11-23-05
I was actually rather pleased with the results on the blog page with being able to put the photos where they might make more sense than just a few posted at the beginning or end of the blog. I am using the medium size photo selection and I think I may try next time to use the grande or large size and see if it will work with my photos. I tried once before but it rejected all photos when I did it. It takes time to load the photos even with the fairly fast speed that they have here in this town. In some of the more rural places I’ll just have to see how it works. It is much better for me at this end than trying to get them to hook up my computer to the network. I have been writing the blog in just plain text to the memory stick as well as a few selected photos and then just plugging it in their machine. It will protect this little computer from viruses as well that way by not hooking it up to a network line.
I met a new lady in school yesterday. She was headed for the coffee/tea station when I made some dumb remark about how beautiful her red hair was. She put it off and said that blond hair was a much better color. Well I told her that I had a brother and father with red hair and had always been partial to it. (yes, I am a sucker for the red hair). It turns out she is from Ireland and is traveling alone seeing Central and maybe South America. June told me last night that she might volunteer here and help teach English at one of the Indian schools. I asked June how could she do that since she doesn’t speak any Spanish and she said that you do it like she used to do with her students and tell them “I don’t speak any Spanish so you will have to speak English.” I might be getting more out of my lessons if I was made to speak Spanish but I am learning some. I sure am going to need my little Spanish dictionary and my little made up emergency word list.
I think the Irish gals name is Martina. She was telling me that she at one time tended a bar in Ireland so she knows all about them. I had asked her if she had been to a bar that I walk past called Riley’s and appears to be an Irish bar. She said that she had not and told me that it was uncomfortable for her to go into a bar as a single woman. I thought about that last night and asked June and her to go out with me tonight and check out the bar or bars so she could see if they were something she wanted to go to or not. I guess I can stand the smoke and bar bullshit for at least one night with a redhead and a tall blond. It is a tough life down here boys!!!
I went to the textile museum this afternoon and found it a really nice site. It didn’t have much in the way of English information and I think they gave you one of the ladies that was around there to take a tour with if you spoke Spanish. I had a good time just looking at the wonderful collections of old cloth as well as textiles that had been hand embroidered. There were several rooms with examples of the different dress styles that were worn by the different indigenous tribes.
Historic dress X

They had a really cool spinning wheel that had seen some serious use. It was certainly a lot cheaper than the spinning wheels that they sell today.
Spinning wheel X

This was an unusual small weaving loom that I think they used to made the sash belts that they all wear. They still might use this type of loom, I don’t know.
Small loom X

One of the women gave me a demonstration on how they used the belt loom. It really goes behind their butt. The gal said that she would take a year to make a length of cloth by maybe making less than half an inch progress a day.
Weaving detail X

