Los cables extremos

We had a big day today! After class we went to a nature reserve nearby that was really beautiful. We hiked to the top of a really steep cliff and then took 8 zipline cables to the bottom. It was really fun and everyone loved it. There was a variety of cables, some were long, others were fast. Jumping off the first one took my breath away, 196 feet off the ground. It was like ziplining off Swift Run Gap at the top of the Blue Ridge Mtns. It couldn't be done in the US. We had gloves on and the right one had a thick piece of leather glued on it. We slowed down by holding the right one on the cable. It felt hot through the leather. It was totally exhilarating, but not totally safe. OSHA would not approve it.

Food Update

Who here likes Plantains con Cremosa? Me!! Who here likes fruits para desayuno? Me!! Who here likes tortillas con frijoles? Me!!!!!!!!! Guatemalan food is great! Aura, the mother of the family is a great cook!! The thing is, I have no idea what we are going to have for lunch, but I know I will love whatever we have!

Alden

Local fruit for breakfast

Had a great breakfast this morning of pineapple, banana, papaya and watermelon. Alden was in heaven. Tilghman, not so much but he is doing a great job of trying everything. School is going great. Sully and I study mostly at the school but Alden and Tilghman walk around town with their teachers practicing and learning new vocabulary. This morning Alden's teacher took her to the library and had her read Harry the Dirty Dog. It is amazing to me how the kids are just taking everything in stride and adjusting to all of the strange smells, sights, sounds and tastes. You would think that they have been traveling the third world all of their lives! Well, we are off to school to see if we can upload some pictures!

Los Frijoles negros con rellenos

Making corn tortillas

Okay, this post goes out to all the foodies. Paul and Sarah, it was as good as it looks. We have really been enjoying the food. Our host here in Panajechel is cooking a variety of typical Guatemalan meals for us, it's great.

Mucho Espanol

We are all enjoying our time at the school. It's totally ideal. Each of us work one on one with a teacher. It's a good mix of writing, reading and lots of conversation. Our host family is very nice and the señora speaks very clearly, so even I understand most of what she says. She's feeding us a variety of meals that are "tipico" for Guatemala. Yesterday, we walked along the river that feeds into Lake Atitlan. There were the remnants of several houses that were destroyed in a hurricane in 2010. The river bed was littered with many rocks washed down during the 8 days of rain they received. The lake is a beautiful aquamarine. Photos soon.

Panajachel at last!!!

We arrived in Pana yesterday after a curvy ride in which t threw up... We went to the school and met Galdys, a very nice woman who works at the school, she showed us around the school, it is all open and has four floors, it is beautiful! Our house mom, Aura came and walked us back to her house as it is walking distance from the school! We met Favi, the 4 year old girl who is adorable, and her cousin Mateo who looked to be about Tilghmans age. This morning we met Juan Carlos, the dad, and Juan Carlito, the son who is Tilghmans age. My teacher, Cloudia, is very nice and I have learned lots in just four hours. The climate here is much warmer than Antigua, but not as hot as Virginia. We saw a plant called Cola de Ardilla, or feathers of the squirrel, I love it and I will take a picture!

Much love, Alden!!

Classes

Well we have begun our classes and after our first day our brains are mush. We each have our own teacher and the classes are structured to match our individual levels. The school is so beautiful. The director's wife loves to garden so she has a beautiful garden with grass, flowers and fruit trees. Upstairs there are two patios with tons of flowers. From the top patio you can see the lake and the three volcanos. Hopefully we can upload some pictures soon. It is so gorgeous and the kids are loving it (thank goodness!).

Estan a Panajachel

We had an adventure getting to Pana. We went down the curviest road to get down to Lake Atitlan. Poor Tilghman got car sick and spewed out the window. Once we got here we were astounded by the view. it is absolutely gorgeous. Got a little lost in town but managed to call the school and our savior Gladys arrived to help us out. More later... Class is about to start again!

está lloviendo

Today's forecast is %100 chance of rain all it did today was rain all the precipitation was rain. All the puddles were made up of RAIN all the rain fell on my rain coat drip, drip, drip, all, day, long bark went the dog drip went the rain meep went the tuc-tuc splash splash splash.

