The anticipation of the week had been very intense for me and my family in Guatemala. Rosalinda, Manuel and I spent an entire evening preparing the sign I would hold in the crowd of people at the airport. With a private shuttle bus from Guatemala City to Antigua, I got to hear all about how the surprise went at the airport in Atlanta, since I couldn't be there to see Mom's face!

We had fun making the sign....


They're here....


Upon our arrival, Natalia had prepared a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a picture of the family. Our week had begun.

I had been a little concerned regarding the weather because it had rained four days straight before they arrived. I had their week pretty planned out and most events here are outside. This day, Sunday, was beautiful. My Mom was staying in my room that has two beds. My brother would live across the street, in a room at the house of Senora Videz where other students studying Spanish were staying. They both loved their accommodations.

Mike's digs...he had a beautiful view of Volcano Agua most every morning.
Able to see Mike's balcony from ours, at night we shined flashlights at one another so we knew Mike was home.

With the weather holding, we decided to take a short tour of Antigua….we visited the Iglesia de San Francisco, Central Park, Café 2000, Nim Pot, the Arch and lots of other little places I love. They quickly felt the wear and tear of the cobblestone streets of Antigua. The volcanoes that surround the city were shrouded in clouds, their size and beauty mostly hidden; best not to overwhelm them on the first day.

A wall at Nim Pot, my favorite place to shop....


We came back to the house, sat talking on my balcony, resting, until it was time for dinner. First, we shared the suitcase of towels, lotion, body wash, soap, fly swatters and other things my Mom had brought the family. They were very happy to receive everything, but they especially loved the colorful towels that were greatly needed. We decided to hang close, walking only a few blocks to the Sky Café. Dinner was surreal. The three of us could not believe we were looking out over the night lights of Antigua Guatemala, together!

Nice towels are expensive and hard to come by down here...


Our first dinner at the Sky Cafe....


My Mom and I awoke abruptly at 3 or 4am to a string of fireworks that were very close by. In fact, the smoke was coming from the street outside my brother's window. His first night, he experienced the tradition of fireworks in the streets of Antigua. When Mike came over, the fireworks were the first thing he mentioned. They sat him straight up in bed. The second thing he mentioned, was how he survived his electric shower experience, even with the live wires and duck tape holding things together.

An electric shower....so far I have only electrocuted myself one time...

We woke up to a beautiful day. By 7am, we were off to breakfast at Café Condessa, a quaint courtyard restaurant that borders the Central Park. They were already falling in love with the plush courtyards Antigua is known for. We did some shopping this morning. Mike got a brilliantly colorful, handmade Mayan hammock for the paradise he has created in his back yard in Florida. Mom picked up a variety of handmade items, she was fun to watch. When you visit this country, the inimitable use of color is so visually inspiring that shopping can become a problem fast. We also stopped to get our tickets for Mike and I to climb Mt. Pacaya, along with our weekend trip to Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango.

That afternoon, we decided to jump right in and take a chicken bus to Common Hope so they could see the work I had been doing. We had our one quetzal ready and jumped aboard. This bus was not too packed, providing a more tranquil ride. After the tour of Common Hope, we rode a chicken bus back to Antigua. There were no seats on this bus, so we stood. At each stop more and more people got on and we ended up standing near the back. Knowing we would never get through the aisle of people at the next stop, our stop, I prepared them to exit out the back door of the bus. Mike and I got off first, and we were both pretty panicked as my Mom was navigating the descent off the back of the bus, for fear the driver would just take off, sending her flying! As we both grabbed an arm, telling her to hurry, we were all relieved once both her feet hit the ground. The bus drove away, leaving us in a giant cloud of black fumes. They loved their first chicken bus experience.

The kitchen I have been helping to build the last two weeks on the grounds at Common Hope where they will teach cooking/nutrition classes for the Mayan women.....
 

A newly painted chicken bus....we couldn't take a picture of ours as we were busy hanging on....

After resting for a couple of hours, we headed to the Rainbow Café for dinner. Our first full day, we had a beautiful, clear day to enjoy. I mentioned we should take pictures of the volcanoes when we can see them, so that is what we did. About the time we got home from dinner, it began to rain and rained hard the entire night through to morning.

Mike and I had a bus arriving at 6am the following morning to take us to climb Mt. Pacaya. When we woke, the rain was still falling. About the time the bus arrived, the rain stopped and the sky began to clear. After our hour and a half bus ride, we arrived in a small pueblo where we began our journey. The first time out of Antigua, Mike saw the difficult way of life for most Guatemaltecos.

