Day 88 –September Sunday, 22, 2013

We are still in the beautiful old Colonial City of Antigua. The cobblestone streets originating from the 1600’s, the colourful one story buildings, the town squares, trees, shrubs, and flowers, as well as the markets, restaurants and shops, makes this a great tourist town. We had a relaxing day visiting the market, walking through the town, picking up our laundry, having lunch and then finishing the day with a great dinner with some new friends. Julie notes “Brad did have to make the walk to the lavenderia twice for pick up. He didn’t factor in a little Guatemalan time. He showered in the popular but rather unappealing outdoor showers available in the compound so he smelled better for the second trip (everyone was happy about that) and I made him a roast beef sandwich to keep his strength up. That’s a large load of undies or load of large undies, however you look at it, to haul several blocks. We’re never worried they’ll sell them or steal them as has happened in Canadian laundry mats, because there are no giants there requiring huge undies. Only in their Mayan myths.”

Will and Rochelle are a young couple from New Zealand travelling overland from South America to Alaska. We had a chance to visit with them and hear about their amazing adventure. They joined us for drinks and dinner at Meson Panza Verde. It was really nice to get a chance to meet some new people and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening with them. We hope to see them again next winter in Grande Prairie when their travels take them into Canada. You can follow them on their blog at http://kiwi-panamericana.com/ Unfortunately we did not take a picture of them to post but we hope to get a copy of some of their pictures from our dinner. Julie notes “No picture actually because we want to pretend we look the same age. They are really nice kids, outgoing and used to hanging out with all sorts on their travels, even old curmudgeons like us (once we had both showered). And they were very encouraging and informative about completing the South American portion of the trip at some time. And most importantly they laughed WITH us not at us. Well that one’s hard to know for sure, but it felt that way, but I’ve been fooled before. High school was unkind. Oh man! I feel more therapy bills in the future. Okay what were we talking about? Oh yes, Will and Rochelle. We are very much looking forward to crossing paths with them again. (Karen S, if you’re worried about your status, neither offered to read to me.) And also they seemed very excited at the prospect of shovelling snow.”

Our guide arrived this morning from Amatitlan at around 11:00 AM with a new master cylinder installed.

Our camp site in Antigua with our RV and our new friend’s overland vehicle that they purchased in Chile and have outfitted and modified to their needs as they travelled along. Julie notes “I think they too were a bit in awe of Brad’s unit, and even the old carpet was a luxury they haven’t seen for almost a year. We were impressed with the ingenuity and organization involved in their travel unit but I won’t be complaining (at least for a few days) about our living space. ‘Space’ being the operative word.”

Julie notes “We are pretty jealous of the map on the side of their vehicle.”

We thought a hot air balloon would launch from our camp site but instead it stayed tethered to a few vehicles and trees and then was deflated. I think maybe the wind picked up too much to safely launch. It reminded me of all the hot air balloons you see throughout the summer in Grande Prairie. Julie notes “Insert joke here about something else that is often full of hot air, and makes lots of noise when it deflates, and then laugh uproariously.”

The market on a Sunday.

Julie notes “Blue corn tortillas, hot off the presses. And it was hot! I was back in behind them, checking out the wares sweating on their pretty things.”

Julie notes “Bonito colores!”

We made a deal with this tough young negotiator and based on her smile I think she was happier with the outcome than I was! J Julie notes “She was striking a hard bargain while her sister and mom (shown above) were striking the tortillas while the iron griddle was hot. But I finally got my apron after searching 5 countries for one. Now I suppose people will expect me to start cooking or selling my wares. Uh oh on both counts.”

And finally, it is not hard for me to follow my wife through the streets of Antigua. I can see her well above the crowd. Julie notes “Both of these women have probably eaten a lot of guacamole but one of them has been spending way too much time sitting on her butt in a truck. I’ll give you a hint. She is the one who is as round as the other woman is tall. (Note to self – not the sidekick’s best side.)”

…over and out from Antigua, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “For those of you nature lovers out there who have been waiting for updates of our latest exotic bird sightings, the Antigua campground provided us a glimpse of a few more feathery friends. And speaking of feathery friends it also reminded us of Lesson # 88 in the Central American handbook ‘No matter where you are, city or country, you are likely within earshot of a rooster.’ But back to the birds, we spotted ‘The Red Headed Fence Stone-Pecker’ not to be confused with the more common household ‘Hairy Chested Nut Scratcher’ and the Yellow Striped-Feathered Capped-Cuter-Than-Your-Average Sparrow. Previously, when we were in Tikal, Brad and everyone else in our group including the Tikal tour guide, claimed to have seen some Tucans in the trees. I was not able to verify that and suspect they were all probably looking at a Fruit Loops box that had blown into the jungle. Again we are not licensed birders but have seen people play them on TV.”

“And just one more excerpt from the above mentioned handbook, Lesson #1 (and you’ll see why it’s #1 and not #2) ‘Men are allowed to pee wherever and whenever they feel like it. In the open, against the truck, bicycle wheel, fence, house, a rock pile, restaurant wall, a blade of grass but still never, ever against the wind.’ Now as you ladies can attest, they’ve always had the leg up, so to speak, in that particular area but here they can just let it all hang out wherever. Although the shier fellows will slightly turn their head because if they can’t see you then you can’t see them, I figure. Not a condemnation. Just an observation. Well actually many observations. And probably a little jealousy. More counselling you and Dr. Freud would say.”

