Guatemala...Day 3

After a quick breakfast of fruit, toast and unbelievably good coffee, we loaded our luggage back onto the bus and headed for Panajachel, Guatemala. On the way, we were scheduled to stop in the town of Tecpan to explore the Mayan ruins of Ixiche.

The drive was beautiful, and I was fascinated by the fields that the people farm. They plow any land available...most of it being on steep inclines.

The "highway", and I use that term very loosely, was narrow, and wrapped around a mountain. There were no dividing lines and no guardrails, and there was major construction going on. Guatemalan construction is a bit different than ours. First of all, it is a VERY long process...years and years and years. Their equipment is limited and dated. The workers shut down one lane for HOURS while letting the other lane continue to move. It isn't uncommon to be stuck for three hours or more.

Luckily, we were not in the lane that got stopped and were able to travel through easily and quickly...easily if you count clinging to the side of the mountain in a top heavy tour bus with cars zipping around you, while you try not to look down the side of the cliff to the rock bottomed creek below.

We reached the ruins right on schedule. I have to admit, I was very excited about this excursion. Ancient history has always interested me, and to be able to explore Mayan ruins was a dream come true.

After Sister Lynne negotiated our entrance fee, we were free to explore the small museum and then the grounds. This picture is of a diorama that was set up in the museum. This is what the ruins looked like when complete.

Looks like blunt force trauma to the head... What do you think?

This was our first glimpse of the ruins themselves...

Here we have a closer shot of one of the ruins...

Let me put that last picture in perspective so that you can get a true grasp of the size. This is the same ruin with two of our friends standing atop.

As I mentioned in my photo blog, one of the rituals that the ancient Mayans performed was rather grotesque. A female virgin would be placed on one of the smaller altars at ground level. In order to complete a rite of passage into manhood, a guy would kill her, rip her heart out, race up the steep narrow steps and present it to the king while it was still beating.

I wonder two things...(1) What happened if it stopped beating before he got to the top...did he get a "do over"? (2) What did the girls get to do in their rite of passage? Hmm...think on that....

There was one altar still in operation. In fact, a family was in the process of making offerings to the "gods" with the help of their "witch doctor" while we were there. Photography was prohibited...but, thanks to a zoom lens and a few friends to block for me, I was able to get a few images...

In the first shot, you can see the "witch doctor" (in the green sweatshirt), the dad and two small children. Evidently, this particular god likes Big K...they offered him/her two 3 liters. I'm not sure what they were burning.

The god also likes papayas.

The offerings are placed at different stations around the altar. Candles of different colors are also lit depending on what you are seeking from the god.

After watching for a few minutes, I decided to explore further. I don't know about you, but I would have to question the validity of a "god" whose temple had a potty like this one...

Here are a few more ruin shots...

After the ruins, it was time for lunch and our second Guatemalan meal. We ate at Katuk...a restaurant that specialized in kabobs. They were tasty...but the pineapple was the best...divine.

This also happened to mark the beginning of my love affair with Naranja de Soda (rough pronunciation: Na-ha-ron-ja duh Sord-ah). No, that isn't the name of a hot Guatemalan man...it's the name of a cool and delicious fruity drink.

Basically, it's like lemon-aid, but instead of lemons, you use oranges and instead of regular water, you use soda water. Oh so refreshing...Then, we were back on the bus and heading for Panajachel.

In order to reach Panajachel, one must travel through the city of Solola. Which, isn't a big deal...unless one happens to be riding on a ginormous tour bus. Then, Solola becomes a bit tricky. Why? Well, the streets are a on the narrow side.

This is where the problems started...

Now, see the two buildings on the right? We needed to turn between the red brick building and the yellow w/orange stripe building.

Oscar, our bus driver's assistant had to get off the bus to help with the navigation. Notice the little boy watching the spectacle.

Speaking of people watching the spectacle...here are some people in their cab watching us...

Everyone in the cab was smiling, and didn't seem bothered at all when they had to get out of their cab and walk the rest of the way to their destination due to our impromptu road block.

This guy however, got tired of watching, and needed a restroom break...since you have to pay to use restrooms, this electrical pole looked like a good alternative.

Obviously, the bus would not make the turn. Fortunately, there were some friendly law enforcement employees willing to help in exchange for a"tip" (a more accurate term would be: bribe) . We backed down a one way street. Then, our escort RAN ahead of us down another one way street for about a mile, stopping traffic so that we could get through.

Before long, we were over the mountain, and catching our first glimpse of the lake...

the streets of Panajachel...

and our hotel...

