2 Feb--Nature Preserve--Butterfly House

Thurs, 2 Feb Eddi and i got up at early and were on the street on the way to the Mercado by 7:30am. first we stopped to get some fresh squeezed orange juice... i am now so spoiled ! then continued down the nice quiet empty street and saw the guy and his goats coming towards us. Lonnie and Jolene had told us that a guy came around in the early morning with his goats and people would come out and milk them to get cream for their coffee. and here they were ! does it get any simpler than that ? on our way to the market we passed San Francisco Church. it was a landmark that Lonnie gave us so we wouldn't get lost :) we got to the market and outside there were so many wonderful looking fruits and veggies and then some not-so-wonderful looking things but not much was going on inside. we did have a Pupusa, a corn tortilla filled with chicken, topped with cabbage, salsa, and cheese. not what you'd think of a breakfast food, but i was hungry and it was good. we stayed outside the market and people-watched ... it is amazing how hard-working and strong these people are then returned to Lonnie and Jolene's to pick up more flyers for the spay neuter clinic. and saw this beautiful flower by their walkway. then we walked back down to the Market and posted our flyers. the market looked much more like a market at 11am than it did at 9am we stopped at the school by the market and talked with the 'principal' about the clinic. she said she would talk with the children. as we were leaving, i saw this recycled 'wastebasket' made out of plastic bottles ... i LOVE it ! we met Lonnie and Jolene and at 12:30 we caught a Tuc Tuc to take us to the Nature Preserve and Butterfly House. as we approached the entrance, i saw a milkweed plant, ... sure enough, a recently laid egg, as well as one about to hatch (the dark spot) ... there were also coffee beans laying out to dry we saw some Coati (racoon-like animals) and some Spider Monkeys playing in the trees and on the ground this is really a tropic garden; i was impressed by this huge Birds Nest Fern plant ... i used to grow these at my house ... but obviously, not this big ! there were several rope bridges that lead to a large waterfall ... i'm not very good at heights ... maybe 100 feet ? timed photo from Lonnie a great view of the volcano from the top of the trail it was a very nice visitor center with this nice sitting area .. and those GREAT flowers that i still don't have the name for we also visited the Butterfly Farm and saw some new butterflies; although there was no identification for any of them :( Lonnie caught this beauty just as we got there and some beautiful flowers one of the many orchids native to this region and this insect The Hotel Atitlan is close by, it is the 'high-end' hotel on the Lake. interestingly, you have to pay 55 Quetzales (US$8) just to get in the gate, but then you apply that to your food or beverages. since were were looking for food and drinks, that was ok with us. the grounds the are beautiful and full of flowers with a pretty view of the lake the hotel restaurant is very colorful with typical Guatemalan table and the food was great. we all had the avocado stuffed with curried shrimp and good bread ... there's not too much good bread here, so that was a treat from there we walked back to Pana and back down to the SunSet Bar for another beautiful sunset it looks like the volcano is erupting in this photo and the last one but of course, that isn't the end to our day .... we went on to dinner at a Chinese restaurant with 2 guys singing country music. those old tunes always remind me of Capt Robin and The Hokey Band; amazing since it's his birthday! i requested "The Perfect Country Music Song" ... they knew it, but couldn't play it :( another busy day. it has been so nice to have our own personal tour guides. Lonnie and Jolene have been wonderful. it's so fun to be in a place like this with friends from home. i can't believe we do so much in one day !

1 Feb--San Antonio by Truck

Wed, 1 Feb Ground Hog Day ... funny how you never forget some things .... i had to explain the whole concept to Eddi ... i don't think she was impressed. i spent some time on the internet this morning until Lonnie and Jolene picked us up after their Spanish lessons. then we walked down to a nice little deli in a beautiful tranquil setting and had lunch. eating here, always takes a long long time ... so you just need to relax :) then walked to the other end of the village to catch a pickup truck ride. on the way i couldn't resist this sign us running to pile in the back of the truck with many other folks it was kind of 'tight' in there the ride was beautiful as we rounded the corners. this is a village on the way, Santa Catalina Palopo, with a population of 1,000. the name of the village is Santa Catalina, and the State is Palopo comes from the word 'tree' and 'many' we were on our way to San Antonio Palopo, population 9,000. another small village on the lake. this particular village is known for it's pottery; which is why they wanted to take me there :) the buildings here are made of cane and mud. unlike other villages where modern tools are used in construction, everything here is made by hand. Eddi used her Spanish to 'snag' Fernando who took us to the 'fabrication' of pottery. we went down many small alley-ways and made sure he stayed with us so we could get back out. it was a maze to get there we passed this corn being dried ... it will then be ground and made into tortillas etc it was wonderful to see their process, which was so close to what we do at the KIA. they use red earthenware clay and the majolica process. for my pottery friends ...... i saw lots of molds pots drying in the sun their kiln, run by propane, the white rectangular box on the right side of the photo. we understand they have larger kilns; but we didn't get to that site the clay mixer in the foreground and the artists who are painting, there was a younger boy was an apprentice. i was very impressed by his ability to paint his design in a circle and end up with everything perfectly spaced ! oh, and the view out the window of their 'studio' then we went to the store and made some purchases. this particular pattern is specific to this town. it's very pretty we spent a little time walking around the village and spotted this cat taking a nap ... i miss the kitties at Madi's view of the village from above it is difficult to see in this photo, but they make use of every possible piece of land to grow crops by using terracing. you see it everywhere ... reminded me of Greece the pickup truck ride back to Pana had beautiful views again. it was not unusual to see the villagers walking along side of the road there will be a free neutering clinic next weekend. when we returned to Pana, Lonnie and Jolene needed to put up signs around the local stores to try to get the info out to the villagers. then we went to Lonnie and Jolene's rooftop for a cocktail and to watch the sunset .... unfortunately there were too many clouds and there wasn't any color tonight. then we headed to dinner. tonight we decided to eat on the streets from the 'ladies'. they cooked the meat and made tortillas and we put it together and sat right there and ate. it was good food and US$2 :)

