January 9th through January 15th

January 9^th through January 15^th: Monday we left early and drove with the Winkfield’s and the Hurst’s to Santiago Atitlan.  We have always visited Lake Atitlan from the north, through Solola and then Panajachel.  We visited Santiago maybe a year ago by boat, but really did not have the time to explore and see the town.  So we decided to stay 2 nights and really get to know the town.  Chris found a charming hotel, La Posada de Santiago, right on the lake and we enjoyed our stay at this hotel.  They let us check in even though it was only 11:00am (instead of 3:00pm).  

The front of our stone cottage.

The inside of our cottage with the fireplace.

View of the Lake and Volcano Atitlan, from in front of our hotel, La Posada de Atitlan.

A trumpet tree at our hotel.

After getting settled, we took a taxi to lunch on the other side of town at a hotel, La Bambu, that mom wanted to check out.  Our taxi was a pickup truck and we all stood in the back.  They have railings on the sides and a bar in the center to hold on to.  We have seen these taxis all over rural Guatemala and I have always wanted to ride in one.  We hired the whole taxi not wanting to be squished with 20 other people in a small space.  Lunch was great and we then had a tour of the hotel.  It is certainly another option if we ever return and need a place to stay.  

We had fun taking rides in the back of pickup trucks which are the most common taxis in rural Guatemala.

Click below for a short video of our ride.
        Pickup ride

Lunch and checking out Hotel Bambu.

View of Santiago from Hotel Bambu.

These girls were a little embarrassed to have their picture taken.

Another ride back into town.

We called our driver, the man with the pickup, and he came and got us and dropped us off in town.  We explored the church and walked around the market and stalls that sell the indigenous clothing. When we got tired each couple took a moto-taxi back to the hotel.  It was easier to use local transportation than to try and find a place to park the car.  

In front of the church in Santiago.

The wood carving on these alter pieces was incredible.  But I could not figure out why the saints had neckties.

There were two small alterpieces on either side of the main one.

This is the other small alterpiece.

Side door into the church in Santiago.

Part of the daily market in Santiago.  Notice the Volcano in the background.

Most people shop daily for fruits and vegetables.  They don't have refrigerators.

Would mom look good in this outfit?

Many of the streets in Santiago are only wide enough for moto-taxis to fit.  It is a real street, it even has a stop sign.

We took a moto-taxi back to the hotel.

Click below for a video of our ride.
Moto Taxi ride

We ate dinner at our hotel.  After dinner, I started a fire in the fireplace our room so we could be cozy.  It gets a little chilly on the lake.   But the wind was blowing and blew the smoke down the chimney and smoked us out.  We got the smoke going back up the chimney, but our cottage really smelled of smoke.  It just added to our experience.  Before retiring we hired a boat to come and pick us up at our hotel for the next morning.  Tuesday after breakfast, we just walked down to the lake and our boat was there and took us to San Pedro, about a 25 minute boat ride away.  The boat then waited for us to explore San Pedro and San Juan, a short 10 minute ride by moto-taxi.  Upon arriving in San Pedro we immediately took a moto- taxi to San Juan and went to a co-op of woman weavers.  They demonstrated how they spin cotton thread, how they dye it with natural plant dyes, how they prepare the thread for a particular piece and how they then weave on a back strap loom.  We have seen this in other places, like Oaxaca, but the thread they were spinning was very fine and the finished product was incredible. We just had to buy mom a scarf.  

On our way to San Pedro.

Click below for a video of our boat ride.     Boat ride to San Pedro

Once in San Pedro we took a moto-taxi to San Juan. So we visited Pedro, Santiago and  Juan, Peter, James and John.

This is the demonstration about how they spin the cotton, dye it, and then weave the tread into beautiful shawls and fabric.

Here are some of the plants and the colors that they produce.

The cotton grows on bushes that grow to about 10 feet tall.

The also grow a brown cotton.

Dying the cotton thread with natural dyes from plants.

Setting the color with a juices from the banana tree.

Counting out the number and length of the treads.

She demonstrated how they use the back strap loom to weave different patterns. The shawl she is weaving takes 15 days working about 6 hours a day and costs about $80.00.

Mom's new scarf.

We then visited some local art galleries and bought some small pictures.  On our way back to San Pedro we went to a look out and looked down on the town and the lake.  We shopped a little in San Pedro and then headed back to Santiago.  We went into town and ate at a restaurant we had eaten at when we visited a year ago.  Then we did some serious shopping.  Mom bought some embroidered panels to make pillows. 

San Pedro from a lookout above the town.

Here are the three 4 X 4 paintings we bought to hang in our kitchen.

Volcano Atitlan with a cloud that makes it look like it is spouting off.

One of the shops selling the traditional designs from Santiago.

The embroidered panels to make pillows with.

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A huipil from Santiago Atitlan.

Someone started a fire on the volcano Atitlan.

We found this book in our hotel.  The title explains everything.

A bird of paradise bush at the restaurant in San Felipe.

We ate dinner at the hotel and played a game of 5 crowns before heading to bed.  Wednesday we got up and decided to head back by way of Antigua. Mom has been trying to find a wood carving shop for a year now and we thought we had good directions.  We stopped in Cuidad Vieja, Old City, and visited the church.  We found the wood carving shop with the help of a taxi driver in Jocotenango, a town just north of Antigua, and bought a few things.  We then went and found a restaurant I had seen in the small town of San Felipe.  We had lunch there.  I had a very good steak and we will definitely be back.  On the way out of town we saw the market and a shop that makes silver and jade jewelry.  We had a tour of the shop where they cut and polish the jade.  I bought a jade ring for mom and they sized it while we waited.  We then went into Antigua and did some shopping at the market.  I bought a shirt of the local fabric they use for woman’s skirts. We stopped at the candy store on the way out of town and arrived back home about 5:00pm.  