Day 87 – Saturday, September 21, 2013

We got up this morning and had a quick cup of coffee and yogurt and headed off to the town square fountain to meet our Antigua tour guide at 9:30. Julie note “As usual Brad has skipped over a few details. We WERE ready well ahead of time and planned on a nice coffee in the square while we waited for the tour to begin, then the following scenario unfolded… ‘Don’t bother with your purse.’ he tells me. ‘I have everything we need in the backpack. No I don’t have the dictionary; no you better bring your spare keys. Just take the one for the camper door off the ring and leave the rest behind. Hand it to me. And I will drop it accidentally down behind all of the stuff as I reach into the back seat of the truck. Okay well, I can’t find it and we are now almost late for the tour. Run! Damn it! I don’t care if you’re going to twist your ankle on those wet cobblestones!’ Well at least that is how I remember it.”

We met Roberto and 3 other tour participants as scheduled. Julie notes “One couple was just on vacation in between their gigs as social workers doing wonderful deeds in foreign lands. And the other person was on her way to a 2 week yoga retreat. Then there were the 2 old curmudgeons who have been living in a camper for months. I wonder if strangers would’ve been able to tell who was who just by looking at us? But we all got along famously and it was great to chat in between the tour guide’s comments. I think some of their zen may have rubbed off on us. Feeling much calmer.”

We walked through the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, touring churches, hotels, ruins, and crypts and markets. Again, we took close to a hundred pictures today.

Of course, near the end of the tour you visit the Mayan jade jewellery and gift shop. Julie notes “I am usually pretty good at avoiding jewelry and gifts but they had me at ‘Mayan’.” After we escaped the gift shop we headed off for lunch to La Pena del Sol Latino. I tried the Guatemalan traditional dish “Pepian de Pollo”. Julie tried the delicious grouper fish specialty dish. Both were excellent and Mariella, our waitress, associated me with Brad Pitt – both for looks and name, I think? Julie notes “I sell the image by having lips just like Angelina Jolie.”

We found a lavenderia and I dropped off our bag of laundry. Julie notes “This wasn’t the day and a half adventure to find the laundromat like we had had last week, but it was a few wrong turns and extra cobblestone blocks on the old tender tootsies after the morning walking tour.”

I then toured the outdoor market in the pouring rain. People just seem to ignore the rain. The place was very busy, even with the pouring rain, on a Saturday afternoon with all the locals doing some shopping. Julie notes “There is no scramble to get out of the rain here. They may need to cover their wares but for the most part people just keep doing what they’re doing. I myself have been caught in the rain disproving for the most part that I am so sweet I must be made of sugar.”

We then headed off to a nearby “hippy” style restaurant; the Rainbow Café. They had some great live music as we ate and enjoyed a few drinks after a big day of walking. Julie notes “Very Bohemian and there was a great visual right across from our table of how I will look in 20 years when I am getting my groove on to the funky beats and my granddaughter is politely herding me towards the door. I apologize ahead of time Melodie. And speaking of herds, a herd of 12 unicorns came into the bar. True story. We had only had one drink so no pink elephants were with them. They were mostly European unicorns enjoying their last touring night together before heading home. Great costumes and they loved it when Brad photo bombed one of their pictures. I know they wanted us cool cats to hang out but it was already 8 pm and well past our bedtime. So it was goodbye to the unicorns and hello to counting sheep.”

Ruined walls around our camping compound.

An old chained and padlocked door on the compound wall. Julie notes “Wasted a lot time trying to get in here before we found the real entrance. Turns out picking locks isn’t as easy as it looks on TV. McGiver we ain’t but we were sure impressed with added security measure.”

The fountain in the town square at our tour meeting point.

These two little guys were posing for a picture their parents were taking in front of an old cathedral. Julie notes “I tried but they wouldn’t let me keep these 2 precious tykes.”

Ruins of an old cathedral.

Julie notes “Do these ruins make me look younger?”

Typical street scape. Julie notes “These cobbled streets are not recommended for flip flops, high heels, platform or strappy sandals, etc. We’ve seen many a man practically carrying their significant other from one sidewalk to the other. The ladies love their fancy shoes here. The men do too but they don’t usually wear the strappy ones.”

‘Old school’ lavenderia – washing stations in one of the other town squares. Julie notes “I was a little worried this was my only laundry option. Especially since it was beside an old convent. I don’t know how many times my mother told me to ‘get thee to a nunnery’ during my rebellious teenage years.”

Traditionally dressed native men.

More ruins

A young mother on “take your kid to work” day. Julie notes “Selling traditional fruits, drinking a salty traditional soup and carrying the cutest baby ever in the traditional way. They wouldn’t let me have her either.”

Another street vendor telling me how much my wife would like some of her jewellery. Julie notes “She wore me down with her cuteness and I bought a little something. A little something for Melodie since I will likely embarrass her in 20 years or sooner.”

