Get ready for a LOT of pictures...Nate and I kind of went crazy with the camera! We just returned Friday morning from spending about 9 days in Guatemala visiting our friends Aaron and Becky. They are working as human rights accompaniers in an indigenous Mayan community (Union Victoria). You can go to Aaron's webpage for the history of the civil war in Guatemala, but the short story is that the people in this community (and many other Mayan communities) have been displaced and the government has given them this land after 30 years of what was basically horrific violence against them. They were kicked (or forced) off of their land and are now trying to settle down to make a living and grow coffee. We began our trip with a four day stay in the community. It was quite a journey to get there that included a few crazy bus rides, hitching rides in the back of pickup trucks (basically how most people get around in Guatemala) and some walking too. All of the people we met in the community were the kindest ever! They regularly brought food over to Aaron and Becky's house and/or had us over to theirs for a meal. And the food was so good! You can't beat homemade corn tortillas with fresh vegetables either from their garden or at least close by! I'll try to tell about our trip in pictures:
This is Lake Atitlan (pretty much a famous tourist location in Guatemala but it has some non-touristy spots too) with some volcanoes around it. We visited quite a few of the towns around it and hiked a bit too.
We took a boat ride across the lake from San Lucas to Santa Catarina. Although the ride wasn't that long it was probably my favorite 20 minutes in a boat ever because of the views. The sun was also setting about now and looked gorgeous coming through the clouds.
Here's Aaron in a Mayan shirt...I think he's going to buy one taylor made for him and wear it to Keenland! I can't wait to see that...
Another beautiful view of Lake Atitlan.
These pictures are a bit out of order as I still can't figure this program out completely! This is Becky, Aaron and Nate in a hot spring at Lake Atitlan, which formed because of the volcanoes that surround the lake.
This picture and the one below were taken at the market in Solola (I think one of my favorite towns we visited), which is right on the lake. Most of the Mayan people still wear the indigenous clothes, which are quite colorful!
Becky and I picking out some handmade pottery at the market in Solola.
This was taken in Antigua...we met Aaron and Becky there the night we got into Guatemala (it was a bit too late in the day to make it to the community). Antigua is a beautiful little town, even if it is a little touristy. We rested up at a hotel and checked out the town a bit before heading to the community (about 4 hours away by bus).
Becky and I at a coffee/breakfast place in Antigua...seriously the best smoothies I've ever had! We definitely ate well in Guatemala.
After we left the community, we basically visited a lot of towns around Lake Atitlan. We did a small hike with a great view of the lake and some of the surrounding volcanoes. Everything was so beautiful, and the picture doesn't do it justice!
Another awesome view of the Lake Atitlan and the volcanoes around it.
This was taken on a hike in the community. We lost the trail for a bit but thanks to Aaron and Nate's machetes, we had nothing to worry about (see below picture). The view was well worth the hike...Here's Becky and I taking a rest after all that walking! From this point, we could look down on the whole community and even see beyond the mountains to the Pacific Ocean!
Becky and I relaxing by the river....this river flows through the community and the women bathe in it and wash their clothes. Becky and I did some laundry one of the days (no picture though) and I loved how all the women gather together to wash clothes...such as sense of community. I will never complain about laundry in the US again of course...scrubbing clothes in a river is hard work but very refreshing if you ask me!
Here's Becky and I warming up tortillas on the oven/stove. All of the Mayan people have these types of stoves in their "outdoor" kitchen and everyone just gathers round to cook and eat!
Here we are on a truck ride up the mountainside....luckily most pickups have a bar you can hold onto because the ride can get quite bumpy (and a little wild depending on who is driving)...Call me crazy but I'd take riding in a truck like this everywhere over driving myself! It's actually kind of fun and you get a great view too!
Nate and I in San Antonio in front of Toliman (volcano)
Awww...Aaron and Becky walking in San Antonio.
Nate and Aaron purchased some coffee beans from one of the women in the community and roasted it themselves! Give me fresh coffee beans like this over Starbucks any day!
Becky and I taught some of the girls in the community to play Uno (card game)....at least I could communicate in Spanish numbers....these girls were the cutest things ever and so sweet!
Nate and I after a hike near the community...another awesome view of the mountains.
And one final picture (if you've made it this far!) of the sunset over the lake. We had such an awesome trip and Aaron and Becky were the best hosts ever....I'm sure it can get tiring for them to travel that much (they'd already had lots of people visit them this summer) but they were wonderful about it and we had so much fun with them ....Their Spanish speaking skills are great too and now I'm motivated to learn more. Nate and I may take a class sometime this year if we ever get some free time when this house is finished! We're getting close though...I'll put up some finished pictures later this week.
This place is also awesome because we can pretty much ride our bikes everywhere, even on the beach! 
