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From Poptun and Finca Ixobel in Guatemala we headed south to Rio Dulce. We stopped just north of the town
and Joe took some folks ahead to find a place for us based on some research Colleen had done. They found
what used to be called the Hotel Ensenada and is now called Planeta Rio right on the side of the wide spot on the
river on the south side (N 15:31, W 88:59). We were allowed to camp on the far side of the hotel and had access
to swimming pool and other facilities. They also had water for us there.
During the 3 days we were there we hired a boat to take all of us to Livingston down the Rio Dulce, some of us
went to Castillo San Felipe and then on to Finca Paraiso where there is a hot waterfall and cool river to hang out
in so you don’t get too hot. Probably the most notable thing that happened while we were there was the ‘dreaded
event’…I got KC stuck in the mud…it took all of us over two hours to get her unstuck by jacking up one side and
then the other to put boards and rocks under the wheels until we had her up out of the mud. Then Larry hooked
onto the rear and assisted us as we backed out under power. As the rainy season progresses we may not be able
to choose those wonderful grassy spots to camp and may have to stick to pavement or the roads. Colleen and I
took everyone out to dinner that night to thank them for all their assistance.
From Rio Dulce we left for Antigua where we were getting ready for Semana Santa – Holy Week – and the biggest
event of the year in most of these countries. While in Rio Dulce we met a Guatemalan family that camped near us
and they suggested a regional park outside of Antigua as a possible place to stay. Also in Rio Dulce we
reconnected with Roy and Margarita, a couple we had first met in San Ignacio and they joined us for our travel to
Antigua.
The regional park is called Florencia and is just outside the village of Santa Lucia Milpas Altas. It is a huge facility
with swimming pools, soccer fields, picnicking areas, horseback riding and an area to camp way at the back. They
charged us 20 Quetzales/person/night to camp (8Q/US$) and there was potable water available at a spigot. The
spots we had included a palapa with a concrete table and a fireplace and was absolutely gorgeous. We had to set
up the dish to just peek through the trees to get a signal (N 14:34 W 90:41).
Semana Santa in Antigua, a World Heritage city, has got to be one of the spectacular wonders of the world. I
include here a description found on a website as it perfectly describes what we saw.
"Semana Santa (Holy Week) or Easter Week is Central America’s most celebrated and important holiday. People
from all over the world come to share and witness, firstand, the traditions that have taken place here for hundreds
of years. The celebrations begin before Palm Sunday and continue virtually nonstop until the end of Easter
Sunday. Nearly every business, family, language school and certainly every church participate in these activities.
One of the most spectacular of the celebrations centers around the religious processions that wind their way
through nearly all the streets of Antigua. The processions are done by the many churches in Antigua and there
are processions every day, sometimes two or three in the same day. The people of Antigua participate by
creating "alfombras" (carpets in Spanish) that they make throughout the streets of the city. An alfombra is an
artistic design created on the streets out of various materials - sometimes fresh flowers or fruits and vegetables,
but those I liked best were made from brightly colored sawdust. They sometimes depict religious events
associated with Easter Week, others simply a beautiful design or wildlife scene. To say they were elaborate would
be a gross understatement! They come in various sizes and shapes, some extending for a city block. Many
families and businesses create a new one every day of the week.
It takes a great deal of time, and patience to build one. First a wood border is constructed in the streets. The
interior is then filled with natural sawdust, leveled, patted firm and then watered to provide a solid base for the
design that will be placed atop. The background colors are then put on shaking brightly colored sawdust through
a finely screened box so the sawdust has the appearance of being painted on. Intricate stencils are then laid in
place and various colored sawdust applied by hand and pressed into the openings in the stencils. These are
generally very large creations requiring some form of scaffolding to be made to allow the center of the designs to
be completed.
These are completely destroyed almost immediately after they are created as the processions walk over them.
The processions wind their way through town and last for 6 to 8 hours. The processions begin with many of the
church’s members all dressed in purple or black robes followed by another group that has incense burning that
leaves the entire street filled with thick smoke. That is followed by a huge "anda" (movable platform in Spanish).
The andas are absolutely massive. They are carried by at least 80 people on each side. We were told that one
weighed 7000 pounds. Woman were carrying smaller andas.
Atop the andas are the religious statues that represent one of the religious events. The statues used in these
processions are said to be some of the most magnificent in the entire world. They are intricately carved of wood
and some are more than 350 years old. Following the andas is a marching band that plays somewhat somber
music that provides a good cadence so that everyone carrying the andas is in the same stride. Immediately after
the procession a crew follows to clean up the remains of the alfombras and the streets are once again clean and
ready for the next day’s events.
