Week two of Closure

January 8-14
Ok ok.  So it's time I got to the second week of the temple closure that was back in January.  I never have enough time to sit and do the whole thing so have put it off thinking a block of time would show up.  It never does.  So we will begin and add pieces as time permits.

So we began this weeks adventure on Monday the 9th.  Sister Norman found a cool hotel in Santiago Atitlan, the other side of the Lake Atitlan from where we usually go.  It was most a most delightful place and for sale by the way.  We had our own bungalow with fireplace and all.  

Carving on the door to the restaurant and office.

Map of the place where we stayed-La Posada de Santiago.

Our Bungalow.

View of Santiago from Hotel Bambu

Gardenias in front of our bungalow

Sister Norman by the fireplace

Eldon on the road up to the gardens.

Banana Tree

Trumpet flower tree.  Smell very sweet in the evenings and no smell in the day.

After settling in we decided to go for lunch.  Sister Norman wanted to check out another hotel she had found on her research called the Hotel Bambu and restaurant so we flagged down a passing "taxi" and climbed aboard.  We were off!

It the back of a pickup.  Bars across the middle and sides to hold onto.

Lunch was really good and the hotel was nice but not worth paying more than the one we were already in.  Ours was lovely.  Our pick-up taxi came and took us back into town to the cathedral and Artisan Market.  Eldon bought 2 more shirts.  

Inside the Cathedral at one of the alters.
Don't know what the occasion was for all the decoration.

Front door to the cathedral

After wandering we took a tuk tuk back to the hotel and just explored until dinner.
The wind blew most of the night causing the tree branches to scrape and bang on the tin roof.  We ate breakfast and hired a launch to take us to San Pedro.  We wanted to go to San Juan but the lake was too rough to go there

One of the volcanoes around Lake Atitlan

 When we got to San Pedro we hired three Tuk Tuks to drive us over to San Juan.  The drivers took us to a weaving demonstration place where the girls showed us how they took the cotton from bolls to fine thread.

Dying the thread.

Weaving.

Brown cotton bolls on the bushes.

Our Tuk tuk.

The drivers then took us to an art shop to look at stuff.  I think they were hoping we would by something.  We suspicioned that they got a cut from any tourists they brought to the store.  On the way back to San Pedro to catch our boat the drivers stopped at an overlook that was pretty impressive.  They dropped us off a little ways from our launch and we perused the tiendas as we went.

Riding in our Tuk Tuk.

Panoramic view from the overlook

On the launch headed back to Santiago.

Book we found in the hotel.

We had our fireplace in our room lit and it reflected
on the window making it look like we had a burning bush.

Back at the hotel, we flagged down the next pick-up taxi and went to lunch and wandered the artisan markets.  Tuk tuk back to the hotel where we played 5 crowns waiting for dinner time.
July 11th
We headed back towards Antigua, stopping in Ciudad Vieja to look around.  They make coffins and supe up old school buses here.  We stopped at a lovely old cathedral but it was not open for a few more hours.

Front of Cathedral in Ciudad Vieja.

Guatemalan bus.  Use to be a school bus in the States.

On our way home we saw a bad crash where a chicken bus (name for Guatemalan buses) on it's side in a corn field and the field burning further out.  We guessed a car was out there on fire.  The fire department was there hosing the field and we guessed that more than a few souls went to heaven that day. 
We stopped in San Felipe for lunch and toured a jade market where Eldon bought me a nice jade necklace for my birthday.  Off to home and laundry to get ready for our continued trip tomorrow.

We went to Hertz and picked up our car for the next few days.  President and the other missionaries were tired of travel!  How is that possible?  This trip we went to Monterrico again but drove to Taxisco and took the ferry through the swamp to get there.  It was hot and muggy but way cool.

Driving down to Taxisco

The Ferry we drive our car onto to go through the swamp.

Two men out fishing.

Plants growing in the swamp along our route.

We checked into our hotel, Cafe del Sol but our room was not quite ready so we walked all the way through town and back then changed into our swimming suits and went swimming in the pool while we waited.  The cool water felt good.   We wandered down to the beach and watch the surf.  Finally the room was ready.

Waves break close to the beach along here.

In the evening we went down and watched the sun set over the ocean.  It was beautiful.

Sun just starting to set.

Going down.

And down

And gone.

Next day, after a swim, a walk on the beach and breakfast, we left for Antigua and checked into La Casona del Antigua.  We got a lovely, large 2 bed room.  It use to be a large house.  It is inside a walled community.

Our room

The bathroom

Sitting room down the hall from us

Large front room with old books you may read.

One of the breakfast dining areas.

From the roof patio we watched Fuego blowing off steam, rocks and lava.  After dark the lava was quite visible.

Fuego visible from the roof top terrace.

Blowing smoke, ash and lava every few minutes.

Capturing another lovely sunset but not as spectacular as over the ocean.

Sun down.

After breakfast the next day, we wandered around Antigua looking for a few things we needed but it got really crowded really fast.  Apparently Saturdays are like that so we packed up and headed for home, grabbing some groceries on the way, and just hung out the rest of the day.

Well that catches me up to the second week of January.  Next post to follow hopefully won't take so long.