play every
hue and shade ever conceived Of by
artists, or conceived by an artists
dream. HELEN r. FORD.