Here’s a gallery of photos that captures our recently completed “Guatemala 2010″ Meal-a-Day of the Americas field project. Team members – please add your comments, captions and narrative to help visitors understand what we’ve just experienced and how it’s made a difference in your life. (Hint from Steve: write a comment using the number on the photo for reference. I’ll move your comment to appear beneath the appropriate picture.)
Ancient Chinese proverb: Journey of lifetime begins with ancient VW bus.
2) Team leaders and several others went down a day early to run some errands and be on site when team arrived. This wonderful minibus shuttled us to and from our hostel.
pickup at airport
3) The team arrived in three groups. Three shuttles were ready to wisk us off to Antigua, Guatemala for the first night.
The way local Guatemalans travel.
4) Safety first.
first of many trips in the rain
5) We started learning right away what “the rainy season” means.
typical room in our hotel in Antigua
6) We were actually split between two hotels that were close to each other: Casa en Familia and Posada La Merced
Volcan de Agua from the roof of Casa en Familia
7) Antigua is surrounded by mountains some of which are active volcanos.
The first group had a chance to visit the Antigua city centre.
Between downpours
Guatemalan women weaving
9) Craftsmanship
Tamar is prepared for germs.
10) Ready
walking to dinner
11,12) Antigua is a quaint little town, totally overrun by tourists
Our first dinner together was a pleasant surprise at "Las Palmas"
13) Everyone was ready for a good meal after a day of traveling.
the walk back to our hotels was very wet
14) It started raining while we were eating. Josh was prepared with a rain coat. Most of us got soaked.
DAY TWO
morning view from the roof of Casa en Familia
15) Great place to watch the sunrise.
"Good morning!"
16) Rich on the roof of the Casa en Familia and a group on the roof of Posada la Merced
Volcan de Agua in the background
17) On the roof of the Posada la Merced
breakfast (coffee!) two doors down at Fernando's
18) Ian following his nose to the coffee
Caleb B.C. (before coffee)
19)
Guatemala ranks second in the world (after Colombia) in the amount of high grade coffee it produces
20) Jacob savors
breakfast came with the hotel room
21)
this bus is known as a "coaster"
22) getting ready to move on from Antigua to our base camp in Coban
can't get Pollo Campero at home
23) it’s getting harder to really leave home behind
corn was growing everywhere in the countryside
24)
Bruce's "boot" protecting the Achilles repair he had just had done
25)
safe arrival in Coban
26)
Coban hotel interior
27) very interesting hotel courtyard
rooms had windows that opened onto courtyard
28) Tamar and Janine were neighbors
first formal assembly to meet with the families we were helping
Kristin was the Habitat for Humanity field coordinator for our group
Alex Marmol serving as translator
One of the families we were helping. This woman's husband had been murdered last year.
informal meeting with families and local Habitat people continued on the patio
Katie gets acquainted
Emily and Colton...happy to be there
Caleb and James
a late dinner at the hotel (where we usually ate)
37) Most of our meals happened here at the hotel. On our first night we met after dinner for a class and Memorial Service.
the flip side to the formal portrait
38)
