Guatemala!

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Above are all of the pictures that Ben took while in Guatemala. To view the pictures individually just click on the slideshow or the link under "Pictures" on the sidebar.



Ben finally returned from Guatemala last night. His plane was delayed, so Emma and I had a late night; we picked him up from the airport at 10:00 pm. It was a very happy reunion, for we haven't been together as a family for a week and half. That can be a long time. Anyway, Ben came bearing gifts of curious workmanship. I received several necklaces, one of which is pink quartz with matching earings from a well known jade factory in Antigua. It is my early birthday present. Ben is so thoughtful. He also got Emma a cute summer dress, himself some sandals, and a couple Mayan masks and a set of weights that use the same system as described in the Book of Mormon; Guatemala still uses this system of weight and volume today. Very interesting, eh?

So, I'll post some of my favorite pictures taken from Ben's trip with this post. My favorite pictures he took are of the people in the areas he visited. He says that they all (even the poor) wear the bright colored clothing. It is quite striking, especially with a large crowd.



This picture to the right shows the crowd that was in line one morning to see the doctors Ben was with at the clinic. He said that it was a contant line of people. This picture was taken at the clinic in San Antonio Polopo. Ben said that this area was the worst regarding the health of the people they saw. They were the most malnourished of the places they went. They spent two days in San Antonio and two days in Chuacruz, serving in the medical clinics. The other few days they spent touring in Panajachel and Antigua.

This is of Ben and Jim, the doctor he translated for during the week. He is in his 40's and has kids Ben's age. He is LDS, attended BYU, and is now an ER doctor in Washington. Ben says they had a good time working together and he was glad for their similarities, since they had to room together as well. This picture was taken in Chuacruz.

This is the hotel that the group stayed in during most of the week. It is located in Panajachel, which is is about 30 minutes from San Antonio and 45 minutes from Chuacruz. They spent the nights here and would drive out to the areas they would do medical work in. He says the hotel was nice and they were quite comfortable during their stay.

The picture at the top of the post was taken in Antigua, a tourist city that hundreds of years ago was the capital of Guatemala. Guatemala City is now the capital, and it wasn't until 50-100 years ago that Antigua was restored and remade into the beautiful city it is today. Ben and his group spent a couple days at the end of their trip touring and shopping Antigua. I love the bright colored buildings! Below is a picture of the majority of Ben's group after hiking to a hill overlooking Antigua. Ben says the group he was with were all wonderful and great to work with. He was really glad for this experience and chance to visit Guatemala again after serving his mission there.