I think the most incredible thing about this event is that it is not done for the tourists. If not one tourist showed up
to witness these celebrations they would go on just as they have for hundreds of years!!
Gene & Sheri"
We all took the chicken buses into Antigua to watch these events and came home footsore and weary at night. All
together we stayed at Florencia for 7 nights. Also during this time our friend Marilyn was due to fly in to
Guatemala City to travel with us for 3 weeks. In order to take advantage of the trip to the city, we all hired a van to
take all of us to various museums and marketplaces during the day and then to the airport to meet Marilyn at 7:30
pm. We waited and waited until the last person arrived and left to discover that we had been stood up at the
airport. We were worried that something bad had happened and when we got home very late that night we
received an email message from her saying that as she was finalizing her packing she couldn’t find her passport.
After many hours of searching she decided that she must have lost it at customs when she arrived back from a
trip to Germany a few months ago. She now had to arrange for a new passport and would be delayed for a couple
of weeks until she got it.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Antigua/Florencia but were also looking forward to going on to Panajachel and
Lake Atitlan and left Antigua on Easter Sunday thinking that we might not have as many cars and buses to
contend with on the road to Pana. Colleen and I had been doing all the planning for this part of the trip and were
quite concerned about the road into Panajachel. There are two ways in and one of them, through Solola, is almost
impossible because of the narrow one way streets you have to negotiate through Solola and then a seven mile
long 20% grade down from Solola into Pana around really tight curves with buses and other traffic all hell bent to
get there before the next guy. So, instead, we opted for taking the road through Godinez which is a fair bit longer
but has some flat spots interspersed among the steep grades.
We all geared down and very slowly proceeded to the outskirts of Pana and then stopped so that we could
arrange for us to go the wrong way down a one way street to get to where we were going to camp at the Hotel
Tzanjuyu on the other side of town. From where we stopped we had to go alongside the marketplace with
hundreds of vendors and shoppers and about 6 inches to spare on each side. We got a police motorcycle escort
and started ahead and I will let you know what happened next in Mary’s own words.
"As we pulled into the outskirts of Panajachel, we all breathed a big sigh of relief. Kathe went off to the police
station because we needed a police escort to get through town as there would be no way for us to negotiate
several of the turns if we didn’t go the wrong way on a one way street. We all parked along a street waiting for her
to get help. Then we got underway again, with Elaine and I all the way in the back of the caravan. The street was
downhill, but not really steep. All of a sudden, our brake pedal went all the way to the floor-we had no brakes! We
were careening towards Ken & Carolyn’s trailer ahead of us. Elaine was doing everything she could think of to get
us stopped, including pumping the brakes, trying the emergency brake, throwing the gear into park, but nothing
worked. I was on the CB yelling that we were having a crisis and for Ken to get moving before we crashed into
him. Ken raced ahead of us and found a wide spot where he pulled over, quickly jumped out of his truck and got a
big log from the back and threw it right in front of our tire trying to help us stop, but we just rolled right over it.
Colleen radioed back that they were in an area where a big market was going on and there were hundreds of
people and if we ended up there we would kill people so we had better crash into something ahead of time to stop
us. Elaine picked a spot where there was a small dirt hill on the side of the street and then a row of cypress trees.
We barely missed hitting a man and 2 kids standing at a bus stop before we went over that dirt hill and crashed
into the trees.
Thank goodness we were finally stopped and we hadn’t hit anyone. We were shaking for about the next 10
minutes! Damage assessment revealed that we had many scratches on the front and side of our rig, and cracked
fiberglass towards the bottom, but no broken glass, no broken lights, and our sideview mirror hadn’t even been
sheared off. The police arrived and promptly went off to get a mechanic. When he arrived, he worked on our front
brakes and with some pumping and brake line bleeding, he got those to work so that we could drive to his shop,
which was really just a big dirt lot full of wrecks of cars, piled up cases of beer bottles, and garbage, and a small
house where people actually live. There was laundry hanging out. Here several guys worked on our rig and it was
determined that our master cylinder which pumps brake fluid to the brakes was working for the front but not the
back. In fact, when they took our rear brakes apart, the calipers were totally frozen and there was rust on our
brake pads, indicating that they haven’t been working since the last time they were replaced, almost a year ago.
