Whew! What a wirlwind three weeks! After finding out that my internet no longer works in Orocuina (need to get a new plan), I decided to take advantage of one of my last afternoons in Guatemala to hunker down at the computer and catch up!
While this trip has been amazing from start to end, by far, my favorite part was spent ¨en familia,¨ with Dad and Jane. After a fantastic few days in the capital, I met up with these two Wisconsin escapees and we headed straight to Antigua. Check out pics of my adventures in Guatemala city:
While they had been up at since 2am, Dad and Jane were not about to miss anything, and as soon as we set our things down in the hostel, we were off to see the sites. We visited Saint Pedro´s Cathedral (cannonized in 2006, he has become the patron saint of the crippled and has cured thousands of their need for crutches.) Ruins from the original cathedral after the earthquake remained and as we toured, we could hear the hymns of the brothers who to this day live in and serve the church.
Jane inside of the ruins of St. Pedro´s Church
The next day was spent taking in the festivities of Palm Sunday. The processions were amazing. Thousands of men, boys, and babies dressed in royal purple robes with white sashes and filed down the streets to be followed by processions of the crucifiction, carried by members of the church. We learned that individuals paid by the block to carry either Mary, if they were females, or Jesus, if they were males. It was explained to us that the processions are actually weighted so that individuals to experience a small part of the burden that Jesus took on when carrying his cross.
Before the processions came through
Blessing the carpets
Another, equally amazing part of the processions were the carpets. Made hours before the procession would pass over, families take great pride in lining the streets in front of their homes with elaborate carpets of pine needles, flowers, sawdust, and in one case, cheetos :) The carpets became more and more intricate as the week went on with the final carpets taking over 4 hours to create! As the processions past, the carpets were blessed with incessence before being passed over by those carrying Mary and Joseph. Just as quickly as they were created the carpets were swept away immediately after the procession... nothing lasts forever :)
Our group after the climb!
In the middle of Holy week, we decided to steal away and climb Volcano Acatenango, Guatemala´s second highest peak. We were challenged by the 9 hour hike up, but were in great company with others from Canada, the UK, Guatemala, and Finland. Our hike up took us through farmland, cloud forest, alpine forest, and then above the tree line for the final ascent. We were met at the top with freezing temps and high wind. After assembling our tents, our group climbed to the outside of the crater to watch the sunset and Fuego, a nearby volcano, explode. On top of all of this, we watched a lightening storm roll past... while drinking wine... what a show!
For more volcano pictures, check out:https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=116429006352388993425&target=ALBUM&id=5598549963288250209&authkey=Gv1sRgCNKJmauOmLiltwE&feat=email
The next morning, it was back down the volcano and on to Lake Atitlan where we stayed in two different villages along the lake. On the lake we relaxed and explored the surrounding communities. Dad and I found a great little hostel/coffee roaster and spent the afternoon hatching plans to open our own place in Central America... a long term dream for sure...
From the lake it was back to Antigua for another day of processions and goodbyes as Dad and Jane headed back to Guatemala City and Wisconsin. It was a fantastic week, thank you both!
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