Hola and Buenos Dias!
Not that it is necessary, but just wanted to go through the Photo Scavenger Hunt:
1. Guatemalan Flag
2. Colorful Bird
3. Kayak
4. Open Market Shop
5. Woman Wearing a Hat (and a mask)
6. A Cat
7. Jade Piece of Jewelry
8. Marimba Instrument
9. Dog
10. Unusual Bird - didn’t get this one - maybe same as #2??
11. Cacao Farm - Didn’t get to a farm, but saw a Cacao store
12. Basketball Hoop
13. Anyone Still Wearing a Mask - she is wearing a hat and a mask - same photo as #5
14. Calico Cat
15. T Shirt that says “It’s weird being the same age as old people” - didn’t see one16. Cowboy Boots With Shorts - didn’t see this
17. Soccer Ball
18. Football - didn’t see a football
19. Kids Playing Any Sport - Click Here for kids playing basketball
20. Baseball Field - didn’t see one.
21. Person Playing Instrument - CLICK HERE for Marimba players (yes, I tipped them) and don’t forget the Mariachi guys in Post #128
Other photos
22. Sunrise - didn’t get a photo of a sunrise
Items not suggested but I took photo anyway:
1. Human Sized Purple Ant
2. HULK Statue
3. Quaker Oats Sign
4. Pickup Truck Loaded With Firewood (and a Chicken Bus)
5. One regret - wish I had an Allstate Insurance sign - maybe could have sold them an advertisement - “You’re in good hand(s) with Allstate” :) especially with the “monster” looming in the background
6. Chicken Buses
7. Food Photos - really surprised nobody commented on my food choices :) Full disclosure - I didn’t take photos of the many Pollo con Papas (fried chicken with fries) that I ate. “Greek Salad?” With Pizza
Poor photo quality by me but they had the best fresh Mango, Papaya and Pineapple
Peanuts and Piña (Pineapple) also had Papaya and Mango like this - best value on the trip
Mora (raspberry) frozen yogurt - definitely wanted “mora” of that :)
“Bean Sauce?” Over tortillas and eggs
I was asked in one comment to keep track of things that “surprised” me on the trip. Surprisingly, there were a few things :)
1. The very affordable hotel in Panajachel (12 nights for about $20 per night), I fully expected to look for a different hotel when I reserved this, gratefully it wasn’t necessary.
2. Very surprised how hot the “black sand” was at Monterrico, very hot, found out the hard way.
3. Surprised at the seemingly low numbers of “American tourists”??
4. Surprised by the frequent “small eruptions” from Volcán Fuego.
5. Surprised by the volume of handcrafts, clothing, jewelry, textiles, etc. by the indigenous Mayans.
Some details about Lakes that I find interesting:
Lake Michigan, 14.3 million acres surface area
Lake Tahoe, 122,600 acres surface area
Lake Como, 36,080 acres surface area
Lake Atitlán, 32,150 acres surface area (this trip)
Lake Petén Itzá, 24,460 acres surface area (this trip)
Lake Springfield, 4,260 acres surface area
It was a good trip despite the changes and Tikal, Rio Dulce and Livingston will no doubt be waiting if I get that way again.
I miss the amazing weather, 15 degrees and 3+ inches of snow as I write this in Denver. Still winter :)
Thanks for your interest and willingness to Travel Along :)
