Guatemala-Part 1

We stole Mark for a week and flew to Guatemala (if you don't know why the heck we would go there, stay tuned for the next post).  Our adventure began bright and early--we pulled the kids from their beds at 5 am.  Addy was not happy, Marcus was confused but Katie jumped from her bed ready to get this started.  

Last time we flew was right before M & A's 2nd birthday and we were too cheap to buy a 4th or 5th seat, so having 5 seats this time almost felt like we were sitting in first class.  The first flight was short and easy, but as we were pulling out of Atlanta, the plane filled with a terrible smell.  They left us sittting there for a while and then told us the plane wasn't safe to fly.  Luckily, they found another plain pretty quickly so we were only two hrs behind schedule.

After we arrived and got out of the airport I had our shuttle driver take us to the LDS church office building where the president of my mission in Venezuela is in the area presidency.  It was so great to see him.

President Martino holding Marcus

We stayed for a little bit to catch up.  We finally left because the kids where acting like little hoolagins.  Then we headed to Antigua where we had the cutest little hotel.  We dropped our bags off and went to find something to eat.  It was dark at this point, so we stopped at the first decent place we saw.  We ate outside with candles and lanterns for light. (The place did have a swing set with a slide, but when the kids started to play on it, it looked like it was going to snap in half.)  About half way through the meal Addy starts crying about how tired she is and how she just wants to go to bed so we head back to the hotel.  We were supposed to have two king beds in our room--but it was two small double beds and a cot so Mark and I each slept with one of the kids.  We both woke up to kids stroking our faces--not cool in the middle of the night or at 6 am.  (The next night all three went sideways in one bed and we each had our own bed.)

After a yummy breakfast we set out to explore Antigua. 

We went to the market first.  I could look at all the different Guatemala arts and wares all day.  The kids liked it for the first 15 shops, but then they got bored.  There were some fountains in the middle of the market and a Christmas tree, so it gave them something to do.

I got a great bowl and we let the kids pick out one thing each.  Katie and Addy couldn't decide but Marcus knew right away he wanted one of the 'guitars'.  After he picked out his, Katie and then Addy both wanted the same thing.  Right around this time, the kids were starting to lose it so we went to lunch and then back to the hotel.

The kids in front of our room door--notice one of the guitars.

After laying around with the kids for a couple hours we headed back out to explore.  The city is all cobble stone streets and ancient buildings.  We explored some of their old churches with their statues of Christ and other scenes from the Bible and history.  We spent a lot of time on one street where all the artists sit and paint.  There was one group of a father and his four sons all playing different instruments.  Marcus did not want to leave them--he is really into music and instruments.  We let the kids give them a tip. 

There was another street performer on a unicycle who was juggling fire.  The kids were pretty impressed with him as well.

Finally we went to dinner.  The food we ate in Guatemala was delicious.  The last couple times we have gone to Guatemala we have gotten a stomach bug/thing.  So this time we avoided the authentic places (the last thing we wanted was 3 sick kids), and ate at all the places Europeans or American's had opened there.  Everything was healthy and fresh.  The kids were really excited about this place because the kid's menu included ice cream--it doesn't get better then that!

Sunday morning we got up and went to church.  I can't sing, but I LOVE singing hymns in Spanish.

  We left after the first hour since I was the only one who spoke the language.  We went back to the hotel to pack up and then headed out to eat and take a final walk in Antigua.

M & A had brought their class friend, Ribbit, to Guatemala with us, so we had to snap a picture of him in our hotel courtyard.

After lunch we met Jorge our trusted shuttle driver at the hotel to head out to Panajachel.  My parents just bought a place near where our programs are and we stayed in a house near theirs.  There were no car seats in the van, so much to my kids delight, they were able to ride like the "big kids" with just seat belts.  It took a couple hours to get there from Antigua.  We stopped by Casa de Sion on the way to our house to pick up my parents van (which my kids loved even more because there were NO seat belts).  Our house was pretty nice, it was located in a nice community with gorgeous views of Lake Atitlan.  Our house was a short walk to my parent's house.  We had three bedrooms but all the kids wanted to sleep together so we moved one of mattresses into the other room so they would all fit.  It was one big slumber party for the week.  At night Marcus would pull out his guitar and sing us 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'.