Guatemala...Day 2

Monday April 28
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Let me begin by saying that I was completely prepared for sub-par hotels, restaurants and restrooms in Guatemala. In fact, I was disappointed to find out that we would be staying in a nice Radisson rather than in a corrugated tin lean-to. This is a third world country after all.
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When my flight was cancelled due to mechanical failure on two different planes, and when I had spent 12 hours in an airport terminal due to those failures, and when I spent half an hour circling over Cuba dumping fuel to avoid a burning inferno in case of a crash landing... wanting to sleep in a decent hotel just doesn't seem to be asking for too much. Does it?
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We could tell that the room was a bit on the funky side, and turning on a bunch of lights seemed like a bad idea. Since the air barely worked and the circulation was at a minimum, Mark and I slept in two separate beds.
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Thanks to my friend Nyquil, I slept well. When I woke up around 9:30, I thought it would be a good idea to open the door to the balcony and let some fresh air in. As I turned around to head towards the bathroom and a cool shower, I glanced down to see that I had spent the night sleeping on this:





Now, had we been in Guatemala when I made this discovery, I would have thought it a bit yucky, but I would not have been ill or angry. BUT, I was in AMERICA, in Miami, and I'm sorry, but I just expect a little better than stained sheets. Oh, and my pillow also had the same stains on it. So, my bedding was not stained (a stain would imply that someone had actually washed the sheets), no, my bedding was soiled and then left unwashed when the bed was remade. Unfortunately, in a hotel that I hadn't paid for complaining would have gotten me nowhere.
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Obviously, I wasn't able to eat anything prepared in the kitchen at the hotel, so Mark and I called for the shuttle and told everyone that we would meet them at the airport.
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We made it through security, checked our luggage and had a nice brunch at a Cuban restaurant. Afterwards, we headed to the gate and settled in for our 5 hour wait. By this point, my attitude was much improved. I read a book, Mark read the paper. We played a game of Scrabble (oh, how I love my travel scrabble).
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After everyone else arrived, we all spent the next hour wandering around the terminal spending the food vouchers the airline had given us. Peanuts, chocolate, bottles of water, cheese fries and Starbucks...lots and lots of Starbucks.
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Twenty minutes before our flight was scheduled to board, an announcement was made that it had been delayed twenty minutes. After all of our delays the night before, this was not a good sign. So, we gathered into a large circle and prayed. Within 3 minutes of our prayer, another announcement was made...our flight would be boarding right on time...and it did!






The flight was blissfully uneventful. I took a few shots of the clouds through the window. Later, when I previewed some of the pictures, I found this:



The shadow of our plane against the clouds, encircled by a rainbow. Thank you Jesus for your protection, a hedge around us, just as we had asked for!
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After having our passports checked, retrieving our luggage and wandering through the maze of heavily armed guards, we pushed our WELCOME carts outside to wait for the missionaries and our bus.


Remember how I had been expecting a tin lean-to instead of a hotel? Well, my ideas on our transportation were along those same lines. I had envisioned a converted school bus with no exhaust pipes or air conditioning and our luggage tied on top. Instead we had a luxury tour bus...cushy seats, cold air, luggage compartment underneath, and huge windows to look out.




We had to stay at a different hotel than we had originally planned for the first night. I hate that I didn't get a picture, but believe me when I say that it was NICE. Check-in was a breeze, our room was large, the bathroom was gorgeous and the sheets were pristine.
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After settling our things into the room, we met with the missionaries, the AIMers, and the rest of the group for an overview of the trip. We learned what not to eat...anything from a roadside vendor, any fruit we didn't peel ourselves, unrecognizable meat, etc. We also learned about pick-pockets and thieves and the safest place to keep money...a little in your purse or wallet in case you were held up, more in your bra, and emergency money somewhere "creative".


We also had our first Guatemalan meal.



At 11 it was off to bed. We had to be up, re-packed, fed and on the bus by 8:30am.

Guatemala...Day 1

Sunday April 27
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We loaded our luggage (3 suitcases, 1 huge duffel bag, 1 camera bag, 1laptop bag, 2 carry on suitcases and 1 large carry on) into the truck and headed to church.

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When we arrived, all of our things were loaded into a pull-behind-trailer. I spent some time introducing Carol to the people that would be helping to get Forrest to and from youth functions and trying to chase down Chloe and Cammie for kisses. Chloe and Cammie were more interested in getting to their Sunday School rooms, and if I hadn't been leaving for a foreign country for 8 days, I'm sure I would have marveled at their love for their teachers and the house of God. As it were, I spent a few minutes sulking and pouting.
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We were able to participate in the worship service. Then, the 25 of us who were part of "Team Guatemala" were called to the front of the church to be prayed for. It was an unbelievable feeling. Knowing that we were about to embark on this journey, knowing that God would not only use us to bless others, but that He also had plans to change us and bless us...it was such an humbling feeling. Yet, there was also a feeling of unmatched excitement. Almost like Christmas morning...when you know that there are great gifts waiting for you under the tree, but not knowing exactly what they are or what will be unwrapped first. It was just a broad mix of emotions.
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After we were prayed for, we were dismissed for the airport. We all piled into the church vans and were off.
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The flight into Miami was scheduled for1:40. We checked-in and then had a bit of lunch. Our flight was right on time, and things went smoothly.
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We arrived in Miami a short time later and we had an hour and 15 minutes before boarding our plane at 6:00 (Miami time) to Guatemala City. When we reached the International terminal, we found that our flight had been delayed an extra 45 minutes...no problem, there was a Starbucks in the terminal and I had travel Scrabble.