So we have been driving all over including over the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, the mountains in
Mexico, and now here, using only our front brakes! The miracle is that these didn’t go out even 30 minutes before
they did because we would have surely gone over a cliff. Or that it didn’t happen a few minutes later because we
could have killed many people in the marketplace. On a lighter note, later on, Joe came up to us and said, “Some
people will do anything to get material for their travelogues.”
This was the scariest thing that has happened so far on the trip and we are all very grateful that it ended as well
as it did. We are now camped alongside Lake Atitlan on the grounds of the Hotel Tzanjuyu (N 18:39 W 88:25) and
having lots of new adventures of a better kind while we wait for parts to be shipped to the mechanic, Jairo, who
Mary and Elaine are calling Hero because he is so competent in spite of the mess of his shop.
Colleen and I have a family that lives near Pana in San Jorge la Laguna that we have been helping by paying for
schooling for various of their 5 children for the last 4 ½ years. We were so looking forward to seeing them and
getting caught up on their lives. We were here last in May of 2003 for Fernando’s wedding. Since then there is a
new baby named Alexander Luis Fernando Garcia and called Nandito. As we rolled into town after the harrowing
incident on the outskirts, we saw Flavio and Benito waiting for us to arrive. How good it is to see them again. We
correspond with them via email and they have made lots of the arrangements for our time in Pana including the
place we are staying.
On Tuesday after arriving we took a boat to see 2 of the villages across Lake Atitlan that Benito had arranged for
us. We were charged 475 Quetzales (about $60) for a boat that held all of us and all of the Garcia family – 23
people in all – and we had it for the whole day. We went to Santiago de Atitlan and San Pedro la Laguna
wandered around, went and found Maximon the pagan god, had lunch and generally enjoyed ourselves and the
day on the water. The entire Garcia family from the baby to grandma Maria went too and had a great time.
On Wednesday evening we met with the firefighters in Panajachel to deliver all of the used bunker gear (turnout
coats, pants, helmets and boots) we have been hauling with us since leaving Santa Fe. The firefighters were very
glad to get the gear and we ordered two cakes to share with them. Most of the Garcia’s were also there. I offered
to teach a class on pediatric assessment to the members of the department on Sunday the 18th at 7:00. None of
them are EMTs, but they deliver lots of babies and take care of lots of kids as they take them to the hospital in
Solola. I have never delivered this material in Spanish, so it will be interesting.
On Thursday morning early we got on a microbus that Benito had arranged for us and took Rosa and Benito Jr.
with us to Chichicastenango, Santa Cruz del Quiche, and Nebaj for an overnight trip. It was a lot of driving but
Colleen and I got to see some new territory high up in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Everybody had fun
shopping at the market in Chichi and wandering the streets of the small towns. Unfortunately, Ken was sick so he
stayed back with the rigs in Pana.
On Saturday we created a great group meal with all of us and all of the Garcia family on the grass where we are
camped. Rosa brought the masa and a comal put on the BBQ grill and taught anyone who was interested in
learning how to make tortillas. It was a great meal and we even had enough leftovers to have a mini version the
next night.
On Sunday we recovered from all of the activity of the last few days and in the afternoon we went to visit another
of the small villages around the lake. The guipiles (handwoven and then enhanced with embroidery blouses that
the women wear) from Santa Catarina are my favorites with their beautiful blues, greens and purples. We also
visited the family of a boy with leukemia that we have been checking on whenever we visit. Edwin, who is now 14,
finished 3 years of chemo last November but had a relapse last week and is again in the hospital. His only hope is
a bone marrow transplant, something that would be done as a matter of course in the USA, but unless his family
finds an organization to sponsor him, he probably won’t survive. His first three years of chemo were paid for by
Amanda and Donna, two women from Australia that we met in Pana 3 years ago.
On Monday we hired the same microbus and all went to Fuentes Georginas, some wonderful hot springs, and
Quetzaltenango (Xela) and had another long and wonderful day. This morning, Tuesday we are all going to get
our laundry to a lavanderia and then Colleen and I are headed to Guatemala City on the bus to pick up Marilyn
and then return by bus tomorrow morning. This brings us up to date…the next installment will see us in Honduras,
we hope, and with all the brake parts replaced.
Colleen and I made the trip to Guatemala City with Benito Sr. and Rosa in order to pick up Marilyn. We left
Panajachel on the 3:00 pullman bus and arrived in Guate at about 6:00. We went to our old standby Hotel Chalet
Suizo in Zone 1, checked in and then went for a Chinese dinner prior to picking up Marilyn who was due in at 7:
30. We were a little late getting there and Marilyn did show this time. We spent the night and then caught the 9:00
bus back to Pana where everyone was waiting for all the goodies that Marilyn had brought.
