Okay, so this is my feeble attempt to show you the panoramic view from our room on the top floor of the Posada de los Volcanes.
We really liked the hotel. The rooms were VERY CLEAN and the showers were hot. The staff was friendly and helpful and the view was lovely. We would recommend this hotel for everyone, except honeymooners. (The walls were a little thin.) However, if you look closely in the lower right hand picture, you can see some roosters. Contrary to popular belief, roosters do not crow in the morning to wake the farmer up. They actually crow from 3:00-6:00 am, and it's not really a crow. It's more of a strangled screech. But it's all part of the cultural experience, and we even think fondly of the roosters, now that we're home and sleeping through the night again.
This is a picture taken from the window in our room looking out on the balcony. We occupied the entire fourth floor, with our party of 7. That's Sugar, my brother, and Mom.
One of the best parts of our hotel was the driver, Renando. He drove us all over and we all felt completely safe with this man. He backed down streets that I would have been afraid to drive forward on. And good driving is important on those roads.
So, on the 2nd morning, we packed up and loaded the van to head to Chichicastenango. This is a huge open air market. People come from all over Guatemala to sell their goods. It goes on for as far as you can see and it is a "sensory overload" experience. Here are some pictures...
These women are all lined up carrying their chickens in their arms and babies on their backs.
Colorful textiles.
The chicken bus booth.
Some people and scenery.
Now, here is a picture of us with some of the street vendors. In the middle is my mom. If you look closely, I think you can see written on her forehead, the words, "Please show me your stuff. I want to buy something." More than once, my brother had to grab her hand and rescue her from the mob of street vendors. Or did he rudely interrupt a good bargain? We may never know. :-)
Blessings to you,
Mamita J
While in Panajachel, we took a boat tour of the lake. The natural beauty is overwhelming and pictures just do not do it justice. The lake is over 3000 feet deep, and it is surrounded by 3 volcanoes. The mountains literally fall directly into the water. There are no gently sloping shores. The shades of blue are so dramatic, it's indescribable.
We left early in the morning and sailed for over an hour to the first village, San Pedro la Laguna. As we arrived at the village, I begin to fear that we have bitten off more than we can chew. My mom is with us. She's over 70 and had a stroke a couple of years ago. She's not the most stable, sturdy walker I've ever seen. And this village goes straight up the mountain. Can we do this?
Yes, we can.
Anything that has the motivation of shopping is a challenge my mom can conquer. :-D Up the hill we went, cobblestones and all. We stopped at lots of shops along the way and rested every so often, but we did it.
We jumped back in the boat and headed to the next village, Santiago la Laguna (I think that's the name). This was a much smaller village and it was flat! Hallelujah! They had market stalls all along the road and we enjoyed a short time there.
Back to the boat. Another ride to Santa Catarina Polapo. This village was very small with lots of kids playing. The women and girls of this village wear their hair up in a special way. In one of the shops, a lady did Sugar's hair up so we could see how they do it.
Here are three little girls all dressed in their village clothes. Aren't they adorable?
All in all, it was a wonderful day and we had a lovely time experiencing the unique culture that each village has to offer.
Blessings to you,
Mamita J
...Sorry to leave you hanging.
The next morning, we woke up and toured Lake Atitlan all day. I'll share about that next time. When we returned to Panajachel, guess who was waiting for us....M__ and her younger son T___. Yes, we bought some more stuff. This is me with M___ on the right and T___ in the middle. I am a whopping 5'2". I feel like a giant in the land. But I digress.
After making our purchases, we headed back to the hotel, and then straight to dinner. We had not eaten since breakfast, because we did not know what food was safe in the villages. So, we headed back to the "good meat restaurant".
TE, Sunshine, and I ordered "Dinner for Two" to share between the three of us. The menu said, "comes with two steaks, two chicken breasts, two pork chops, two Italian sausages, and two pork sausages". So, we figured this means little appetizer bites, since it is meant to feed two people. Well, out comes a platter piled high with meat. Each chicken breast was twice the size of a regular restaurant portion. We all ate our fill, and this was what was left...
So, we're all sitting around, digesting, and trying to figure out what to do with all this leftover meat...and who should come by to sell me bracelets???? It was A___, the young man with the bad language. He looks at me and then at the meat...and then I knew what to do.
So, I called the restaurant owner over to ask for a box for my friend. The owner brings him a plate and fork and sits him down at the table behind us. This man treated A___ with such dignity, it was truly humbling. And again, I was reminded that the little boy behind me was not only A___, he was Jesus in disguise.
After he ate, we boxed up the rest of the meat and vegetables for his family. It felt good. This time when I said "Dios bendiga", he said "gracious".
