First off, I need to clarify this post by saying, I don't expect another soul on the planet to read all of this (-- or any of the posts on my blog for that matter.) This post is just my attempt at journaling a wonderful trip, so it is particularly long and full of a million pictures. It won't mean much to others the way it will to me, but I am glad to get all my thoughts organized so I can look back and remember this fabulous week!
My parents left to serve a mission in the LDS Guatemala City Temple in May of 2011. When they left, Steve and I thought, "We'll have plenty of time to go visit them. 18 months is a long time, after all..." Well, 18 months is a long time, but you know what they say: time flies! We felt like we may never get the chance to take a trip like this again, that is, with such wonderful tour guides!!! And boy, were we right... this trip was AmAzInG! Here is a little overview of what we did.
Day 1: September 20, 2012
Traveling to Guatemala. We had a great, uneventful trip. We arrived in Guatemala City at about 9:00 that night. It was so fun to see my parents at the airport. I can picture them smiling and waving at us as we walked out. I will love that memory forever.
Plane ride there... lots of extra seats on the flight - who doesn't love that? Plenty of room for a pregnant girl to stretch out!
Arriving in Guatemala - the first of many times I'll make Steve pose :)
Day 2: September 21, 2012
Here is my parents' apartment complex where the missionaries who are working in the temple, live. Also, part of this complex is the Guatemalan MTC.
Their apartment complex is just a short
half-block or so from the temple.
half-block or so from the temple.
That first morning we were able to go to the temple with them. It was such a great experience. My parents got to officiate the session and Steve & I got to be the witness couple, probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The sessions there are small (a full session is about 35 people). The spirit was so amazing. Steve and I had to wear the little headsets so we could hear the words in English.
After the temple, my parents arranged for us to go to Lake Atitlan for the weekend. It is so beautiful! On the way to the lake, we stopped at a neat place, called "Iximche," which is a historical area of Mayan ruins from the late 1400's to the 1500's.
It was just a taste of the amazing history in Guatemala.
Random skinny dogs are everywhere in that country! Here we are in front of just a few of the ruins of Iximche.
Here is an area of Iximche where Mayan shaman still perform ceremonies and receive guidance from the spirit world.
Our guide, Manuel was sooo fabulous. Here he is explaining that a shaman has just finished a special marriage ceremony. The people were gone, but the ashes from the ceremony were still burning. This was an engagement ceremony, where the shaman asked the spirits if a couple was supposed to get married. They built a fire, then offered a bunch of flowers and fruit for sacrifice, then they cut the throat of a live chicken. Now, if the chicken dies immediately, then the marriage was pleasing to the spirits. If the chicken struggles (and..... I'm going to just take a wild guess, and say that all the chickens struggle when their throats gets cut?) then that means that the marriage was doomed with evil. But -- do not fear. If you sacrifice the chicken, cook it, and everyone eats it, then the marriage is saved. The remains of the chicken were still burning! So luckily, the marriage was going to be fine. :)
Here is an awesome pic of my parents at Iximche, with my dad wearing his Jackie O sunglasses. More about the glasses a little later :)
Then we left Iximche and continued our journey to Lake Atitlan.
Here is a funny pic of a random dog (I'm telling you, stray dogs are everywhere!) on the roof, that we saw on the drive to the lake. Funny stuff.
When we got to our hotel, it was so beautiful! The pictures don't even do it justice. The lake, the mountains... indescribable!
Here is the restaurant dining room, so pretty!
Day 3: September 22, 2012
Here's the view from our hotel room balcony at Lake Atitlan... gorgeous! With the lake, and the volcano right across the way.
That morning we walked down to the shore to find someone to take us across the lake to one of the little cities on the water. My parents had been to a couple of the little cities before, and we decided to go to San Juan.
On our boatride across the lake, we could see how the locals farm the land all the way up the mountain, it's pretty incredible.
Here is the little city we went to, San Juan.
When we arrived in the bay, there were some little boys crouched on the dock, fishing with just a little piece of fishing line and a tiny hook. They were catching bait fish, to sell to the local fisherman.
Here is a Guatemalan woman in San Juan, weaving fabric with an old loom, the same way her ancestors did it, and -- oh yah -- she's talking on her cellphone! Ha Ha!
The girls there are always carrying things on their head, and the men carry these gigantic bundles of sticks on their backs. It seems like time has stood still there sometimes... except for the cellphones that is :)
Here is my mom in a little "tuk tuk", which is a little Guatemalan taxi. Just enough room for 2 people. They make "smart cars" look big!
