10 More Days in Guat-ay

It's hard to believe it has already been two years, but we head back to live in the States in 10 days! So, in honor of the 10-day countdown, here are some Top 10 Lists for Guatemala. They are written with a sense of humor, and we have absolutely loved living here even despite some drawbacks.

Top 10 Questions We've Stopped Asking
because there are no good answers

10. Are there really 4 people on that motorcycle, including two children under the age of 5?!
9. Why don't slow drivers get in the far right lane?
8. Did you feel that? Was that an earthquake?
7. Can we flush the toilet paper here?
6. Which volcano is that anyway?
5. Is that guy telling us we CAN go through this intersection or is his weird hand signal telling us we can't?
4. Why aren't the roads paved to get to the two of the largest tourist attractions in the country (Pacaya, the Lake)?
3. Is it safe or not safe to [name any activity here]?
2. Will it rain today?
1. Why does no one in this country have change to break a Q100 bill?

Top 10 Favorite Foods We've Eaten in Guatemala

10. Crepes (Guatemalans seem to love them!)
9. Torta Chilena pie (layers of caramel and pie crust)
8. Coffee coffee coffee
7. Macademia nuts
6. Emna's Cilantro-Lentil Soup
5. Hacienda Real Refried Black Beans
4. Fresh corn tortillas
3. Pineapple
2. Mangos
1. Avocados

Top 10 Most Frustrating Parts of Living in Guatemala

10. The entire banking process and banker interactions
9. Ability to communicate and understand at times
8. Government and police corruption
7. The classist/racist system against Mayans and poor people, including the way rich people treat their maids and others in servant-like roles
6. Lack of U.S. products we love
5. Lack of safety
4. Lack of clean public bathrooms
3. Lack of safe drinking water
2. The large size of the impoverished population
1. The driving, road conditions, construction patterns, and city layout

Top 10 Activities in Guatemala

10. Enjoying tanning on the patio in the (almost always) year-round perfect weather
9. Going to the spa and getting massages
8. Going to the VIP movie theatre at Oakland Mall
7. The Santiago Kite Festival
6. Climbing Volcano Pacaya
5. Going to the beach
4. Enjoying the Semuc Champey pools
3. Going to Antigua
2. Being at Lake Atitlan (but not driving to or from it)
1. Tikal, the Mayan temple site in Northern Guatemala

Top 10 Accomplishments in Guatemala

10. Learning how to drive here -- being defensive and aggressive at all times
9. Knowing the earthquake drill inside and out
8. Helping local people out
7. Beth's accomplishments at CAG
6. Being some of the tallest people in the country
5. Convincing people to come visit us :)
4. Stayin' Alive
3. Learning how to cook Guatemalan food
2. Learning to bargain at the market
1. Learning to Speak and Understand Spanish! Yeah!!!!

We really have enjoyed our time here in Guatemala, and we are so happy that we have had so many wonderful adventures and made so many good friends. Go Guatemala!

Fun with the Forehands!

Beth and I were fortunate enough to have our two good friends, Mandi and Aaron Forehand, come visit us two weeks ago. We all became friends while living in Lawrence, and shortly after we moved to Guatemala, they moved to Los Angeles. So it was especially nice to spend a week with them since we won't get to see them very often any more. We had a really fun time and wished we could have had more time together.

They flew in on Tuesday, June 28, in the afternoon. That evening we had a tasty dinner of Guatemalan specialties at the Hacienda Real restaurant in Zona Viva (the nightlife zone of the city). They were exhausted from traveling all day, plus Beth had to go to work the next day, so we called it fairly early that night.

On Wednesday, we slept late and took our time getting around. Mid-morning I took Aaron and Mandi down to Zone 1 to see the National Palace and go shopping in the market. They enjoyed exploring the wares, buying a few souvenirs, and perusing the colorful food market where we bought fresh mango, pineapple, strawberries, and bananas for smoothies later in the day.

After the market, we drove to Beth's school to have lunch with her at the cafe on adjoining University's campus. We all had crepes with various tasty fillings. Afterward we showed them around the expansive, pretty campus.

