I've had been making passes to load these photos almost every day this week, just haven't quite been able to complete the process, but tonight I'm going to! This post is a "mezcla" [mix] of photos; some I've been meaning to post from a while back, and others from my trip this past weekend! But to start, I have a nephew update that my sister sent the other day and well I'm sure you're all missing his sweet photos so, I had to include this...
A few weeks back we visited a nearby pueblo called San Antonio Aguas Calientes to learn more about the mayan tradition and specifically about a group of 5 mayan women who live there and are working hard to preserve their culture in spite of the pressure to conform to the changes in Guatemala. In a presentation of the Mayan wedding I was the "novia" [bride] and, this boy Timoteo was the novio [groom]. We went through quite a process to get married... I had to do a lot of cooking and sewing to make things to please and bless his family...
At our wedding we danced for almost 12 hours, then we had a baby! Actually, by the end of the presentation I had 2 children and Tim was off to work in the fields and I only sent with him tortillas and water for his meals - haha! This was really fun, really interesting to learn about the traditions this specific group of Mayans have for their wedding ceremony, it's a lot of work!! Also it was fun to wear their traditional outfit, how beautiful it was!
el 3 de Marzo = ¡feliz cumpleanos a mi maestra!
But we celebrated early, Wednesday we went up into the mountains for a really nice lunch, and Elsa really enjoyed her Rosa de Jamaica to drink :0)
We had a great view of 3 volcanoes, including Agua (which is the one in this picture)
It was a nice time and, I really like this picture I took in a tiny little square mirror piece that was part of a wall mural on at the place where we went to eat!
Semuc Champey.
I had a very cool time on my weekend journey to Semuc Champey, the place was beautiful, and although I could have stayed way longer, I'm glad I made the trip for the time I was able...
Friday we spent 8.5 hours in a 12-passenger van driving across Guatemala through country side and beautiful greenness such as pictured here... Stopped in Coban for dinner and I had a pineapple McFlurry with the grossest amount of yellow food-coloring I've probably every eaten but, it tasted really good! :O)
We arrived around wish to el Retiro Lodge in Lanquin where we stayed in a bungalo for the night with sauna-like humidity suffocating the valley...
this was our bunglalo! = super cute & cozy!!
I took the trip with 3 girls I've met here, one from Germany, one from Canada/Ivory Coast, Africa, and the other from Korea = quite the mix, huh?!
The lodge was located on this really peaceful and beautiful river...
Saturday, we loaded into the back of a massive cow-hauling truck with about 35 other people and headed up about a half an hour to Semuc Champey!
This natural water park was stunning!
The water was so clear & really indescribable and hard to capture via camera but, I tried!
Here's a map of the park "Semuc Champey," it's actually just a natural beauty site with several large pools of crystal clear water where you're able to swim and relax.
We climbed up super high to get some overview photos, it was quite a hike anddd... quite a site!
I really enjoyed swimming in the water here, it was so refreshing...
on the way home our tour guide used the seeds of this plant to paint on our faces
Really nice trip, definitely would recommend it! - But for more than one day!
Still, absolutely glad I was able to go!
We got back home Sunday afternoon and as I was trying to make my way to my house I ran into the processional that was making its way through town and snapped a couple of shots of this too! - It's just a preview of more to come as we get closer and closer to semana santa.
These men walked with this massive float-like thing from a pueblo outside of Antigua and then proceed to make their way through town, it's an all-day event with large crowds and lots of street vendors, music, and blocked off roads. I had the opportunity in the evening to join my coworker, Leonelle, and his family to help create what's called a "fombra" on the street in front of their house. Making hombres is a huge traditional thing here in Antigua. Many families partake in creating hombres for the processionals and they become more and more a big deal the closer it gets to semana santa (just before Easter). Fombras are put together using flowers, sometimes fruits and vegetables, but most commonly with colored saw dust. Supposedly the week of semana santa the streets are lined with saw-dust designs that the whole town spends days preparing for the prime processional that will come through and march on top of this delicate carpet; I'm super excited to see and participate in this activity soon!! But anyway, this is the one we made in front of Leonelle's house this past Sunday.
And here's some others that were being made in the street nearby...
At about 9:30PM the processional finally passed by and we went up on the roof to watch it as they marched with Jesus and the Virgen Mary overtop the flower carpet we had made. Unfortunately most of my pictures didn't really turn out due to the darkness but, here's one of the Virgen Mary passing bye...
It was a really cool thing to see, and there will plenty more to come, here in Antigua there is a processional now every Sunday until Easter so... I'll probably have more pictures to post but... Anyway, that's all for tonight, lots of catch up, hope you've enjoyed!
Buenas Noches!
-cortney.
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