I know I can't solve the problem of their overwhelming poverty with a piece of chicken. But, that night, A___ went to bed without the gnawing pain of hunger in his side. And I went to bed at peace with myself.
We arrived at the Posada de los Volcanes , unloaded our bags, and asked the front desk for a recommendation on a good restaurant. He told us to try this restaurant 4 blocks up the street. It has good meat. We found it, sat down, and ordered. Now, this restaurant is open to the street. There is no wall or door. It's like a stage...and we're the main attraction. As soon as we sat down, the street vendors, especially children, swarm around our table.
"You like?"
"How much you pay?"
"How about this?"
"I make you good price."
We bought some little trinkets and the kids ran off. But we noticed a lady that seemed to be waiting for us just outside the restaurant.....
After we ate and were satisfied (The food was very good.), we stepped out into the street. Sure enough, she WAS waiting for us. If you've ever been to Panajachel, I'm sure you met her too. She stood about 4 foot tall, slender, looked to be about 30-35. Her name was M___. Now M___ is the MOST AGGRESSIVE salesperson I have EVER met. In Antigua, if you say, "No, gracious." three times, the street vendors will move on to someone else. Not M___. Oh, no. She hung on to us like a young dog playing tug-of-war with an old sock. It took us forever to walk the 4 blocks back to the hotel. We found out that M___ has five children, the youngest was a newborn. He was being carried on the back of A___, the 11 year old. Now we had already bought something from both M___ and A___, but A___ is still trying to make another sale while my husband is in the bank. Finally, I get down on his level, look directly at him and sternly, but gently say, "No mas", "No more". "Dios bendiga","God bless".
He turns to me, and practically spitting the words at me, says, "Dios bendiga? Dios bendiga! You go to @#$%. You blankety-blank American. &#%&^$ you! You son of a #$%#!"
I look at my brother and he looks at me. Did he just cuss me out in English? Yes, he did. The worst stuff Hollywood can dish out. He called me those things!
I just said, "No, no" in a gentle, hurt way.
So, he stormed off and we went back to the hotel.
.....But I couldn't sleep that night. Besides the roosters crowing and the fireworks blasting, I was thinking about a little boy who cussed me out.
What was I thinking?......
Bless those who curse you.
If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
While I was concerned with how I could share Jesus with these people , I realized that I was staring at Him in the face. He was hungry. He was tired. And I had given Him a "Go, and I wish you well."
But God gave me a second chance....
My head is filled with so much that happened in Guatemala. I'll try to begin at the beginning and take it a chunk at a time.
On the two days prior to the trip, we had freezing rain and temperatures right around 31 degrees. When we went to bed, the temp was 31. I put out a prayer request. Did I mention I was near panic by this time....Last time we went for a visit, we had freezing rain. We sat on the plane at the gate for 3 hours. We missed our connecting flight. We lost one day of a long weekend with our daughter, Cupcake. So we tossed and turned and pleaded with God to either stop the rain or bring up the temperature. When we woke up at 2:00 (am), the temperature was 34!!!! Praise God, things were looking up!
We had a smooth flight, with no problems. We arrived in balmy Guatemala City on time. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport. We loaded up and headed for Panajachel (Lake Atitlan). We had had breakfast in Atlanta at about 8:00 that morning. It was now about 2:30. I kept thinking of asking the driver to pull into a Burger King or Pollo Campero, but I thought, "Oh we'll be fine. We'll eat as soon as we get in. It's 2.5 hours. We can do this." Big mistake....
Now I've read that Guatemala is mountainous. I've been there twice before, but we always stayed in Guatemala City and Antigua. The roads are windy and you go up and down, but the mountains are more... what you call... "scenic". Well, we drove for quite a while on these windy, scenic mountain roads. Then we hit the mountains. Oh my word! The only thing I can compare it to is the road up Pike's Peak. You know...sheer cliff up on one side of the car, sheer cliff down on the other side. Except there are trees to block your fall on the down side. And you're not going up and up and up. You're going up and up and down and down, and up and down and there are switchbacks every 40 feet. Oh yeah, and the chicken buses coming at you at 50 mph - and they yield to no one. And people are passing you on blind curves. And you are passing chicken buses on what appear to be blind curves. And there are people walking and riding bikes on these roads.
I will say this...the roads were very well paved and I never felt in danger. Our driver was excellent. More on him later.
Anyway, 2.5 hours into this, I tell the kids we should be there any time now. The driver looks back and says, "It's about 1 more hour. The normal road is closed. We took the other road. Sorry." We're all pretty green. The kids are near meltdown. I'm wilting fast. I'm eyeing the window to see if I can open it, stick my head out, and hurl. But we endure. We suck it up. Just when we think we can't go on another minute...
