I  have never been so happy to see eight pieces of luggage!  We had to delay our ride to Chichicastenango by 2.5 hours while we waited at the airport for the next arriving Copa flight, as it was the one carrying the pieces of luggage that were missing last night.
We had two vans for our group’s transport to Chichicastenango, one for the people, and the other for all the luggage.  Manuel and Estuardo came to meet us, but so did several of the members of the Parent Council at the school.  We had a great opportunity to visit with Manuel and Estuardo and get to know them better.

Manuel surprised me with a video on his phone of all of the kids in his 4th grade class and their introductions to Troop 4712 in appreciation for the similar video that the girl scouts created for them.  (I will post the video once I get it from him.)

Manuel also surprised me with a full two-page itinerary for our day at the school coming up on Monday.  The teachers, Parent Council and students have a full day from 8-5 planned for us, including a ribbon cutting, speeches, installation of the books and tablets, dedication of the library, an honorary “diploma” from the school, and a cultural presentation including dances and songs performed by the kids at the school.  There will also be a flag ceremony and a presentation of the US flag at the school, a gift on behalf of Victor’s and Estuardo’s family, combined with the singing of both the Guatemalan and United States national anthems.  Unity of friends worldwide!

After we had formally “met” everyone, most of our group and the drivers and the Parent council waited in the buses outside La Aurora airport while Trent, Cori and I visited the administrative offices of Copa Airlines on the second floor of the airport.  Nothing like “hurry up and wait” for so much of the start of our trip.  At least we had time to chat, take in some of the pretty plants, and enjoy the great climate.

When we finally left the airport, we made a quick stop at Burger King for lunch and then battled the traffic to Chichicastenango.During the 4+ hour car ride, we smelled our fair share of diesel fumes and witnessed several “close call” near accidents, but thankfully none that actually made contact.  During one of our stops in traffic, JT and Barret reached their hands outside the bus to touch the chicken bus beside us.  (I think one of us had commented ‘we are so close that we could reach out and touch the chicken bus next to us’ and they wanted to see if they could actually do it.)

While some of the ride was “industrial”, there were plenty of beautiful landscapes.  Each time we passed a community garden spot or terraced crops, I watched amazed.  The hills, the lush greenery, the majesty of volcanos and the winding roads leading first up and then down the mountainside tested my nerves and stomach fortitude.  John joked that driving in the higher traffic areas were kind of like being in a game of Mario Kart, and Cori stated that she picked the wrong time to look behind her, as we had just entered a hairpin turn and she was looking over the side of a cliff!

Hotel Santo Tomas in Chichicastenango is delightful.  it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the interior courtyard is gorgeous and the rooms and interior walls are very uniquely decorated.  Here is a picture of Trent’s family near the fountain in the courtyard of the hotel.  The macaws that usually grace the courtyard were not there when we arrived, but their perches were seen all over and there was still pieces of vegetable cut up in small chunks in dishes below their perches — obviously meant for them.  Hopefully we’ll see them tomorrow.

Sarah was slightly upset that we couldn’t get in the pool this evening.  It turns out that the pool was on the second floor and the second floor was entirely reserved for a wedding reception.  I don’t know if the wedding was performed her onsite, but when we arrived the band was playing.  A pretty balloon archway with white wedding bells separated the stairwell from the place where all the tables were set up and guests were seated.

We decided that for our first meal in Chichicastenango we were going to visit the Pollo Campero food truck adjacent to the hotel.  For those that aren’t aware, Pollo Campero is kind of like a Kentucky Fried Chicken.  They are popular in Guatemala and each time I’ve been here, I’ve seen people carry boxes of it back on their departing flights to take to fans at home. I don’t know if I would rate it high enough that I would go to the trouble of making it my carry-on, but it is tasty!

During this particular visit to the Pollo Campero food truck, we were approached by a litte girl.  We guessed she was 8 or 9, and Trent guessed 10.  As i turns out, her name is Jennifer and she is nine.  She had a backpack full of various things to sell.  It was easy to dismiss her with a “no gracias” the first several times, but when she told us that she was hungry and asked if we could buy her a piece of chicken, it got a bit more difficult.  Trent and Cori bought bookmarks from her and Scott simply gave her the Q’s (quetzales, the Guatemalan money) he had in his pocket.  Scott shared with me that he realizes that he can’t help everybody that needs it here.  I know that his heart is big enough to want to try…