Larry got his Iron Out and some special screws, Mary and Elaine got their vitamins, we got a new computer,
replacement BBQ grill and frozen green chile, Carolyn got her Prilosec, and Joe got his mail and the replacement
paddle for Larry's kayak that got broken back in San Ignacio, Belize. It was a bit like Christmas. Now Marilyn could
shop and fill up her luggage for the trip back home.
We arrived back in Pana on Wednesday; the group had originally decided to leave on Friday as it appeared that
the brake repairs would be finished by then. Unfortunately, there were more brake repair complications so Larry
and Joyce, Joe and Colleen, Marilyn and I decided that we had better move on ahead so that Marilyn would get to
spend her 60th birthday on Roatan, Honduras. Leaving them there not knowing when or if the brakes would be
repaired was very difficult for me. Fortunately, Margarita stayed behind to help with the translations. By the way,
Roy and Margarita have decided to join
us for the rest of the way to Panama. They are driving a cabover camper that gets in and out of places easily.
I have an unhappy event to report at this time. Kirk, our youngest Loose Chicken, has decided to return to the
States to take care of some pressing business. Saying goodbye to Kirk, who could always be counted on to get us
all giggling periodically, was very hard for all of us and particularly Kirk. He says that this is the best trip he has
ever been on and that it exceeded all of his expectations. We wish him well and hope to see him on the road
again sometime.
We left as planned on Friday and Kirk left about 30 minutes before we did. We got as far as Zacapa near
Chiquimula where we spent the night near a large hall that had been rented for a quinceanera (15th birthday
party) with loud music, drunks that wanted food and were miffed that they wouldn't let them in to the party,
policemen who were very interested in seeing our rigs, and, at 3:30 in the morning a woman knocking on the
bedroom wall to ask for bus fare to Guatemala City. At the family's insistent invitation we attended the party and
watched a few couples dancing until we could politely leave.
The next morning we went to Chiquimula for breakfast and some shopping and then headed for the border
crossing at El Florido. It took us almost 2 hours to complete the paperwork and get all the little pieces of paper
stamped from all the officials. Then we were finally in Honduras and Copan Ruinas. We spent two nights at a
Texaco gas station in Copan Ruinas (N 14:50 W 89:09) for a few bucks a night. Most of the group (all but me who
is very tired of Mayan Brickworks – thank goodness this is the last one) went to the ruins and wandered around
the town. I got the website updated with new pictures. The second evening we went out to dinner at Vamos a Ver,
a restaurant owned by a couple from Holland that bought the place 5 years ago sight unseen over the internet.
Colleen and I ate there 3 years ago and enjoyed the food so went back again. Definitely worth the second trip to
Vamos a Ver.
While at Copan Ruinas we got an email from Kirk saying that he managed to make 2 wrong turns in the first 15
minutes leaving Panajachel and then needed a taxi to get him unlost from Guatemala City. Traveling alone will be
a bit different for him since he will now have to figure out where he is going and not just be able to follow the
person in front of him. He may even have to buy a map!!!!
Leaving Copan Ruinas we went to Gracias, a small colonial town in the mountains. We stayed behind the DIPPSA
gas station (N 14:35 W 88:35) for 2 nights while we went to Celaque National Park for a hike, some went to two
villages in the area and then we all went to a local balneario (hot springs) the last evening. This balneario had
several pools of varying water temperatures that were in a beautiful setting with lots of rockwork. It started to pour
rain so we went to a little restaurant near there for dinner. We got an email from the others that the brakes were
repaired and that they were leaving on Tuesday to catch up with us.
Leaving Gracias on Wednesday, we headed to Tela and La Ceiba via San Pedro Sula. We were going to stay in
Tela – one of my favorite places in Honduras – but decided we would catch it on the way back when we could do it
justice and continued on to La Ceiba. We had heard about an RV park run by a Canadian and found it just east
of La Ceiba. It was a very tight squeeze getting down the little dirt lane, and our CB antenna was a casualty of the
tree limbs. We are in the park (N 15:46 W 86:52) and hopeful that the rest of the Loose Chickens will be joining us
here later this morning so we can all take the ferry to Roatan this afternoon at 4:00.
