This relatively short post contains fifty-one photos of taken between December 2012 and March 2013.
As usual, the photos in this post are thumbnail images. Please click on any photo to enlarge it. The thumbnails leave much to be desired as far as colors and resolution – plus the thumbnails clip all of the edges. I use thumbnails for the post itself, because it gives people an opportunity to get a summary glimpse without downloading huge amounts of data for the high-res photos.
CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE TO HIGH RESOLUTION
Bedroom View
These first three photos were taken from my bedroom window on Dec 13, 2012.
Looking slightly to the southwest (my bedroom window faces west). Right now, the foliage is quite thick. Below these trees is actually a parking lot.
Looking down, straight out of my window, there is a little tin-roof shed. Roosters and chickens like to run around and make noise down there, plus sometimes a car is parked in the open area.
If I stick my head out the window and look a little to the north, I can see this view.
Volcano Viewing
On the evening of Feb 24, 2013, an orange glow was visible at the top of Volcan Atitlan (center). Several of us walked down to the boat dock to see the glow, but I did not have a camera with me. This is the only active volcano around the lake, and the last time it erupted was in 1853.
Late that night, I shared a friend’s photo on Facebook, showing the lava on the other side of the peak as seen from Panajachel. I would like to post that photo here, but I can no longer find it.
All of the local people were talking about the eruption, and it looked real enough, but the event never made a blip on any news media radar, and all historical web sites continue to ignore this event.
This photo was taken the next day. You can see how smoky it was.
Another photo taken the next day (Feb 25, 2013). It looks like there are smoldering fires in the front, with lots of smoke at the backside, blowing to the left. One theory is that maybe this was just a fire … but I SAW the lava at the very tip of the volcano, and the photo my friend took in Panajachel was very much typical of a large lava flow on the backside.
A zoomed-out view of two volcanoes (Toliman – two peaks left center, and Atitlan on the right). You can see all the hazy smoke that fills that side of the valley.
Another daytime view. I may never know if this was a real eruption, but I still believe it was.
On Feb 26, 2013, I went down to the boat dock to take more photos. This one is looking back at the Posada Schumann. You can see that by this time in the dry season, the water had begun to slightly recede.
Looking off to the east end of Lake Atitlan. All the smoke is coming from Volcan Atitlan, blowing east.
Looking in the same direction, but this time from my own balcony. Normally you can see mountains in the distance above the red roof (bottom left). Now, all you can see is a mass of haze from the smoke.
Exactly a week from the first sighting on Volcan Atitlan, a volcano near Antigua erupted. This photo was taken from my balcony on the night of March 3, 2013. I did not have a tripod for stability, and had to zoom in … so I was unable to get a decent exposure that was not totally blurry.
This is Volcan Fuego erupting, and the orange glow is at the top-right corner of the volcano peak.
Just trying different camera settings. Volcan Fuego is near Antigua, about 30 miles to the east. It takes three hours on the highways to get to Antigua from here.
Sorry … this is all I could capture.
The blurry lights in the lower left are from a town across on the far side of Lake Atitlan.
Probably the least blurry photo I could get, but still all you can see is the orange glow of two lava pockets.
I cheated with this photo. I found it the next day on a local news web site. Obviously this one was taken from a much closer perspective. It is the same thing I was seeing from 30 miles away.
Volcan Fuego is a very active volcano. You can frequently see smoke coming from it’s peak during a clear day.
Friends From Back Home
At the beginning of March 2013, three friends came to visit me from back in Utah … well they actually came to do ceremonies with Keith, but we had a lot of fun together. I went to meet them at their airport and we returned to the lake in a private taxi ($25 each).
On the evening of March 7, 2013, the four of us went out for dinner (which we did for nearly every meal all week).
This is Brenda and her amazing son Nikko. We were enjoying yummy pizza at the best pizza place in town.
And on the other side of the table are me and my friend Greg.
The waitress was kind enough to take a photo of all of us together.
On March 8, 2013, before a chocolate ceremony, we took a hike up on the Cerro Tzankujil (a little park area on top of a nearby hill). This gorgeous view is looking off toward the town of San Pedro La Laguna. The San Pedro volcano is at the left edge of the photo.
Nikko standing in front of the San Pedro volcano. Volcan Atitlan and Volcan Toliman are off in the distance to the left.
