guate days 4 -7

Dec 27-30

Today we are visiting isabel's parents where her father is the only heart doctor in 37, 000 square kms! Its the day after christmas and he decided to open despite the holidays and has already seen 7 people arriving since 7am. His wife, acting as nurse and receptionist... (the local nurse did not show). As you can see the hall is pretty full and it was unannounced! 

Also normally working here is her brother and his wife doing gynaecology and paediatrics with a laboratory upstairs to facilitate results. In effect it is a mini hospital for the villagers. They are indeed lucky to have this beautiful family giving such educated service. —  at Multimedicos Poptun.

samjewel.com

Guate day 7-9

Flores was heading under water in the ongoing rains that prevailed the past four months of what is supposed to be their dry season...

but was still a beautiful town much like a small Italian village replete with electrical over wires in a total jumble!

 Most extraordinarily is the colour ... everywhere! it is wonderful

the local healer a bit further along the road of the lake, where I went for a 'healing massage...' was a real local experience one could never have found as a tourist! 

 

She spent the time with me naked on the family bed shielded from the droves of her family just behind a thin cotton cloth that separated us from them, laughing and calling out instructions and scoldings to the children, all through the massage whilst yelling instructions and telling me her massage was THE most profound I had ever had! Even though I repeatedly told her I spoke no Spanish she kept up a steady conversation with me throughout it! Really it was a lovely experience.... though I dont know that it was profound it was certainly memorable. The feel of family was intimate and beautiful.  The old guy in the background (who looked better than her) is her husband who is over 90 deaf and almost blind, that she only 70 something fully cares for him.

The local butcher... on the street in full humidity outdoors by the lake... with the horses and dogs...health and hygiene laws? what laws?

The children making xmas with what they have

samjewel.com

Day 3-4 of Guatemala trip

december 25- 26

We stayed at this agro tourism place called Ixobel which had huge macaw birds, a massive organic garden to source the kitchen and individual cabins or mini houses. It was so wet when we tried to hand wash and dry something it was still totally wet hanging under cover in the heat.. three days later!

these perfectly triangular mountains are often volcanoes but some were hidden temples not discovered for many years...

here we are planning the next move and taking a bit of rest time before being shown around this amazing temperate forest region

Everywhere one is struck by the green lush warmth... but the closer one looks the more one realises there is little depth to the fertility and the animals that eat from it are scrawny ill looking.

Here too the climate has affected them were now is the dry season it has rained for 4 solid months...

Even though the water is warm and sort of looks inviting, the culture has had the introduction of chemicals and now, when they wash and eat from the river that provides for them, they get sick from the pollutants they have introduced in ignorance. It is so sad to see such lush circumstances ruined by ignorance and rush for commerce.

This pic is to show the size of the bug nests... everything is big

but the soil is really undeveloped clay that holds little nutrient.... but there is so much potential!

samjewel.com

day 2 of our journey through Guatemala

Dec 24 2014,
Christmas here is celebrated on the eve of Xmas with hours of fireworks and a strange concoction of beer and tomato juice with spices... I stuck to wine.

But it is late. This was the entree which was more than enough food!

Xmas celebrations have begun with tamales in guatemala!!! 

But the main course they don't serve til after midnight... by which time several of the table had gone to bed! I do not know how they slept with the constant noise of firecrackers!

The kids were not allowed to handle the firecrackers but they were like it was candy to look at!

samjewel.com

day 1 of our journey through Guatemala

Dec 22-23 (Dec 24 in Australia)

After two long days of travel and some interesting events along the way that I assume will make their purpose clear in the future, we have arrived to meet our beautiful Guatemalan guide Isabel and her delightful family. Not two minutes into our greeting the adorable 2 year old Aleix is off wooing the store attendants and leaving us to chill meeting each other  and waiting for our next flight.  then another 2 hours of driving... it s a lot of travel I am glad i broke it up with a sleep over in the states.

                                                            video of our arrival time

samjewel.com