Our departure time kept climbing. At 7, we were notified that due to "maintenance issues" with our plane, they were calling in another plane and our new departure time would be 8:30. We were informed that our dinner in Guatemala City had been cancelled and that we should eat dinner in the airport. So we did.

Finally, at 8:30, we boarded the plane. We had been in the air for about 15 minutes when something felt wrong. I pulled my earphones out and asked Mark if he felt it. Mark is not easily excitable (understatement), so he rolled his eyes at me and said "No, it doesn't feel wrong, it feels like turbulence. Don't worry about it". I rolled my eyes too, just to let him know what I thought of his experienced-world-traveler-know-it-all-self, and put my earphones back in.

A few moments later, I hear the pilot make a muffled announcement. I pull my earphones out just in time to hear him say that due to a "mechanical failure", we were turning around and going back to Miami. Oh, and he said we shouldn't worry. Hmmm...there is a mechanical failure, we're turning around, don't worry...which statement doesn't belong? It seems to me that the pilot was obviously worried or we wouldn't be turning around.

Our group begins to pray (yes, all of us...yes, out loud). Thank the Lord, we made it back to the airport and landed safely. The pilot then comes back on to let us know that the instrument panel had gone out!!!

The plane is unloaded, and we are told to wait in the terminal for further instructions.

Luke decided to play Airline worker and took over an empty information desk. He also dialed a number listed on the plane and requested that a new plane be sent to our terminal. Unfortunately, a real worker came over and scolded him. Fortunately, we were not tossed from the airport.

After 20 minutes, the airline announced that our flight had been cancelled and that arrangements were being made to rebook our flights and for hotel rooms for the night. We were near the front of the line for re-assignment which was a great thing since it was taking an average of 10 minutes per person to be re-booked. The bad news was that we wouldn't be able to leave Miami until 6pm the following day. There was an early flight, but not enough seats on it to accommodate our group.

Food vouchers, hotel name and new tickets in hand, we went down to claim our baggage. The not-so-customer-service-oriented fellow working the baggage claim area made it clear that we would be in for a long wait if we "insisted on retrieving our luggage" instead of "just letting it go on to Guatemala and picking it up when we got there".

We "insisted". It took a long time. So long that we all sat on the little conveyor belts that had signs that said "Do Not Sit", except for Luke who laid on it, and Mark who laid on the floor.

After an hour, our luggage finally came circling around the carousel. Next stop, 20 minute wait for the hotel shuttle.




It took two shuttles to carry all of us. The men gallantly let the ladies catch the first shuttle, while they waited the 20 minutes for the return shuttle.


After a bit of confusion at the check-in desk, and some very rude "other guests" Mark and I finally stumbled into our room at 2:30am...only to find that our air-conditioner was actually an air-circulator. I took a shot of Nyquil and finally, slept.
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I would like to point out that we somehow managed to get TWO planes that were faulty...

...that Mark, in all of his many, many flights, has never had a plane turn around and go back to the airport.

We later found out that our plane had been circling over the ocean dumping fuel because of concern about landing without an instrument panel. Thank you Lord for protecting us!

Disclaimer...

Okay, so I know that I said I would post an update of our trip...oh a week ago. And, really, I had every intention of doing so.

Then, well...I spent the week in sheer denial of all of the things that *needed* to be DONE. So instead of doing things like laundry, grocery shopping, and updating this here blog...I did things like read two books, sleep late and take naps. I did manage to buy Mother's Day gifts and cards, which, should count for something.

In order to help fight off procrastination and overwhelmedness (yes, I made that word up), I am going to post a recap of each day of our trip daily. I do, however, reserve the right to skip a day if I am over taken by overwhelmedness and the right to post two days worth of recaps in one day if I am feeling especially frisky.

I shot a little over 2,200 pictures...and there is no way I can upload that many pictures onto blogger...so I will post a few each day and maybe, possibly upload the rest to Flicker...we'll see.

We're home...

...safe and sound.

Turns out, we did NOT have internet access in our hotel. Look for an update later this afternoon...