I will leave you here though it is only the 29th and we will have lots of great adventures these last two days of
April. We won't have internet access again until we get back from Roatan on the 4th or 5th of May. I will put all
new pictures on the Yahoo Groups site this morning.
and Joe took some folks ahead to find a place for us based on some research Colleen had done. They found
what used to be called the Hotel Ensenada and is now called Planeta Rio right on the side of the wide spot on the
river on the south side (N 15:31, W 88:59). We were allowed to camp on the far side of the hotel and had access
to swimming pool and other facilities. They also had water for us there.
During the 3 days we were there we hired a boat to take all of us to Livingston down the Rio Dulce, some of us
went to Castillo San Felipe and then on to Finca Paraiso where there is a hot waterfall and cool river to hang out
in so you don’t get too hot. Probably the most notable thing that happened while we were there was the ‘dreaded
event’…I got KC stuck in the mud…it took all of us over two hours to get her unstuck by jacking up one side and
then the other to put boards and rocks under the wheels until we had her up out of the mud. Then Larry hooked
onto the rear and assisted us as we backed out under power. As the rainy season progresses we may not be able
to choose those wonderful grassy spots to camp and may have to stick to pavement or the roads. Colleen and I
took everyone out to dinner that night to thank them for all their assistance.
From Rio Dulce we left for Antigua where we were getting ready for Semana Santa – Holy Week – and the biggest
event of the year in most of these countries. While in Rio Dulce we met a Guatemalan family that camped near us
and they suggested a regional park outside of Antigua as a possible place to stay. Also in Rio Dulce we
reconnected with Roy and Margarita, a couple we had first met in San Ignacio and they joined us for our travel to
Antigua.
The regional park is called Florencia and is just outside the village of Santa Lucia Milpas Altas. It is a huge facility
with swimming pools, soccer fields, picnicking areas, horseback riding and an area to camp way at the back. They
charged us 20 Quetzales/person/night to camp (8Q/US$) and there was potable water available at a spigot. The
spots we had included a palapa with a concrete table and a fireplace and was absolutely gorgeous. We had to set
up the dish to just peek through the trees to get a signal (N 14:34 W 90:41).
Semana Santa in Antigua, a World Heritage city, has got to be one of the spectacular wonders of the world. I
include here a description found on a website as it perfectly describes what we saw.
"Semana Santa (Holy Week) or Easter Week is Central America’s most celebrated and important holiday. People
from all over the world come to share and witness, firstand, the traditions that have taken place here for hundreds
of years. The celebrations begin before Palm Sunday and continue virtually nonstop until the end of Easter
Sunday. Nearly every business, family, language school and certainly every church participate in these activities.
One of the most spectacular of the celebrations centers around the religious processions that wind their way
through nearly all the streets of Antigua. The processions are done by the many churches in Antigua and there
are processions every day, sometimes two or three in the same day. The people of Antigua participate by
creating "alfombras" (carpets in Spanish) that they make throughout the streets of the city. An alfombra is an
artistic design created on the streets out of various materials - sometimes fresh flowers or fruits and vegetables,
but those I liked best were made from brightly colored sawdust. They sometimes depict religious events
associated with Easter Week, others simply a beautiful design or wildlife scene. To say they were elaborate would
be a gross understatement! They come in various sizes and shapes, some extending for a city block. Many
families and businesses create a new one every day of the week.
It takes a great deal of time, and patience to build one. First a wood border is constructed in the streets. The
interior is then filled with natural sawdust, leveled, patted firm and then watered to provide a solid base for the
design that will be placed atop. The background colors are then put on shaking brightly colored sawdust through
a finely screened box so the sawdust has the appearance of being painted on. Intricate stencils are then laid in
place and various colored sawdust applied by hand and pressed into the openings in the stencils. These are
generally very large creations requiring some form of scaffolding to be made to allow the center of the designs to
be completed.
These are completely destroyed almost immediately after they are created as the processions walk over them.
The processions wind their way through town and last for 6 to 8 hours. The processions begin with many of the
church’s members all dressed in purple or black robes followed by another group that has incense burning that
leaves the entire street filled with thick smoke. That is followed by a huge "anda" (movable platform in Spanish).
The andas are absolutely massive. They are carried by at least 80 people on each side. We were told that one
weighed 7000 pounds. Woman were carrying smaller andas.
Atop the andas are the religious statues that represent one of the religious events. The statues used in these
processions are said to be some of the most magnificent in the entire world. They are intricately carved of wood
and some are more than 350 years old. Following the andas is a marching band that plays somewhat somber
music that provides a good cadence so that everyone carrying the andas is in the same stride. Immediately after
the procession a crew follows to clean up the remains of the alfombras and the streets are once again clean and
ready for the next day’s events.