A courtyard in the Hotel Santo Domingo.

…that’s all for today folks, take care, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Brad notes “After empting the entire contents of the truck, I found the key in the last place I looked”. 😉

Day 86 – Friday, September 20, 2013

We once again awoke in the Turicentro AutoMariscos Water Park. Our guide was off early this morning to get his master cylinder in Guatemala City and arrange installation. He phoned around noon to let us know the part was still held up in customs. We agreed that Julie and I would travel on to Antigua, Guatemala and would meet him there tomorrow or Sunday morning. This was actually Julie’s idea a few days ago. Julie notes “Well I’d say great minds think alike but that would be giving our guide a bit too much credit. I really need to work on this attitude. Maybe once I shed about 200 plus pounds of guia my attitude will improve. ”

We packed up the RV and were on the road again. It felt good to be on the move even if it was only an hour and a half drive. Julie notes “Yes we were very happy to move on. Good bye ants. Hope you all disembarked the camper, otherwise you are going to walking back on those teeny tiny legs from Antigua.”

We found the camping site, the Policia de Turismo parking area. Although it is a large abandoned compound, it is pretty neat. We are surrounded by old stone walls and ruins of bygone buildings. Julie notes “So right now you might say our life is in ruins. Bwahahahaha.”

After getting settled in, and after some research, we walked down to the main square through this beautiful old colonial city. We found a recommended tour company and booked our walking tour of the city, for tomorrow morning. Then we found the hotel and restaurant our guide had recommended. This time his recommendation was a good one. The Posada de Don Rodrigo was an amazing place. The ambience and service were top notch and the food was very good.

We were back to the camper just as the rain started for the night.

Scenery on the way to Antigua.

Sleeping in the back of your truck on the way to the market?

The couple in the car ahead of us stopped to ask if we needed help. We had pulled over at a significant Y in road trying to decide which way to Antigua. They said “Follow us. That’s where we’re going.” So we did. We followed them a few kilometers through a small town and then on to Antigua. They stopped at the entrance to the town and asked more specifically what we were trying to find. They didn’t know the location of the Policia de Turismo lot but asked a policeman standing nearby and directed us right to our spot a few blocks away.

Julie notes “You can’t drive down a skinny street without one of these busses barrelling towards you. Most of the busses and public transport have religious sayings on them and I am thinking that is because you are putting yourself in God’s hands when you board one. Hold on!”

Julie notes “The tall Good Samaritan and Brad, assessing the situation. I think they were actually saying ‘You go ask the policeman. No YOU go ask the policeman. Then they drew straws.”

A street scene Julie took out the front window (like many of our pictures.) I like this one.

Stone walls around our compound.

Dinner at Posada de Don Rodrigo and the adjoining courtyard. Julie notes “Delicious sangria and margarita. And this is where my next wedding is going to be, okay? I’m not sure who to yet but watch for those invites and save the date.”

….over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “I am stuffed. Glad we had to walk several blocks to and from our supper location. Did not wear my Christmas dinner stretchy pants. But it is now only 5 o’clock and it might be bed time! We both have had restless nights wondering what the next step of our journey will entail. There was a family of 4 from France parked beside us when we arrived here and they have left in their vehicle. Will I be able to wait up to see if they return safely? Honkshew, honkshew (snoring noises…)”

Day 85 – Thursday, September 19, 2013

We don’t have much to report today. We spent most of the day at the RV reading, “putzing”, surfing the net, and checking the vehicle over for our planned departure to Antigua today. We did make a run into Amatitlan for groceries and a few supplies. Other than that, I grilled a big beef tenderloin, and made some baked potatoes and carrots for supper. Julie notes “Supper was fabulous! But since it is a slow news day there a few things I’d like to share from our upcoming book ‘Grocery Shopping in Central America’:

#1 As I eluded to a few days back, margarine, by any other name, can be a surprise to your senses when you first take off the lid. It should be called ‘I can’t believe I bought this instead of butter!’

#2 Speaking of butter, I love the Spanish word ‘mantequilla’ and will from now on refer to butter by its Spanish name only.

#3 All crema is NOT coffee crema. You may find yourselves trying to squeeze sour cream out of a bag into your morning coffee. Not as yummy as you might think. And even when you think you have diligently read the labels each time you shop, somehow you have 3 open containers of sour crema in your fridge and no coffee crema.

#4 Speaking again of coffee crema, you cannot buy a large cup of coffee anywhere but you CAN buy industrial sizes of CoffeeMate, that are just ‘that’ much bigger than the North American size so they won’t fit into your camper pantry.

#5 Every supermarket has armed guards at the doorways and in the parking lots. So far though they have not stopped us to ask what we are using all of that sour cream for.

#6 Requeson means cottage cheese, however as in both the margerina and coffee crema, beware the fine print and be prepared to be flexible with your cottage cheese palate.

#7 Mystery meats are fun, so far.

#8 Don’t let your husband add chocolate and crocodile to the grocery list right after he’s been hearing about Mayan kings and their aphrodisiacs. It turns into a time consuming mission on all counts.

