You see this in every procession - kids swinging around flaming incense. It reeks... but supposedly has a lot of significance. They only use this specific type of incense during Semana Santa.... and the kids are always excited to be swinging around fire :)
I just had to take a picture... apparently it's the new way to prevent theft!
Out on the dock at Lago Atitlan! Beautiful!
Lago Atitlan! It is surrounded by volcanos and beautiful little towns... I loved it!
We got to ride in one of these little boats to go to San Marcos... REALLY bumpy ride... but I love boats and so that in itself made the trip out there totally worth it.
Working on the alfombra...
This is the cutest baby in Antigua. His name is Anthony and he's only 1.5 months old. But, his mom thinks he is always cold so she bundles him up like crazy even when it is 80 degrees and so he is always a sweaty mess. When you hold him you are guaranteed a damp experience.
Flying over Antigua at the Cerro de la Cruz!
For Brenna's birthday on Sunday we of course had a pinata... and little Damaris just couldn't wack it enough... we practically had to pry the stick out of her hands
Little Anthony in his hammock. Yeah, that's right, he sleeps in a hammock... brilliant!friday: In the morning we got up early to go out to breakfast before hiking el Cerro de la Cruz but because there were SO MANY people in Antigua, the restaurants were all full (even at 7:30 in the morning!) so we had to settle with buying a yogurt and some banana bread before hiking up to the cross. Brenna and I got a weave in our hair in the park and these two little girls almost got in a fist fight trying to sell us bracelets...The "hike" was really simple but led to an amazing view of Antigua! We could even (sort of) see the parades going on for Holy Week. Afterwards we watched processions, ate some food, took naps, then went to help make alfombras! I didn't realize how much WORK those beautiful rugs are! We worked on our rug for hours and we had about 10 people helping out... and we just barely got done before the parade came and destroyed it all!! It was really quite relaxing to make and strangely satisfying to know that it was going to be destroyed. Weird. When we got back home we watched Avatar on Eddy's computer (he got it at some little kid's birthday party... I guess around here you can give movies as party favors because they are so cheap :) ).
saturday: Lago Atitlan! We got up nice and early and headed out on our minibus. I am seriously going to miss those rides. If I really think about it, they are probably the most terrifying parts of my whole Guatemalan adventure. I won't go into details to spare your nerves, mom :). Anyway, we arrived in Panajachel around 10 in the morning and took a little boat out to San Marcos (a more tranquil part of the lake). It was a really layed back day but I LOVED being on the lake! It had been a loooong time since I'd been on a boat and the area was just so beautiful. The water was clear blue (or turquoise in some parts) and the weather was perfect. It was a shame that we only planned on doing a day trip. Next time (because there WILL be a next time - I'm definitely coming back to Guatemala!!) I'm going to have to stay there a few days. Brenna's mom is in town and she went on the adventure with us too. We got back into Antigua at night and crashed... it was an amazing day.
sunday: Easter and CONFERENCE! I spent part of the morning trying to catch up on the sessions that I missed on Saturday and then was sad to see that I couldn't watch the Sunday session because the computers I had access to didn't support the media. Daaaang it. So, I listened to a lot of Saturday session on Sunday instead! Incredible. I LOVE CONFERENCE! I can't wait to listen to the rest! It was also Brenna's birthday so we brought the pinata that we never busted for my birthday over to her house. We had a delicous lunch cooked by her host mom and then smashed the pinata... the kids were so excited! Especially Damaris... she's such a cutie. It was a good day.
All right... I think that's about up to date! I am so sad that I am leaving on Saturday but excited for the adventures ahead too :)
I thought you had a blog but you must've started this one after mission? What an awesome experience! Love the photos! You back in nursing school next semester or what's the plan?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a terrific weekend! I miss you and will be glad to have you back in the states this Saturday.
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Mom