Antigua is one of those cities that offer more photo opportunities than what fits on my 8GB SD card. Every corner, every street and almost every Antiguian is colorful and photogenic. Spent the better part of the day shooting like a madman. Click on the image below to take a look at some of today’s shots.

Well, after a smooth 10 hr plane ride across the Atlantic we arrived yesterday in Guatemala City. Government representative Ericka Guillermo de Villatoro from the tourism authority met us before immigrations and we were shown to a special room for a briefing on the updated itinerary. We were also given a press kit with lots of journo goodies before meeting with Ricardo, our guide for the week.

It took about two hours in heavy traffic from Guatemala City to Antigua and Porta Hotel where we’ll be staying for a few nights. After a shower and a shave, I ate dinner and went straight to bed. I was asleep before 10 pm.

Woke up about an hour later from what I thought was somebody knocking on my door. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! As it turned out, the nerve-racking noise was from somebody shooting off fireworks nearby. Luckily, I fell back to sleep right away and woke up just a few minutes ago. Its 4:00 am and I’ve got them jet lag blues…

In a couple of hours, just as daylight breaks below the volcanoes surrounding us, I’ll hit the narrow, cobblestone streets and start documenting Antigua Guatemala. Yes, life is good. Happy Halloween from Central America!

How irrelevant is flight time? Very. Today, I think its more important to consider all the time it takes to go through the airport shuffle prior to departures and arrivals. Sometimes, this takes more time than flying.

Case in point. Yesterday, I arrived at Castrup approximately two hours before my flight to Madrid – which was at 15:55. Airtime was about four hours, including a 15 minute departure delay.

I eventually arrived at the hotel in Madrid (where I have a sleepover before heading to Guatemala tomorrow) at 21:30. So, from the time I left my studio in Sweden, until I arrived at my hotel in Madrid, a good eight hours had past – more than twice the scheduled flight time.

Today, instead of flight time, travelers should think more about airport time.

Here’s how my camera gear will be carried for me in the not-too-far-off future. I’ll just wait for the new model to arrive so that I can sit on it while enjoying the view and clicking away.

After a cliff hanging chain of events, my e-tickets have finally arrived. So, today I will be joining a pan Scandinavian press group headed for the Central American country of Guatemala.

As sunny as it was during this mornings invigorating jog, I have must admit to yearning for warmer weather and a change of environment.

Before I get into the taxi, I’ll be handed the keys to our new condo. A pretty exciting day, for a Wednesday.

Sorterade mitt bildarkiv en stund igår. Kommer att fortsätta med det idag. Måste försöka rensa bort dubbletter och bilder som inte håller måttet. Ibland är det tufft att gallra. Men med strax under hysteriska 12 000 bilder, måste jag försöka rensa.

Falukorv a la Maison Raboff
En halv falukorv skivad i generösa, centimeetertjocka skivor.
Stek skivorna i margarin (använd Becel – tänk på kolesterolet!) tills de blir lätt brända. Tillsätt en matsked sesamolja, röd lök, tomater, stora vita bönor och salta/peppra lite. Stäng av värmen och strö till sist vällagrad och finriven prästost över alltihopa. Låt stå 3-4 minuter eller tills osten smält och geggat ihop sig. Hade jag haft ett glas rött hemma, hade det nog smakat ännu bättre. Men det var godare än det ser ut!

Kunde det har regnat mer igår? Knappast. Men imorse var det kalasfint igen och perfekt väder för en skön joggingtur runt Dockan och Kockums g:a varvsområde. Nu ser jag att molnen hopar sig igen och mer regn kan vara på gång. Längtar till solen och värmen som Charlotte och Elle just nu njuter av i Afrika.

Så här såg det ut i våra kvarter imorse kl 8.

Back in DDR now, figuratively speaking. Despite the weather, this is actually a perfect day to be creative and work. And with the girls away, I can dig in real deep.

Having a job you enjoy is definitely one of my life’s biggest perks. I don’t know many people that can say that. Sure, there’s lots of creative folks out there. But most of them are so overly involved and concerned with social dogmas, they aren’t willing to challenge themselves much. At least that’s what my wise friend Martin said during Friday’s lunch.

Here’s what I had for lunch today…not much to write about, and even less to take a photo of, eh? I am not very creative in the kitchen when on my own.

Before falling asleep last night, I watched the Actor’s Studio intervju with Clint Eastwood. What an amzing artist he is. You don’t have to like all (or any) of his films – but its hard not to appreciate how talented this guy is. Writer, director, actor, musician and above all, a creative force that constantly challenges himself. Somebody that fills his life with new impressions and expresses them in a variety of ways. Whether its as the man with no name, Dirty Harry or behind the camera in Bird, Million Dollar Baby or Madison County.

Medan Elle och Charlotte lapar sol och snorklar utanför Tanzanias kust, jobbar jag på här i DDR. Det är inte bara bloggen som fått välbehövlig uppfräschning. Studion har också fått nya kläder och den stora fondväggsrullen är strax på plats.

Frågan är vad man äter en sån här fredagkväll? Har inte köpt något vin eller annat starkt så det lär bli en rätt torr inledning på helgen. Inte mig emot. Hur kul är det att berusa sig när man är själv? Kanske knallar jag bort till Västra Hamnens enda pizzeria och avnjuter en nybakad calzone. Nja, tror mer på en omgång sallad och kanske en isburen Dr Peppar. Solen då? Får nöja mig med lägesrapporter från Charlotte och genom att kika på mina bilder från Asien – som denna från Koh Samuis häftiga djungelflygplats. God helg!

One of the few really good things about being on my own for a while is definitely the fact that I can add as much cilantro as I want to my salads, sandwiches and soups. Freedom of herbs – if you will.

So for dinner tonight – right before punching in for the night shift – I had a huge crunchy salad with fresh baby spinach, sliced carrots, diced cucumber, chopped sun dried tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes, creamy avocado, celery, walnuts, feta cheese, pitless olives (Kalamata) and topped off with a batch of oven fried bacon nuggets. Added a gorgeous vinaigrette and more celantro than I dare admit here. Mmm!

Med hjälp av alltid supportiva Johan på Space2U har bloggen fått lite nya kläder. Känns skönt att byta om ibland. Ta ny höjd och se på saker och ting från distans. Som igår kväll, när jag efter ett kvällsuppdrag fick möjlighet att plåta på taket till Turning Torso. En riktig höjdare – I’m tellin’ ya!