#9 Don’t freak out when you find the eggs in a regular aisle and not refrigerated. Remember there are men with guns just waiting for a reason to use them.

#10 Sweet buns look a lot like our sandwich buns but don’t taste quite the same with mayo and mustard and meat on them. I never thought I’d find a bun Brad didn’t like. The search has ended at Guatemalan sweet buns.

That’s just a little teaser. You’ll have to buy the book for the rest.”

Our guide’s part was to arrive today and he had a mechanic lined up to install it. We would then be off to Antigua. Guess what. The part was here but held up in customs. One more night here, I guess. Julie notes “It’s time to move on. Some teeny tiny ants (and not the cool kind of teeny tiny Aunts) have made their way into our camper. Nothing makes me grumpier than ants in my house except for maybe a guide who keeps telling us fibs.”

My friend, Alejandro, from the RV Park. He is a great guy. He keeps the other employees and guests laughing at his antics; signing, dancing, imitating different animals and their sounds, and joking around. He keeps morale high for everyone around him. Julie notes “This is not a camera trick. This is how Brad looks standing beside most of the people of Central America. Don’t have much trouble losing him in the crowds.”

Preparing our veggies for supper. Julie notes “Doing the recommended decontamination of all fruits and veggies and so far Brad’s diligence has paid off.”

…over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick.

Day 84 – Wednesday, September 18, 2013

We maximized our luxurious stay at the Barcelo as much as we could. We slept in until almost 8:00 AM. We then headed down to the amazing buffet breakfast and dined on their beautiful outdoor terrace near the pool. A real treat.

Later, we did a bit of shopping for authentic Guatemalan gifts and souvenirs. We had a lot of fun shopping and negotiating with our sales associate and the store manager. Julie notes “The store was filled with beautiful colourful items. And the staff were beautiful and colourful as well. I am not a shopper, as I may have mentioned during our many previous mall stops, but I could’ve spent all day looking at the gorgeous stuff with our sales clerk, Vanessa at my side ‘saying ‘Oh you will love this my friend. How about this my friend. Colours stay good my friend. All hand made my friend.’ And the great thing was they really did make you feel like they were your friends. Brad had a lot of fun haggling with the manager as well who kept saying ‘oh no my friend, that is too low, my friend’ and we left with our pockets a little emptier and our bags a lot heavier.”

It was then time to head back to our home on wheels. I think Julie was sad to leave but we do look forward to sleeping in our own bed. Julie notes “Yes, sad to leave the ambience but happy to be back in my comfy bed, even with the smells of the burning garbage next door et al. The trucks and busses have been celebrating our return as well with some pretty spectacular horn honking and engine breaking and it felt like the helicopters were dipping extra low on their steady flight path to let us know they were glad we were back safely.”

Guatemala City from the 9^th floor of the Barcelo Hotel Julie notes “This part of the city looks quite civilized in regards to traffic, etc. Don’t be fooled. Lesson #84 in travelling in Central America ‘One wrong turn can take you to the world of every which way traffic on what should be a one way street, resulting in the need for clean underwear.'”

They are tougher negotiators than they look J Julie notes “Size doesn’t matter when it comes to negotiating deals. These 2 gals were fun but firm on their bottom line despite the gringo towering over them.”

…take care all, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “It was a very rainy afternoon and Brad settled into reading his book. I have read so much in the past couple months that I would almost welcome the distraction of Karen Schoepp reading excerpts from one of her motivational books out loud to me. When can you get here Karen? As I type this the rain continues to fall and the iTunes is playing ‘Rain, rain, showers’ by Michel Pagliaro.”

“Also this in from Aunt Doreen in regards to several topics and she is correct on at least one of them…

‘Julie, I think the cement piece is an end table for the patio. The shrub is a croton and the large purple flower is a banana. I can just see Herb if he saw that cement thing, he would be making a pattern, Lynne would mix the cement (cuz she knows how)…dd’

Day 83 – Tuesday, September 17, 2013

We woke up this morning in our bungalow at the Tikal Inn within the Tikal National Park. Julie notes “We did giggle a little as we heard the ‘sunrise tour’ group leave at 4:30 in the morning to hike the jungle and ‘catch the sunrise’ from the top of the big temple. They obviously didn’t read the fine print that said there was slim chance of catching the sun rise in the jungle mist in the dry season but no chance of seeing it now in the rainy season. Oh well they were young. But they may never recover from their ‘howler monkey in the pitch black jungle’ experience. Upon return they told us it sounded like they were surrounded by many screaming Tyrannosaurus Rex. They scrambled into their rental car tired, slightly disappointed about their failed sunrise quest but fairly convinced that they had stumbled across another Jurassic Park.”

We enjoyed the hotel version of an American breakfast that was included with our stay. Julie notes “Brads childhood banana trauma has kept him from trying the fried plantain that accompanies many meals. It is really quite tasty. Please help me convince him that people will not call him a monkey like they did in grade one if he eats some bananas or plantain. (We will just make silly monkey noises and gestures behind his back.)”