I think the most incredible thing about this event is that it is not done for the tourists. If not one tourist showed up
to witness these celebrations they would go on just as they have for hundreds of years!!
Gene & Sheri"
We all took the chicken buses into Antigua to watch these events and came home footsore and weary at night. All
together we stayed at Florencia for 7 nights. Also during this time our friend Marilyn was due to fly in to
Guatemala City to travel with us for 3 weeks. In order to take advantage of the trip to the city, we all hired a van to
take all of us to various museums and marketplaces during the day and then to the airport to meet Marilyn at 7:30
pm. We waited and waited until the last person arrived and left to discover that we had been stood up at the
airport. We were worried that something bad had happened and when we got home very late that night we
received an email message from her saying that as she was finalizing her packing she couldn’t find her passport.
After many hours of searching she decided that she must have lost it at customs when she arrived back from a
trip to Germany a few months ago. She now had to arrange for a new passport and would be delayed for a couple
of weeks until she got it.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Antigua/Florencia but were also looking forward to going on to Panajachel and
Lake Atitlan and left Antigua on Easter Sunday thinking that we might not have as many cars and buses to
contend with on the road to Pana. Colleen and I had been doing all the planning for this part of the trip and were
quite concerned about the road into Panajachel. There are two ways in and one of them, through Solola, is almost
impossible because of the narrow one way streets you have to negotiate through Solola and then a seven mile
long 20% grade down from Solola into Pana around really tight curves with buses and other traffic all hell bent to
get there before the next guy. So, instead, we opted for taking the road through Godinez which is a fair bit longer
but has some flat spots interspersed among the steep grades.
We all geared down and very slowly proceeded to the outskirts of Pana and then stopped so that we could
arrange for us to go the wrong way down a one way street to get to where we were going to camp at the Hotel
Tzanjuyu on the other side of town. From where we stopped we had to go alongside the marketplace with
hundreds of vendors and shoppers and about 6 inches to spare on each side. We got a police motorcycle escort
and started ahead and I will let you know what happened next in Mary’s own words.
"As we pulled into the outskirts of Panajachel, we all breathed a big sigh of relief. Kathe went off to the police
station because we needed a police escort to get through town as there would be no way for us to negotiate
several of the turns if we didn’t go the wrong way on a one way street. We all parked along a street waiting for her
to get help. Then we got underway again, with Elaine and I all the way in the back of the caravan. The street was
downhill, but not really steep. All of a sudden, our brake pedal went all the way to the floor-we had no brakes! We
were careening towards Ken & Carolyn’s trailer ahead of us. Elaine was doing everything she could think of to get
us stopped, including pumping the brakes, trying the emergency brake, throwing the gear into park, but nothing
worked. I was on the CB yelling that we were having a crisis and for Ken to get moving before we crashed into
him. Ken raced ahead of us and found a wide spot where he pulled over, quickly jumped out of his truck and got a
big log from the back and threw it right in front of our tire trying to help us stop, but we just rolled right over it.
Colleen radioed back that they were in an area where a big market was going on and there were hundreds of
people and if we ended up there we would kill people so we had better crash into something ahead of time to stop
us. Elaine picked a spot where there was a small dirt hill on the side of the street and then a row of cypress trees.
We barely missed hitting a man and 2 kids standing at a bus stop before we went over that dirt hill and crashed
into the trees.
Thank goodness we were finally stopped and we hadn’t hit anyone. We were shaking for about the next 10
minutes! Damage assessment revealed that we had many scratches on the front and side of our rig, and cracked
fiberglass towards the bottom, but no broken glass, no broken lights, and our sideview mirror hadn’t even been
sheared off. The police arrived and promptly went off to get a mechanic. When he arrived, he worked on our front
brakes and with some pumping and brake line bleeding, he got those to work so that we could drive to his shop,
which was really just a big dirt lot full of wrecks of cars, piled up cases of beer bottles, and garbage, and a small
house where people actually live. There was laundry hanging out. Here several guys worked on our rig and it was
determined that our master cylinder which pumps brake fluid to the brakes was working for the front but not the
back. In fact, when they took our rear brakes apart, the calipers were totally frozen and there was rust on our
brake pads, indicating that they haven’t been working since the last time they were replaced, almost a year ago.
So we have been driving all over including over the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, the mountains in
Mexico, and now here, using only our front brakes! The miracle is that these didn’t go out even 30 minutes before
they did because we would have surely gone over a cliff. Or that it didn’t happen a few minutes later because we
could have killed many people in the marketplace. On a lighter note, later on, Joe came up to us and said, “Some
people will do anything to get material for their travelogues.”