That night we lived it up by going to our first VIP movie showing! A new mall in the city has a special movie theater that charges double the normal ticket price, but you get to enjoy sitting in large leather recliners, order dinner from a full menu, as well as drinks, and of course candy and popcorn. It was the most comfortable movie viewing any of us had ever seen. And best of all, the tickets only cost $8! Oh, and we saw the new X-Men origens movie, which was entertaining but not as memorable as the experience.



Beth had off from school Thursday and Friday, so we got up early Thursday to head south to the coast where we stayed a night at the Cayman Suites. It was an easy drive, and we got there early enough in the day to enjoy the place all to ourselves until late afternoon. We spent the whole day by the pool and really enjoyed the time together. That night we ordered room service to get away from the bugs and heat as well as to watch Harry Potter 4 (they're big fans like Beth and me).


The next day we got up early and were at the pool from 7 a.m. till nearly 1 p.m. getting in as much sun and water as we could before leaving. Once back in Guatemala City, we took our time cleaning up and repacking our bags for two days in Antigua. That evening in Antigua we did some light shopping and exploring before having dinner at the Mexican restaurant, Fridas.



The following morning we had a wonderful breakfast at Cafe Condessa, one of our favorite places to eat in the town. Afterwards, we explored the local and artisan markets. After noon, Aaron and I tried catching a shuttle to a nearby coffee farm to take a tour, but it never came. So, he and I spent the afternoon snacking on chips and salsa at the Irish pub, reading our books while it rained in the afternoon, and then getting coffee later. All the while, Mandi and Beth were busy shopping and exploring the multitude of shops.



In the evening, the four of us went to Casa Santo Domingo for dinner. The Forehands seemed to really enjoy the food, ambience, and grounds of the amazing hotel.

On Sunday morning, we did a bit more last minute shopping, then drove over to Pacaya Volcano for a hike. We had good views again of flowing lava, and even enjoyed lava-toasted marshmellows! After the tiring hike, we drove up to the Santa Terecita Spas at Amatitlan to relax in the thermal pools. Aaron and Mandi also got massages. Getting home that night took longer than normal due to a carnival taking place in Amatitlan, followed by heavy traffic into the city. Unfortunately, Beth came down suddenly with a bug that evening and ended up going to bed at 8 p.m. and missing the next day of school.

From Spa at Lago Amatitlan

Monday night was our last night together, and since we had nothing planned, we decided to go back and rewatch the Wolvering movie at the VIP theater. It was just as enjoyable as the first time around.

The next day we said our goodbyes, but had already made plans to come visit them this summer in L.A. The adventure wasn't over yet however. Mandi and Aaron arrived at the airport on time, but had somehow missed their flight by a full day! Somewhere along the way, we were all convinced they left on Tuesday, when in fact their ticket was booked for Monday. But thanks to the unbelievable generosity of a Mexican Air employee, they were able to fly back home for free and at the same time as their originally scheduled flight! Pretty amazing.

Thanks for coming to visit us, Mandi and Aaron!

Spring Break Guatemala!

The week leading up to Easter, we were fortunate to have Beth's brother and sister, Tim and Robin, come spend the week with us. Here's a picture recap of our fun time together.

The trip was supposed to kick off with a hike up Pacaya Volcano, however, there had been too much seismic activity and the park was closed for fear of a large eruption. So, instead, we just spent the afternoon lounging at the spa in Amatitlan.

The next day we headed down to our favorite beach spot in El Salvador, Roca Sunzal. We all enjoyed the heat, the food and drinks, trying to surf, boogie-boarding, the pool, playing pool, tossing the Frisbee, sun bathing, and plenty of relaxing.











The next leg of our trip took us to Antigua, where we had fun sight-seeing and shopping, as well as enjoying an exciting sunset view of an erupting Fuego Volcano, followed by a fabulous dinner at Casa de Santo Domingo, courtesy of Steve and Jackie (THANK YOU!).



