Saturday, February 7, 2009

East of Guatemala City



From the road, of the road ahead.

Lots of barbed wire. I haven't been brave enough to take a picture of the many many armed security people carrying semi-automatics. We're not just talking outside of banks. These armed guys are at gas stations, stores, as passengers in delivery trucks--basically anywhere where money is handled and sometimes for no apparent reason. Not everything here is beautiful.

But many things are beautiful. We have been up in the highlands of Guatemala since we arrived. We're now at about 5,000 feet but we've been as high as 8,000 feet and the plants and trees are as they would be most anywhere at this elevation. We're headed to more tropical climates soon, but as of now, I'm wearing long underwear under my pants, a down jacket and a scarf. Bet you didn't imagine that I'd be cold on this trip, did you? Yeah, neither did I and I'm kind of over it.

Cute boys at a school Rolene talked at.

More kiddos.
During her talks Rolene asks the kids to raise their hand if they commit to planting ten trees, eliminating the use of gasoline in 10 years and praying or meditating for a beautiful, sustainable and peaceful earth for 10 minutes every Sunday evening. They almost always raise their hands, though the gasoline one doesn't always get unanimous support, especially from kids and universtiy students who are old enough to drive.


A payphone! When's the last time you saw someone using one of these? Not that it worked...


I'm a little afraid of heights and this bridge made me woozy, especially when big trucks would go by and the whole thing would shake.
Byron and Jonathan who painted the logo on the side of the truck. Byron was always that smiley.

We're leaving the Nazarene seminary today. We walked the last three days from Guatemala City towards Chiquimula, but the road started to get dangerously curvy and much of it had no shoulder. We're going to skip that section and go a bit further ahead and then walk backwards for a couple days, if there's safe road to walk on. Rolene's friend Chirstian Sosa is joining us today and walking for the next week, when we'll arrive in Chiquimula (where Christian lives, and the place with all the Guatemalan Quakers).

Hope all is well back home!

4 comments:

  1. Ironically, I think that the barbed wire picture is really beautiful.

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  2. hey darcy, missing you right now, giving you a big aries hug!

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  3. hey darcy! i saw new pics of kouli on facebook, which made me think of you (well, and your sis, but anyways). i was in peru a couple weeks ago, and being there and seeing your pics makes me want to spend more time in latin america! also, i got the hook-ups when you're in nicaragua. let me know if you guys need places to stay there, etc...

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  4. Yeah! Beautiful logo on the truck! Does the truck have a name yet? We think of you both often. Muchos, muchos saludos to Rolene. All is good here. We are getting ready for the Asamblea meetings this weekend. We have great volunteers. I am writing my diss. Nita is beeeautiful in all possible ways. I was excited to see you will be coming back through df in May! Lots of love and light and abrazotes!! -Jill

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