Guatemala and Ecuador 6/30/16 - 7/20/16

Sunday 7/3/2016 - Shopping on Santander, Walking by the Lake We slept until around 8 o'clock today. We ate a lovely breakfast of cut fresh fruit, toast, peanut butter, and coffee. We gave Aracely and Eddy some "Finding Dory" storybooks in English. Eddy's came with some trading cards. The two of them hung out in our room while we contemplated what we should pack for Ecuador and what we should leave here in Guatemala. Tank tops, linen pants, and bathing suits would stay here. We started to organize our stuff into various piles and bags depending on whether they were going or staying. We played with Ian Ivan. He "beeps" our noses now, something that has been passed down from his sibling, probably from our first time meeting the kids in 2007. It was a nice sunny day, so I went up to the roof deck to take some photos. I also took some photos of the office under construction. We had a burrito and fresh guacamole for lunch. This afternoon we did some shopping on Calle Santander to buy gifts for the girls to bring to the family in Ecuador. Aracely, Vanesa, Yasmin, Eddy, Craig, and I walked the couple of blocks to Calle Santander. We provided some guidance, but let the girls decide what they would like to buy for each family member. For Antonio, the patriarch, they decided upon a red Mayan T-shirt. Because he is a professional musician, they chose a matching red carved wooden flute to supplement the gift. For Antonio's wife Rosa, they selected a kitchen decoration made from woven reeds. Hot glued onto it was a mixed media kitchen tableau consisting of tiny Guatemalan worry dolls, tiny wooden spoons and brooms, a clay vase containing clay fruits and veggies. a small basket, and some woven fabric swatches. For Antonio's adult daughter Aida, they chose a colorful bracelet. And for Aida's three kids, they chose age appropriate gifts. The eldest, Sisa, loves to read and write, so they gave her a notebook with a colorful woven textile cover and a matching pen. For Yupanqui, they got a little wooden treasure box decorated with a painting of Lake Atitlan and a resplendent quetzal. And for Shina, they selected a rag doll in traditional Mayan dress. We were quite impressed with the careful thought they put into these decisions, and everyone was pleased with the outcome of the excursion. Paulina and Ian met up with us, and we all stopped into Sarita to refuel with some ice cream. We sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed our refreshing treats. Twilight would be here soon, and we decided to walk down to the lake to enjoy the late afternoon sunlight. As we walked down Calle Santander in the direction of the lake, we ran into the kids' cousin (and Craig's little buddy) Allison Margarita. The lake was gorgeous in the late afternoon sunlight. Aracely and Eddy climbed up into a topiary as they used to do when they were younger. As the sun dipped behind the mountains, the sky went from a turquoise to a lavendar hue. Ian was eager to practice his newly-acquired walking skills on the way home. Yasmin held his hand as he toddled along the sidewalk. When we got back to the house, Chilo was there to play with Eddy. Eddy took out his "Finding Dory" book and read it in English to Chilo. We had ham sandwiches for dinner and made sure that the girls were packed and ready to go. We advised them about what they can carry-on as opposed to what they should check, and we explained how their small liquids need to be in a 3-1-1 bag. Then we all went to bed early in preparation for our early morning drive to Guatemala City tomorrow!

Craig with Allison Margarita | Yasmin and Ian Eddy, Paulina, and Ian at Lago Atitlan Aracely and Eddy at Lago Atitlan See all photos from this day