We lazed around the bungalow and the lobby for most of the day. We each went for a walk and I had a swim in the outdoor pool. We chatted with a few other guests who are few and far between in this off/rainy season. There are far more staff than guests. We had a chance to catch up on the blog and write some emails. We caught our shuttle back to Flores at 2:30 or so and were at the airport in plenty of time for our 7:55 PM flight back to Guatemala City.

After arriving back at the Barcelo, we went to Strikers Pub for some drinks and snacks. It was at least 11:00 PM by the time we got back to our room. That is a very late night for us lately.

Julie and I were reminiscing about Uncle Herb last night over drinks and snacks. We realized what an influence he was to us in our adventure travel. After some more reminiscing, I realized that it is probably Uncle Herb’s fault that I took Julie on this adventure so we have agreed to blame him for anything that goes wrong. Sorry Uncle Herb but it’s your own fault. J Julie notes “I am now shaking my fist at the heavens. I can see you laughing as if it was one of your great practical jokes. You got me good Uncle Herb!”

Hotel Tikal Inn bungalow with some wildlife close to the front door. Julie notes “Looks like she’s singing “Jungle Boogie.”

Julie notes “A larger version of a bath tub since they only had a questionable looking shower in our bungalow.”

A tropical example of a plant that Julie once killed. Hers was the same variety but looked nothing like this. J Julie notes “True that. I was able to reduce it to a mere pile of coloured leaves in a matter of months. It is weird, the gardeners around here are kept very busy trimming back plants instead praying over them, begging them to grow, like I do.”

The puzzle question for today is to identify this plant common to the tropics. The first person who correctly identifies the plant wins some of its fruit. Julie notes “We will transport it back in the fruit catching area on top of our camper and deliver straight to your door. And speaking of contests, we are still waiting for a correct answer to our last colourful puzzler. We have had a few colourful guesses though. Keep them coming. It is possible we may eventually leave this campground and get back on the wandering route headed towards our homeland. (Although we will miss the burnt garbage smell wafting in on the breeze and the daily low flying helicopters and the required honking at the chicken bus stop, we’re sure there will be more delights awaiting us.) But if we do leave we want to make sure we have the colourful or unpainted (remember your choice) prize for the winner with us.”

..or identify this spider if you want one of those instead. Julie notes “It is hard to gauge the size of this puppy but it is possible it could eat a puppy, a small one anyway. If you look closely you can see the smaller regular size spiders around it. Babies? Thank goodness Brad noticed this at the front door of the hotel as we were LEAVING the jungle.”

And as coincidence would have it, they served a big bowl of popcorn in the pub. Herb was famous across Canada for his delicious “secret” recipe popcorn. Only a few great nephews hold the secret to his popcorn and have vowed never to reveal it. This was what prompted our reminiscing. Julie notes “We ate every last crumb just for you Uncle Herb! It was actually pretty good but not ‘secret recipe’ good.”

…over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick.

Julie notes “Brad gets mostly high marks for this anniversary get away. The travel arrangements all went smoothly. The Barcelo was a beautiful retreat from our little camper. The experience of seeing the Tikal sights and working hard for it was priceless. It felt like a great accomplishment. Our guide Manuel was great. Our Spanish speaking co tourists were jealous of the detail and direction we were getting. The jungle surroundings were just beautiful in their special hot and humid way. Sweating here just seems like the ‘cool’ thing to do. The food was great. I had the most amazing pork chop (or maybe they said Guinea pig chop) with a fruit sauce with all the fixings for lunch provided as part of the tour. Mmmm yummy The staff were very pleasant, bi-lingual and again willing to help us with our Spanish. A few glitches between the tour package and the hotel, mostly due to their lower tech systems at the hotel but ironed out easily and amiably. Our bungalow was good for being out in the jungle. I even liked the no electricity quirks. I liked the open air design with the big high ceilings and fans and hearing the animals rustling around and making their jungle noises, all thankfully on the outside of the room. (Brad was making enough noise on the inside of the room. His jungle snore may have been what set the howler monkeys off but possibly kept the jaguars at a distance.) The drawback to me was the musty smell and the slightly sketchy shower. But in that climate with no air conditioning that is to be expected I guess. It looked like the bedding was all line ‘dried’, at least there was a big line of someone’s sheets and towels in the work yard behind us. A few things around the hotel could use some upgrading but perhaps that is part of the jungle charm people are looking for. So all in all an amazing side trip for this sidekick and Brad’s contract will be extended for one more year, for better or for worse. J.”

Day 82 – Monday, September 16, 2013

Today started off as a great day but unfortunately we received word part way through the day that Julie’s Uncle Herb had passed away this morning after a courageous battle with cancer. Herb was not only a favourite uncle but a good friend. Julie and I, along with our kids, spent some great times with Herb and Lynne travelling the west or visiting them in British Columbia. Julie’s parents were able to join us on many of those adventures. We travelled with them on the Dhe Cho loop through Alberta, NWT, and BC in 2004. Our family also has great memories of our trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands with them from 2001. We had many other adventures with Herb and Lynne that have created some wonderful memories for our whole family. We will miss you Uncle Herb! Julie notes “Not much I can add to that. Many tears have been shed.”

