Holidays 2010 in Belize

My long holiday weekend began with a trip to Guatemala: Flores is an island about 2 hours from where I live. Tour books describe it as a Venetian experience; It was the home of the Itzas, descendents of the Maya, and resisted Spanish colonial rule until the end of the 17th century, becoming the last indigenous area to succumb. This a picture of two other Peace Corps Volunteers Amber and Linda crossing pristine Lake Peten Izta.

Christmas Day was spent with the Garcia family--much too much wonderful food; lots of wonderful conversation and the added celebration of daughter Christie Maria's 13th birthday. Each guest brought a cake so there were seven! birthday cakes including my well-received chocolate on chocolate cake with candles. The mom Ethel has become a wonderful friend. That's her drapped across the couch; husband Margar and me surrounded and hidden a bit by the children. Also visiting was a Salvadorian artist who was very interested in my involvement with Nicaragua over the years.

The next day was Boxing Day--a British Commonwealth holiday supposed the day to box up the gifts you don't want to give to the poor. Spent at a Puerto Rican party of Andre and Nan Lopez who have been wonderful friends. They built their own house in Bullet Tree Falls as expats. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1960s (talks about how good we have it with Internet, cell phones, etc.); he is a photographer originally from Puerto Rico and got interested in the Spanish Civil War and met Harry and Moe Fishman in New York after doing a book on Gypsies in Spain. Great afternoon with discussions about history, slavery, a Brit who said Belizeans love them and Belizeans lecturing him on colonialism--I thought of our family who would have been right in the thick of discussion. (Sorry no pictures)

Monday--it was back to Guatemala. Ethel and the two Garcia children took me and Linda (PCV) to Melchor which is on the border with Belice (Spanish for Belize). The market is visions of Nicaragua (that does not exist in Belize); the Garcias and I are heavily into jewelry making and we found a stall with the best beads, wires, etc. We then visited Ethel's sister and family--the children are amazingly creative.

On the way back we stopped at the Butterfly Farm about 15 minutes from home. As beautiful as the butterflies were it was watching the Garcia children enjoying them, the nature walk that included finding unexcavated ruins, and just their general joy and inquisitiveness.

Finally, home, and greeted in my front yard by a local family. Without these neighbors how would I get up each morning at exactly 4 AM without any modern conveniences like an alarm clock?