Last time I climbed Pacaya at dusk, this time, early in the morning. The morning hike with my brother was stunning! The views were clear, the air was crisp and we enjoyed every minute of the hike, though we were both glad when we reached the top. You feel like you are on top of the world here because the landscape is so uniquely majestic. The hike is tough and a few people decided to take the horse taxis that the locals gladly made available for a small fee. We made it on foot. This trip, our guide was making his first of four ascents that day, so he was fresh, fun, and adventurous. By the end, we were right in front of the lava flow, only about twenty feet from the edge. The ground was stifling, causing the sole of Mike's shoes to melt. Eventually, the bottom part of his shoe came completely off. Luckily, we were on our way back down. We both had a great day!

On the way up....

Danger, danger....from this point forward...

We had views that I never saw the first time I climbed...

This colt was in training...




Meanwhile, Mom had been hanging out with the family, reading and relaxing when we returned home to share our story. Natalia had prepared a delicious lunch for us. Mike and I were very hungry! After lunch, we slept. That evening, we walked to La Pena, one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. After a very enjoyable meal, we headed home in the pouring rain. We decided this was a good time for a tuc-tuc! You have to experience at least one tuc-tuc ride in Antigua. These unique little taxis on the cobblestone streets are guaranteed to rattle parts of your body you didn't know existed. After the wine Mike and I enjoyed, he found the tuc-tuc ride hilarious. As we bounced around inside, we laughed hysterically the entire ride home.

A picture I had taken of a previous tuc-tuc experience!

Wednesday we woke up to a breakfast Natalia prepared that was complete with pancakes, fruit and eggs. We had a relaxing morning, strolling through the streets of Antigua. Again, the weather was perfectly clear, no rain. This changed in the afternoon right when we were planning to meet Angela's family to take them to the market for some shopping. I was happy to see Angela again and enjoyed introducing her family to mine. We all walked under umbrellas to the market where we spent the entire afternoon shopping for shoes, socks, jeans, shirts, and a few other things they needed. By time we were done, the three children were exhausted, but very happy with their new clothes. We took some pictures together and then went our separate ways. I promised Angela I would arrange to see her again before I leave.

Typical breakfast prepared by Natalia each day....I definitely eat better here then when I am at home!


Love this picture....

We made it to the market with Angela and her family just before it started pouring...shoes were our first stop.



After picking up a new pair of jeans for everyone, socks were in order...

Another tearful goodbye...




This evening, we took Rosalinda and Natalia out for pizza at Toscana La Mia Tierra. We had a fantastic meal that was a lot of fun. I played translator between my family and theirs. My brother was so funny because he would give me ten paragraphs at a time that he wanted me to rattle off in Spanish. This was great practice for me the entire week. We had three cameras at the table this night and did not shoot one photo! We seemed to enjoy the moment and forgot about getting a photo.

Thursday,we woke up to another beautiful day of sunshine. We had a quick breakfast at the house and then off to Ciudad Vieja. We had to take a chicken bus, but lucky for us, there were four seats available this morning. Rosalinda was our guide today. In Ciudad Vieja, there was a huge celebration of the Catholic Eucharist. The streets were filled with decorations of yellow and white, alfombras, and the people were dressed in their finest for the procession. This town is nestled between the volcanoes with landscape views at every corner of the steep narrow streets. My Mom had never seen anything like it. She really enjoyed watching the procession with over three city blocks of people escorting the Eucharist through the streets over the colorful alfombras.

On the way in the chicken bus... 

People stand inside these costumes with poles that make the arms and legs come alive, dancing in the street...

The beautiful church here...





Rosalinda was a great guide, we were the only tourists there.......

The tradition was for the children to be dressed in angel costumes...

When we got back to Antigua, Rosalinda bought fresh tamales from the many Mayan women selling them in the street. Today, all the families in Antigua would be having a very traditional lunch of tamales. We happened to catch the smaller procession of the Eucharist in Antigua before heading back to the house. We had walked a lot this morning, it was time to rest.  After eating the tamales and taking a nap, we decided to visit the hospital where I work with the babies. Mom and I walked over to pick up Mike and off we went. Mom loved seeing the little babies, especially Jose and Angel, whom I have worked with the most. They were glad we stopped to see what the hospital work was all about.