31 Jan--Casa Del Mundo

Tues, 31 Jan awoke early on our first full day in Panajachel. i took a few photos of the view from our room of the gardens and pool below. it's a nice little hotel, good location, and quiet. we have WiFi here, but for whatever reason i cannot get the signal in my room ... so i need to go down to the 'lobby' and pick it up there. Panajackel is usually referred to as Pana. it is the largest, or most popular, village around the lake. it is where the tour buses stop; then people take the lanchas (boats) from there to the other villages around the lake. Lonnie and Jolene were treating Eddi and i today to lunch at Bill's restaurant across the lake. they picked us up around noon after they finished their Spanish Lessons. we headed down to the boat launch and were just in time to catch the little boat just as it was about to leave. these boats are called 'lanchas'; they do not run on a schedule, but leave whenever they have a full load. we were lucky that they were just about full, so on board we climbed and took off. Bill's place is called La Casa Del Mundo Hotel and Cafe. it is a beautiful setting and plantings, with well thought-out arrangement of buildings, with special touches and all on the side of a volcano ! for my gardening friends glad to see they are recycling .. what an attractive way of doing it ! inside the restaurant. the food was very good. Bill's wife, Rosie, prepares all the menus we had lunch and then Bill gave us a personal tour of the 'facilities'. it is incredible that he designed, engineer, and built this himself .... with local workers who have become like family. he is an incredibly kind and generous, talented person who had a vision and was able to make it happen. he started building in 1989 and added buildings as it was possible and continues to have ideas for more. he now has 20 rooms, the restaurant, wood heated hot tub (on request), and is building a sauna at the water's edge. a view from the terrace from one of the rooms beautiful stone terraces and wood work with incredible views he has so much of himself in everything you see around here .... this wonderful stone bench this would be a wonderful place to relax and stay for awhile. i would highly recommend it! as you can see, we are quite high on the side of the volcano. it's incredible he has built this all the way up here Bill has really given a lot of thought to the layout: the rooms have balconies with a beautiful views, as well as a 'quiet' place in the back ... with hammock he took us back to Panajachel in his boat ... view of La Casa Del Mundo ... you can see how it is built up the side of the volcano another small village built on the edge of the lake there is one unfortunate example of bad taste around the lake ... somehow someone managed to get permission to build this ugly out of place complex on the lake .... what an eye-sore ! Thank you Lonnie and Jolene for a wonderful day ! Eddi is one of those unfortunate persons who react severely to bug bites. needless to mention, the was eaten alive in Caye Caulker. today her ankles were quite swollen and looked infected. we decided it was time to visit the Farmacia. the Dr was not in, but his son was, who seemed to know what he was talking about. he prescribed an antiobiotic for her. the Dr will return in the morning and Eddi will speak with him then. we strolled further along the shoreline for a sunset drink at a different restaurant. as the case these days ... there aren't many tourists around. most places have few people in them. and most of the vendors sit all day with few sales. i don't know how they make it. the women approach you with their beautiful colorful handmade scarves, blankets, belts, eye glass holders, you name it .... we all feel so bad not buying from them ... they are asking ridiculous low prices for these items and still, few people buy ..... it is heartbreaking ... i ordered a rum and coke, then changed my mind to a Cuba Libre, with no lime. the waiter returned with TWO rum and cokes for me, both with limes ... i have to work on my Spanish :) no problem, i drank them both :) it had gotten quite cloudy, the wind picked up, and it appeared like there wasn't going to be a sunset tonight. we were all cold, cold, yes, cold ! .....this is the part i don't like about being here :( so Eddi and i returned to our hotel to get jackets and regroup later for dinner. Lonnie and Jolene picked us back up for dinner and said that yes, indeed, there was another beautiful red sunset ... we just didn't wait long enough. good lesson there. Eddi declined on dinner, wisely deciding to keep her feet elevated and take it easy. i had the Tilapia for dinner, it was good. it is inexpensive to live and eat here in Guatemala. there are 7.5 quetzales to 1US$. our room is US$23/night split between us. my dinner last night was US$7, and my fish tonight was US$8. i am really enjoying it here with Lonnie and Jolene ... and it's wonderful to have our own personal tour guides !