Thanksgiving

Yesterday I went to a Thanksgiving feast at Jonas and Nancy's. They are an American couple about my age.  They sold all and moved to Panajachel permanently. They had invited quite a few people and I met new people from all over the world.

I was visiting with a man with a German accent.  When I told him I was from Alberta he asked if I knew where Camrose was!  I was raised in Camrose.  His ex-wife is from there. Small world!

I went to look at a house to rent.  It was $400 a month and was about 2500 sq. ft.  It had 3 huge bedrooms and balconies all around the house.  It had a big courtyard with an avocado and orange tree and many flowers. It would be good with roommates, but too big for just me.

One day walking by the lake I saw this set up. I guess you could have your photo taken while sitting on the horses.

Tradition

Many people here, both men and women, dress in their traditional costumes. The women wear a wrap around skirt with an embroidered cumberbund.  Their blouse is either woven or embroidered.  The embroidery is very densely done with flowers.  The sellers sit at their stall all day doing handwork.

I took these photos from on high.

The Guatemalan's like bright colors and mix various patterns.  They will wear flowers and stripes.

I see this woman almost every day.  She is in her 80's I would guess.  In her little basket she has homemade items to sell.  It is very common for women to carry big bundles on their head.  I see little girls with smaller bundles.

This woman is carrying her baby in front with a sling.  Generally they carry the baby on their back and often have a big bundle on their head as well.

The handwork here is beautiful. I am having a hard time choosing gifts for family. Items are very reasonably priced when one considers the hours of work that went into them.

Insects

The insects here are very big. The other morning I spotted this spider on the stairs.

I guess he was dead as the ants were carrying him away.  I went online and could not find a spider like this one, except for a baby tarantula. I asked a local and that is what  he thought it was.  Apparently they are not aggressive, unless cornered.

There is a big black bee-like insect that hovers around my patio.  If he gets too close I go indoors until he is gone.  He is about an inch long.

The most hated insects are the no-see-ums. Most everyone has red bumps on their legs and they itch like crazy.

The days are getting hotter.  Yesterday I walked to the lake and had to have a nap after due to the heat.  It is summer here.  Guess that is why the kids have no school.

Little boys 12 and under sell cards on the streets.  They are hand embroidered and they say their mother made them.  They are out about 12 hrs. a day.  Sometimes they ask me for money, but I buy them a glass of juice instead or share my lunch with them.  It is hard sometimes to ignore them, but you cannot support the world.

B-B-Q

Last week I was invited to Chalet Tony for a gathering.  It was so beautiful.  Marion, the owner, has lived here for many years.  She is originally from Ontario.

Look at the size of this flower!

I don't know what the above flower will look like, but the bud is huge.

There are many, many foreigners here my age. Some have been here a long time and others after numerous visits retired here. I must say that it is not at all what I expected.

Streets

My Street

This is the street I live on.  It is very narrow but cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, motorcycles and people all use it. Sometimes I have to scrunch against the wall to let a vehicle pass by. (Remember if you click on the photo it will enlarge)

This is one of the many beautiful flowers of Guatemala. They are cheap to buy in the markets.

Pana and motorcycles

Yesterday I went for a boat tour around Lake Atitlan. We spent about an hour in each of four towns.  I would like to spend a day in each town.  The other towns were much hillier than Pana so my legs got a good work-out.  I was glad that I had brought my jacket as we passengers were sprayed pretty good while crossing.

Lake Atitlan

I went to the market in Chichicastenago.  The tour operator said to wait for the shuttle at the end of the lane and the shuttle would arrive at 7:50 a.m.  I waited for almost an hour and no show.  I was walking to the office when a motorcycle pulled up beside me and lo and behold it was the guy from the tour office. He seemed quite upset with me and said I should have waited for the shuttle.  I explained that I had waited almost an hour. He made a call from his cell and then told me to hop on behind him.  Who would have thought that my first ever motorcycle ride would be in PANAJACHEL!  He got a chuckle from that. Let me tell you it was some bumpy ride on these streets and he drove like a crazy person! Anyway, we met up with a shuttle at the service station and I was on my way.

Chichi Market

 The market in Chichi was HUGE....too big for me.  I could hardly get through the streets and the sellers were just too aggressive.  I met a woman from Chicago who, like me, escaped the crowds and we had coffee together and bought absolutely nothing.

La Palapa

Last evening I went to the LaPalapa pub down the street.  On Thursday evenings they play trivia.  Last night the topic was Guatemala.  We divided into teams and had to answer 6 different areas.  One of the areas was physical.  We had to wrap one of our team in a Guatemalan wrap skirt and then they had to carry a basket on their head while timed.  We came in last in all areas, but we had fun doing it.

 Today I went to the lake to get the price for a tour around the lake.  The fellow began at 400Q and went down to 350Q.  I  knew  that  was too much.  I went to a tour office and they charge 150Q.  You have to be careful not to get taken for a ride.  Tomorrow I will take the tour.

Ex-pats

There are many ex-pats here.  I have met people from all over the world and many have been here for over 10 years.  Today I went to a birthday party..this woman from Vancouver has been here 23 years.

Tuk-tuk

 

 

 Here I am by a tuk-tuk which is the taxi system here. It costs 10Q to go most anywhere here.  That is about $1.3O.  Today I was chastising myself for spending 100Q in a couple of days and then realized that is just over $13.....lol.

On Monday I begin teaching English to a fellow and his wife. They will be 1 hr. classes 3 days a week.  Wish me luck!

Evening in Pana

Yesterday I asked Carlos, my landlord, if it was safe to go out in the evening.  He said yes.  I went for a walk downtown.  The stores are open from 10-10.  Most of the stores are stalls that have to be packed up each night.  I heard music and it was 3 girls playing xylophones.  They were wonderful.

 Today I went to the same market and a man called Alo tried to sell me a llama jacket.  He started at 3000 quetzales and went down to 500. It was too big but was very nice. He had a hard time accepting "no".
 I am meeting people from all over the world, and a woman from Texas told me where some of the ex-pats meet in the evening so that is good.

 Brenda, she lives by Waxahachi.

That is a volcano in the distance.









,

Very hot

Buenos dias,

 This is Lake Atitlan. There are boats that take one across to other towns.

Today I met a little boy named Jesus.  He sells postcards that his mom makes.  He showed me where the post office is and where I could change my money. My brain does not want to convert.  It is 7.5 quetsals to the Amer. dollar.

I found the org. called Thirteen Threads and will go back Mon.

 Still have not mastered the tablet, so lots of errors I do not know how to correct so bear with me, please.

Guatemala

I made it here safely.  I arrived at the airport and took a shuttle to Antigua at 6 a.m. I was to make a connection to Panajachel, but the shuttle was full and I had to wait until 1p.m.,I toured Antigua. The 2nd shuttle was a lot of fun due to the other riders.  I took a tuk-tuk to find lodging. I found a hotel for $150/Mon. and that includes lunch.
The owners are very friendly and have twin girls...lol.

 Today I went to the lake.....beautiful! More tomorrow.