Last day in Antigua

I am heading home tomorrow after a whirlwind tour of Guatemala. Everyone is slowing down and feeling a bit "not right" from something.  I went out this morning to go say goodbye to Felix and now resting in my hotel ready to be home. 

Pix from the last couple days.

San Juan de Laguna and Willi

Today we traveled by boat across Lake Atitlan to San Juan de Laguna, a small town of 3,000 that are almost all indigenous Mayan people. The town has changed so much since I worked here on  a Habitat project of something like 14 houses. Back then, we probably were about the only outsiders in town, but today I found it had been discovered and maybe 100 tourists were wandering around. We visited a women's cooperative that makes thread, dyes it in natural dyes including avocado, onion, basil; and then hand weave it into various  items. Let's just say, I am covered for Christmas! 

Later in the day, I talked everyone into going to visit the Habitat project I worked on back then. I had met a family that I really got attached to and especially a boy named Willi who was about 12 at the time. We found the Colonia after hunting around for a bit and it was great to see the neighborhood thriving after so many years.  After asking around, I found out that Willi is now 19 and working for the National Police. Someone called his mother who was working and she came back to the neighborhood for a visit. Very touching for me to connect with the community again and all the memories I have of that experience. Thank you Peter and Betty. 

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Chichicastenango...

  What a day today. We started out with a Mayan cleansing ceremony performed by a Shaman which lasted about an hour and involved a sacrifice of a chicken. Then a tour of the city cemetery and then shopping in the local street market which extends about a half mile in each direction. So many local indigenous people are there from surrounding towns selling things, it's hard to move around. 

 We are in Panajachel tonight on Lake Atitlan and plan to go by boat to the small town of San Juan de Laguna tomorrow to see the houses I worked on for Habitat seven years ago. They also have a women's cooperative for beautiful hand woven things. 

Antigua to Chichicastenango

Today we traveled on the Pan-American highway through the mountains for about four hours to get to the historical Mayan market town of Chichicastengo. Most of the population are indigenous Mayans who speak their own language and some also speak Spanish here, but later in the trip, visit a small indigenous town where they don't. 

El Gato, mi gran Amigo

In a blast from the past, I went out to Famila de Esperanza this afternoon by myself to meet up with Felix Peron who I got to be good friends with three years ago when I lived here and worked with him building houses. He came out if his office as I walked up and warmly greeted me with laughter! We had the best time catching up with my poor Spanish and the help of an American volunteer who was here. We were kids taking selfies and laughing about looking for "Yolanda" the mythical beauty in the song "Donde esta Yolanda" by Pink Martini that we played all summer while building houses. It turned out that I had arrived as they were about to celebrate a new house build for a family. We piled into the back of an open flatbed truck and drove off 15 min thru the countryside and small towns to get to the  house with volunteers who built it. What a great afternoon! I had fun taking the chicken bus back to town that are full of people and grab people off the road as they go. We are staying at the historic and plush Casa Santo Domingo hotel tonight and heading to dinner soon.

 

Burn Provecho

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On the road again...

The adventure begins! We arrived last late last night and are on the way to Antigua making our way through traffic of Guatemala City. 

Back to Guatemala...

     I'm heading back to Guatemala tomorrow with a few friends and hope to catch up with a few while I'm there. It has been four years since I was there for a month working on houses for Common Cause. It was such a great experience and I felt a bond with the people and the country. I miss my friend Felix there who I hope to reconnect with. We will stay in the historic town of Antigua with cobblestone streets and colonial buildings, move to Lake Atitlan and visit small indigenous Mayan towns including San Juan de Laguna where I worked on Habitat Houses 7 years ago with the Michelozzi's.

Dave & Felix (El Gato) 2010

Donde esta' Yolanda?

Antigua

Lake Atitlan