Edge of Antigua December 7

 

I chose a different route back, which skirted the eastern edge of Antigua. Very different vibe, just a stone's throw from the town. Quite rural, and no cobblestones...yet. There was roadwork going on, so perhaps they are extending the cobblestoned area. 

The church has an amphitheater in front of it, and is sometimes used for performances. I have been to a beautiful folkloric theatre/ dance/ music performance there. 

Milking Goats December 7

 While we were taking photos of the devil, a truck full of goats with engorged udders pulled up. One goat was unloaded and led to the door of a restaurant. The milking took place behind the truck, so I missed that. The old fellow is having a drink of warm frothy milk. Doesn't get any fresher than that!

Dia del Diablo December 7

Dia del Diablo is celebrated every year at this time. In Antigua, a statue of the devil is on display during the week before. Somewhat the statue depicts an actual devil in our midst, such as Osama bin Laden in 2001 (my first time there), or Trump a few years ago. 

On December 7, a huge crowd gathers to watch the burning of the devil. First they drape him with hundreds of firecrackers, so the fire is full of explosions. Very scary, especially since the spectacle takes place in front of the only gas station at the edge of Antigua. 

I didn't attend the burning this year. Too scared last time. The tightly packed crowd is almost enough to put me in a panic, and when I think about what would happen if there was an accident...well. I don't want to imagine. 

 

Fuego Erupts December 11

Last night we had a view of Fuego erupting as we were eating dinner at Toko Baru. Quite spectacular. 

Then today we have news that the airport was closed for a few hours due to the ash.  Flights have been delayed, but we're hoping to still arrive home tomorrow, as planned. Fuego has settled down. 

Christmas Arrives at El Parque Central Dec 1

The lights had been strung in the trees by mid November, but light up night was Dec 1. It was a very festive atmosphere. 

Music at Old Joe's Nov 30

Our friend Mike (second from the left) was singing in a choir in the spectacular ruins of San Jose El Viejo (Old Joe). The acoustics in there are great, and the surroundings are spectacular. 

I hope these videos work. 

Reading in the Park

I finally overcame my lack of confidence, and read to kids in the park this week. I had had lots of excuses: hardly any kids, too many tourists, rain, sun... After a peptalk from Richard, I went. 

The first kid I saw was my favourite little girl from three years ago. Now she is six; then she was three. She didn't remember me, but her mum did. I read to Maria for about an hour, and she was fully engrossed the whole time. We would start each book by talking about each picture. Often Maria only knew the K'akchikel name for animals and common objects, so this was also a Spanish lesson as well as a reading experience. 

I showed Maria's mum photos I had taken of Maria when she was thŕee. She thought they were photos of younger daughter, who is now three, and looks just like Maria. She was astonished when she realized that it really was Maria. I realize that photos are not part of their lives.

The next day I had about eight kids. A few read on their own, or to a younger sibling. I'm back in action!

Slackline Feat November 19

 

More festivities in the park on the weekend. Amistad175 celebrates 175 years of German-Guatemalan friendship, and as part of that, there were slackline demonstrations in the park, as well as opportunities to try very low level slacklines with a safety person. The low lines were very popular with the kids in the park. 

The most remarkable feat was this German guy, Alexander Schultz, who walked a slackline 15 metres high, no pole. His goal was to do it 175 times in two days, but I don't know if he achieved his goal. 

I'm having trouble uploading my video of when he fell. You can hear the gasps of horror. His harness did its job, and he was able to quickly climb back on the slackline, quite a physical and emotional challenge I would think. Lots of applause.