John and Christine's Adventures: July 4th through July 8th:

July 4^th through July 8^th: Wednesday we got up and drove to Palestina de los Altos, because it was market day and we love the local markets. It was crazy busy with people crowded into the small streets.

Wednesday morning and we are off.

Market in Palestina de los Altos.

We were going to drive to San Marcos, but after 30 minutes we realized that it was going to take us a long time to get to Retalhuleu where we wanted to spend the night. So we turned around and drove back to Quetzaltenango and then on to Retalhuleu. It was a very bad road with lots of pot holes and sections of dirt. We went straight to the ruins, Tak’alik Ab‘aj, which are about 30 minutes northeast of Reu. (Nobody likes to say Retalhuleu so it is known as Reu.) We had a guide and they always tell you more than you really want to know or can remember. The ruins are much older than Tikal, about 900 BC, and show a connection with the Olmecs from Mexico. They built with rock and mud so the ruins are really ruined, pun intended.

Tak'alik Ab'aj archaeological park.

Our guide

Ball court.

Steps going up to a temple.

You could hardly see the carving on the rocks.

Alligator carving.

The archaeological part also had some rescued animals.

Afterwards we went into Reu looking for a hotel. We found a Chinese restaurant for lunch and I got to practice my Chinese. We then went and found the hostels of IRTRA, Instituto de Recreación de los Trabajadores de la Empresa Privada de Guatemala, or the Workers Recreation Institute for the private business of Guatemala. They were very nice and only about $80.00 for the night.

The building behind them is our hotel.

We had hundreds of peacocks around the grounds and on top of the building. Now I understand "Proud as a Peacock."

Our room was on the second floor and this guy came to visit.

They are right next to two parks; Xocomil is a water park and Xetulul is a park with rides, like Disneyland only not as big. Everything was very well maintained and beautiful. We checked in and then went to the pool. It is a lot hotter and more humid here than in Guatemala City. The pool was great.

Enjoying the pool. It is almost dark. The underwater lights are on.

Under the waterfall.

Sitting by the pool.

Thursday morning we enjoyed breakfast in a beautiful open-air courtyard with a huge tree in the middle. We had a couple of hours to kill before the parks opened so we played some "fruit salad" a new card game.

This is the courtyard where we ate breakfast.

Breakfast was great.

We rode a train over to the parks. It went under the highway and was very convenient. We decided that we did not need to go to a water park because we had a nice pool right next to our hotel room. We did however walk around the mechanical rides park, as they call it here. We bought a ticket for 12 rides that everyone could use. So we each got to go on 2 rides. Our first was on the log flume. We all got soaked but it was already quite warm so it was good, except for those whose hairdos did not fare well. They had fans that sprayed a mist on the sidewalks and that allowed you to cool off.

The train ride over to the park.

The entrance to Xetulul.

Click below to listen to the band.

Large marimba band playing at the entrance to the park.

We are going to get wet.

I am about to get wet. I am doing a video of the ride. Front seat.

Definitely getting wet.

Click below to ride with us.

Join us on the ride.

They had a lot of famous places recreated.

Mom's second ride was on the pirate ship.

Click to ride with the girls.

The girls go wild.

We went back to our hotel room and most everyone went to the pool. Check out was at 1:00pm so we were on the road back to Xela shortly thereafter. We arrived and mom sent me for clothes soap to do some laundry. While I was out, I stopped by a market that is right below the temple. I thought I had spotted a woman that was selling used huipiles. Sure enough, I bought 3 and as I was leaving a woman asked if I bought huipiles? I said yes and she said that she had some and so she told me where she would be in the morning. We went to the 4:00om endowment session and then had dinner in the cafeteria.

Just finished our endowment session.

Thursday afternoon's find #1.

Thursday afternoon's find #2.

Thursday afternoon's find #3.

Friday morning we had breakfast and on our way out of town we stopped to find the woman I had talked to the night before. We found someone who agreed to show us where the woman said she would be. The market was a maze of corridors and people selling everything imaginable and without help we would never have found her. We bought 2 more huipiles and worked our way out of the maze.

Friday morning market in Xela.

Friday mornings purchase #1.

Friday mornings purchase #2.

We came out a different place and we could not tell where the car was. We walked for awhile and figured out where the car was. Mom spotted a Mega Paca, a popular store similar to Goodwill or Deseret Industries, and she said they would wait in Mega Paca while I went to get the car. I got a taxi back to the car. The market was huge and we covered a lot a real estate finding her spot in the market. We drove straight home.

Stack it high.

Everyone was ready for their own bed and some down time. Saturday mom and I worked all day making pillows. I designed, cut and pinned the fabric and mom sewed. We make a good team and finished 20 pillows.

These are some of the pillows we made Saturday.

Sunday we went to church and afterward Sarah Lyman came over and picked out 2 pillows to take home as a gift. Our plan is give a lot of these pillows away to people we have met and love.

Sarah picked out two pillows from Comolapa.

Sunday afternoon I worked on the blog and mom made chocolate chip cookies. We are getting ready for another road trip to Tikal on Monday. Our son-in-law, Alex, and grandchildren, Miles and Ellie arrive at 11:00pm. We will sleep for a few hours and then head out. The closure is great, but it is not relaxing or restful. We will need a vacation to recover from 2 weeks of traveling and seeing this beautiful country, but what a blessing.