Trip: Koliber, July 6, 2015, Lake Atitlán

July 06, 2015

Trip: Koliber, July 6, 2015, Lake Atitlán

City in the Clouds - La Ciudad en las Nubes

There is so much to catch up on!

On the Fourth of July, after the last post, we made it to the Market in Guatemala City. You can see in the first photo, we had to go up and down multiple staircases to get to our supplier's shop. There wasn't much time to stop and take photographs because Ricardo RUNS EVERYWHERE. Hahaha. He is a man on a mission. The photo below is when I called his name and made him stop to turn around.

Ricardo stops for a second to say oh hello!

Sonia, Business Partner, in the 'Jaguar Town' Shop

This is Sonia, she is our connection here at the market, we ordered 4 dozen shirts from her and tons of headbands. They produced them for us very quickly. She is so sweet! Most people are nervous around a camera and getting a photo taken, but she was not; she was excited and appreciative. We will pick up the product tomorrow later on, she hadn't put the "Mayan Gear" tags on the clothing yet.

Measuring the headbands to make sure they fit big fat american heads ;)

Quality Control, Photo by Ricardo

At the Market

Ricardo's Mother, 'Tere' for short, or Maria Teresa, 94 and Ricardo, 62

This woman is incredible! Ninety-Four years old and still rockin' it! She made us breakfast every morning, delicious fried eggs - sunny side up, "Frijoles refritos"(refried beans) with breakfast & delicious coffee. The food is all so good, I think it's because they cook very close to nature - They keep it simple, ingredients and type of food. People seem very healthy for this reason, There are lots of treats and corn chip snacks (like Fritos and Doritos, etc.) but the people I have been around aren't eating these. It seems like people are very close to earth here, it is hard to explain. Things are very simple. You eat, you cook, you put the trash out, go to the shop, sleep, shower. Family is important, life is important. But also, more relaxed. Americans are so uptight (duh, but it is nice to be reminded) Things are a lot more localized as well, you get tortillas from the shop across the street, or you make them yourself, the vegetables are grown in crops nearby, the milk and sour cream is all raw and unpasteurized. This gives it a different flavor that takes a little getting used to, but I believe it is better for you.

Ricardo told me a story about his father Jose Luis, who was a senator right before the government was taken over by corrupt politicians. As new people came in and out of office and corruption began to set in, his father was exiled from Guatemala a couple of times. One of the times, a telegraph came in from the new government ordering for his father to be killed. Fortunately, someone gave him a tip- and told him to flee immediately. He wanted to see the telegraph for himself, so he planned to go to the office to get it. Tere, Ricardo's mom, thought he was crazy, but had his back anyway. Tere was a good shot, knew how to shoot a gun--definitely a great partner in this situation. ;) When Jose Luis went to get the message, Tere stayed in the car with her rifle pointed at the government office across the street, if anyone stepped out to kill Jose Luis, she would get him first. Luckily, she did not have to do this, but she was ready. What a badass!

Nuestro Pais - New Country "Baldizon"

There is a lot of political change here in Guatemala at the moment! The President is about to be impeached! He is 4 months away from finishing his normal term, but they're not going to allow that - the people want him out! They have been protesting at the capital every Saturday for 2 months. The CICIG(Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala), have been in Guatemala for a while digging deep to see what is going on in the government. The president and senators have been found that they are taking money from the people and putting it in their pockets rather than using it to make better lives for everyone. Who knows what else they are spending it on, I have not done enough research. With this big change in the structure of the government, things are probably going to be chaotic before they get better. People are asking for the constitution to be rewritten to disallow impunity for the president. All over the country right now there are presidential campaigns going on. Very interesting time to be here! Since this impeachment about to happen this is a really huge opportunity for progress here in Guat. However, with this gap in government, it is like leaving a wound open, you want it to dry and heal, but you also don't want bacteria to get in. They are going to be in a very vulnerable state. Hopefully things will progress instead of staying the same. Muy interesante!

Controversial, kind of ironic, she says "Guate for Change" but her father was the former dictator if Guatemala (Rios Montt) in 82-83, he was convicted for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was responsible for one of the bloodiest wars killing nearly 2,000 Mayan Soldiers.

Over looking Guatemala City, on the way to Ricardo's Family Reunion

We had lunch with Ricardo's nephew Oscar and mother, Tere at a popular seafood restaurant. The dishes were HUGE, I mean, bigger than Texas! No joke. I had some Tilapia in Coconut milk. It was delicious, and very filling. They did not have corn tortillas, but they ran across the street and got some from the shop for me. The people here are so incredibly nice.

Tere, Oscar, Ricardo and Me

Black Conch Ceviche, famous Guatemalan dish. Never say you don't like it.

Ricardo and his cousins at the Family Reunion

Did someone order Pizza?

After a long day of traveling and going to the market, we were so exhausted, mentally and physically. Ricardo knew of this great spa where you can take a bath, sit in the sauna, get a massage and relax. The men and the women are separated on either side. I obliged the invitation and I am so glad I did. I like seeing the women of other countries and how they hold themselves. Plus the relaxation part...I was in heaven. I sat in the Sauna for as long as I could, the steam was so hot! I haven't been in many saunas. but this was wonderful, my body needed this. Then I had the absolute best massage in my lifetime. It was an hour long and it was incredible! Not like in the states, I feel they don't give it their all, this woman did everything. Started with my feet, even massaged the organs in my stomach (wonderful!) shoulders, neck, lymph nodes, head, cracked my neck, back and shoulders, and then ended again with my feet. Oh man! Incredible. My body NEEDED that. I'm not as crabby anymore. I have been restored!

Lake Atitlán, Lightning storm on left, volcanoes on right.

We arrived in Lake Atitlán last night! It was a dangerous drive, the town is through the mountains, along winding roads and sharp turns. The altitude is about 5100 feet! We were driving through many clouds which made the visibility incredibly challenging. As if that weren't enough...it started to drizzle and that's when we realized the truck needed new windshield wipers. We powered through it though and arrived at the beautiful Hotel Bahia del Lago. There was an incredible thunderstorm with very active bolts of lightning on our way to the lake. You can see it to the left of the photo above. This place is gorgeous, like a palace, and we are the only ones here! The landscape reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, the rooms are so spacious.Well lit and comfortable with beautiful views of the lake.

We're going to see Ricardo's Cabins today to see if they will be a good place to start a school to teach people how to sew and become tailors here. We're going to bring an industrial sewing machine for them to use and be trained on. This will be the first of many trips in the future! After that, we are going to pick up more product from Maria Mendez in San Pedro. Lots of Hammocks!