Suchitoto

This is the chapel at the Art Center for Peace in Suchitoto. It's spooky and romantic and beautiful. When funds appear it will be fixed up. Sister Peggy who runs the Center has lots of good plans for the future funds. They already have a hostel and offer art and music classes to the locals and show movies once a week, but once the building (which was a convent and has a rich history, including scary stories from during the war when the nuns were threatened and forced to leave) is paid for, it will become an amazing community space.


This is the lake right next to Suchitoto (which is think is called Lake Suchitoto). You can see it from a few places in town. Sadly, it's too polluted to eat from or swim in, though I'm sure people still do.


We took a boat taxi across the lake to the town of El Sitio Cenicero because we met a woman named Cami who is volunteer teaching at the school for a few months. She invited us to come visit.


While Rolene talked to the 6th graders, I hung out in the yard with the kindergarten class...


...and took cute and lots of silly pictures with the kids. They love getting into silly poses and then seeing the pictures I take of them. I wish I had pictures of them looking at the pictures I take of them because they crowd around the camera and crack up. I won't add the silly pictures because many of you don't care. If you are in the group of people who really want to see endless pictures of cute children, we'll get together when I get home and have CuteFest 2009.


Walking from the school in El Sitio to catch the boat taxi back to Suchitoto.


We went out to Rio Quetzalapa today and then walked the 6ish miles back home. It was a short walk, but so freakin' hot, and mostly uphill. Sweat was dripping down my arms and off my fingertips. We didn't mind the short walk today, especially because we were headed back to town for ice cold smoothies. Ahhhh, heaven.


The river was cold, as I am attractively demonstrating here. And, there were thousands of tiny fish that nibbled our feet and legs. It was really nice to walk with wet clothes, except that we were dry in about 20 minutes and then it was hot again.


Remember the pictures of the highway and the awesome ditches from Guatemala? Well, we haven't walked on a road like that for quite a while. We've been able to find small roads, some of which aren't even paved, with little traffic and beautiful scenery. I can't even start to explain how much more pleasant it is.


The view while we were walking today.

We're leaving Suchitoto in the morning, which makes me sad because it has felt like a mini-vacation these past few days. The walking has been beautiful, the town is safe and lovely, and I've thoroughly enjoyed connecting with old and new friends.

Unrelated point: I have many mosquito bites, mostly on my feet and legs. Why do mosquitoes exist? Are they a necessary part of the great web of life? I just don't see what function the serve and I vote to eradicate them...who's with me?