The best part of Guatemala

You'd be surprised at my favorite part of our trip to Guatemala. Never did I think the place where we spent our day with chickens running around, dirt floors, cold showers and the constant smell of camp fire being my favorite part of the trip, but it was. I could have done without the ICE cold shower each morning but then again that was all part of the experience. 

 To me, it was the people who made visiting Ipala the highlight of Guatemala. You'd be surprise that I do not know an ounce of Spanish but somehow I could get along and communicate with these beautiful people. Somehow I'd chatter away in English then the girls would chatter back in Spanish and we all knew what we were saying and wanted to do!

Maybe it was the simplicity of their lives but I loved being with them. 

Making tortillas with Matriarch of the family was fun.  I loved how kind a patient she was, like any grandma would be. She laughed and giggled with us as we tired to make our tortillas. Somehow she makes the process look so easy as she effortlessly pats her hands together to form her perfectly round tortillas.

 My tortilla was thick and not quite a circle and I'm pretty sure all our tortillas were fed to the dogs the next day.

 It took all morning to make the tortillas. First, soaking the corn. Next grinding the corn and lastly making the ground corn  into dough and cooking them. This family does not have much but we noticed when she was done making the tortillas she bundled up a stack and left to go give the fresh tortillas to a friend that has even less than she does.

The joy on every one's faces as we came to visit and the hugs given made me not want to leave. The happiness they all have even though they have so much less than I'm use to was an example. The kids all played together and I didn't hear much fighting as the parents were busy working.

  

Now I see why Damon loves Guatemala. It isn't the endless Cokes in a bottle or the delicious guacamole or even the sweet pineapple, but the wonderful people and their kind hearts and spirit of love.