A blog about the work of the British Embassy in Guatemala
19th August 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
In my last blog I talked about the power of British film and TV (and music). Today I want to make a very ambitious claim – that British TV is saving the planet, or at least helping to save the planet. In 2017 the famous British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough made a programme – […]
1st August 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
I am often asked what I have enjoyed most about being British ambassador to Guatemala. A really really difficult question, because there are so many things – and so many people –which make this role a great privilege and great fun. It has to be said though that being in Tikal Futura listening to Guatemalan […]
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16th July 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
A nation of shopkeepers? So, allegedly, the French Emperor Napoleon referred to Britain in the late 18thcentury. Many have portrayed it as an insult. Actually, it is a statement of fact – Britain drew its power – then and now – from the power of trade and commerce, not from the extent of its lands […]
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2nd April 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Indiana Jones made archaeology sexy. In the UK, though, it’s difficult to replicate that sense of adventure around archaeological digs. One of the most famous discoveries in recent years was that of the remains of King Richard III (died 1485) – he was found under a car park in Leicester. It somehow lacks the exoticism […]
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1st March 2019 Guatemala City, Guatemala
What do you think of when you hear the word Britain? For some it’s London – Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Queen – for others it’s football (Manchester City/United) or music (Beatles, Queen, Adele) or food (fish and chips, scones and jam) and drink (whisky and gin, and of course our national drink – tea!). […]
24th October 2018 Guatemala City, Guatemala
I spent last weekend on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, in the rain. Rain, however, is what you need if you want to see one of nature’s most amazing spectacles – a female turtle coming ashore in the blackness of the night to dig a hole in the sand and lay 40 – 60 eggs. […]
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21st March 2017 Guatemala City
The next morning we were woken before dawn by the roaring of Howler Monkeys in the trees. We set out early for La Danta. Passing various excavations on the way, at one point our guide removed a tarpaulin to show us something of archaeological interest but all we could see were squirming snakes, tarantulas and […]
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14th March 2017 Guatemala City
Three years ago, when I first heard I was being posted to Guatemala, I spotted in the guide books a mention of a ruined Mayan city deep in the jungle which was only accessible by walking for five days there and back. I instantly decided I had to go there. And finally, last month, I […]
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6th February 2017 Guatemala City
It is always an enormous pleasure to go to Antigua. It’s only an hour (in reasonable traffic, that is!) from Guatemala City, but it is like being in a different world, with its beautiful colonial buildings, churches and cobbled streets, its bars, restaurants and language schools, and its relaxed pace of life. A couple of […]
15th November 2016 Guatemala City
This week I visited a British NGO working in Guatemala City with children who live on the streets. Street Kids Direct ( www.streetkidsdirect.org.uk ) is a British-run organisation which offers a ray of hope to children who live in the markets and on the streets around Guatemala City’s main bus station, known as “La Terminal”. […]