It is time for another round of photos. As with my writing I am quite behind. These photos were all taken between January 1 and the first week of March.
As usual, what you will see when you initially open the blog is a series of thumbnail images with descriptive text. Often, the thumbnail images cut out part of the photo on the sides, and always they are of very low resolution.
With any photo, if you desire to see a larger high resolution image, all you need to do is to click on the photo itself. You can view or download and save.
I hope you enjoy.
Trip To The Mountains
On January 18, a group of seven of us set out on an incredible adventure — one of exchanging ceremonies with two Mayan Priestess (shaman) women who live high in the mountains, just a couple of hours from Lake Atitlan.
NOTE: for privacy reasons, I will not be mentioning names of locations or names of some people.
For the first leg of our trip, we rode in the back of an open-air pickup. These public transport options are quite common all over in the back country of Guatemala. In this photo are Keith and Moses.
Also in the back of the truck are Rae (white sweater) and Ambe. You can barely see part of Lake Atitlan and a distant volcano in the very center of the photo.
Another photo of Ambe. Again you can see a little of Lake Atitlan in the background.
Soon, we find ourselves riding comfortably in what most foreigners call a “chicken bus” — an old school bus converted to public transport. They are affectionately called “chicken buses” because the local people carry just about anything on them, including chickens.
In this photo are Keith and Rae.
Also in the bus are Isaias and his beautiful young bride. Isaias is Keith’s handsome helper.
We talked Isaias into snapping this photo of Rae and I. Rae, as you may recall from my writing, is my beautiful roommate from Canada. She just barely arrived a few days earlier, and is in San Marcos to film a documentary surrounding Keith and what he does.
As we stopped to change buses, I snapped this photo of a typical “chicken bus”. This is not the one we were on, but it is very similar.
Rae having the time of her life, beginning to film in the home of the beautiful Mayan family that we went to visit.
Keith comparing hand sizes with this darling Mayan boy. We foreigners are quite strange to them. They have never seen so many tall and different people.
Isaias posing with one of the two bulls who graze lazily near the family outhouse. This field is directly adjacent to the family home.
Inside the family home, visiting and enjoying sweet bread and some type of hot coffee-like drink. If you look closely you can see that the floor of this large bedroom / gathering room is hard, dry, dirt. In the photo, left to right are Rae, Keith, Moses, and Ambe.
A close-up photo of the table with our treats, and the earthen floor. This home is quite typical of many homes in which the Mayan people live — especially in the more rural areas of Guatemala.
The father of the two Mayan Priestess sisters builds Marimbas for a living. This photo was taken inside of the shop where he builds these famous Guatemalan instruments. Much of the wood used needs to be dried for years and years.
Right to left: Ambe, Isaias, Isaias’ wife
Another photo inside the workshop. The young man in the center is the brother of the two shaman women. He is a friend of Isaias.
A whole assortment of maize (corn) hanging and drying by the house. The black corn makes especially delicious tortillas.
The entrance to this part of the home. Inside, you can barely see Isaias and Keith. The little area where the corn is drying is right to the left of the door. You can also see the handles of a wheelbarrow sticking out.
Some of the wood for a new Marimba, drying in the sun after having received a coat of some type of varnish.
A view of part of the local village as seen from the family home. In the foreground is an old cornfield.
Walking through the village on our way to buy supplies for the sacred ceremonial fire.
Rae doing a little filming, attempting to be incognito with her camera hidden under a scarf.
Ambe and Moses walking back up to the family home. Moses is carrying a basket filled with supplies that we just purchased for the ceremonial fire.
The marimba shop is off to the left, the room where we originally visited is right in the middle, and to the right is the family kitchen with a separate entrance.
This is the grandmother of the two shaman/Priestess women. I just love her, and her beautiful traditional hat. I tried conversing with her, but she does not speak any Spanish at all. She only speaks the local Mayan dialect. I understand that there are something like 23 different languanges spoken in Guatemala, most of those being different dialects of Mayan.
For the fire ceremony, we hiked up to the top of a nearby hill. The woman standing just right of center is one of the two shaman/priestess women. She guided us in a deeply spiritual and heart warming ceremony, after the traditions of her ancestors.