I never knew there were so many different kinds of tamales...
One of the most beautiful Mayan outfits I have seen...



The procession was followed by a short ceremony in the church...

Our traditional lunch, complete with tamales...most families were having this same meal today...

The babies!! I was glad my family came and took some pictures for me. 
This is Angel....he is one of my favorites!

This is Carlos, the blind baby that now always falls asleep in my arms after I feed him.....

Angel is always so happy!

This is Carlos...he has many problems, but loves to touch, shout and laugh...

Part of the space where the babies are taken care of....
 

Thursday night, Mom stayed home with my family while Mike and I took Willemien out to dinner before she left for the next leg of her eight month excursion through Central and South America. We had a delicious steak dinner and a nice bottle of wine which we used for a toast, wishing Willemien safe travels and new friends along the way. Upon our return home, we were happy to see Mom had enjoyed the evening talking with Natalia and Rosalinda. Rosalinda helped translate since I wasn't there. Before bed, we packed our backpacks to get ready for our weekend trip to Lake Atitlan!

Friday we woke up to yet another perfect day of sunshine! We went back to Café Condessa for a good breakfast, did some last minute shopping in Antigua, and then went to climb the hill to La Cruz. This was a small hike that I was sure Mom could make and she did great. The path is known to be dangerous if traveling alone, so we had a police escort. The view of Antigua was spectacular. Mom was glad she made the hike and once again we got some great photos. Down the mountain, we were escorted by the armed guards which are always present. Although we are not supposed to take photos of them, they seemed happy to oblige when I asked them very nicely!

Love this photo too....
Mike, you took all the great photos at the Cross, I only have a couple.






Back to the house we went to gather our backpacks for our weekend excursion. The shuttle bus arrived on time at 1pm. We had beautiful weather for the three hour drive to Lake Atitlan. Mom and Mike could not believe the chicken buses that would fly past us on the steep mountain slopes around the switch back turns. We were so thankful we were not raveling in the rain this day. When we reached the cliffs overlooking Lake Atitlan, they became very excited by the beauty of this place. Mom was so funny trying to take the photos as Mike was saying…”ok, now, hurry Mom, snap it!” There is no describing Lake Atitlan, no capturing it in photos, no way to share completely, the feeling you have when you see this place for the first time. Upon reaching Panajachel, the pueblo we would make our base, we found our hotel for the two nights. This was a very, very simple place and when my Mom saw our room with the broken lamp shade that had visibly been set afire previously, we laughed as I said, “only the best for my family!” The view was nice. Next we headed to the shore where the boats were launching for the late afternoon voyages to the surrounding villages. The lake was rough from the afternoon wind which made Mom a little apprehensive about her ride in the morning. I spoke with the locals to find a bit larger boat to ensure everyone was going to be comfortable with the upcoming tour.

Lake Atitlan...
Two of three volcanoes here....one is behind the cloud!
 

After securing a spot for us the next day on one of the larger boats, we toured Panajachel for a few. We had dinner at a great restaurant that had a gorgeous view of the towering volcanoes that frame the lake. Again, we had perfect weather, perfect food, perfect company. The view consistently reminded us how far from everywhere we were. After an ok night's sleep in our fancy hotel, we stopped in for breakfast at one of the local restaurants. At 8:30am, we boarded our boat to begin our tour on a smooth surface of glass to the Mayan pueblos of San Pedro, Santiago and San Antonio Palopo.

 
What a beautiful boat ride we had.....








What a beautiful face....


Our boat was slow, but that was perfect for Mom and everyone was able to take in the rock cliffs, volcanoes, and pueblos we passed. San Pedro was our first stop. This was a small, quiet pueblo that for a reason we never figured out, smelled of vinegar. The views from the church were worth millions. This land in the US would be full of high rises and condos for sure! We saw a funeral procession in which the coffin was being carried through the street. The church was full of Mayan women wearing the brightly colored Mayan head wraps as they chanted a slightly haunting, but beautiful melody. We visited the lively market that was full of fish, vegetables, and many items that were unidentifiable. Mike wasn't too thrilled with the smell. Upon heading back to our boat, we saw an elderly Mayan woman, who when I asked to take her photo, she began fixing her necklace so it was just right. We passed by a small band playing guitar, pipes and a marimba. Our next stop was Santiago.