This comes into view...
All I can say is "WOW!" The hunger and nausea are forgotten in the breathtaking grandeur of this scene. We drive on for another half hour. Then we stop at a scenic lookout. 
This may be the most beautiful place on earth! God's magnificent glory is displayed here for all to see. It's the same kind of awesome as the Grand Canyon, except it's incredibly beautiful. The shades of blue are indescribable. The volcanoes are majestic. It's breathtaking! Absolutely stunning! WOW!
We jump back in the van. Another 45 minutes, and we finally arrive in Panajachel, hungry, tired, and awestruck.
Blessings to you,
Mamita J
A few Christmases ago, our 8mm camcorder broke. We've been using new video technology since then. So the old tapes have been gathering dust...long forgotten memories stuck in a drawer. Until this week. We had borrowed my mom's 8mm camcorder, so we could transfer the videos to DVD before it was too late. It was too late... Her machine was broken too.
Okay, PLAN B. S found an 8mm video player at work and was allowed to borrow it. We have been watching old memories these last few days. TE, who never talks, was a motormouth. He kissed his sister and was very protective of her. Now she is just a pain in the neck to him. Sunshine was the most adorable toddler! He spent hours holding his baby sister. And at the age of 3, was already looking through the Lego catalog and asking for the (Star Wars) Sith Infiltrator. We have been rolling on the floor, busting a gut. Then, little Sugar, as a baby WOULD NOT COOPERATE with the video camera. Every sequence would start with my voice, saying, "Now Sugar is going to smile for you, she's been smiling all day." Deadpan. "Gitchie, gitchie, goo! Come on Sugar, smile for the camera..." Nothing. Next video..."Sugar learned to laugh today. Daddy's got her giggling." Nothing. Dead serious. Next video. "Sugar is rolling over. C'mon Sugar, show us what you can do." She looks at the camera like she has no idea what I'm talking about. Every single milestone is recorded in history by my voice explaining that she really did do that on so-and-so day. What a hoot!
I am so thankful that we have these memories recorded. I had forgotten so much of the fun we've had these last 15 years, since we had kids. If I can ever figure out how to put them on here, I will share some of my favorite moments. For now, I just have a warm fuzzy heart.
Bless you all tonight.
Mamita J
There is so much hope with a new year coming. Maybe things will be different this year. I might lose that 20 pounds. Perhaps I'll become organized. Maybe the kids will do chores with a smile. This will be the year my kitchen counter stays clean. Okay, now I've crossed the line between reality and fantasy....
But what I really hope is that this is the year Cupcake comes home. I hope this is the year all of my friends on the long road home bring their kids home. And for those friends who've suffered incredible loss this year, I pray 2008 is the year that brings healing, peace and a new hope for their lives.
As we shouted "Happy New Year!" and blew horns, I was filled with hope, and yet overwhelmed with sadness for the orphaned children of Guatemala. On December 31, 2007, new adoptions of the children were halted. Most likely, they will never open up again. Orphanages will lose their funding, most are supported almost exclusively from private adoptions. Government social services are non existent. Kids will die. The reality of what has happened is too awful to think about. All because the folks at UNICEF talk loudly and have big money. In their zeal to end corruption, they ended adoptions. They literally threw out the baby with the bathwater. For more on UNICEF, click here.
We all want to see corrupt people meet justice. We want our adoptions to be legitimate. But we want adoptions to continue. We want birthmothers to have a choice. If they want their children to have a better life in America, they should have that option. These children deserve to have the opportunity to grow up in a family, instead of an institution. Or worse, to not grow up at all. This is so wrong, on so many levels. The need is so great, and I am so small.
But...
My God is so big. He knows each of these children by name. He knows their needs. He will not stop loving them. I don't know how, but He will make it all right. In the end, His justice will prevail. There is reason to hope, after all, even in this.
Blessings to you,
Mamita J
One of the best parts of our hotel was the driver, Renando. He drove us all over and we all felt completely safe with this man. He backed down streets that I would have been afraid to drive forward on. And good driving is important on those roads.
These women are all lined up carrying their chickens in their arms and babies on their backs.
Colorful textiles.
The chicken bus booth.
Some people and scenery.
Now, here is a picture of us with some of the street vendors. In the middle is my mom. If you look closely, I think you can see written on her forehead, the words, "Please show me your stuff. I want to buy something." More than once, my brother had to grab her hand and rescue her from the mob of street vendors. Or did he rudely interrupt a good bargain? We may never know. :-)
