GUATEMALA

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Chapter 13: Volunteering with Local Kids

teaching english in guatemala volunteering ix canaan — Our first day, co-teaching, before the group got so big that we had to split up

teaching google Sketchup to guatemalan kids volunteering computers — John teaching Sketchup computer program

guatemalan girls playing with our gringa daughter — After a few days, Lilly began to feel right at home – mostly thanks to the incredibly friendly and welcoming girls there.

guatemala street scene el remate — Typical house we’d pass on our walk to school each day

guatemala dirt house el remate — Lilly with her best friend playing in the kitchen

guatemala family making friends with our gringa daughter — Lilly and our adopted family

Chapter 14: Rainy Central Guatemala

driving mountain roads in central guatemala — We had endless rain through central Guatemala

roadside repairs soldadura guatemala — Side-of-the-road mechanic finishing off a quick repair for us

While bumping down a semi-paved road John asked me “do you hear that noise from the van?” I tried to pretend like I knew what he was talking about, because the van makes so many noises that I can’t really discern one from the other. He hopped out and peered under the front of the van, re-appearing at the windshield with a look of dismay on his face. “The bracket holding the torsion bar is broken and half of it is missing!” Of course I have no idea what that means, but you don’t have to be a car genius to presume that pieces falling off the van is not a good thing. He reckons that it must have been knocked off by one of the many speed bumps that we hit going too fast – we could go back to look for it, but we have no idea if we lost it today or last week or where it might be.

There’s no way to buy another one of these thingies, but, we have noticed “soldadura” signs just about everywhere we go in Central America (welders)… We drive 5 minutes to a little town and immediately come across a guy welding under a roof on the side of the road with lots of tools around him. John gets under the van with him and points out what needs to be created. The man says no problem he’ll do it right away. Amazing!

But even more amazing is that, before the guy has finished, a motorcycle pulls up and a man jumps off holding a metal part in his hands “is this yours?” It’s our missing part that he happened to find in the road! Unbelievable! He leaves before I can even thank him. The man welds it back together and then sends us to the nearest town to buy the right bolt (which turns out to be the hardest part of this episode, requiring multiple visits). 50 quetzals ($7) later and we’re back on the road!

The super welcoming coffee coop. These ladies were constantly offering us hot coffee, cold coffee, or frozen coffee ice pops.

This man had just walked in with a sack of beans on his shoulder, which he poured into this large container, then asked if he could get a photo with Lilly!

chichicastenango colorful guatemala dress cemetery — Colorful Chichicastenango where we had our first van accident in the crowded market

chichicastenango cemetery colorful panteon — Colorful graveyard on the hill

Chapter 15: Volcanic Eruptions and Back to School, aka Living in Guatemala

lake atitlan guatemala — Beautiful Lake Atitlan

lake atitlan pasaj cap vanlife — Incredible view from my bed every morning

overlanders village vanlife pasaj cap lake atitlan — We lived in an Overlander village! Lilly loved having other overlanding families to play with.

eruption volcan fuego lake atitlan guatemala — Dinner with a view every evening

san marcos public school lake atitlan guatemala — Mary’s favorite class where she taught English at the local public school in San Marcos

guatemalan man carrying firewood lake atitlan — The endless search for leña (firewood) to cook tortillas to survive day by day

guatemalan woman carrying firewood lake atitlan — Note the head-band that holds the entire weight of the wood, and the flip-flops on the rocky trail

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