Three Imaginary Girls

Seattle's Indie-Pop Press – Music Reviews, Film Reviews, and Big Fun

One of the best vacations of my life was the one where I bought a ticket to the UK and proceeded to plan each day around a train stop in a town with a show I wanted to see (and during which I fit in multiple Cinerama and Bluetones shows and T in the Park). It was a Britpop-tastic paradise that I'd recommend to anyone even slightly co.uk obsessed.

We just heard about the perfect vacation idea for those among us that are bean-friendly, if not -obsessed. Touring Mayan ruins and sampling coffee at the El Salvador source sounds pretty fantastic to me.  Seattle coffee shop, Trabant is renting a van, and taking a visit coffee farms, mills, cooperatives, and non-profits in Central America.

Over the years, the Trabant folks have made friends with some of Central America’s top producers of the bean. From this friendship, they've put together a tour that offers a very personal look at the realities of coffee production. The tour group will land in El Salvador, and travel through Guatemala and Chiapas to learn about the process of growing, harvesting, and processing coffee.

In addition, the tour will make stops at the beach and Mayan ruins, and spend Christmas experiencing a blend of Mayan and Catholic traditions in San Juan Chamula.

Here is a sample itinerary (subject to change) and trip details:

December 13: Arrive in San Salvador, El Salvador
December 14: Visit the Consejo de Café, a research facility that helps farms produce high quality, sustainable coffee
December 15 + 16: Visit 2-3 Cup of Excellence top 10 farms, a cooperative, and a mill
December 17: Visit the beach (said to be among the world’s best for surfing)!
December 18: Travel to Guatemala
December 19: Visit 2 farms in Guatemala
December 19-21: Visit the not-yet-open eco-resort that will be run by repatriated Guatemalan refugees. Spend time with them hearing their story.
Volunteer around the resort.
December 22-23: Visit a mill and a cooperative in the south of Chiapas
December 24-25: Spend Christmas near San Cristobal, an area with a unique
Mayan-Catholic flavor. Visit archeological ruins and waterfalls.
December 26:  Visit a farm and cooperative near San Cristobal.
December 27: Depart Tuxla Gutierrez, Mexico for US.

Cost will be approximately $1500 for food, lodging, transportation, and donations to growers. Airfare will be approximately $1100. A limited number of spaces available; reserve yours by September 15.

Anyone else have a brainstorm or story of their perfect *obsession trip*?