Shopping Anyone?

If you love to shop for tacky tourist stuff, go to Panahajel. This small town is located in picturesque Lake Atitlan, a water-filled crater surrounded by volcanoes.



We journeyed through beautiful mountains. However, there was still evidence of Tropical Storm Agatha. Parts of the highway were blocked off with piles of rocks or mud and other parts were washed away (not usually a positive!). Some remote villages were destroyed by the mud slides and many homes are still buried under five feet of mud.

The lake itself was partially covered with a layer of garbage and lava rocks washed down from the mountains. We traveled by boat to three different villages. It was interesting to see how the locals made crafts and were most eager to sell their wares. We learned about coffee production and visited several churches and shrines.



Part of the ambiance of the area is having dogs stare at you longingly while eating (Anita failed the test and fed the dog and led Sue astray as usual.) and having peddlers persistently trying to sell you things (Even though you have politely said "no thank you" four times.).

It was a nice relaxing way to spend our last week-end in Guatemala.



Here are some fishing boats for rent. Any takers?

Going Back into the Past

On Friday morning before the sun rises or the roosters begin to crow, we flew to Northern Guatemala to see the Tikal Mayan Ruins. It was hot and humid. There were many miles to hike and pyramids to climb. Our legs protested having yet to recover from the abuse of last week-end. The scenery was worth the effort.

The mayans lived for 3000 years in the rain forests. Tikal was the capital that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of Ancient Maya. The Mayans had a complex canal system to bring water to the city. Salt and agriculture was important. Religion and customs were highly valued. They created 26 temples for their gods that represented everything from weather, harvest, birth, death and war. The temple shown measures 150 feet high. We climbed only 2 of the temples.

The jungle is never quiet. Parrots bickered, insects buzzed and monkeys played and you never felt alone. Even the howler monkeys joined in the chorus. They wanted everyone to know they were hungry. A busy community of creatures live in the jungle. This is a photo of a spider monkey.

Off We Go!

After traveling seven and a half hours through mountains and valleys of Guatemala, it is bewildering that people can see such beauty and still not believe in God. His creation is so spectacular! The photo does not do it justice.



In the Languin Caves, we were introduced to some of God's not so beautiful creatures.





On Saturday, we took a bumpy pick-up ride to Semuc Champey where we tubed down the Coban River, hiked a gorge, and enjoyed the natural spring pools. Thankfully, we did not have to find the German dude to go swimming.

Girls Just 'Wanna' Have Fun

We couldn't have a campfire because of Tropical Storm Agatha. So we gathered around candles (Thanks Jacqueline for the idea.) and made smores. We shared with one another how God has blessed us.



Do not try this at home. The highlight of the day is when the girls convince Douglas or Corbey to take them for a bumpy pick-up ride around the property. If you are the lucky one, you get to drive. However, there are always a few who miss the ride.



Another do not try this at home. Let's high jump! Check out those mats.

What Hasn't Happened in Guatemala?

Thursday night as we were walking back to our room, we noticed how slippery the sidewalks were. Apparently Mount Pacaya errupted and a thin layer of ash covered everthing. Some areas were covered with 5 inches of ash and rocks. On Friday, many schools were closed. Everything is okay at the Oasis. We just needed to do some cleaning. Mount Pacaya is several hours away from where we are but we are able to see the smoke rise from the volcano.



On Saturday, the tropical storm Agatha hit Guatamala. We had a very heavy downpour for about 24 hours. There was flash flooding and many homes were washed away. As a result of the storm, a big sink hole appeared in Guatemala City. It is 60 feet wide and 30 stories deep. It swallowed up a three-story building. Here in San Lucas there was not as much damage. Some roads were washed out and we did not have hydro for 63 hours. That made for some early evenings and no showers or running toilets. Thankfully, at the Oasis there is a water well and gas stoves.



Yesterday, we were informed that a second volcano may erupt. Mount Agua can be seen clearly from our window and it has been dormant for hundreds of years but it has now begun to grumble and complain. It has been a very interesting week-end. We can now add volcano and flash floods to our repetoire of school closure days.