Left to Right: Ambe, Moses, the shaman’s brother, and the beautiful Mayan Priestess.
Rae was allowed to film provided that she guaranteed that the footage would not be used for any commercial purposes. On the far left are Isaias and his wife.
I only took a few photos during the setup. In this shot, the fire is still being prepared.
A closer view of the fire prior to the ceremony.
If you look closely, you can see two beautifully carved rocks, one at the top of center, one at the bottom of center. Each represents a “nagual” on the Mayan calendar. One belongs to each of the Mayan Priestess/shaman women. They received them as they finished their own spiritual training.
These are very sacred.
Another beautiful photo of the amazing woman who led our ceremony.
After the powerful ceremony concluded, we hiked back down the hillside toward the village below. It is a beautiful place.
Hiking down the trail. Left to right: Keith, Isaias, Rae, Moses …
A beautiful field ready for planting a new crop of maize (corn). We passed this field while hiking back down to the vilage.
A local rooster in a nearby cornfield.
This little piggie played in the field too.
Almost back to the valley floor …
Approaching the family home from a different angle. The Marimba shop is in the front right. The big room where the first photos were taken is in the front left.
The delicious bowl of chicken soup that was served to me by this beautiful family. This lunch was quite delicious — a large chunk of chicken breast, a tasty broth, raman-like noodles, and some sliced steamed veggies.
The family outhouse as seen from the backside. The home is in the background. It was quite the adventure to first sneak past the bulls and then sit in an open-air stall. Notice the see-through nature of the facilities.
I love the simplicity of such rustic living.
Another view of the outhouse as seen from the house, looking through the bulls. The outhouse is the one on the left.
I just love capturing unique photos of traditional life. In this gorgeous photo, a local man is walking down the street carrying a huge load of corn stalks on his back. If you look closely, you can see that the strap supporting the weight is suspended from his forehead.
Another shot of local culture that I could not resist.
Our beautiful hostess chopping wood to use in the family wood stove. She is preparing to boil water on the stove — water that will be used for our cacao ceremony.
The family cooking stove. This is in the kitchen, which is in the other half of the main home area. This room has a beautiful concrete floor.
The pot at the back of the stove contains the water being heated for our cacao ceremony.
Seated in one corner of the large room where we did the chocolate ceremony, left to right, are the grandma, the mother (of the two Priestess women), and one of the children, sipping on his cup of hot chocolate.
Another photo of our beautiful hostess.
Moses and Ambe during the ceremony.
More of our host family. The other Mayan Priestess/Shaman is the woman seated in the rear.
Trip To Momostenango
On January 29, 2011, six of us set out at 6:00 a.m. in Keith’s little truck. Three of us squeezed into the back, squished in atop layers of cushions. We were on a new adventure to check out the town of Momostenango, a place said to the the home of a beautiful market where woolen goods (blankets, ponchos, carpets, etc…) are sold. We had no idea as to the schedule of the market. We simply went during one of Keith’s non-ceremonial days.
A fun photo of Rae standing on a lookout hill, high above Lake Atitlan. We stopped here after winding back and forth up a steep mountain, arriving barely before sunrise.
Looking out across Lake Atitlan. The sun is about to rise beyond the far mountains. San Marcos is down on the lake, just beyond the left edge of the photo.
A tiny cloud above a mountain to our right, away from the sunrise. The orange glow of the rising sun casts a beautiful effect on the cloud.
Below are the towns of San Juan (lower right) and San Pedro, (further back and a little left). The San Pedro volcano is the closest one. The little town of Santiago sits in an inlet just beyond the San Pedro Volcano, and the Mystical Yoga Farm is further up that bay (hidden behind the volcano).
Note: This is the western end of Lake Atitlan.
Keith and Skye, standing atop the beautiful lookout area, staring out at the sunrise and Lake Atitlan below.
From the same vantage point, this photo is taken looking toward the east. In the very center is the town of San Pablo. Just a tiny bit higher and further away, behind two small hills, you can easily see portions of the town of San Marcos. In the far distance, at the top center, you can barely see traces of Panajachel — the town where I visit every week or so (via boat) in order to get cash from an ATM and to shop for food etc…
Ambe and Moses, glowing in the light of the early morning sunrise.
