Yesterday I couldn’t seem to speak or understand Spanish anymore, my head was really full (Maria said I couldn’t really speak English either as I stumbled over my words). As it happened, I didn’t need to. We visited Maria’s friends, Sid and Jan, in the afternoon. Sid is from Richmond, CA; Jan is from New Zealand. It was great to just sit around and discuss politics, Trayvon Martin, and the other failings of the US justice and other systems in English. When we left them, we went to a Japanese restaurant for a late lunch. It’s owned by an American man and his Japanese wife. We spoke only English there as well. Both places were my only glimpses into affluence. They were a completely different view of Guatemala, kind of like a movie set. I was imagining some dictator with a cigar in his mouth or something. Sid and Jan are restoring a mansion. It’s stunning! The Japanese restaurant is in a beautiful adobe structure, the restaurant sits back in a gorgeous garden, far from the Mayan vendors. Although I have enjoyed being in a Spanish speaking country I must admit that it was quite relaxing to just speak and hear English.
The Japanese restaurant where we had lunch.
This is the river that flooded when Christine was last in Pana. Hard to imagine that now.
In the evening we made prints of the photos I took of the Mayan family we met. We chilled at La Parada cafe and listened to the music of Soulfire. They are from Utah. They have traveling from place to place by bus for 3 or 4 years. They are actually really good. You can learn more from their Facebook page: Soulfire Project