Looking toward Volcan San Pedro, and the town of San Pedro La Laguna (right center).
The two Brendas, in our swimsuits. I am left-center, and the other Brenda is at the far left, (not visible in this thumbnail image).
This is called the “Trampoline”. Yes, it IS a jumping platform, but not the kind we would think of. At the right side of the fence is a little gate that opens to a 30 foot jump to the lake below.
All the smoke in the background is from Volcan Fuego down by Antigua.
Me, Greg, and Nikko, standing on the “trampoline” in front of the San Pedro volcano.
This platform was built a couple of years ago and before today, I had never jumped off it. I have always wanted to, but never wanted to do it alone. Today, with Nikko setting the challenge, I took the plunge.
Brenda (the other Brenda) took a movie of me jumping, but I never got a copy.
Slightly different angle of the same photo.
And in this photo, Brenda and I just traded places, with me behind the camera.
That is me in the water (bottom right) holding on to a dead tree branch. This was taken a while later as we went swimming on the other side of the hill.
Brenda and Nikko by the shore. The main San Marcos boat dock is in a little bay to the left, between where we are and the rocky point in the distance.
Looking toward the San Pedro volcano from our swimming spot.
Nikko standing by the water. The boat dock is off in the far distance.
Greg did not intentionally go swimming with us. But he did get wet. He sat on a rock and tried to gently lower his feet down into the water. A split-second later, he was swimming too (the rock he was on was extremely slippery).
Greg and Nikko sitting on Keith’s porch. The man to the left (not visible in the thumbnail) is one of the camera crew who were also here this week working on a documentary.
Keith, down in his garden. The building behind him is the new “chocolate shop.” Construction is still in progress.
Me and Nola sitting on Keith’s porch. She was also here working on the documentary.
Nikko, Greg and myself sitting in a local restaurant.
Brenda and Nikko in the garden of that restaurant.
Nikko posing with a kitty that took up residence on his lap.
Greg, Brenda, and Brenda, smiling for the camera.
On March 11, 2013, I arranged for my dear friend Isaias to lead a Mayan fire ceremony for my friends. We also felt guided to invite our new friends who are working on the documentary.
This is Isaias preparing the fire pit.
Nikko and Brenda, waiting for the ceremony. We are up on the top of the same hill where we went jumping and swimming a few days ago.
Chris … one of the documentary videographers.
Greg (foreground), Rob (center) and Carl (right). Rob and Carl were also here for the documentary.
My friend Nola with her radiant smile.
Brenda, Nikko, and Brenda. I’ll let you figure out which Brenda is which. The town of San Pablo is off in the distance, beside my head.
The Mayan calendar glyph for the day. Isaias constructed this from sugar. The fire will be built on top of this.
A curious kitty came to join us.
This little cat took a liking to me, and is posing with a content smile next to my left knee.
Isaias building the fire. In the Yucatan, the ceremonies were done with wood. Here in Guatemala, they are traditionally done with candles and incense.
Shaking more sugar on top of the fire.
More preparations. I did not take any photos of the actual ceremony itself.
On March 12, after my friends were here for only a week, I traveled with them via tourist shuttle, back to Antigua. After finding an inexpensive hotel and getting them set up with tickets for an airport shuttle the next morning, we did a little sightseeing.
This photo is taken at the center of the main town square — at the center of Antigua, which is the old (Antigua / ancient) capitol of Guatemala, and is a popular tourist stop.
Another photo in the town center.
Greg standing in the town center.
I wasn’t sure when I came to Antigua if I would also spend the night. I was exhausted from intense inner work the evening before, and was anxious to have my own bed back in San Marcos.
But after exploring with my friends, I felt energized and relaxed and decided to spend the night on the bottom bunk of a spare bed in Brenda and Nikko’s room.
At 6:00 a.m. the next morning, I climbed aboard a chicken bus, returning to San Marcos, arriving home around 9:30 a.m..
While I was on the road, my friends caught their airport shuttle and made it safely back into the skies, flying back to their own homes.
This ends my massive photo posts of the last few weeks. I cannot believe how far behind I was in posting photos. This year was another one of intense emotional inner work, and taking care of photos was the last thing on my mind. But now, it feels really good to be caught up again (at least with the photos). I am now a little behind in my writing again.
Copyright © 2013 by Brenda Larsen, All Rights Reserved