Ketchup

In Flores (an island on a big lake) we stayed in a beautiful hotel called Casazul. It was painted blue! In the morning we went to a cute breakfast place with steps down to the water, Tilghman and I played with the fish. We watched cool ducks that went underwater from our table. We took a shuttle to Tikal, and our hotel room was awesome, I am sure mom and dad have already covered all the boring things about Tikal, so I will list the cool stuff. We saw Coati Mundis (raccoon like copper colored things with long tails and pointed noses) they eat tarantulas!, a crocodile about a meter long, weird bird things, and a paca (kind of like a capybara) but didn´t get a picture of anything. our guide, Chino, a very awesome guy, caught two red pump tarantulas, and I touched both, dad held one and tilghman touched one, got to go, see you later, bye, alden

bad things about Tikal

I stepped out of the van, ants bit me. I slipped going into the hotel. I went to find the showers, I slipped again and hit my butt. I dryed off my feet, and slammed my finger in the door. I did not like Tikal the first hour we were there. After that, I had to to take a little rest. That was just a bad morning.
Tilghman

You won't believe it!

As we walked in the lobby we saw the Costa Rican Futsal team here at the hotel. Laura got the kids to pose with them. Major cool here. Pic to follow. We found another mall across the walkway with movie theatres. I was tempted to go watch El Era de Hielo 4 (Ice Age 4), but our Spanish isn't up to it yet.

Hotel Tikal Futura

Made it safely back to Guate. Actually found an honest and very nice taxi driver who took us to our fancy hotel. And I do mean fancy! It is by far the nicest hotel that I have ever been in. We really felt like the Clampits come to town, in our dirty flip flops and musty backpacks. Our hotel room on the 8th floor quickly took on a very unique smell as we tried,in vain, to air out all of our damp clothes. After playing in the pool all morning and lunch at the huge mall across the street the children are taking a much deserved nap. They have been truly awesome throughout this whole trip. They have adjusted so well to the language, the food, the early mornings and late nights and all of the uncertainties and readjustments that come up while traveling like this. Truly we could not have wished for anything more. And the trip itself has been amazing. From smoking Volcano El Fuego to the towering Temples of Tikal, this trip has exceeded all expectations.
Thanks to everyone who has followed along with us on this incredible journey and we are looking forward to seeing everyone later this week.
xo. SALT

Going back to Guate

Up early this am to catch our flight back to Guatemala City. Left Hotel Jungle Lodge with heavy hearts. Had a wonderful last day/evening in Tikal.
After our awesome sunrise tour we had a great breakfast at the hotel. Alden ordered her Guatemalan favorite, fried plantains and black beans and Tilghman his new fav scrambled eggs (way to go out on a limb there, little buddy).
Rested for a bit while the children played in the pool. Walked down to the little tienda where the guides hang out and found Chino who had promised to take the kids tarantula hunting. After a few failed attempts we were finally able to coax a big girl out of her hole. Sully actually let her crawl up his arm while I shivered and shook a good 20 feet away.
Sully walked back into the park to get some video. The place is just so unbelievably huge pictures don't do it justice.
The kids and I stayed back at the entrance and took a little hike around to see some wildlife. We were not disappointed. We saw a bunch of wild turkeys, two cotamundis, a paca (which is like a big guinea pig with long legs), some weird chicken like birds with long orange legs and red eyes (which we have yet to identify), a crocodile and a bunch of ever present spider monkeys.
Watched another futsol match between Guatemala and Costa Rica during dinner, Guate lost 3-2 :(
After dinner both kids practically fell asleep at the table - we had, after all, been up since 3:30 am. We'll get some pics, etc. Up soon.

Here´s a look up at Templo IV

Here´s a second one of Calle Principal in Panajachel

Here is a video of the Gran Plaza in Tikal

Okay, here are some pics to tie you over.

view from 3rd floor balcony in Flores

climbing the Acropolis del Norte at Tikal

view from Templo IV, Gran Plaza in foreground, Belize in background

waiting for sunrise at 4:30 AM on top of Templo IV

Templo I in background

The 2nd tarantuala our guide lured out

Sunrise

At 4 am our guide, Chino, arrived flashlight in hand to lead us into Tikal to watch and listen to the jungle wake up from the top of Temple IV. Along the way we crossed a super highway of leaf cutter ants making their way through the jungle with their heavy loads. The ants carry their bits of leaves back to their colony where they bury them 2ft underground. Slowly the leaves begin to ferment and after about 15 days the tiny mushrooms that the ants eat begin to grow.
Climbed to the top of Templo IV, 65 meters tall, and reached the top while it was still fully dark. Tilghman laid his head in my lap and promptly fell asleep as the jungle began to wake us all around us.
The mist swirled all around us as the light grew and the tops of pyramids came in and out of view. As bird calls began to fill the silence the forest erupted as the howler monkeys woke up and set to work waking up anything unfortunate enough to be sleeping nearby.
Back in the forest floor our guide explained to us the importance of the year 2012. This year marks the end of a 5126 year cycle. These Maya had it going on in the astronomy and calendar departments. They understood the concept of zero and the fact that the grand cycle had already begun. Contrary to popular belief this year marks the end of a very long cycle and the beginning of a new era. Apparently, being able to accurately predict seasons and other natural events helped the rulers maintain power. It was evidence that they were in communion with the gods.
Our guide took a man on a sunset tour on the equinox when there was a full moon. The man knew the layout of Tikal and asked Chino to take him to the Northern Acropolis from there they watched the full moon rise above Templo V and he thought Venus rise above Templo IV. The man whipped out a laptop and triangulated the position. It turned out he was from NASA.
This December 21st is going to be really big in Tikal.