Santiago proved to hold a gem of an experience for all of us. Upon exiting the boat, we didn't know what we were in for in this pueblo. Santiago is the home to the primary statue of Maximon, a powerful Mayan God that is still celebrated among the people. The launch at Santiago is a busy place with many boats, dug out canoes, tuc-tuc’s, and a swarm of people that are in need. Immediately upon exiting, people approached us asking if we would like a tour to see Maximon. Having been here before, I selected a reliable Mayan man. Our guide was smaller than me and dressed in typical Mayan garments. He led us up the almost vertical streets, through a maze of shacks, narrow alleys and scenes of severe poverty. Mom and Mike were getting nervous, so I asked many times along the way how much further and he always replied, one more block! Finally, we passed some tourists that were having a conversation about the statue being over 400 years old, so I announced to my family that I was comfortable, all was well.

The shores of Santiago...

About this time, we made a turn into a narrow alley where four drunk men exited a small doorway. Our guide motioned for us to enter the house which was very dark with dirt floors, candles, and music. By this time, my brother was very uncomfortable and began saying Cathy, Cathy…but I just kept following our guide who led us to a narrow set of three stairs near the back of the house.

The three of us entered a room that was small, dark and scary! To our right, we passed three men, who were sitting at a table appearing to be well on their way to oblivion. Maximon sat in front of the men with his back to them and to us. I walked further in the room to allow Mike and Mom to see. Between Maximon and me, was what I later found out to be a female Mayan witchdoctor, and a gentleman sitting in a chair with his back to me, facing the witchdoctor and Maximon. There were candles all over the floor, the table, and surrounding Maximon. The wooden Maximon sat in a big chair wearing a hat and suit. He had his staples which are a cigar and a basket of money/offerings.

The people were drinking a banned, white Mayan moonshine that is called cusha. The witchdoctor was talking a fast gibberjabber that was directed at Maximon and then to the gentleman in the chair. She was carrying on an entire conversation with the wooden statue of Maximon and the man that we later understood to be ill. Behind the three of us was a glass coffin-like structure that had flowers, lights, candles and all kinds of things going on. We were all too afraid to turn around, too afraid to talk, and definitely too afraid to take a single photo of what was transpiring.

After less than five minutes of observing the commotion, all the sudden, the witchdoctor became very excited in her gibberjabber, flailed her arms, took a drink, and with a force I did not know was possible, she spit in the face of the ill gentleman in the chair! The shower of spewed alcohol went all over my arm, some in my face and some on my brother! Stunned, none of us moved an inch afraid of what might be next…..were they going to slit his throat, slit our throat, slit the throat of a chicken….anything and everything seemed very possible at this point!

Thankfully, the “ceremony” seemed to come to a close quickly after. A gentleman held out the offering basket in which I quickly deposited our 6Q, less than $1. We exited the scary little house and made our way back onto the street in the open air. Mike and I began laughing and none of us could believe what we had just witnessed….it seemed to take Mom a few minutes to speak! I find it very difficult to describe the intensity that consumed the little room where we stood as foreigners observing a ritual that was hundreds of years old. As my brother put it, that is something none of us will every forget! 

On the way back to the center of Santiago, our guide explained that this was a ceremony to take away the evil spirits that were causing the man's fever. I asked if I could take a picture of our guide so we could at least capture a piece of this story!

This picture must have been on my Mom's camera…I don't have her pictures yet! Too bad, it is really cute...

Almost feeling exhausted from our introduction to Maximon, Mike and I decided a beer was in order! Having finished our shopping, we took our beers on the boat to our final stop across the lake, to a pueblo called San Antonio, the poorest of the three pueblos we visited. On the boat ride over, no one could believe the private experience we had with Maximon!

San Antonio is one of the most vertical little towns I have ever seen. There are metal and corn stalk shacks that appear to be delicately balancing on the steep hillside. The streets proved tiring to climb near the end of our day. The women were sitting at looms with the brilliant yarns that are used to give so much life to their work. We watched them create. We climbed to the little white church propped high on the hillside for some photos. On our way down, we encountered a young Mayan girl who asked us to give her 3Q for the $3 she was holding. There is no bank in San Antonio. The people are unable to exchange dollars for quetzales. When American tourists pay in dollars, they practically become worthless to the people. I explained to her that those three dollars were worth a minimum of 20Q and in the future she should take no less.....with that, I handed her the 20Q I had in my pocket.

Mom loved the kids....



Our ride....

San Antonio....


