Nate and Lex Visit

May 8-16, 2018

Guatemala is home to three active volcanoes. They are Fuego, Pacaya and Santiaguito. These nearby volcanoes are constantly spewing smoke, ash and flames. On rare occasions, one or another of these volcanoes explodes in a major eruption killing hundreds of the locals.

So, when our precious grandchildren come to visit us, where do we take them? We send them on a lengthy horseback excursion up the side of Pacaya to roast marshmallows on one of the numerous lava vents that are located on the side and around the base of this massive volcano.

Admittedly, the chance of having a major eruption at this specific time is very remote and, in our defense, we are assured by volcano experts (the eager guides who rent the horses) that our grandkids will have plenty of time to escape should a major eruption occur.

After work and still wearing our dental scrubs,
Trudy and I take Nate and Lex to experience "Volcan de Pacaya."

They begin their journey up the mountainside.

While Nate and Lex climb Pacaya, Trudy and I
visit a scenic lake near the base of the volcano.

This is not your typical backyard marshmallow roast!

Nor your typical backyard scenery.

The following day we drive to Lake Attitlan, stopping as usual at a roadside pupuceria in Tecpan.

The women in the background hand-make pupusas while we wait.
Delicious!

Then, on to the ancient ruins of Iximche.

The sign (in English) says, "DO NOT CLIMB ON THE STRUCTURES."
Nate kindly pulls it out of the ground so that Lex won't get in trouble. We're not sure that will work, Nate. Oh well, good luck, Lex.

We sit to rest on steps that were built about 600 years ago.

Through the magic of photo technology, Lex and Nate experience Iximche again, and again, and again.

As we continue our ride, we see fascinating sights the are uniquely Guatemalan.  

We have reservations for the night to stay in a nature reserve in Panajachel.

Our apartment is called the Rock House, not because it is made of rocks,
 but because it has a giant boulder in the middle of the bathroom.
(Rather than try to remove the rock, the owners simply built around it.)

The reserve is famous for its wildlife.

Monkeys

Butterflies

Coatis

But to our surprise, a more frightening form of wildlife is hiding in our bedroom. Innocently, we turn out the lights and crawl beneath the blankets.  In the middle of the night, I am awakened by a blood-curdling scream. In the total darkness, I realize the scream is coming from Nate! He is screaming from pain.

Lex quickly turns on the light in time to see a huge black scorpion scurry across the sheets and under the mattress. A red bump instantly appears on Nate's arm where the poisonous creature has stung him. Nate's lips are turning numb.

We draw a circle around the sting location
 to keep track of  how much the poison spreads.

We know that scorpion stings are poisonous, but how toxic are they? It is the middle of the night. The nearest hospital is two hours away in Quetzaltenango. Do I attempt to drive Nate there over the winding rain-covered roads? Will we make it in time?

In desperation I call our newly-arrived mission doctor. It is of little comfort for me to wait while my friend, Dr. Matthews, does research over the internet to learn about scorpions in Guatemala. At last he makes the diagnosis. Nate will live!

When Lex goes downstairs to get a cool wet towel for Nate's arm, she discovers two more scorpions. That does it! We wake up the nature preserve's caretaker to complain about the venomous arachnids occupying our quarters. He doesn't seem shocked, but comes up to our room to help us get rid of the invaders. The caretaker also provides us with honey to put on Nate's arm and on his numb mouth. The honey remedy doesn't surprise Trudy or me. Mayans use honey to cure everything--sore throats, eye infections, stomach aches and, of course, insect bites.

Nate covers his lips and the sting area
with Mayan medicine--honey.

As Trudy and I are searching through our bedding for scorpions, the original invader dares to come out from under Nate's and Lex's mattress. This unsuspecting creature is no match for Lex. Armed with a shoe, she jumps across the bed and destroys the evil enemy.

No more stinging for this scorpion!

The next morning, Nate is feeling quite a bit better, so Lex and he decide to go on a zip-line . . .

. . . through the jungle, over the nearby cliffs, and down the shoreline of Lake Atitlan. What a ride!

After the zip-line, it was time to meet our regular guide, Lui, for a boat-ride across Lake Atitlan to visit the isolated Mayan villages of San Juan and Santiago.

Leaving from the dock.

Arriving in San Juan

Riding around in a Tuk Tuk.

Fabric weaving.

The Catholic Church at the top of the hill.

From the church, looking down the main shopping street
back toward the lake.

Riding in Santiago.

Meeting the coin lady.

The Mayan Princess.

Local women washing their clothes in the lake

Returning home a the end of the day.

Sunday, May 13th, is Mother's Day. Nate, Lex, Trudy and I attend Church in Pueblo Nuevo Vinas, and give flowers to the women of the branch. After the meetings, we visit some inactive families. On our way home, we stop at the Guatemala City Temple.

During the weekdays of their stay, Nate and Lex help us in the dental clinic. With the weekend over, we return to Clinica Dental.

Watch,

And then do.

While at the clinic, Nate and Lex work really hard. They help us a lot by cleaning and sterilizing instruments, restocking supplies, and cleaning the operatories between each patient. They even apply fluoride to patient's teeth, as you can see in the above photo.  

On their last day in Guatemala, we find time after work to take Nate and Lex to Antiqua, the ancient capitol of Guatemala.

Each day, each adventure with Nate and Les is something we will always remember. They make us feel young again (even if we don't look it.) We will miss them once they go back to the United States.