Back Home!

Our return trip to Moses Lake was very long - 38 hours. But we are finally home! We woke up at 2:30am on Saturday morning (Guatemala time, that was 1:30am back home!) and boarded our bus to the city.

Us waiting for our bus to head out

The airport at Guatemala City was uneventful, before we knew it we were on a plane and off to LAX. Then at LAX we had to reclaim our bags and go through security again (after clearing customs, which was quick and uneventful). While going through security in LAX Tyler's bag was flagged and searched. They found the chocolate mix for the chocolate bananas - it was just a hair to big and we had to check the bag. So Nicole and the kids waited on the other side of security (with  all our bags and all our stuff) and Tyler went back to check the bag. However, he couldn't check the bag because the employee told him it was $25 and he had given Nicole his wallet to pay for food on the other side of security. So Tyler went back through LAX security again just to get money for the bag. Once again he returned to the front counter - to learn it was the wrong front counter because the plane left out of the other side of the airport. So Tyler ran down there to check the bag. Finally he was able to check the bag - for free, because the first bag is free (why did they not say that when I tried the first time!). So back through security Tyler went a second time and finally we were ready to board or last plane home. We arrive in Portland a bit after 6pm

We have arrived in the northwest!

We spent the night in Corbett with Nicole's parents and then headed home Sunday morning. We finally arrived at the house around 4pm. With an empty kitchen and suitcases full of six weeks of clothes, souvenirs and other miscellaneous stuff, there is still much work to do. 

Thank you all for reading about our adventures, but this blog is finally coming to a close. Next year we hope to do another adventure and resurrect the blog. Right now we are thinking about El Salvador, Honduras, Columbia, or Equator (or maybe two countries?)... if you have an opinion or thoughts on our trip for next summer let us know in the comments!   

Our last days in Guatemala

Our last week of classes was full of adventures that should have been made into three separate blog posts. However, with the week being full of adventures, there was not time to do the blog, so you get LOTS of pictures and MUCH longer than normal blog at the end of the week. 

The first adventure was a birthday party for a friend of Josiah's from the school who is also studying Spanish. We had a pinata which the kids enjoyed breaking. Then it was off to icecream. A great birthday party that we all enjoyed!

Emma getting ready to attack the Pinata

Josiah was brutal with the Pinata

All the kids with their destroyed Pinata

The second adventure of the week was going to San Antonio (not Texas), which is mainly a Mayan village, where they showed us many of the traditional customs of the Mayan people. It was very entertaining - and we got married (more on that later!)

They demonstrated the complex sewing process they use 

to make blankets, clothes, and other clothes

Emma gave it a try - much more difficult than it looks!

To help us learn about the traditional Mayan wedding they asked for volunteers to be the parents of the groom and then another pair to get married. Of course Tyler volunteered himself and Nicole to get married - so we had a traditional Mayan wedding! I guess that means I am now on my second marriage (to the same person?). Enjoy our wedding photos:

Tyler and Nicole in traditional wedding clothing

Incense to ward off the evil spirits (of the ex-girlfriends!)

 

The mother and father would drop flowers on the bride and groom

 

Did I mention we also had a baby?

Traditional Mayan baby wrap

Nicole would carry water to the house each day

While Tyler would work in the fields and only have coffee and tortillas for food

They also taught us how to make tortillas

Tyler tried... his teacher had to help

Josiah and Emma did great at making tortillas

They served us traditional wedding food

Which was made in the traditional kitchen

By a group of Mayan women

Later they taught us how to make coffee from the bean

Josiah attempted to roll the bean into a grain

Emma tried too...

And so did Tyler... it was harder than it looked!

Our third and final adventure in Guatemala was saying goodbye to everyone we have come to love in this wonderful country. We have had great teachers, great friends, a great host family, and great memories over the past six weeks. We will always hold these memories close and our teachers and friends very close to our hearts. 

The entire family with our teachers

Josiah and Emma with their friend from our host family - Fatima. 

The family with our host family

Tyler took one last picture of the arch and the volcano

(he is very proud of this picture!)

I believe this is how the blog started... four yellow bags packed full

It has been 6 full weeks. We have climbed volcanoes, visited beaches, done a zip line over the forest, seen ruins that were over 2000 years old, and taken a boat around a beautiful lake. We have learned a significant amount of Spanish, fallen in love with the culture, and are not ready to leave. But just as quickly as the trip came, it has now gone. Tomorrow morning we board a bus at 3am and start the two day trip home. One final post will come when we arrive in Moses Lake - ready to return back to real life. But our lives are forever changed as part of our hearts will always be found in Antigua Guatemala. 

Last Weekend in Guatemala!

This was our last weekend in Guatemala. The time is going fast. Next Saturday at 4am we will be leaving for home. But let's not talk about that right now. First a sign that Tyler found hilarious...