We arose early this morning to catch our flight from Guatemala City to Flores to visit the Mayan site, Tikal. After a 1 hour and 10 minute flight we drove the remaining 60 kilometres to Tikal with our tour guide. We spent most of the day touring and climbing the ancient ruins of Tikal. We got word of Uncle Herb at the top of a Mayan temple; a very spiritual place; and were able to say our goodbyes to a really great guy.

Tikal is in the lowlands of Guatemala, not far from Belize, and it is much warmer and humid here than the highlands of Amatitlan. Julie notes “Our tour guide, Manuel, was very knowledgeable and in extremely good shape for any age but we are guessing he was in his 60s. Reminded me of Frank. The difference being we really liked Manuel. J We had 2 other English speaking couples in our group, from New Jersey and California. We bonded out in the humidity. Especially if you stood or sat too close to each other.”

Our tour included an overnight stay in the Hotel Tikal Inn within the National Park. It was a little more rustic than the Barcelo, let’s say, but clean and quite adequate. We had a private bungalow that only had power twice a day from the generator to add to the ambience. We had supper and drinks in the restaurant and a nice swim in the outdoor pool. We were able to see some different wildlife in the park and around the hotel – but none in our room to Julie’s pleasure. Julie notes “Just one animal to contend with if you get my drift. But it is literally a jungle out there and I was happy to keep it out there. I had Brad shaking curtains and peeking under stuff on recommendations from one hotel reviewer who found both a tarantula and a scorpion in their room. That’s at least 8 too many hairy legs in one room.”

The view of Guatemala from the air.

Our plane. The pilot is giving the thumbs up from the cockpit.

Some of the sites in Tikal. Julie notes “The first climb. Looks easy enough. Phewf! And that’s just the first of many. Those Mayans must’ve had excellent cardio function and the legs of Arnold Schwarzenegger. That explains some of the human shapes depicted in their carvings.”

Julie notes “Brad found out the hard way that these are not ancient Mayan urinals but actually alters to different gods. It may piss down rain on us later thanks to Brad and that big pop he had on the bus ride here. Uncle Herb would like that story.”

Julie notes “The KindasortaGuineaPig of Tikal.”

Julie doing one of the jungle hikes. Julie notes “Oh my god is that a spider web, what touched me, was that a spider web? Actually I only did the freak out dance once when some ants were angry I was standing on their trail. Jungle trekking lesson numero uno – always let several people hike ahead of you to clear spider webs but probably just anger the snakes. This ain’t no Jungle Book Mogli.”

A spider monkey throwing avocadoes at us. Julie notes “They throw the hard unripe avocados, they’re no dummies. I was blessed with a shower of hard unripe small plums. I say blessed because there are worse things they could be aiming at us. Mesmerizing to watch though, but keep an eye on the tree limbs above you.”

Julie notes “This shot is dedicated to Uncle Herb. This was where we heard the news and I think I can see you waving from that temple over there on your way up to that welcoming committee in the heavens. May you find gold every time you pan and may your adventures and jokes and tinkering and stories resume now that you are free of that stupid cancer.”

Don’t turn your back on her at the top of a pyramid. Julie notes “Too many witnesses. And there are some Mayan beliefs that there is a bevy of virgins awaiting the sacrificed males in the afterlife. That sounds like something he would like so I shall continue to make life here on earth with me a living hell, I mean living heck of a good time.”

My Mayan Goddess of strength. Julie notes “Yes in more ways than one. I was beyond Goddess perspiration and well into jungle sweaty.”

Julie notes “These are the native wingydingdo, not to be confused with the monkeys who wingdodotoo. We actually can’t remember the names but we do have written down somewhere.”

Celebrating the last big climb of the day. Julie notes “I think he is singing ‘Hey, hey I’m a monkey, people say I monkey around, but I’m too busy climbing pyramids to put anybody down.’ Just a guess. What do you think?”

The Grand Plaza.

We are hot, sweaty and tired but still give Tikal a definite thumbs up. Julie notes “Does this temple make my butt look big? Don’t answer that. I won’t care about witnesses next time.”

Julie notes “My favourite temple. Just because it was.”

…over and out for today, the muleskinner and his Mayan goddess sidekick.

Miss you Uncle Herb and thinking of you Aunt Lynne and family. Julie notes “More tears.”

Day 81 – Sunday, September 15, 2013

Today is our 34^th wedding anniversary. We were married in the Moscow United Church on September 15, 1979. Julie notes “Obviously he robbed the cradle. I’ve been telling folks, quite convincingly I think, that I am only 35.”

We enjoyed the warm sunshine today in the RV Park full of families celebrating Guatemala Independence Day. We made friends with one large extended family who were very interested in the RV and our travels. We showed them, in small groups, the interior of our camper. Julie notes “Once again Brad’s unit draws the attention of young and old. At one border crossing even a traveling circus was awed by it. They wanted to sign up Brad and his unit to the greatest show on earth. Unfortunately they weren’t in need for a bearded lady so we declined. There will be other circuses. ”

We also showed them the picture books we have of our family, friends, city, animals, and our adventures. Freddy, the spokesman for the family, brought me over an ice cold Gallo (Guatemalan beer) at 10:00 in the morning. A great way to start our anniversary. Julie notes “I was offered grapetti gaseosa grape pop, and not a big jug of wine as I had hoped to start off my anniversary.” We gave the kids a big bag of candy and the adults some Grande Prairie souvenir pins. At about 1:00 PM they brought each of us a plate of typical Guatemalan BBQ food; grilled chicken, beef, sausage, potatoes, beans, guacamole, and tortillas. It was excellent and the woman had prepared all of this on a small charcoal grill. She fed 10 or 15 people. (Julie notes “Plus 2 gringos!”) Amazing.

