August 20- Village Adventures

The day began with some time to visit some of the churches and ruins. The ruins are beautiful with eroded walls overgrown with plant material. The colors, shapes, and shadows make fascinating photos. I could easily spend days just wandering here. Our next stop was the marketplace. We were divided into small groups and given a shopping list to find on our own. With limited Spanish skills, and much pointing, we took our purchases and boarded a local chicken bus for the trip to the village of Santa Catarina Barahona. We were asked to sit by ourselves, to be able to interact with the locals. A couple of the adventurous sat on top of the bus with the packages. (Chicken buses are old US school buses which have been rejuvenated and repainted with bright colors. They are called chicken buses as they pack in people like chickens in a crate-and, they sometimes have chickens in cages on the top!)

We visited the Kindergarten School (ages 1-6) and the Primary School in the village. This school is well-stocked, as it is sponsored by the Grand Circle Foundation. It was fun to see the students excited to show us their work. At noon, we were taken in 2 groups to homes of selected students. My student was Genesis (pronounced Hennessee). The home was very intriguing, with a small walkway to enter, with caged birds and a squirrel. The kitchen was open-aired and covered with a tin roof. There were two small bedrooms and a tiny back yard with their pet/guard dog. The lunch was a local specialty, pepian, which is a stew made from chilis and tomatillos, with veggies and rice to add on your own. It was delicious, and a special treat for the family also. After lunch, Genesis shared pictures and her dancing.

After lunch, we left the village and made our way back to Antigua. Along the way, we stopped at Valhalla Macadamia Nut Plantation, where we saw the processing procedure, tasted some delicacies, and tried some macadamia butter products. As we arrived back in Antigua, we stopped at an overlook which gave a full look at the city, with the volcano in the background, although still cloud covered.