This was the scariest thing that has happened so far on the trip and we are all very grateful that it ended as well
as it did. We are now camped alongside Lake Atitlan on the grounds of the Hotel Tzanjuyu (N 18:39 W 88:25) and
having lots of new adventures of a better kind while we wait for parts to be shipped to the mechanic, Jairo, who
Mary and Elaine are calling Hero because he is so competent in spite of the mess of his shop.
Colleen and I have a family that lives near Pana in San Jorge la Laguna that we have been helping by paying for
schooling for various of their 5 children for the last 4 ½ years. We were so looking forward to seeing them and
getting caught up on their lives. We were here last in May of 2003 for Fernando’s wedding. Since then there is a
new baby named Alexander Luis Fernando Garcia and called Nandito. As we rolled into town after the harrowing
incident on the outskirts, we saw Flavio and Benito waiting for us to arrive. How good it is to see them again. We
correspond with them via email and they have made lots of the arrangements for our time in Pana including the
place we are staying.
On Tuesday after arriving we took a boat to see 2 of the villages across Lake Atitlan that Benito had arranged for
us. We were charged 475 Quetzales (about $60) for a boat that held all of us and all of the Garcia family – 23
people in all – and we had it for the whole day. We went to Santiago de Atitlan and San Pedro la Laguna
wandered around, went and found Maximon the pagan god, had lunch and generally enjoyed ourselves and the
day on the water. The entire Garcia family from the baby to grandma Maria went too and had a great time.
On Wednesday evening we met with the firefighters in Panajachel to deliver all of the used bunker gear (turnout
coats, pants, helmets and boots) we have been hauling with us since leaving Santa Fe. The firefighters were very
glad to get the gear and we ordered two cakes to share with them. Most of the Garcia’s were also there. I offered
to teach a class on pediatric assessment to the members of the department on Sunday the 18th at 7:00. None of
them are EMTs, but they deliver lots of babies and take care of lots of kids as they take them to the hospital in
Solola. I have never delivered this material in Spanish, so it will be interesting.
On Thursday morning early we got on a microbus that Benito had arranged for us and took Rosa and Benito Jr.
with us to Chichicastenango, Santa Cruz del Quiche, and Nebaj for an overnight trip. It was a lot of driving but
Colleen and I got to see some new territory high up in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Everybody had fun
shopping at the market in Chichi and wandering the streets of the small towns. Unfortunately, Ken was sick so he
stayed back with the rigs in Pana.
On Saturday we created a great group meal with all of us and all of the Garcia family on the grass where we are
camped. Rosa brought the masa and a comal put on the BBQ grill and taught anyone who was interested in
learning how to make tortillas. It was a great meal and we even had enough leftovers to have a mini version the
next night.
On Sunday we recovered from all of the activity of the last few days and in the afternoon we went to visit another
of the small villages around the lake. The guipiles (handwoven and then enhanced with embroidery blouses that
the women wear) from Santa Catarina are my favorites with their beautiful blues, greens and purples. We also
visited the family of a boy with leukemia that we have been checking on whenever we visit. Edwin, who is now 14,
finished 3 years of chemo last November but had a relapse last week and is again in the hospital. His only hope is
a bone marrow transplant, something that would be done as a matter of course in the USA, but unless his family
finds an organization to sponsor him, he probably won’t survive. His first three years of chemo were paid for by
Amanda and Donna, two women from Australia that we met in Pana 3 years ago.
On Monday we hired the same microbus and all went to Fuentes Georginas, some wonderful hot springs, and
Quetzaltenango (Xela) and had another long and wonderful day. This morning, Tuesday we are all going to get
our laundry to a lavanderia and then Colleen and I are headed to Guatemala City on the bus to pick up Marilyn
and then return by bus tomorrow morning. This brings us up to date…the next installment will see us in Honduras,
we hope, and with all the brake parts replaced.
Colleen and I made the trip to Guatemala City with Benito Sr. and Rosa in order to pick up Marilyn. We left
Panajachel on the 3:00 pullman bus and arrived in Guate at about 6:00. We went to our old standby Hotel Chalet
Suizo in Zone 1, checked in and then went for a Chinese dinner prior to picking up Marilyn who was due in at 7:
30. We were a little late getting there and Marilyn did show this time. We spent the night and then caught the 9:00
bus back to Pana where everyone was waiting for all the goodies that Marilyn had brought.