The best Tilghman -_- @gmail.com

Day 3

Hola Amigos!! Last night we took our Malaria medicine, and some of the side affects on me was laughing in my sleep, so I woke everyone up except for me! We woke up early this morning, went to our usual, La Panderia, we sat at the park and ate. We saw El Fuego "belch" while we were eating. We walked around the square, then caught a bus to Alzotea coffee plantation, and took a tour. We also took a tour of the Maya people's ways. We then went to lunch at "Galleta's" or "Cookie's" we sat down and watched the euro cup, Spain vs. France, Judson, you would have loved it! When Spain got the first goal, the whole restaurant erupted into chaos, people crowded in from the streets, waitress ran from behind the counter, screaming "GOAL" with wide eyes. We invented a game called "stuck, stuck, loose" instead of duck duck goose, because all the tuk-tuks get stuck in the cobble stove streets, we explain it when we get back... We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel, and the driver complimented on my Spanish! There is a yappy dog, or as dad calls it, "El Perro Piqueno Peligroso!", that lives on the same alley as our hotel, and when we first went down the alley we had no idea, and it scared the living daylights out of us. Today when we were going back to the hotel, Tilghman was extremely hyper, and I was being cautious so the dog wouldn't hear us, I said to Tilghman and dad, "shhhhh, the dog will bark at us!", but Tilghman didn't listen, he jumped around going "Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, YAP!!", well, the dog heard us. "Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, YAP!!", it said, we all jumped, not expecting it, and ran to the hotel.

Lots of love, Alden!

replica of Mayan house

Street Rules

You never want to look down or you will hit your head on a window cage. and you never want to look up or you will fall in a pothole and you are not getting out for a good 10 to 15 minutes. Today was great we got to ride in a tuc tuc we had a nice lunch and we watched the world cup.

The best Tilghman -_- @gmail.com

Watch your head

Inglesia de Santa Clara

We went poking around Antigua after a good night's sleep. We got plane tickets for Tikal and had a good time talking to the travel agent, Claudia. She flagged a Tuktuk for T to sit in. Laura and the kids got to ride a Tuktuk, a little three wheeled taxi.

Want a ride?

We got to tour a convent that used to be the largest in Central America. It was designed in the baroque style. It was partially destroyed in an earthquake, terremoto, in 1773. Between all of us we could understand our guide. Basically, the second story tumbled in the earthquake. We saw remnants on the columns and watched restoration work.

Ruins of the Convent of Santa Clara

L & T in front of a fountain made from volcanic rock

We got ice cream and watched a really funny mime/ clown in the central parque. He kept miming all the teenage girls on their cell phones.

Antigua!!!

The room we are staying in is beautiful! The clouds cleared up so we could see the beautiful mountains AND the volcano. There is a rooftop porch sort of thing on top that has hammocks and an excellent view of the city. We wandered around the park until we found a restaurant owned by a man from the Bahamas. We had fried pears soaked in vinaigrette with cheese and a waffle-like cookie. I had the best pizza I have ever tasted!! The city is fairly quiet at night, just cars, birds, and sometimes a slight drizzle, the smell is of fried something... Jenna, you would love it here, it is cool-75 degrees and a slight breeze. Claire, I took a picture of a beautiful bright purple vine called Bouganvilla. Taylor, the people next door have 2 dogs: A golden retriever and a Siberian Husky... No cats so far, but I took a picture. Judson, I took a picture of a soccer ball advertisement in guatemala city, we also saw two boys playing soccer and a ball on the roof. Kim, the people next door have a BEAUTIFUL yard,I took a picture, unfortunately not all of the city is the same (there is a yellow sink on top of the rooftop next to us). Jeniffer, there are Mayan women in the park who have beautiful textile they have made by hand! There are mourning doves here and crow-like birds that aren't as annoying...

Lots of Love, Alden

A little park where we ate breakfast

Estamos a Antigua

on the roof of Villa Esthela

The volcano

Hey all,
We are completely whipped after a seriously early morning. After an exciting ride here, up and down mountains around hairpin turns, we are in a quaint little guest house with a rooftop terrace. We are listening to doves cooing, church bells ringing and someone banging the heck out of something metal. The weather feels like early spring, the streets are bumpy cobblestones and we're learning Spanish from billboards. We'll post some pics soon.

Sleepy And Puffy-Eyed

At 3:00 in the morning we are on our way to National, we have seen one deer and one skunk so far, I'm quizzing mom and dad about cuarto de bano, and how to ask for a pen... On our way through Orange we mentally said goodbye to all our friends and family, as you can tell, I am tired and cannot write a good paragraph, so I will make this short, we miss you guys already, and can't wait to hear from you (hint, hint, hint)
Lots of love!!!
Alden