Antigua, the Ancient City

On Saturday, we visited the city of Antigua. The picture is taken from the "Hill of the Cross" over looking the city. It was a misty day so we could barely see Mount Agua in the background.



We visited a convent and 'girls being girls' we had to go shopping next. At the market, there were lots of vendors selling bright scarves, blankets, purses, masks, jewelry, and even musical instruments. Time passed quickly and we hope to return. Some necklaces are calling our names.

A Day in Zapote

We traveled ninety minutes across mountains and three rivers to get to the village of Zapote, a small village with a population of 3,000 people, 5,000 dogs and way too many roosters. Main street consists of 5 homes. Most houses are made out of tin.


Kids Alive has set up a school that provides two meals a day and education for 100 children. This is the kindergarten class. They were happy to share a meal with us and it wasn't even beans or eggs. Yeah!!!


This little girl was outside the school watching a gym class. She looked like she wanted to be part of the fun but she was not enrolled in the school. Many children in Guatemala are not able to go to school because of poverty or lack of schools.

Food, Glorious Food !!!

Our reason for getting up at 5:45 every morning. Who can resist refried beans and eggs each day? On special occasions it is beans with cream and eggs or what about beans and boiled sweetened bananas? It does not get better then this...


except when you get to celebrate birthdays with a pizza party. No brown beans are in sight. Domino's even delivers up the mountain.


Look what we discovered-a little bit of paradise in Guatemala.

We need our sunglasses and hats before we go on our walk down the mountain. They were very excited about the afternoon excursion. Why do the girls never seem to tire as they climb back up to return home and we are gasping for air?

All dressed up in traditional Guatemalan clothing and ready to go to church.

These 'cutie pies' are Sue's students. Here in Guatemala the children often begin school at a later age. The girls are 8 and 9 and are just beginning to learn their alphabet and count. It is rewarding when "the light goes on" and they remember some of the concepts being taught.

The View from Our Window

We have been busy training for our future hike up a volcano. We walk up and down our own mountain and often end up out of breath. We blame this on the thin air of course. It is just tiring to think about this coming trip. Our hope is that some of the girls from the Oasis will join us.

Nightlife in Guatemala

Nightlife in Guatemala

We have a great assortment of nightly entertainment to keep us happy. Who can resist a free concert right outside our gate? The line up ranges from a guy loudly singing off key for at least two hours (Hopefully, he didn't get paid.) to a choir of dogs at 2:00 am. We also frequently have firecrackers popping and early morning rooster calls. What wonderful evenings of entertainment!

Near our compound we can see Agua, a dormant volcano. We are surrounded by several volcanoes, two of which are active and we can see the steam rise from their tops. It is quite beautiful. We hope to go for a hike up the volcano sometime (Although Sue will not allow any of Anita's shortcuts. We did learn something from Zambia.).

Beautiful Guatemala

We arrived safely at the Oasis Compound for girls in Guatemala. The flight here seemed like a breeze compared to the long journey we took to Zambia last year.

The Kids Alive Compound is located in the mountains so the weather is actually quite cool. (Boy, do we wish we packed jeans!) We can even see an active volcano in the distance from our room.

We will be spending most of our time working at the school on the compound. There are forty-four girls here on the property who have been rescued from abusive homes. We give out lots of smiles and hugs since our Spanish is a little scanty (or non-existent for Anita). It seems like there will be lots for us to do.

Before the Journey

Hi everyone,

The day before our trip and here we get a crash course on how to set up a blog. I have the 'bestest' nephew in the world who is very patient as we attempt this technological world.

Tomorrow is the big day. We leave at 6:10 in the mornng. My lucky niece gets to drive us and we leave at 3:00 am. What a ridiculous time to leave, we'd rather be sleeping. There better be no rosters in Guatemala because we do not want to get used to waking up at this time in the morning!

Bye For Now :)