Guatemala Travelogue 5
Before you say a word…I’m fully aware that it’s a bit odd to continue to post Guatemala updates AFTER we’ve already returned from our trip. All I can say is…spotty wifi and fatigue and a less-than-24hr-trip to IN upon my immediate return to the states and some vehicle woes on the way home and dr appts in the city today.
For. Real.
SO since I’m specifically “logging our travel,” I say it still counts. Plus, I’m feeling all the feels from this incredible trip…so I want to share things while they’re fresh in my mind, yet there’s no telling if I may just burst into tears here at the Bread Garden. Oh how fun. :/
Thursday found us taking a planned break from our labors to spend the majority of the day in Antigua. Senor Pablo gave us some pretty cool background info on this old capitol city which was moved to various ends of the city because of natural disasters (landslide and earthquake) before it was moved to Guatemala City, where SETECA is located. There are still cobblestone roads and architecture in Antigua that keeps the old city beauty alive. It was stunning.
Having said that, I am beginning to wonder whether chaos follows Eva to foreign countries as well…or whether the combo of Jean and Eva in one location may be just enough to throw common life into pandemonium. It may be a toss-up.
We drove straight to an old mission and were bummed to find out they were closed for renovation. Of course, that wasn’t the biggest tea of the moment. It was the little dude with a travel guide badge and a big ol’ ego, deciding he was gonna go off on Jean because she always brings people to the mission and doesn’t hire him, an official guide, to take people around. Mind you…it’s a public historical site that we pay to get into…no guide required…and Jean has lived there since 1967…but yea, little man…go ahead and come for her. David got involved too, but when we asked him what happened, all he said was, “I just ask him…why are you so angry?!” Tense situations always lead to gut laughter…well, maybe that’s just me…but that’s how that ended.
SO we took our non-guide-hiring selves ELSEWHERE. Thank you very much. Ok, Eva, reign it back in.
We went up the street a few blocks to the Santa Clara Convent/Mission. Again, so much beauty and history comes alive when you walk through the places that people lived so many years ago. We descended into the crypt (GULP) and climbed to the very top where the nuns would’ve gathered to participate in the services, staying out of sight to maintain purity and remain free from distraction. David asked if I would lead us in a song, as the area would’ve been used for the convent choir as well. If you’ve been around the travelogues for some time, you’ll know that is one of my favorite things to do, so I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to do so. Frankly, if singing 1 is good, 2 is even better. We filled that acoustic-lovin’ upper room with How Great is our God and How Great Thou Art. I’d go back just for that experience again.
After our little self-guided tour…sorry, mom…can’t help the sass sometimes…we headed to what I can best describe as a “silver-smith.” Is that the word? It was a very small storefront that Jean and Paul have developed a relationship with over many years. 6-7 at a time go back into the tiny workshop where the guys show how they melt down the silver, stretch and shape it, and create their own jewelry. Might have “forgot” to tell Ps. Chris about this particular stop. Oopsie. It was such a cool experience.
We then headed to lunch at San Marten. Again…holy. moly. Quite a few ordered pizzas while others went the soup/sandwich route. I chose the latter and let me tell you…Uruguayan meat sandwich on fresh twisted egg bread, with tortilla soup…that’s it. Chris Carr, we’re packing. But seriously. Best moment of our lunch though was Christian realizing that he “accidentally” ordered a large pizza for himself. They showed us a personal size (think Pizza Hut old personal pan pizza!) and a medium size. When he ordered he said, “Grande,” meaning the larger of the two options. What they heard was Christian’s deep affection for pizza was so immense that he was ignoring the proffered sizes and went straight to the giant size! Those crazy Americans. He shared a couple slices but took care of business on his own for the majority. Aaahhh the metabolism. :) But I digress.
From lunch, we headed to the local market, with booth after booth, vendor after vendor. We were supposed to barter and walk away to get the best prices. I started sweating just thinking about it. Flashbacks and PTSD of garage-sale-ing with my dad. We ended up having such a fun time and found all the things we just couldn’t live without…OBVIOUSLY. Of course, none of us could’ve possibly known how much joy those purchases would provide…just not for the actual intended purposes! When we got back on the bus, I started asking Jana and Jessica about their purchases and showing my own to them. We moved to Daniel…which then turned the conversation into a very public show-and-tell for the entire bus. When he pulled out a beautiful white blouse for his wife, all the ooh-ing and aah-ing and chants of “TRY IT ON!” began. It escalated quickly and went on full-steam from there. I’m sure Paul and Jean needed extra recovery time after the complete, and AWESOME, mayhem of that bus ride home. The last funny thing about that whole deal was that once everyone had shown their goods, they asked about my own purchases. (I had already shown mine to the girls up front, but they’d missed all that.) I felt like the big loser because they were all like…”this is for my daughter, for my son, for my husband, for my great-aunt Bessie, for my mailman…” you get the idea. And although I did grab a soccer ball for Zane, the remainder of the purchases were…”para miiiiii…” We did get a big kick out of it though. I’ll add “thoughtful giving” to my list of shortcomings!! :/
All in all, our little tourist excursion was an absolute blast and provided memories that will serve to bond this new little family for years to come! Because seriously…who DOESN’T need to hear a bus-full of people chanting your name and “TRY IT ON!” I submit to you…we all need such people. So glad to have found some more to add to my tribe.