Mi Padre

The last week I was in Guatemala, my dad came to spend some time with me and fly back with me.  We had a lot of fun together and got to see some really cool things.  He took Spanish lessons with me and is continuing them here (I have been very impressed).  He loved Guatemala and can’t wait to go back.  Here are some pictures of me and my dad.

This is a picture in a tuk-tuk, little Guatemalan taxis with two seats.  They’re basically motorcycles with a casing around them so more people can sit in them.  This was a fun pic, but a little hard to take on bumpy roads.

Mostly we did what me and my dad love best…taking pictures!  We had fun taking our time taking pictures.  Usually everyone gets mad at us for taking too long, but we took as long as we wanted!

Thanks, daddy, for coming down to Guatemala!  Love you!

Sillas

The last weekend I was in Guatemala, me and dad went to Antigua.  We stayed in a beautiful hotel that was full of antiques….literally spilling over the edges with antiques.  For example, I think the hotel owner ran out of room for little chairs and just put them on the wall.  It was a great effect, though.  Super cool.  I need a wall with chairs on it!

More to come from this super cool hotel!

Una Flora Extrana

At the reserva, there was a very interesting flower.  It was red with yellow  seeds and just the strangest little flower.

Plus it smelled really weird….

Does anyone have any idea what this plant was?!

Anyway, it was pretty….

Cafe

Coffee is a huge crop in Guatemala.  The volcanic soil in much of the country is so rich, it’s an excellent location for growing coffee!  A very popular method of growing coffee is shade-growing.  At the reserve, they were growing some shade-grown coffee.  Luckily, there were a few beans left.  I love coffee beans.  They look like real little berries.  Beautiful.

Las Mariposas….o no….

So there was a butterfly sanctuary in the reserve, but, unfortunately, there were no butterflies….well, there was one moth.  But I didn’t get a picture of it.  But there were lots of great flowers!

La Reserva

In Pana, there is a beautiful nature reserve.  It’s on the outskirts of town, so it’s quiet and full of actual vegetation that you just can’t see in Pana.  There are monkeys, a butterfly reserve (that actually has no butterflies), and (my favorite) swinging bridges!  The next few posts will be full of pictures from the reserva…

Swinging bridges are just sooo cool!

They’re absolute beautiful…and they were super anchored down, so no chances of falling!  Good stuff!

La Iglesia Centra

Guatemala was colonized by Spain, and thus follows the town model for most Spanish towns.  Catholicism was crucial in Spanish life and at the center of every town was a Catholic church.  In Guatemala, it is no different.  Every town, city, and village has “a church.”  Not to say that there might be other churches in the town, but the one church that the town is built around is considered especially important.  Parades come and go from this church, people get married at this church, and the town’s people look on pride at their church.

Many people will say that Pana got the short end of the stick on the town church, but I think this little church is beautiful.  I love the colonial architecture and, even though it represents a darker portion of Guatemala’s history, the fact that the church is there and standing and still respected by the town’s members emphasizes the historical significance of Spanish colonization.

The area in front of the town church is a large patio where people go to meet others, to sell their goods, and to get to know others in their community.  It is a beautiful model for a town.

A Relajar

Down by the lake in Pana, you can view the three volcanoes with the sun setting behind them, with a beautiful beach in front of you.

I often went down to the beach for a night of relaxation and to marvel in God’s beautiful creation.  Lake Atitlan is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Jennifer

We went to Santa Catarina and visited a family.  Over the bed was a basket….

What was in this funny little basket?

A baby!

Actually, Jen, the baby from here…

She makes funny faces…

El Visto

Panajachel sits on a lake that’s actually a caldera from a once-massive volcano.  There are three volcanoes surrounding the lake and beautiful hills falling into the lake as well.   It’s beautiful…

Some say it’s the most beautiful lake in the world…

I have to say…

I can’t argue.