17.Nov 2006 San Felipe

Many people have asked me how I have celebrated my birthday here in Guate so I am posting my special birthday blog for you :)
The plan was to spend the day in San Felipe de Rehu, have a bbq with friends and be back in Xela around 5 pm so we could get ready for the evening in the Fonda (yes I am now officially working in the Fonda del Che on Fridays).
At 9.30 am as planned I was at the Fonda and only Yovanni had arrived yet. The only one of the gang who is always in time.
Between 9.30 and 10.30 the others arrived but unfortunately Jose Luis had bad news, the pick up we were promised for the day was not ready... We had to wait until 12.30 pm to actually get started. Can you imagine how I felt? I only slept for about 5 hours and found out that I could have slept in...!
Well at least waiting with the boys is a nice thing to do, as they always get their guitar out and sing.

Around 1.30 pm we arrived in San Felipe and stopped to buy tortillas and have, the rest of the stuff we had with us. About 5 kg of lomito and 2 conejos :), the amounts of meat they eat here are similar to what I experienced in Argentina.
Yes we traveled in a pick up, the 6 of us, but no Mom I was not in the back :) as the only woman I was offered the seat next to the driver (Guatemalan men, well the ones I know, are gentlemen!)

We also drank a graniza, crushed ice with siroup and pieces of fruit (coco for me please).

After another 30 min we finally arrived at the casa of Don Emilio, a little paradise. There are coconut trees, banana, limones, chilis and well loads of other useful plants and the climate is nice and warm... I might actually go there grow maiz, banana and limes, get some pigs and poultry and live there for the rest of my live. Just need a hamock and and some candles ;)


Here some pictures of the BBQ. We found out that we forgot to bring plates, forks, knives etc... but no problem in paradise. We just used what nature has to offer. Pedro preparing the plates
Emilio making forks

la mara

Btw the conejos were substitutes for my birthday cake and little wooden sticks the candles.
before and after :)
the candles
me cutting the "cake"

the boys singing Happy Birthday for me

Bridis!!

Well as you can imagine we were not back at 5 pm
we had to make up for the 3 hours we spent waiting in Xela..
and we actually got into some showers of the hurrican that is at the moment hitting Mexico quite hard.
Natural paraguas

As I was in the drivers cabin this was not so much my problem, but for the boys in the back of the pick up it was an unpleasant ride back to Xela. They were wet to their bones and frozen by the time we arrived. But we all agreed that it was worth it!!

Thank you all for your good wishes!
Take care and mtfbwy