Hello again from San Lucas Toliman,
The computers here in town did not receive satellite signals last night so you have not heard from us in a while. We are doing well, have enjoyed two and one half days of lovely weather, and have completed 5 stoves with many partially done. Today we traveled to three pueblos, San Antonio, Panjochal, and Santiago de Atitlan. We kept the venders and merchants happy with our enthusiastic purchases ranging from hammock to purses to trays to shirts, scarves, and chocolate among many. We consider it our duty to personally bolster the local economy.
We have had wonderful encounters with the families of the Colonia Pampojila which is the small village where we are building stoves. It is located several kilometers from San Lucas Toliman where we are staying and we commute back and forth in the back of a pick up truck.
While waiting for the jefe to download our pictures I will give you my perceptions of the mission so far.
RAIN!!!!!!!!
Ok, so we have had rain every day since we got here. It flows down the streets. It is everywhere. And yet we are told this is a dry area of Guatemala. Forest fires are a real problem. Sound familiar.
Rain of biblical porportions is more like it.
Actually, we have been very fortunate; it doesn´t rain when we are working on the stoves. This is truely a blessing as we sit in the middle of the road whacking away at cinder blocks with machetes to make the blocks to build the stoves and if we had to do that in the rain it would be rather uncomfortable.
It does rain the rest of the time. We got here during the Ferai of San Lucas. That´s a prolonged festival where they parade a statue of Saint Luke throughout the streets, blasting off fireworks all night long. Think in terms of being serandaded by the 1812 overature at a million decibals at 4 AM. Wherever you hear the dynamite go off that is where you find Saint Luke.
The coolest thing Laura and I did was ride this absulutely horrifying rickety old ferris wheel and while we were on the feris wheel the local pyromanics where blasting off huge rockets right next to us off a roof in the central square. Just as the bombardment abated and we thought we might make it through they cranked up the ferris wheel to a speed never thought of in the US. As we speed around screaming I saw that the ferris wheel was being driven by and old 260 horse power, inline six cylinder gasoline engine and the operator was yelling at someone on his cell phone and the ride was getting faster and faster. Obviously, we survived as you are not getting this from the beyond, but .......
But truely, the people here are unbelievably wonderful. Few that haven´t experienced it can understand the poverty and primitive living conditions that exist here in Gutemala, yet every day we are greeted with smiles and laughter. The most amazing are the children. Sometimes
it is hard to work beause we are surrounded by chidren that want to play, and so do we; it´s infectious. The family love, the enthusiasm, sense of community, the little things that mean so much. It´s a land and people of contrasts.
Stay tuned for more......
Roy and Val
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