However, the health talk went well (I did a presentation on dental/oral hygiene) and I also did a cooking demonstration of Protemas (textured soy protein) sloppy joes. They were yummy and something very different from what the ladies of Chutuj usually cook. It also felt like a small victory when the vegetable vendor (for off-market days) told a man that there were no tomatoes, and then when he left she whispered conspiratorially "how much do you need?" There weren't many left and she was only selling to her regular customers.
I am happy to be back to Cunen so I can cook for myself again. The food we ate on vacation was so much richer than what I'm used to that I spent a lot of the trip with a serious bellyache. Apart from that, it was an amazing trip. We started off with a few days in Antigua, which is always great. Lattes galore, museums and great family time. I think I laughed so hard I cried almost every single day of the trip; I forgot how much fun everyone is. We spent a night and two days in Copan, Honduras to see the mayan ruins there. It was my second trip, I was there in 2005 with my high school spanish class but it was still amazing to see. There are many gorgeous intact stela (carved monuments) and the setting is incredible, huge banyan ( I think that's what they are...) trees and macaws.
After Honduras we headed to Lake Atitlan which is always amazing. Casa del Mundo, the hotel we stayed at, is practically magical. The rooms are all set into the hillside so that nearly all of them have perfect views of the lake with private balconies and lots of windows and light. The hotel's restaurant was also amazing, a several-course dinner seated at a long table with all the other guests. While at the lake we visited Santiago, Atitlan famous for Maximon, a local "evil" saint who accepts offerings of tobacco and liquor. The experience was odd but enjoyable, the cofradÃa (a council of religious elders who guard the saint) were drunk and a bit belligerent but allowed us to photograph the statue for a minimal charge.
The next day we visited an eco-reserve that used to be a coffee farm but now offers a zipline tour and a viewing area where you can watch spider monkeys and coatimundi (coati) which are so cute and are now on the top of my list of animals which probably aren't good as pets but I want anyway. We had a great time and the whole group (even Mom and Dad!) did the zip lines and then hung around for a bit watching the animals eat their lunch.'
The next leg of the trip was home sweet home, on to Cunen! My family enjoyed meeting my coworkers and host family and got to experience Guatemalan home cooking and hospitality. We visited one of the schools I do health talks at and with only two hours notice the students put together a whole show with singing, dancing, poetry and many words of welcome. I think it was a great experience and I was definitely touched that it meant so much to the school to have my family visit.
Moving on from Cunen, the last part of our trip before heading back to Antigua was Xela. Xela isn't a super-celebrated tourist location but I think its a great city and there are lots of good day trips within an hour of the city. Izzy, Billy and Sheehan went on a volcano hike (I was nursing a cold and kind of felt like staying in bed longer anyway) and the whole group went to Fuentes Georginas, fantastic hot springs a short trip from Xela.
It was sad to say goodbye to the family and get back to normal life here, but my next vacation is fast approaching! I will be back in PA in July for Shannon and Brian's wedding and other fun. It will be my last big trip until I'm done with Peace Corps since I've been using up vacation days as though there were an unlimited supply, which is just not true. But they've all been great trips and it will also be good to be able to give my full attention to my work for the last year of service.
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