The outfit ready to go.
weaving outfit X

After leaving the textile museum I walked down to the end of the road because I could see some large ruins. It turns out that they are ruins of a convent and by the looks of them it must have been in the colonial days and must have been abandoned after the earthquake. I got there just as the man was closing the grounds for the evening. I could see a big soccer game in progress next door so I went over and watched them. As I was standing there a guy came up and started to talk with me. It turns out that he was a merchant marine seaman and worked ships that went along the coast of the US and Central and South America. He was in the area buying ceramics for his store that he has in Costa Rica. He says that ceramics are cheaper in Nicaragua and that is where his competition buys so he comes to Guatemala, which is more expensive, but he has a different product to sell. He says that he does very well with his business. We were watching the game on an off as we talked and those guys were really giving it hell out there. The field was nothing but hard packed dirt and sand and they fell down a lot and skidded all over the place. He said that there had been play going on all day starting in the morning and he thought it might be some sort of regional competition. He told me that Costa Rica was the most expensive country in Central America but it was the safest. He said that some of these other countries had gang members deported from the United States that had made it really bad. Geez, now I have to deal with gang members? I sure do hope not.
11-24-05 Thanksgiving
We started out looking for a bar that evening. We went by the Riley’s bar but didn’t stop because they didn’t have live music and the girls wanted to have live music. We went on down to the town square and took the side streets and couldn’t find but one or two bars and they didn’t have live music. We traveled back the way we came and finally went into the Riley bar. There were maybe fifteen people in it and they had loud music playing on the stereo. We ordered our drinks and sat at a small table. The girls were able to talk fairly well but the music was so loud I couldn’t hear much. I had lemonade as per my friends suggestion who was down here and doesn’t drink but came to the bars with friends. Wow, they really make strong lemonade down here. We stayed a while nursing our drinks and finally headed home. I think it was the first time that the girls had been out at night walking around. That seems so strange to me as I can hardly wait until supper is over so I can get out on the streets and look around. Being a male and maybe a big one, sure can have some advantages. June made a remark to me about having to be in her room after 7:30 in the evening. Yow, that would be terrible.
June and I were talking this morning about the food that we are getting. When we sat down for breakfast this morning the man of the house had maybe six eggs for himself. We both had a little patty of egg mixed with the leftover spaghetti from last night covered with a strange sauce along with part of a small hot dog cut into strips. There is a basket of bread on the table and it usually contains a variety of what I would call day old bread. I guess we both think that if we are eating the same food that they family is eating, that is just fine but when the family and especially the daughter are eating much higher on the food chain than we are, that is not fair. We also have just one little tiny dim light bulb in our rooms. It is really too dim a light to read with but it hasn’t bothered me because all I do is sleep in here or write on this computer. June says that it is too dim for her to read and study with and that sure is a problem that I have noticed when I try to read a map or something I have to go someplace where there is a good light. The family mean while has lights that you can get a sunburn under.
It was maybe a little cooler last night but it didn’t bother me. June said that she was in her long underwear and was still freezing. There is only one light blanket on the bed with a thin spread. This morning she asked for another blanket and I guess she is going to get one. It will be my last night and I don’t give a shit if I get one or not. It seems like they are just feeding us as cheaply as possible and not the same food that they eat. How can I bitch for ten bucks a day? We both have been talking with some of the other students and they are eating very well and the same food as the family. They even have big bowls and platters that have the food on them and they help themselves to what they want, while we get a small portion and that’s it. Eat it or go hungry. I eat it and am loosing weight, which is good. Bitch, bitch, bitch, but with good results eh?

I made it to the market today and found a guy selling candles. I had to buy a dozen of them on a string but they only cost one Quezales which comes out to only about 13 cents. I figured roger was well worth one Quezales. I went to the church near my house and looked around for a suitable place to put them. There were several figurines on the sides of the church and I was really looking for the guy that carries the little square (I figure Roger would like him) but I couldn’t find him in that church. I finally settled on one of a guy with an arrow shot in his leg and he looked like he was pretty sick. I sure hope that is a good one because he now has twelve candles burning at his feet. Get Well Roger!!!!!!!

11-24-05

11-24-05

The place at the church where I put the candles for Roger’s recovery from sickness was not very well thought of or at least no one had put any candles at his place. I had the whole tray to put my candles. They did have a nice flower display for him though. I’m doing all I can for ya here at this end Roger, get well soon please!!
Candles X


I wanted to go back this afternoon to see the ruins of the convent, which is down by the big market. June was going to go down and look at the market so I walked down that way with her. We went through part of the market where they were selling flowers and I had her take a photo of me with some of them. I had given June my road blog link and I guess she had given it to one or more of her friends and they wanted to see what I looked like. I guess I don’t have any photos of me on my blog but I do think I have one of me on my web page but it is with my eye loop on, working at my bench making jewelry. So here is one for all out there who don’t know what I look like.
Rex

The ruins were actually pretty cool. I think this church must have been one built in 1500 or early 1600. The size and thickness of the walls of this thing are truly massive. What I found really interesting is that almost all of the pieces fell inside the walls and I only saw a few outside. If anyone was in there lighting candles when it happened, they are buried under a lot of rock and brick.
Church ruins X

 

 

 

 

 

a nice poinsettia bush and tower