Tikal

Wow!! Just about sums it up but not quite. Got here yesterday and checked in to our AWESOME hotel in the jungle. After chilling out for a bit by the pool we walked into the park to visit the pyramids. Tikal is huge and enveloped by a dense rainforest. Some of the structures have been excavated and restored but many more remain submerged in the undergrowth. The Grand Plaza is completely cleared and restored and included two of the tallest pyramids, the Acropolis, and the Royal Palace with it's many courtyards and sleeping chambers. Wandered to the tallest pyramid IV and climbed a 234 foot staircase to reach the top. From the top the view was amazing, miles and miles of jungle spread out in all directions with the tips and mounds of pyramids protruding through the canopy. Millions of bird calls and the intense, other worldly growls of a group of howler monkeys kept us entertained until it was time to head home. Had a yummy dinner in the hotel and crawled under the covers early to be ready for the Sunrise Tour that we had scheduled for Sunday morning.

Que bonito!

Woke up this morning in paradise. Flores is a gorgeous, laid back little town on a teeny little island in lake Peten Itza ( Tilghman and I walked around it this am in about 30 minutes). Everything here is calm and quiet which is a nice change from the chaos of Pana. We had glorious showers last night and watched Guatemala's win against Mexico in another indoor soccer match ("futsol"). Soon we will get some breakfast and catch a shuttle to Tikal!

Guate City Airport

Very hard saying goodbye to the family today. Little Fave and Juan Carlitos were waving by the door as we turned out of their little alley. Had a great last class at school. The kids walked down to the lake with their teachers to say a last goodbye to Pana.
The shuttle picked us up right at noon and we were off to the capitol. Three dusty, exhaust filled hours later we are here in the airport. We missed lunch and the kids opted for Pollo Campero the Guatemalan equivalent to the colonel. Not too bad.
We have about an hour before we head out... Our flight leaves out of the very last gate in the basement of the airport. We have to get on a bus to some little hanger at the edge of the runway! The landing strip out the window closest to where we are sitting is littered with crashed airplanes .... Does not do much for one's confidence. Oh well, here we sit.

Vamos a Flores

Last day in Pana and we are off to Flores in the north. May not be in touch for a few days! Have a great weekend!

Cuidado means...

Put your foot somewhere sturdy and not slick or you will fall and break your neck! We went on a hike to see Mayan caves yesterday with Gregorio, the head of the school, and his son, Bryan, who speaks Spanish and english fluently.
Tilghman and Bryan were about the same age. Here's how their first conversation went, B: what's your favorite video game? T: Halo. Me: Tilghman, ask him questions back! T: Um uh, como uh uh uh um estas?? B: Dude, I speak English. T: Oh! What's your favorite video game? B: Everything.-After that they were best buds.
We hiked up to a big overhang rock where they burn sacred candles, I collected some wax. Then, I spotted a very venomous baby snake, which was cool! It kinda looke like a rattlesnake minus the rattle. We saw the Mayan cave and then hiked down to Panajachel, it was really steep and slick. Moms teacher had to walk up it every day (in a skirt and blouse, the traditional wear of Mayan women) to school to teach when the roads were closed because of landslides. One day, she lost one of her shoes! She also had to walk back down from school to get to her house.
I got a guatemalan hair wrap today and a squirrel made of Guatemalan cloth! I named it Ardilla!
We will be in Flores and Tikal staying in hotels for the last few days and will probably be out of touch...

Lots of love, Alden & dad helping slightly

Laura has been smitten with the hand painted tiendas (stores) here in Panajachel. Here are a few:

Shoe Show of Pana

Get your keys cut and your motorcycle repaired too

 We had a great time on our hike to the Mayan caves and saw a number of Mayan ceremonies going on. The hike down was something else. The owner of the school told us he could run down in 6 minutes as a kid. It took us about an hour.

Scenic vista during hike to Mayan Cave

View of Panajechel from Way above

Inside the Mayan cave

the cutest little boy who "helped" us on the tricky parts of the trail

Okay, here's a post with some of the amazing meals we have been enjoying. Aura, our host, favors organic foods and it's low fat to boot. Enjoy!