Larry got his Iron Out and some special screws, Mary and Elaine got their vitamins, we got a new computer,
replacement BBQ grill and frozen green chile, Carolyn got her Prilosec, and Joe got his mail and the replacement
paddle for Larry's kayak that got broken back in San Ignacio, Belize. It was a bit like Christmas. Now Marilyn could
shop and fill up her luggage for the trip back home.
We arrived back in Pana on Wednesday; the group had originally decided to leave on Friday as it appeared that
the brake repairs would be finished by then. Unfortunately, there were more brake repair complications so Larry
and Joyce, Joe and Colleen, Marilyn and I decided that we had better move on ahead so that Marilyn would get to
spend her 60th birthday on Roatan, Honduras. Leaving them there not knowing when or if the brakes would be
repaired was very difficult for me. Fortunately, Margarita stayed behind to help with the translations. By the way,
Roy and Margarita have decided to join
us for the rest of the way to Panama. They are driving a cabover camper that gets in and out of places easily.
I have an unhappy event to report at this time. Kirk, our youngest Loose Chicken, has decided to return to the
States to take care of some pressing business. Saying goodbye to Kirk, who could always be counted on to get us
all giggling periodically, was very hard for all of us and particularly Kirk. He says that this is the best trip he has
ever been on and that it exceeded all of his expectations. We wish him well and hope to see him on the road
again sometime.
We left as planned on Friday and Kirk left about 30 minutes before we did. We got as far as Zacapa near
Chiquimula where we spent the night near a large hall that had been rented for a quinceanera (15th birthday
party) with loud music, drunks that wanted food and were miffed that they wouldn't let them in to the party,
policemen who were very interested in seeing our rigs, and, at 3:30 in the morning a woman knocking on the
bedroom wall to ask for bus fare to Guatemala City. At the family's insistent invitation we attended the party and
watched a few couples dancing until we could politely leave.
The next morning we went to Chiquimula for breakfast and some shopping and then headed for the border
crossing at El Florido. It took us almost 2 hours to complete the paperwork and get all the little pieces of paper
stamped from all the officials. Then we were finally in Honduras and Copan Ruinas. We spent two nights at a
Texaco gas station in Copan Ruinas (N 14:50 W 89:09) for a few bucks a night. Most of the group (all but me who
is very tired of Mayan Brickworks – thank goodness this is the last one) went to the ruins and wandered around
the town. I got the website updated with new pictures. The second evening we went out to dinner at Vamos a Ver,
a restaurant owned by a couple from Holland that bought the place 5 years ago sight unseen over the internet.
Colleen and I ate there 3 years ago and enjoyed the food so went back again. Definitely worth the second trip to
Vamos a Ver.
While at Copan Ruinas we got an email from Kirk saying that he managed to make 2 wrong turns in the first 15
minutes leaving Panajachel and then needed a taxi to get him unlost from Guatemala City. Traveling alone will be
a bit different for him since he will now have to figure out where he is going and not just be able to follow the
person in front of him. He may even have to buy a map!!!!
Leaving Copan Ruinas we went to Gracias, a small colonial town in the mountains. We stayed behind the DIPPSA
gas station (N 14:35 W 88:35) for 2 nights while we went to Celaque National Park for a hike, some went to two
villages in the area and then we all went to a local balneario (hot springs) the last evening. This balneario had
several pools of varying water temperatures that were in a beautiful setting with lots of rockwork. It started to pour
rain so we went to a little restaurant near there for dinner. We got an email from the others that the brakes were
repaired and that they were leaving on Tuesday to catch up with us.
Leaving Gracias on Wednesday, we headed to Tela and La Ceiba via San Pedro Sula. We were going to stay in
Tela – one of my favorite places in Honduras – but decided we would catch it on the way back when we could do it
justice and continued on to La Ceiba. We had heard about an RV park run by a Canadian and found it just east
of La Ceiba. It was a very tight squeeze getting down the little dirt lane, and our CB antenna was a casualty of the
tree limbs. We are in the park (N 15:46 W 86:52) and hopeful that the rest of the Loose Chickens will be joining us
here later this morning so we can all take the ferry to Roatan this afternoon at 4:00.
I will leave you here though it is only the 29th and we will have lots of great adventures these last two days of
April. We won't have internet access again until we get back from Roatan on the 4th or 5th of May. I will put all
new pictures on the Yahoo Groups site this morning.
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2005
2005
April 2004
Around the World with Kathe and Colleen