Bring on the Catfish?

http://franklinparishcatfishfestival.com/

Today marked the 22nd annual Catfish Festival in Winnsboro, Louisiana. Known as the largest one day festival in the state of Louisiana, people travel from miles to get a bite of the farm-raised catfish. Last year, over 5000 pounds of catfish were served. By the looks of the frying vats, I would guess that this year doubled that number. Dan & I were obligated to sample the famed catfish today at work. It was, well, different. The locals insist that "the crispier the better" with regards to the catfish. I had difficulty discerning between the fish flavor and the fried flavor.

Continuing with the Southern experience, today I also watched a "Fiddling Contest" and had a number of people comment on my "yankee" accent. Most importantly, however, we got a picture with a giant catfish. Cute?

Media Clip

http://www.oncue.net/photos/pirate4508/base0.html

Scroll down to second video on the right:
http://www.myspace.com/arkansaspirates

...a glimpse into part of a "typical day on the road."

The Duck March

To read: John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco

"Based on the real-life tradition of the Hotel Peabody Ducks, the "New York Times" bestselling author pens a tale of how the famous duck march came about and made the hotel a Memphis landmark."

For those of you who may not be up-to-date on all of the strange American traditions, allow me to explain. A Brief History Lesson:

In 1933, the General Manager of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis returned from a hunting trip unsuccessfully one evening. He and his buddy put some ducks in the hotel fountain as a joke and went to bed. Come morning, a crowd had gathered--the absolutely loved the ducks. The bellman offered to train the ducks. A tradition had begun! The ducks now march down a royal red carpet to their fountain every morning at 11 and return to their palace on the roof of the hotel at 5. The Duckmaster escorts the ducks as they march to John Philip Sousa's King Gotton March. A crowd always gathers for this eccentric tradition.

All this to say, that on Monday, Dan and I were priviledged to be the Honorary Duck Masters for the day. This position is usually reserved for special people--like Elvis' daughter. The WMB does wonders. I guess you could say that we were quite the "lucky ducks."

Memphis, Land of Elvis?

When we told people that we were headed to Memphis, all they could talk about was Elvis--the King of Rock n' Roll. Dan and I felt obligated to stop by Graceland. We left our visit wondering which was more interesting, Elvis' house or the people at Graceland? http://www.elvis.com/

Another "must do" in Memphis is the Bar-B-Que. Dry ribs are the legendary bar-b-que of choice in Memphis. Having tasted them for my first time, I found the blend of spices on the ribs unique, but I do prefer my ribs wet. The ribs were, nevertheless, delicious. Dan deemed them the best that he's ever tasted.

Bievenidos a Guatemala

With a week off from work, three of us were seeking adventures that travels across the country could not provide. Guatemala is not your typical tourist destination and it definitely has not been "Americanized." No one knows English, you have to pay off armed guards, and you go shopping at the market.

With only a few days to see the country, we decided to fill our schedule to capacity. At first, we spent a few days in Antigua. We were there during Semana Santa (the week before Easter). Apparently Antigua is known, nation-wide, for its festivities. Thousands of people were in town from across Central America and, in some cases, from around the world. Processions were continuous. "Alfombras" were also an important part of the celebration. The Guatemalans spent hours creating intricate mosaics across the cobblestone streets.

We took a few day trips from Antigua. One to Lake Atitlan (my favorite part of the trip!)--a gorgeous lake nestled within the mountains. Here we visited pueblos, as well as zip lined over the treetops. Another day we hiked up a volcano and then proceeded to walk over the hot lava! A one point, we could have reached out and touched the lava flowing down.

An all night bus ride then took us to the middle of the jungle in Northern Guatemala. We went to Tikal and watched the sunset and rise from the top of the ancient Mayan ruins. In the jungle we observed monkeys and toucans.

Our trip came to a close in Guatemala City. In the main plaza, we had a tour of the government plaza. Unlike the White House, the tour is quite extensive. We also stopped by an ancient cathedral and then went bargain-hunting at the largest market in the city.

I am continually fascinated by other cultures. Guatemala is a largely Mayan country, so I learned a little bit about the ways of the Mayan. It was quite typical to see women dressed in traditional woven clothes walking down the street carrying bundles on their head Though a very poverty-stricken country, Guatemalans are friendly and have sweet personalities. They are patient with those attempting to speak Spanish.