Guatemala - Part XIV

(How's everyone doing reading the Roman numerals?  lol)

Tuesday, June 30th
This was travel day.  We piled in the van and hit the road heading for what's called the "Highlands" of Guatemala.  But we had some misadventure before too long.

Who thought it was a good idea to put that under the front passenger seat?!

But after giving the van a few minutes to cool down, filling it with water, and some really dumb luck (or divine intervention) finding the cap that blew off earlier, we were back on our way again.

Almost all the driving was through the mountains with scattered signs of civilization such as small towns and farms.

Firing bricks.

Zoom in.  Apparently cows in the Guatemalan mountain towns don't need fences.
They must be better trained than cows here.

Like grandma like grand-daughter.

I was blown away by the location of some of the fields.
If you think these inclines are a bit much, wait until you see some of the pictures from the next couple days.

We finally reached our destination well after dark.  A handful of us went out hunting for food after getting settled at the hotel.  I for the second time on this trip ate food sold from a cart on a street corner.  It was some of the best food I had the whole time there - Hawaiian chicken street tacos.  I know, right?!
And then it was time to get some sleep in preparation for all the adventure we were about to have the next day.  While I have no real adventures planned for tomorrow (unless you count my eye appointment), getting some sleep does sound like a good plan.

Guatemala - Part XIII

Monday, June 29th (second part...also known as my favorite part)

The second thing we did on this day was travel back to Antigua and go church (and church ruin) hopping.  This was the only time it rained the whole time I was there.  So we would arrive at a church, hop out in the rain and take pictures, jump back in the van, go to the next, hop out...quite the little adventure!  These places were amazing!

Iglesia San Filipe de Jesus

Iglesia de San Francisco - the saint, not the city in California.

La Concepcion church ruins (ruins of the convent are around the corner)

Ermito del Santo Calvario - started in 1618 with various repairs and reconstructions due to earthquakes ever since.

Los Remedios church ruins

Iglesia de la Escuela de Cristo

View from an entrance of Iglesia Santa Clara (and convent).  Volcan de Agua is in the background...I think.

I could have looked at old churches all day.  We didn't see probably half of them.  Some dated back to the 1500s.  Most had been repaired or altogether reconstructed due to multiple earthquakes over the course of history.  Many had convents or monasteries attached.  My friend's family learned quickly that day that old churches were a source of excitement for me.  Even if we were elsewhere seeing something else, they were sure to point them out to me.  The country is full of them!  While we have McDonald's or Walgreens on every corner, they have ancient churches.

Guatemala - Part XII

Monday, June 29th (first part)

We started this day by visiting an "ecological park" - basically a nature preserve with space for picnicking and playing.

Yeah.  What the squirrel said.

Guatemala City from a distance...looks like rain.

How many sisters does it take to balance a big brother?

Testing the balance skills.

Girls just wanna' have fun.

Waiting their turn for the zip line.  Braver than me!

Climbing out of the park.

A strange bit of the local flora.

Guatemala - Part XI

Happy Birthday to me!  Sunday we went to Mass and then had lunch and cake with some of my friend's family.

Playing ball in the driveway

Sunday lunch...not my usual birthday food, but still good!

Some nummy-looking birthday cake!

I got two birthday songs!  After one false start, everyone sang to me first in Spanish and then in English.  I couldn't eat the cake, but the brownies were Corrine-friendly, so I got to eat those.  They were amazing!  If it wasn't so expensive and time-consuming to get to Guatemala, I'd go back just to get more of those brownies!

Guatemala - Part X

Saturday, June 27th (second part)

After all the market-visiting and food-trying, we visited the nearby city of Antigua.  This was just the first taste we would get of this historic place.  We started at the top of the Cerro de la Cruz with epic views of the town and volcanoes, and ended the evening with music and a rest in a pretty plaza.

The "cruz" in Cerro de la Cruz.

Volcan Agua and Volcan Fuego seen from the top of Cerro de la Cruz.

 

Iglesia de la Merced - the original was built in 1546.  This is the 1773 reconstruction.

Marimba band!

 

Parque Central and Catedral de Santiago

Arco de Santa Catalina

Iglesia el Carmen - eerily lit ruins today, the church's origins are in 1638.

Guatemala - Part IX

Saturday, June 27th (in part)

A day full of new sights, sounds and tastes!  We walked through some local neighborhood markets - and not your neighborhood Walmart either.  "Corrine!  We have another strange food for you to try!"  And I did if only because the look of skepticism on my face was a source of amusement for children and adults alike.

Star Trek pod thing with the texture of a fleece blanket?  Sure I'll eat that.

Not a cantaloupe.  Not a mango.  Not real sure what it was.

Dragonfruit looks weird, but it is nummy!

I got a gold star for all my bravery eating new foods!

Lunch from a cart on a street corner...and I lived to blog about it.

And now I can say I have drunk from a coconut...also from a cart on a street corner.

Strawberry with a bad hairdo?

Definitely doesn't taste like a strawberry (hairy or otherwise), but I imagine that's the texture of an eyeball.

Guatemala - Part VIII

I have arrived home!  Unfortunately, I was not able to do any posting while I was there, so I'll be doing a series of posts now that I'm home, sharing stories and pictures.  And here's the first one!

I left Nebraska on Thursday, the 25th.  In the wee hours of the next morning, my friends arrived at LAX where we got in line to check bags and start the journey together from California to Guatemala.

What better to do when waiting in line than read about monkeys jumping on the bed?

Panama City coming into view.

My first passport stamp!

Watched movies on the plane.  Had very little to eat.  Arrived in Guatemala in the evening and only by some miracle got all the people and luggage into and on the van!  Really not sure how that even worked.

And thus the adventure began!