Looking down at the road that winds up the steep hill. If you look closely, you can see many of the switchbacks. This road is often heavily damaged by mudslides during rainy season, making passage impossible.
At the top left of the photo, you can again see San Pablo and portions of San Marcos.
A zoomed-in close-up of a chicken bus climbing the winding road. There are places on this road where a bus has to stop and back up in order to navigate the sharp and narrow curves.
The back end of Keith’s little truck, carefully backed in at the lookout area, pointed out toward the main road.
A fun shot of Rae filming the lake scenery below.
Another beautiful photo of Rae busy at work.
The chicken bus is getting closer. This photo is not zoomed as much, allowing a view of some of the switch backs and the lake below.
A beautiful photo with everyone lit up by the glow of the rising sun. Left to right: Ambe, Moses, Keith, Skye, Rae.
Directly between Keith and Skye you can see a closer view of San Marcos. The little hill I often climb (half way up) is directly above Rae’s head on the far right. My home is just to the right of Skye’s right shoulder, barely hidden by the hill. Keith lives on the eastern end of town, directly to the right of Skye’s head, slightly hidden behind the small hilltop.
A very unflattering photo that I took of myself and Rae (with my arm outstretched). We are squeezed in the back of Keith’s truck. On the other side of Rae sits Moses. In the front you can see profiles of Keith, Skye and Ambe.
Further up the mountain, we stopped again at a beautiful overlook. This is a photo of Lake Atitlan from that vantage point. The smoky village straight below is San Pablo. The smoky village on the lower right is San Pedro.
Our group at the view area.
Ambe and Keith at the view area.
Another beautiful view of the lake, this one looking more to the Southeast towards Antigua. Keith tells us that the volcanoes at left center are near Antigua, and that the puffs of cloud drifting to the right are coming from an active volcano.
Looking down the road from our view area.
A closely zoomed-in photo of San Pablo, far in the lake valley below. All of the smoke is from local kitchens as the people cook their morning tortillas.
Another zoomed-in shot of tortilla smoke, this one covering the town of San Pedro.
Momostenango
After a couple of hours of driving, some up steep mountain roads filled with ruts, we finally arrive in Momostenango. To our dismay, today is not the day for the famous wollen-goods markets. But the local market is in full swing, and we hang out in the center of town for a while.
Rae and Skye, eating a breakfast of tortillas, quesso fresco (fresh cheese — white, soft and flavorful) and chile picante sauce.
Ambe enjoying a half papaya with other sliced fruits piled on top. Yum.
Part of the market as seen from where we eat breakfast. We are in some type of church square, completely built-up with shops constructed out of metal frames, plastic, and wood.
One of the typical local shops in the market.
Another one selling shoes.
A sign on a wall, near the center of town. We had left the market and began to search if there might be some way to find the home/factory of a local woolen goods maker. It was quite the journey of synchronous events, with me trying to be the main Spanish speaker — and I still do not speak fluently.
To our delight, after about an hour of following synchronicities, we ended up at the family home where many wollen goods are made — a wonderful experience.
This gentleman is the grandfather of the family, standing in front of a contraption that he uses to spin the wool and make it usable by the looms. He briefly showed us how he does it.
Moses trying on one of the beautiful ponchos that is made here. Rae and Skye are in the background.
A small part of the extended family, eagerly showing us various items that they have for sale.
One of the many fascinating looms that they have at their house. Each size of project (large blanket, smaller poncho, rugs etc) require different sizes of looms.
Some of the yarn they use in the looms, hanging and waiting to be used. They had a huge variety of colors, all hand-died. Skye bought a large selection of this yarn to take home.
Another family member showing us one of the larger looms.
And another loom …
I absolutely love this photo. This grandma has so much character and the pots on the shelf are so beautiful. The photo is filled with cultural flavors.
A few of the beautiful children. I love this little girl’s toothless grin.
Another couple of family members. This interesting gentleman was weighing a bundle of yarn that Skye was about to purchase — beautiful purples and yellows.
Another view of one of the looms.
Grandpa in the background, Moses in the foreground, attempting to decide what he will purchase.
This darling little girl was not all that happy. Her diaper was soiled and her mother was too busy helping us to take care of her.
