Guatemala Day 4

 Day 4 way a Travis, Jessica, and Emree day. We grabbed a breakfast first (if you order ham, they will bring you bologna and chicken....) and headed to the Nature Preserve.

 

 

There were so many butterflies in the butterfly habitat:

 

It's important to know which trail to go on:

 Some native wildlife!

Heading back to town:

For linner we got some fantastic bbq. While we were waiting for our food, Sean was able to sit by his soccer-watching-peoples at the bar and enjoy the end of a Champion's League Final. You knew when a goal was scored because fireworks were shot off in the street!

That night we walked around with JC, and we found a giant chess board. It turned out to be quite the epic game, with lightening in the background and fireflies watching (which light white in Guatemala, not yellow). 

We visited the pie lady, and got some different milks for a snack. A good end to the day.

Guatemala Day 3

On our third day, we went on a tour of the lake with our parents. We went out on a chartered boat, and visited three of the cities around Lake Atitlan: San Juan, San Pedro, and Santiago.

San Juan was very artsy. We stopped by several art galleries, and walked by shops. It was a beautiful city.

By San Juan is the Mayan Nose. Can you see it?

San Pedro is known more as a hippy town. We went to the top of a hill to get to a huge Baptist church. It was very beautiful, and had fantastic views of the surrounding areas.

Last we went to Santiago. We were a little short on time since it looked like a storm was brewing. We went to the large Catholic church there. This church had some tragic moments during the the massacures during the 80's and 90's. I could see the Mayans seeking sancuary on the church grounds.

Then we went to lunch. This is what happens if you order a fruit plate in Guatemala:

On our way back to Panajachel it started to rain, and it came down hard for a while. Kinda fun during a boat ride!

Guatemala Day 2

We started out our second day with fruit filled crepes. The thing with crepes in Guatemala is they don't fill them with berries, they fill them with tropical fruit: mango, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, papaya. Amazing! (Not pictured.)

We went to see Travis and Jessica's home before setting out on a hike:

On our way out of town, we decided to explore Pana a bit. Below is one of the local churches, and LDS building that is under construction for the branch that meets there, and a local soccer field:

 

Below is a school with the word PAIN in the sign, a cemetery - the coffins are put in cement boxes above ground, road construction with cement blocks directing traffic, and a view of Santa Catherine - which looks a little like a European city:

More of the views on our hike around Pana:

 

We had Family Home Evening that night even though it was a Thursday night. In Guatemala, we can meet as a family any night of the week!