When we arrived back in Panajachel from San Juan, I told my dad his Jackie O sunglasses had to go. He didn't understand why. He thought they were great, and so did my mom. So I bought him a pair of "authentic" Guatemalan Ray Bans for $7. My dad was sick about it, because I definitely shouldn't have paid more than $6 :)
There is some awesome shopping in Panajachel, but if you can imagine it, Steve and my dad didn't want to shop! So, my mom and I stayed and shopped, and the boys took a taxi and went to ride the zipline that was nearby. Everyone was happy! Sadly, they didn't take a camera with them, though. So.... no pics of the zipline.
After dinner that night, we walked around the gardens of the hotel. I know I've already mentioned this, but it was soooo beautiful!
Day 4 - September 23, 2012
On Sunday, I wasn't feeling very well... uggh! A little bit of Central American Food Poisoning, I'm afraid. But we had planned on going to church, and I was really looking forward to attending such a small branch. I knew I wouldn't get the chance again soon, so I still wanted to go.
Here is the inside of the church - the whole church! It was so tiny! It was a cool experience.
After church, we walked around and did a little shopping in Panajachel again. People kept thinking that my dad and Steve were missionary companions. The little kids would say, "Missionarios!" Funny. Even though it looks like Byron is wearing a missionary tag, he isn't. That's his sunglasses case in his pocket. They just noticed the white shirts and ties. That would be a couple of "old elders!"
Here are a couple pictures of the shopping market in Panajachel. Here you'll find all of the Guatemalan trinkets you can possibly stuff into your suitcases!
These little boys came up to my mom and said, "We know you! You're the nice lady who buys our cards!" Sure enough, she told me she had bought cards from them a couple of months before. So crazy that they remembered her! My mom was so fun to shop with. She was amazing at getting the prices down, and making sure I got the best deals on everything.
Here is a great picture (from the shopping area) of the typical Guatemalan electrical wiring jobs. Not exactly done to "code," I don't think. I don't know if you can appreciate the mess that this wiring is, from this picture.
After shopping and getting some lunch, we headed back to Guatemala City. Here is a funny pic of a guy just hitching a ride on the back of that bus. I saw this so many times while we were there, it was hilarious!
This was at a neat spot where you could see several volcanoes in the distance. Byron isn't big on having his picture taken over and over throughout the day, so as you can imagine, traveling with me required much patience on his part :)
On our way back to the city, we had stopped to buy a few things at a little stand. Luckily, they hadn't run out of dead squirrels before we arrived!
Day 5 - September 24, 2012
The next day we headed to the city of Antigua. What a neat place! This city is known for it's painted wood carvings, like fruit and such. There are also some amazing jewelry stores that specialize in local jade. I got a pretty jade necklace and earrings (thank you Steve!)
We ate breakfast at a great little hotel, called Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo. I had this fabulous deep-fried french toast... which made my mouth quite happy. My parasitic stomach? Not so much.
Here we are on top of the hotel, where we watched a volcano erupting in the distance.
The little shops of carved wood...
This cute little guy was just playing with a carved wooden car... so dang cute!
The missionaries were in town for a zone conference meeting - we saw them all at the jade store.
While Steve, my mom, and I continued shopping, my dad opted for a shoe-shine from these cute little brothers. My dad asked, "Which one of you guys is the best? They both answered, 'We are the same!' "
My mom and me getting some great deals at the market...
Here is Steve in front of a pretty cathedral in the center of town...
After Antigua, we went back to Guatemala City again. My parents wanted us to stop by a local park, and see a neat 3D topographical map of the country. It is made of concrete, and gives a cool view of how mountainous the whole place really is. You stand on top of these towers to look at it. My engineer-husband especially loved it!
There is a lot of Book of Mormon history in Guatemala. Looking at this map was great to help you picture where things are a little better.
Day 6 - September 25, 2012
On Tuesday we flew up to Tikal and had such an amazing day! My parents arranged for us to take a flight there after they learned the hard way that it is too far (and too bumpy) to drive!
Waiting to board our little plane...
Right after we walked in the park, we saw a tarantula. Our guide asked, "Do you want to hold it?" I knew my kids would think it was awesome, so I said, "Sure."
Just as I thought, this picture got the best response from my boys. I've heard them telling their friends about it too. Funny stuff.
Tikal was such an amazing way to end our fabulous trip! At one of the giftshops in the park, there was this adorable baby with her mama. I wish I could have brought her home as a souvenir!
Day 7 - September 26, 2012
Travel day back home. Nice and uneventful. I was so happy to get back to my kids and my own bed. But, that being said, this truly was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We couldn't have done it without my awesome parents (and my awesome in-laws too! My kids were so well cared-for at home, I didn't worry a bit.) I will treasure this experience forever.