If you translate the last line it reads:

"Only Authorized Personnel Prohibited from Entering"

I guess we were only supposed to read one line... but Tyler enjoyed the sign as a whole much more! Saturday the guys and girls each had their own adventure. Josiah has a friend at the school named Cole and he invited Josiah and Tyler to join them for paintball! (ironically, given the history of the area, this is probably the most Latin American thing we have done). 

Josiah is ready for Battle

Josiah's team, Tyler doesn't have a picture of his team yet...

Tyler hit this 12 year old girl 3 times in the 2 games in the same spot... ouch!

Josiah and his friend Cole playing

While the boys tried to kill each other, the girls were doing something much more productive... cooking class! Emma and Nicole attended a four hour class where they made a main dish, three sides, two drinks, and a desert. They loved it as you can see below

Emma tells you what she is doing

Emma loved the class!

Mom and Daughter cooking together - That's not stereotypical or anything...

They even got a certificate when they finished!

By the time everyone was home it was already late and our Saturday was over, but the weekend of adventures did not end there. Sunday everyone was off to the beach! Monterrico is a black sand beach with a VERY strong current. We would stand in the water and wait for the waves to come, we would not have to wait long for a strong wave to come and knock us over and throw us up to ten feet onto the beach! It was lots of fun 

Emma and dad waiting for a wave

(No comments on the white boy in the tourist hat!)

Just after a wave knocked Emma over, 

this one didn't take dad down, but there were several that did!

After a while of playing at the beach - and eating delicious food - we went into town and explored a bit. We also took a tour of a swamp/canal that pours into the Ocean. This was the most exciting part of the afternoon as the town was not as exciting. 

Josiah and Emma enjoyed the boat tour

These trees do not grow a trunk, just roots then branches

Kids watching for wildlife

Tyler and Nicole also enjoyed the boat ride through the swamp

After the boat ride it was back to the bus stop. I could blog a bunch about how hot the bus was (90 degrees outside) and that there was no air conditioning, and we had to many people and to much stuff on the bus. But you don't want to read about that dreadful 3 hours do you? 

One week left! Stay tuned and leave comments, we love reading them! 

Quick update from a week of classes

Wanted to push out a quick update from our week of classes. Not much exciting to post during the week as most our days still consist of studying and going to class. But a few adventures happened this week:

Emma found a slug and it became her pet for the day

It is not uncommon in Guatemala for the sidewalk to be very skinny

Nicole got a new afternoon teacher - Daniello

Tyler and Nicole had a date night!

The kids also had fun with their babysitter

The restaurant we ate at was beautiful!

This sign was in the restaurant. Those who speak Spanish can enjoy it :-) 

Central Park at night

We are now full into what they call "winter" in Guatemala, which means it rains every afternoon - very hard. Each day the streets flood more and more. They are more like rivers. This time we got caught and had to cross a street but could not because of deep "river" that we used to call "first avenue". So we had to take a taxi just to cross the street. Cost was 10 Quetzales just to cross the street!

Picture of  road flooded

Our host mom had a visitor who had a baby,

Nicole made a new friend!

More updates will come after our weekend adventures are over. They hopefully will include a cooking class, paintball, and the beach - stay tuned! 

Tikal

This weekend's post is all about Tikal (with LOTS of pictures!). Tikal is to the Mayans what Jerusalem is to Christians (or Mecca is to Muslims). This holy city was built between 900 BC and 900 AD when the civilization suddenly collapsed (and we don't know exactly why). Over time the ruins were covered with soil, plants, and trees. The city was "discovered" in the 1880s and archaeologist began to dig up the ruins so we can see them as they are today. Tikal is on the opposite side of Guatemala, so it was about an 8 hour bus ride. We took an overnight bus each way and spent Saturday all day at Tikal (sleeping on the bus on Friday night and Saturday night). Below are pictures, enjoy! 

The Mayans believed this tree represented the "three worlds" 

The branches represent the heavens, the roots the underworld, and the trunk our world

On the left you can see the part that has not been dug up yet

Josiah and Emma climbing the steps

Some of the ruins stood tall above the  trees

Emma on the ruins

These are related to ant eaters, they came right up to us!

Panoramic view from the top of one of the temples

Josiah and Emma resting after climbing a tall temple

Several ruins rising above the trees

Tyler enjoyed the view

See the pyramid? Its the first that was built

Now it is under the vegetation, waiting to be unearthed

This was the royal palace, see the mask in the center?

Close up of the mask in the center

Temple in the distance

Grand Plaza with several temples, houses, and tombs

This is the tomb of the Chocolate King

Another temple of the masks

Another view of the grand plaza

Us in front of the tomb of the Chocolate King

We got to go inside some of the houses

The kids loved climbing the ruins

View of the temple out of a bedroom window

Us on the small shuttle to/from Tikal

Got to spend the night in semi-beds that reclined on teh bus

Good morning! 

One last panorama view