The 3 Hour Tour

Like Gilligan's Island, our three hour tour began as a 10 day adventure and turned into 15. Apparently, God didn't feel our work was finished last Monday. We spent the extra week in Guatemala City at hotel Barcelo. By the end of our time there, we knew every nook and cranny. To escape the hotel limits, we continued to embrace the Guatemalan culture by exploring the city on foot during the daytime hours when it was mostly safe to travel. The team took turns making trips to the local laundry mat where we supported local business. McCafe became the hot spot for mid-afternoon chats and down time. The sights and sounds of the bright culture where slightly muffled due to the volcanic ash blanketing the city - the business owners were in the process of cleaning up during our stay. Little mountains of ash were on every street corner, making the air hazy and somewhat unhealthy. However, we continued to venture out and became well versed in pedestrian ways. The chicken buses we saw in Chichi are all over the city, with drivers just as deadly. A friend we met in the hotel described them to be "killers with a license." Just picture a renovated school bus, painted with bright red fangs and creative patterns along its entire length barreling towards you at a cross walk...that about captures the essence of their reputation.

You would be surprised who you meet in foreign country hotel lobbies. Amy spent some of the extra days there reconnecting with her childhood friends from the surrounding area. We were so lucky to meet them and to hear about their life stories. The U.S. military sent support upon the request of the Guatemalan gov't and we often ran into them in passing. One Air Force member nicknamed "Bubba" shared some of his story with us throughout the week. He is a Louisiana native and definitely stands out among the locals, partly because of his southern drawl. One night we also connected with a leader from a group of traveling doctors who provide clinics to Guatemala every year. We enjoyed the company of our fellow American friend from Florida who helped to lighten the mood with his interesting stories about random business endeavors in several Central American countries.

Our extra days were interesting. We passed the hours creatively - sometimes we met after breakfast in the mornings for devotions and prayer. Other days we would split off and do separate things and then reconnect for dinner in the evenings. Bill assisted in giving us inexpensive restaurant options that were within walking distance of the hotel. You would not believe the status of their places like Pizza Hut. It was the nicest one we've ever seen with its glass-walled balcony, two story play area for kids, shiny floors, and attentive professional staff. People dress up to eat there.

All week mom continued to refine her "expert" Spanish communication skills. We encouraged her to use one phrase in particular because she knows it so well:
?Cuantos anos tienes? It made everyone laugh each time she did, including the Spanish-speaking recipients of the question..hahaha.