Chile rellenos, papas revueltes y pepinos con zanahoria

Tostados peguenos y repollo

carne fritas y el brocoli

Happy 4th of July Gringos!!

Well we are midway through our second week of language classes and we are all sounding much better! Working one-on-one for four hours each day is pretty intense but it is paying off. After class Sully went to the bank to change some money. The banks were closed on Monday and we were down to 75 centavos which is equal to about 10 cents! We had to pay off some debts around town (Alden had bought a skirt on Sunday which the lady let her take on credit and we had to beg the laundry lady to wash our clothes on Monday and not get paid until Tuesday, thankfully everyone is very nice and trusting!). After taking care of all of that we went shopping and got all kinds of gifts to bring home! It is hard to chose because everything is so beautiful.
After dinner we walked downtown to hear some girls playing the Marimba. Walked home in a cold rain.
Today we are going to hike to a Mayan Cave, I'm exited to get out of the city and the kids are definitely in need of some exercise. We walk everywhere we go but other than the alley there is no place to run. Tilghman is pretty fed up with the alley because every time he falls the cement and rocks tear up his hands and knees. Yesterday he had the broom out there sweeping but I don't think it did much good!

Mayan Calendar, notice where it says time's up?

A Mayan quilt

sign from San Pedro

Alden's nuevo cuaderno and a stripy Tuc Tuc

the market in Santiago de Atitlan

Here are some recent pics of our weekend aventuras.

mi cabeza está llena!

Over the weekend we went to Jaibelito, San Pedro, and on Sunday, Santiago to see Maximon! Last week we saw a few UVA students in the market!! We have had a few earthquakes over the past few days, small ones, but still! We saw the Euro Cup in a restaurant off the lake! Really yummy food and a great game! I love Iker Casillas! Learned more today and did my homework in the window. Dad is learning tons, mi madre tambien, and Tilghman is losing his fluency in English... We hope you guys are doing alright, hang in there, and have a good fourth of July!

Love Alden

Fin de la semana

This weekend we had some interesting adventures. A guy we met suggested we go to a little village called Jabolito. It is a little ways around the lake from Panajachel. We went Saturday morning. We walked around looking for the center of town only to find out we were in it. It made Orange look like NYC. After that we decided to go to another town across the lake called San Pedro. It is definitely the party town on the lake. We considered a school there and we were glad we didn't choose that one. It was a little too young and edgy for us. We went kayaking in some seriously old kayaks and explored the cove at San Pedro. The water level of the lake fluctuates from year to year, but it has been rising in recent years. We saw this first hand in the form of lots of submerged houses and docks. Just as we were leaving a huge storm blew in and we had to cross the lake in the pouring rain. We had to hold down the tarp across the front to keep from getting soaked. It was not quite the Perfect Storm, but when you consider most of the other people on the boat can't swim it ups the ante a little. The kids loved it. Did some shopping and wandered through town in the pouring rain.

view from dock at Jaibalito

Rico Suave

holding the tarp in the launcha

On Sunday we took another "launcha" boat across the lake to this great little town called Santiago Atitlan. In 2008 there were awful landslides here and many people died. The city is on a steep hillside with an enormous church. We paid a visit to "Maximon" a Mayan/Christian god who resides in Santiago. He is a wooden statue who likes to smoke and drink and answer prayers. We crossed the lake again back home to Pana in time to watch Spain vs Italy in the Euro Cup. The whole place would totally erupt when Spain scored. Had a rainy dinner at this cool little taco shop, came home and read a bit of Where the Red Fern grows and went to bed.

Moximon, the wooden guy in the center

La launcha on a nicer crossing

Me talk pretty one day...

Well, we just completed our first week of Spanish classes and I guess we are sounding a bit better. The teachers and our family are constantly helping us and I do feel like we have made some progress. What is worse though is that poor Tilghman can't speak English anymore.
Our typical day goes like this...
We wake up around 6:30 when the church bells ring, we have breakfast and then walk to school. On the way we stop at a bakery and pick up some yummy cookies to dunk in our coffee. We get to school and go meet our teachers. I am on the third floor terrace which has gorgeous views of the cliffs surrounding the town, Sully and Tilghman are in the garden and Alden is in the front room of the school. We study for 2hours and then get a 20 minute break. After the break Sully and I go back to work and the kids go wandering around town, to the lake, library or market with their teachers. At noon the church bells ring and we go home for lunch. In the afternoon we tool around town, play soccer in the alley and do homework. We usually go for a walk before dinner, down to the chocolate shop or stroll by all of the street vendors. Dinner is at 6:30 with the family. After dinner the kids usually play with the family dog and we go for ice cream across the street at Pana Cafe! We fall into bed around nine and sleep like rocks after a long day of speaking Spanish!
Today after school we walked to the little village next door. The highlight of that trip was standing up in the pickup truck for the ride home.
We have some trips planned to cross the lake this weekend so will write more later!