The water was rougher the last leg of our journey back to Panajachel. We stopped for a snack that ended up including some rotten cheese! Mom didn't seem to notice, but Mike and I sure did…with that, we hoped she had not eaten too much. When we returned to our fancy hotel, we noticed a slight fiesta had begun next door, complete with plenty of gallo. With that, we decided we had experienced enough of the roughing it and went to find another hotel so we could get good rest before our long travel day. The next morning, we were leaving Lake Atitlan to go to the Sunday market at Chichicastenango. Close by, we found a gorgeous room that had three beds, a private bath, a beautiful balcony and a roof-top view of the lake that was incredible. This was all for $45! I had two $20’s and the $3 from the little girl in San Antonio…….that was sufficient!

Before heading out to Chichi...




We all slept great and woke up to yet another beautifully clear day. After taking some final pictures of Lake Atitlan from our roof-top balcony, we took a tuc-tuc to our pick-up point where we found a simple little restaurant across the street that had excellent pancakes and fried plantains. Our shuttle bus left Lake Atitlan at 8:30am arriving in Chichicastenango by 10:30am for the infamous Sunday market. Our drivers danced in the front seat to Spanish hip hop, while aggressively navigating the cliff-side road. Here, we walked the market, observing the colorful mass of humanity that had gathered. Chichi can be a bit overwhelming the first time you get stuck in the crowd practically unable to move, but Mike and Mom made it through without a problem. We visited the church and purchased a few final mementos before we strolled through the cemetery. We had Pepsi Light on a balcony over looking the sea of color, chickens in baskets, pigs in crates and the general chaos that ensued below. We left to have lunch at the beautiful Hotel Santo Thomas where we met up with a few of the new friends we had made traveling in our boat around Atitlan.

The colors....



The mass of people...



Other travelers that were on our boat at Atitlan...


Here we caught our shuttle bus back to Antigua. Remarkably…the rain continued to hold off through the entire afternoon! Again, we traveled with sunny skies, dry roads. Traveling the roads of Guatemala is one of the most dangerous things you do here. This trip, more dangerous was the man that got motion sickness and ended up puking right behind where Mom was sitting! Funny how English still is what I spew when I need to say something right now! The driver pulled over and we practically threw the guy out of the van. Mike gave up the front seat hoping the dude would be able to hold it together the rest of the trip. Thankfully, he didn't have more problems.

Arriving home in Antigua is always a great feeling. Even Mom said, “Wow, it feels good to be back in Antigua!” We were welcomed by a full house, complete with the family's of the two brothers, Alfredo and Carlos. Their five children were there and everyone loved me trying to tell, in Spanish, the stories of our trip. Of course, Maximon topped the chart! They knew exactly what had happened and explained that there is a “good” Maximon and a “bad” Maximon. We of course visited the bad Maximon where often people will come to wish harm or bad things on others.

Our balcony had a newly prepared bouquet of pink roses, a card and two gifts, one for Mike and one for Mom. My family is so wonderful, I will miss them greatly!



Our final dinner at the house with the entire family...




Natalia and Rosalinda prepared the meal. Again, my brother would talk for 10 minutes at a time and then say…ok, tell them that! We were all laughing the entire evening. The week was great practice for me playing translator. Rosalinda of course, just kept correcting me along the way when I made mistakes.

We went to bed pretty exhausted this night after a full day of traveling with our backpacks. The next morning, we went to have breakfast one last time together! Last minute, we booked a shuttle bus to the airport after the only two taxi drivers available were too suspicious for me to travel back with alone.

Our visit together was just amazing. Everything seemed to work out perfectly. Traveling the roads to Lake Atitlan and Chichi can be scary in the rain, so I was glad the sunshine allowed us to relax and enjoy the views. I was only able to share my photos, but between the three of us, we have hundreds. Being the travel guide, I didn't take as many pictures. Mike took gorgeous photos that I wanted to put on the blog, but with their size, it just took too long.
 
This blog is a wordy, with so many of their photos missing, unable to fill in the holes! More than anything, this is a record for us....of all that we did. I'll never forget this time we had together. Thank you so much for coming!
 
Two last notes....

Jennifer!, I got what appeared to be your third attempt at sending me a card in the mail. Thank you for writing; it was great to hear from you. Have a safe trip back to Iowa to visit your family. Please tell them I said hello!

Steve, you have turned me into an excellent tour guide down here! Thanks for teaching me the ropes, my family and I had the experience of a lifetime!

Until next time,
cathy