Monday morning we drove into Panajachel to hang out.  There is the greatest market there--at this point the kids are so sick of the markets because we keep telling them to "be careful" and "don't touch that".  Mark and I decide we will have to come back without them.  We walked down to the lake to see the boats.  There were some kids jumping in, which Marcus would have stayed and watched all day.  We rode a tuk-tuk (I don't think a got a picture this time, but if you want to see what they look like, click here.  They were the kids favorite thing in both Antigua and Pana) We ate at a delicious restaurant there, I had the best chow mein ever.

That night we took a walk around the neighborhood to check out some of the houses.  We ended up at my parents house right as they pulled up.  The kids were so happy to be with all my siblings again.  

On Tues we got up and headed to be with the 'cool people".  The kids quickly left Mark and I to hang with their aunts and uncles.  My parents set me to work translating on all the house work they needed done (we never learned construction terminology in the mission).  Mark sat out in the sun all morning reading, and ended up with about 200 bug bites all over his legs (last time he got pink eye while we were in Guatemala).  For dinner we went to Pana again with everyone.  After that whenever Mark and I went into Pana, we left the kids at my parents house.  The kids where happier and of course so where Mark and I.  Marcus loved being with Juana because she would make him homemade tortillas with honey and fresh squeezed juices.  Juana is such a tiny little thing, when Marcus gives her a hug he comes up to her waist.  The kids spent their time playing with my brothers and sister and going on walks with Grandma and Grandpa.  One time I checked on Katie and found her climbing a rock wall using the vines on the front of it like ropes.  It was pretty high, the height of one story of the house, I would have been scared for her if I wasn't so proud.

Addy falling asleep in the van on the ride home from Pana.

Friday morning we got up early and headed to Pana.  There we met Juan and his boat.  He took us first across Lake Atitlan to 'The Posada', a fabulous restaurant that my parents love, where we had a very yummy brunch with fresh squeezed orange juice (we had some sort of fresh squeezed juice whereever we ate the whole week).

Katie and Gabby

Seth, Scotia, Addy, Gabby, Kaite and Caleb.  They were so excited to sit in the front of the boat. Notice the volcano in the background, it is one of the three around the lake.

Marcus finally got up the nerve to join the kids up front.

After eating we took a tuk-tuk to the market in Santiago, where people got really excited to see so many Americans step into their booths.  We let the kids pick out one thing each.  Addy got a notebook covered in Guatemala fabric, Katie picked little dolls about the size of her fingers--moms and babies, and Marcus found a miniature Guatemalan bus, complete with baskets on top of it.  There was one shop that had these great candle holders that Mark and I had been looking for, but the lady wouldn't go down cheap enough and was being a little stinker (I think bc there were so many of us--and we had to be rich bc we were Americans), so I walked away annoyed.  Mark went back and bought them anyway because he knew I really wanted them, and he reminded me it was only the difference of $4.  I was annoyed at him for giving in until we got home and they looked perfect in our bathroom.

After the market the boat took us to Cerro de Oro where my parents used to have the orphanage.  We were checking out a feeding program there.  It was a beautiful boat ride.

When we got back to Pana we passed a booth where they braided a bracelet type thing in your hair.  I had promised Katie that she could do this, so we got one braided in her hair while everyone else left to run an errand.  While we were waiting for them to come back, Katie and I were sitting by the road playing with her new dolls, and a little girl came up to us and asked if she could put one in Katie's hair.  There are a lot of people in Guatemala who come up to you and beg you to buy their product, as much as I wish I could give everyone all the money they need to have the kind of life they deserve, I can't,  but I can never say no to a kid so Katie got two braids.  This little girl couldn't have been older then 10yrs old. 

That night after dinner we said goodbye to my family and Juana.  The new Guatemalan president was being sworn in on Sat so we had to get to the airport super early so that we didn't hit a traffic jam.  We left bright and early.  On the way to the airport poor Katie got carsick and threw up.  I had only saved out one clean warm outfit for each kid for that travel day, poor Katie had to change into dirty, not warm, clothes.

We got to the airport 5 hours early.  President Martino and Sister Martino came to the airport to see us off.  It was so great to see Sister Martino!  After they left we grabbed lunch and put on a movie for the kids.  The kids were angels all day; for the 4 hr flight, for immigration and customs, for dinner and the 3 hour layover in Atlanta, and for the 45 min flight to Charlotte.  They fell asleep on the plane to Charlotte and when we arrived at 11 pm they all woke up SCREAMING.  Somehow we made it through getting bags and the car and waiting in the cold with not enough clothing on.  We got them home and to bed...and woke them back up the next morning at 8:30 to get to church by 9:00.  

Welcome Home!
I miss the warm weather, and vacation.