Rae waiting patiently for the shopping to be finished. Some of Skye’s beautiful wool yarn hangs over the back of her chair.
Grandfather and grandson … a beautiful photo.
Two of the young men in the family.
Mom carrying her beautiful little girl on her back.
Their grins are so beautiful, so happy and genuine.
Playing with the family kitty … so much love.
Do you wnat to hold the kitty too?
Rae and Skye with a birds-eye view of the family home and woolen-goods factory. Underneath this large mish-mash of haphazard tin and tile roofs is a maze of rooms and open areas. The tile roofs cover walled-off rooms, of which I can only assume are living areas. All of the metal roofs cover open-air areas where the looms and other weaving equipment are kept. The back side also contains many metal-room areas.
The family’s outdoor “Pila” — outdoor sinks where laundry and dishes are done.
Back In San Marcos
This is a fun photo. I was looking out my kitchen window on Feb 4 and saw this woman doing something strange on her roof. I grabbed my camera and zoomed in and discovered that she is cleaning the chimney pipe with something stuck down inside from the roof.
It seemed so strange to see such a beautiful woman cleaning her chimney pipe, up on the roof in her corte skirt.
On Feb 13, a day when Avril had stopped by for a visit, Rae decided to christen a little incense necklace that she has been wearing. She lit the end to get it smoking and then proceeded to do an energy cleanse on Avril. Soon she was doing me, and then I did her. It was a fun experience.
A beautiful photo of Avril — a really fun friend.
Rae and Avril sitting in front of my window.
On Valentines day I took a boat ride to run errands in Panajachel. I noticed this young girl in the front of the boat, paying very close attention to this large basket covered with fabric.
The view of San Marcos’ boat dock as we pull away from shore. The water is still very high. It only dropped about three feet during the entire dry season, and now we are about to enter rainy season again.
As I continued watching the young girl, I was shocked when this chicken suddenly stuck her head out of the basket. I have seen chickens on the buses once or twice, and now I have seen chickens on the boats.
The young girl pushed the chicken back inside. As the cloth momenbtarily slipped off (not clear in this photo) I noticed that the top of the basket is covered by a nylon-twine mesh to keep the chickens in, and based on the movements and clucks, I estimate that there were at least four or five chickens in the basket.
On Feb 19, Rae and I accompanied Keith on a shopping trip to Xela, and then participated in a beautiful chocolate ceremony in a local hot springs. This is the same one where I had my powerful energy experiences last fall.
This is the interior hallway looking one direction from the center of the building. Inside of each doorway is a small private concrete pool.
This is one of the pools — the very one I first visited last fall. I have now had a couple of extremely powerful meditation experiences while sitting in the hot waters of this very pool. The larger spout is for hot water that is piped in from a very hot spring up somewhere on the hill above. The smaller spout is for cold water. The pool is just deep enough so that when I sit in the bottom, my chin is out of the water.
Rae giggling as she carries a five gallon jug of water into our kitchen. This is how I purchase my drinking water. It costs about two dollars for each five gallon jug.
A cute pose with the water bottle.
Rae sitting on our porch with her video camera, conducting an interview with Keith, our favorite Chocolate Shaman. It is Rae’s final evening in San Marcos, just after the sun went down.
Another delightful photo of Rae with her video camera.
Keith looking quite happy and handsome as he is being interviewed.
It is Rae’s final evening in San Marcos (March 5) and we are having a little potluck dinner in her honor. Keith is our first guest, having a delightful visit with Rae just inside of our living room.
Keith with his laptop, working on exchanging computer files with Rae. If you read my blog, you will remember that this was a big growth lesson for me.
A blurry photo of one of our friends (Vanessa) dancing in the kitchen to some fun music. As blog readers may remember, at this point of the evening, I was fighting off a major energetic meltdown by meditating on the couch, attempting to regain my spiritual connections.
My beautiful roommate Rae and I, posing in front of some posters that she worked on (bubble maps) as she schemed and struggled to figure out exactly what she might end up doing with the documentary that she was filming.
I love this photo.
Another fun photo with my incredible roomie.
And last but not least, my favorite photo of all. I love you Rae!!!
Copyright © 2011 by Brenda Larsen, All Rights Reserved