Our van picked us up at 2:00 PM and drove us to our beautiful hotel in Guatemala City, the Barcelo. The hotel was a top pick on trip advisor and we were not disappointed when we arrived. We ordered a bottle of wine, Julie enjoyed the real bathtub (Julie notes “Not quite the Trump tub, but a good soak nonetheless.”), we watched some TV, and tried to decide on a place for dinner. Julie notes “Believe it or not, but 99.9% of the channels in the 2 hotels we’ve stayed at are Espanola. Crazy eh? There is one CNN station (showing us over and over again the bad weather heading towards both sides of Mexico) and 1 comedy station that has Spanish subtitles for a few shows. Who knew we’d be so excited to watch ‘Friends’ re-runs?” About 7:00 PM we went to the Japanese restaurant, Kyoto, located in our hotel. Julie had the lobster teppanyaki and I had the assorted sushi, sashimi, and maki plate. We both started with a bowl of the best miso soup we have ever had. It was all delicious and a great celebration of our anniversary.

Our new Guatemalan friends. Julie notes “Just your typical family – funny, interested, caring and happy to share and try to communicate. The 4 women’s names all began with the letter ‘M’. Which made them giggle when Brad figured that out. The fellow in the back with the mustache brought Brad a 2^nd cerveza with a long story in Spanish. Either he has been sober for 3 years and he doesn’t get drunk under the table anymore or the more probable story, you have to drink alcohol under the table as it is not allowed in these parks and maybe you’ll go to jail for 3 years. Something was happening with 3 years anyway.”

My new amigo and I enjoying a Gallo. He reminds me of some of my Grande Prairie amigos who have the same outlook on life. J

This little girl enjoyed the natural warm water, heated by the nearby volcanos, more than the 7 large pools and waterslides nearby. Typical kid. Julie notes “She reminded me of a little someone back in Edmonton. So I only took about a hundred pictures of her.”

The extended family on the other side of us were celebrating a first birthday with a couple of piñatas. The one of Mario was really well done. They had him set up so they could pull him back and forth on a rope while all the young to old “kids” took turns swinging wildly with a piñata bat. They were having a great time.

Our delicious lunch provided by our new friends.

The happy good looking couple in the Kyoto restaurant. Julie notes “We can actually say the ‘happiest, best looking couple’ as we were the only couple in there, at least when this picture was taken.”

The meal! Yummy stuff.

And finally, how our guide may look at the end of this trip. J Julie notes “L”

…this is one day Julie is adding to the “good” list. For some reason, there is lots of room to add things on that side of the list. …over and out, the muleskinner and his official sidekick of 34 years.

Julie notes “I think I get to count these last few months as double so it just feels like it’s been 35 years. Of gloriousness of course. (pretend that this J is winking).

PS Happy Independence Day Guatemala and your other Central American cousins! Your country pride has been very noticeable these past few days.”

Day 80 – Saturday, September 14, 2013

Today I had to finalize our travel plans including flights, guides, hotels, and car services. Guatemala apparently needs a signature on file for credit card transactions. This meant finding a telefax machine. You would think that should be an easy task wouldn’t you? We also had to send some email and make some phone calls and I felt that I had already overextended the graciousness of our RV Park staff. The RV Park wifi hasn’t been available for a few days. We headed in to the Amatitlan mall complex to conduct this business. The first stop was breakfast at the fast food chain, Pollo Campera, because they offer free wifi. Their wifi was also unavailable but it was fun watching Julie ask for a table for two for breakfast in Spanish. The hostess actually laughed out loud, I think, and called for an English speaking helper. J Julie notes “‘Desayuno por dos.’ Sounded perfect in my head. But perhaps comes out as some kind of joke when mangled with a Canuck accent. It sure made her giggle. Then the English speaking waitress kept saying ‘Oh, you speak Espanol!’ in an encouraging way when we threw around the few words that come automatically now. People are eager to help but we’ve forgotten by the time they’ve finished talking.”