After Antigua, we drove over to the lakeside city Panajachel. From there, we took a boat over to the small village of San Marcos. We planned to stay two nights here, but do to parts of the hotel having no electricity (hence the candle light Trivial Pursuit photo), we bailed a day early and spent our second night on the lake back in Panajachel. There we enjoyed the active night life, shopping, and zip lining, as well as a comfortable stay at our hotel, Posada Los Encuentros.






After getting back from the lake, we spent our last night evening together eating at Frida's, a Mexican food restaurant.

Thank you, Tim and Robin, for coming to visit! We had a great time!

Recent Video Fun

Beth's brother and sister, Tim and Robin, recently spent a week with us here in Guatemala. We had a blast together, and we'll be blogging more in depth about the trip soon, but for now, here are a few videos of fun things that went on while they were here.

While enjoying snacks and drinks before dinner on a rooftop bar in Antigua, we witnessed the volcano, Fuego, erupt into the darkening sky. This volcano blows off smoke frequently--multiple times an hour--but we have never seen lava spewing up into the air and down its side.



We spent an afternoon in Panajachel enjoying the ziplines. Here are a few videos of us on the lines.

Josh Ritchey: International Man of Festivity!

For James' Golden Birthday in which he turned his age on the same date (28 on March 28th), as a surprise to him, one of his best friends from college in Oklahoma City flew in for a week in March! The surprise was really fun, but the week was even better!

Josh flew in on St. Patty's Day, so we went out to a downtown gringo-laden bar, Rattle 'n' Hum. We found out later the Guatemalans call the place Pan con Frijol (bread and beans) instead because they have a hard time pronouncing Rattle 'n' Hum, and the name has no real translation, anyway. HA!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Then the boys spent a few days at our favorite beach destination, Roca Sunzal, where James surfed on a surfboard for the first time! Congrats, James!

El Salvador

Once back from their relaxing weekday beachdays, we had a fun party at our house with three exciting competitions: a Mojito Making contest, a Guac Off, and we played a bar trivia game that Josh also heads up back in Tulsa where he's attending law school (and running trivia bar games!). It was a blast!

Party Pics

For the mojitos and guacamole entries, each one was judged on taste, creativity of name, and style of presentation. For example, I entered my "Holy Guacamole, that's hot!" but it didn't win. James and Josh entered "Guac and Roll" which was just guacamole on a bun, but they got points for creativity! There were mojitos ranging from mango mojitos to margaritos.

Our trophies, presented to the winners at the end of the night

For the team trivia game, we were on small teams, and there were 4-5 categories in which we had to answer as a team. For example, one category was Dead or Alive, and Josh put up a pictures of someone famous, and as a team, we had to name the celebrity (1 point) and say whether or not that person was dead or alive (1 point). It was harder than you'd think! It was honestly difficult to recall whether or not the actor was from Spartacus or Ben Hur, and then their current Living Status....?

We used a projector for the trivia

After such a celebratory night, it was hard to imagine having any more fun to top the evening, but we managed to! We spent the next day in Antigua bumming around, and then our friend Jean Ah met up with us to go hike Pacaya.

At Cafe Sky, a rooftop bar in Antigua

Listening to a Peruvian Flute Band at Sol Latino

It was a pretty intense climb, but once we got to the smoking volcano, it was worth it to watch the lava spilling down the side! Scary! One guy gunning for a Darwin Award was trying to roast a marshmellow on the end of a stick while standing on recently hardened lava, and we could see it glowing bright red below him! We tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen. Luckily, nothing happened while we were around to see it.

Note the flowing red lava behind us

The climb is steep
Volcano Pacaya smoking away

For Josh's final evening in the city, we went to Jean Ah's for an impromptu Sushi Making (and sushi rolling) lesson and sunset dinner on her deck. It was VERY fun, and we didn't know how easy it could be to make sushi! Well, we call it sushi, but Jean Ah taught us that it's called kimbap in Korean.

Mama Jean Ah cooking up the ingredients for kimbap!

James was trying his luck at making a monster roll that was hard to even eat it was so big!

All in all, it was a successful and entertaining week that went way to fast! Thanks again to Josh Ritchey for visiting and helping to make James' birthday so special!

... And Feliz Cumpleaños to James, of course!