A sugar cane truck crossing the highway on our way to Antigua.

We stopped in Cuidad Vieja on our way to Antigua.  This was the site of the first capital of Guatemala, founded in 1527.  But the city was destroyed 14 years later when the Volcano Agua let loose water, mud and rocks penned up in its crater.  This church is probably from the 1700.s.

Our new salsa dish from the wood carving shop.

Mom's new ring.

My new shirt.

We spent the rest of the closure resting up from our travels. I visited the temple a couple of times to see how they were coming with all of the projects they were working on.  Saturday evening we had the ward bishopric and my counselors and their wives to dinner.  We had a nice dinner and evening with them.  

Dinner with the Temple Presidency and the Bishopric.  L to R, Mom, Sister and Brother Reed, counselor in the bishopric, Sister and President Funes, my second counselor, Bishop and Sister De Leon, Sister and President Rosales, my first counselor, and Brother and Sister Rodriquez, counselor in the bishopric.

Sunday we went to the Mariscal stake conference and had the opportunity to speak.  We came home and I had a quick bite to eat and headed to a Coordinating Council Meeting for one of the 3 local areas here in Guatemala City.  

The choir at the Mariscal Stake Conference.

Mariscal Stake Conference

In the evening we talked to the kids and grandkids. Campbell, who was born a week before we left, is starting to walk and is such a cutie.  We miss them all, but feel good serving here in the House of the Lord.  We are anxious to have the temple open back up this week.  Life is good, God is great and we are so blessed.

January 2nd through January 8th

January 2^nd through January 8^th:  Since the temple is closed for maintenance until the 17^th, we decided to go to Rio Dulce and go down the river to Livingston.  The Winkfield’s and the Hurst’s went with us.  We stopped off at the ruins at Quirigua so that the Winkfield’s could see these impressive stelae left by the Mayans.  

This stone is about 3 feet in diameter and is in the museum in Quirigua.

We then drove on to Rio Dulce and stayed at the same hotel we have stayed at the last two times we have visited.  The Winkfield’s and the Hurst’s walked down to the San Felipe Castle.  Elder Winkfield hit his head on a short doorway and cut his scalp, scraped his arm up and sprained his thumb. That was not a great way to start a trip.  We then had dinner at the hotel.  

Dinner at our hotel in Rio Dulce.

After dinner, Elder Hurst and I went and hired a boat for the next morning to take us down the river to Livingston.  Wednesday morning we had breakfast at 7:00am and were on the boat at 8:00am.  It was a beautiful ride, passing the castle, Bird Island, mangrove forests and much more.  We stopped after about 2 hours and visited some caves and had fresh coconut juice.  I say juice and not milk because the coconuts were green and the juice is not white, but clear and there is hardly any meat. The meat develops as the coconut matures from the juice and what juice is left turns white.  One of the caves was a natural sauna and had steam from a lava vent. 

We are off on our adventure to Livingston. 

The park in front of the castle.

San Felipe Castle from the lake.

Click below to view the Castle

San Felipe Castle

Click above to view the Castle 

Bird Island

The flower that our guide showed us.

This is a very delicate flower.

Inside one of the caves.

The cave entrance.

Fresh coconut milk.

Click below to see how they cut a coconut.

coconut milk anyone?

Click above to see how they cut a coconut.

Between the caves and Livingston we stopped or slowed down a couple of times and kids would paddle their boats over to us and try and sell us souvenirs. They were Kekqui speaking.  The Polochic valley ends at the start of Lake Izabal.  In Livingston we walked around and our boat driver, who was from Livingston, explained the history of the town.  We had lunch and headed back.  We arrived back about 3:00pm, hot and tired.  

There were a lot of houses along the river.

Notice the satellite dish?

We bought a conch shell from this guy.

At times, we were in a canyon with cliffs on either side.

The river was beautiful.

Click below to see video of the river.

Rio Dulce

Click above to see video of the river.

Lots of mangroves.

Pelicans, Pelicans and more Pelicans.

Arriving in Livingston.

The Atlantic Ocean.

Mom's coconut soup had a few friends.

My lunch 

The bridge over the river.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.  Thursday morning the Hurst drove the Winkfields to Tikal. We had just been there the week before, but because it is only 3 ½ hours away I felt that they should go.  Chris and I spent the day painting and we went and checked out another hotel, Mansions del Lago.  It was nicer than our hotel and more than double the cost for a room, so we are happy with Vinas del Lago.  We had lunch there.  We spent the afternoon being lazy by and in the pool.  

The vegetation right outside our door in Rio Dulce.

The flowers were amazing.

View of the lake from the open air restaurant at our hotel.

Lunch at Mansion del Lago.

This guy tried to bite my arm off.

This is only to prove that we got in the pool.

Friday the Hurst’s and the Winkfield’s got back at 10:00am and we headed to a water fall that has hot water falling into a river of cold water.  We got a little lost, but finally found it, but decided it was too much work to change into bathing suits and get in the water.  So we just took pictures and headed back to Guatemala City.  

Trying to sell us fresh coconut milk.

These boys were carrying wood home so their moms would have wood for a fire to cook their meals.

Hot water falls.

Click below to see the falls.

Hot Water Falls

Click above to see the falls.

We left at noon and stopped in El Rancho for lunch/dinner at 3:00pm.  We hit a huge traffic jam and what usually takes 1 ½ to 2 hours took us 3 ½ hours to get the rest of the way home.  

Huge traffic jam.

Saturday I woke up with a headache and stomach problems.  I spent the day in bed.  Mom took care of me and did laundry.  Sunday we went to church and then to break the fast with the area missionaries.    We feel so blessed to be able to travel during the closure and see this beautiful country.