We then tried to get a SIM card for our unlocked phone. The first vendor did not have the mini-SIM card we needed and pointed us to a different service provider who could help us. Off we went to find out that they would not open for 10 more minutes. (Julie notes “I was too slow getting the camera but in your mind’s eye imagine Brad, 6’1″, windmilling with the gun toting 5’0″ security guard asking about the opening time. Priceless.”) Remember, we are in bed early and up early and we get places before they open. That seems to be the local rhythm of life here. Merriam was very helpful and had cell phone and Internet access set up for us in no time. Phewf. Now we could email and phone various parties we needed to contact. We were getting closer to finalizing our plans but I still had to print a form, fill it out, and fax it to the tour operator. There was no office/Internet kiosk in the mall we were told. I went into one of the electronics stores and asked if they could help me print and fax a form. The manager agreed to print the form for me but they did not have a fax machine. One step down, one to go. After completing the form, I tried asking a few non-English speaking staff in various stores for assistance to Telefax a document for me. I was not successful until I met Caroline in ACE Hardware. Caroline could not fax it for me but agreed to scan it electronically for me so I could email it. Caroline is the Numero Uno ACE Hardware employee and I told her manager exactly that! Finally, we could complete our bookings. Another phone call to book a car service and a little more wifi at the food court to book a hotel and we were done. By then it was 1:00 PM so I had to have a hotdog in the food court to celebrate. Julie notes “He is my organizing windmilling super hero! His kryptonite just happens to be hot dogs. Good thing he isn’t like Samson of the Samson and Delilah fame, as he then went for a haircut. All his strength would’ve been zapped.”

We headed back to the RV Park for the rest of the day. It was another busy day with busloads of various groups enjoying the water park.

These guys were ready for rain carrying a large sheet of roofing material over their heads in the mall complex. Julie notes “We were glad the wind didn’t pick up. They’d be over in Oz by now.”

One of the groups enjoying a BBQ in the water park. Julie notes “Just like the Canadian BBQs, getting the grill going is an important job. Instead of hamburgers though, this guy cranked out a full course meal including at least 50 tortillas to go with the feast.”

…over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “So the National Horn Honking and Whistle Blowing competition continued today with the addition of more torch runners and some chanting. We asked an English speaking lad, who was with a church group that came by to chat, about it. He confirmed that it WAS celebration on behalf of Quent and Krista’s birthdays and culminates on our anniversary on the 15^th. Weird because we thought we had figured out that it was the work-up celebrations to the Guatemala Independence Day Holiday, on the 15^th. No time to worry about that though. What do you think Brad has cooked up for our 34^th anniversary? He is cleverly not sharing all of the details, perhaps as a surprise (or more likely in case things don’t go quite as planned). Either way works for me. (I have lists for recording both scenarios. Which one do you think is longer?)

Day 79 – Friday, September 13, 2013

I spent most of today trying to book our next adventure. You will have to wait and see if I was successful or not. Julie notes “I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I wonder if it involves parking lots?”

We lazed around the RV Park eating unhealthy snacks most of the day in the drizzly cool weather. Julie read quite a bit and I used the Internet frequently trying to make arrangements. Julie notes “Hey Suze, I’m into my freebies on my Kobo that you loaded for me. Thanks! 1/3 of the way through my second Kobo book before I realized that I had already read it. Now because of my OCD I am forced to finish it. Luckily I can’t really remember how it goes but it just feels like vague déjà vu.”

The water park was busy today with busloads of kids arriving early this morning and spending the full day here having fun. There were at least 9 busses, maybe more. Some of the pools were packed in like sardines but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The question of the day is “What are these things you see for sale?” We think we have it figured out but want your ideas. We might bring one back for you if you’re right. Julie notes “Be sure to let us know what colour you want or there are the ‘paint your own’ if you are worried about it matching your other cement stuff.”

This guy tried keeping up with the kids playing soccer. Julie notes “I thought at first that he was cheating by hiding the ball under his shirt but then he started playing for the skins team.”

The old gardener is here every day bright and early working slow but steady keeping the place well groomed. Julie notes “I just want to say that I love this man. Pouring rain and he is draped in a garbage bag still working and keeping his underlings on point as well as directing big bus traffic off the grassy areas so they don’t make more ruts like you can see in the picture above. He packs in his own machete each day like many people we have seen as we travelled which brings me to travelling lesson #18 – I have never met a man (or woman) carrying a machete that I didn’t like.”

…over and out, the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “Hmmm no mention of the amazing supper I whipped up for him of weird, spicy beans on toast buttered with “Cremy light margirina” (no shade of Crayola yellow would describe the colour of this but it does have quite a waxy consistency like crayons), ‘sort of soft’ poached eggs and fried pink stuff that was called Jamonilla on the side of the can, my version of mystery meat. Altogether it was kind of home style tasty. Sort of.”

Happy birthday to sista Sista! Did you know that your birthday coincides with the Guatemalan National horn honking and whistle blowing championships? True story. Apparently all vehicles are required to participate and there is a certain rhythm, similar to the hockey game organ tune and trust me some honkers are way better than others in both rhythm and fortitude and endurance. And then the people with whistles (who knew so many people had whistles, thought it was a lifeguard convention for a while there) play the same tune. Things seem to escalate in the afternoon. We have also noted people running with torches as this is all going on. More investigating required I think.”

“But back to your birthday, the iTunes were gearing up the night before your big day with Adam’s lovely piano rendition of ‘Yesterday’ and your beautiful recording of ‘Today’ that you did for mom’s service. The only thing missing was a song like ‘The Sun will come out Tomorrow”. The sun did not shine but John Denver gave his version of ‘Today’ and it hardly rained all day. So I hope your birthday was little like that too. Love and honk, honk-itty-honk honk from down under!”