Forsythia's Yellow Bloomers

I knew I was back in Virginia [after my three-week trip to Guatemala] when I caught sight of Forsythia’s bright yellow bloomers driving to work this morning.

Purple Crocus had slipped away while dazzly Daffodil was sneaking in to outshine Forsythia.
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Sabia que estaba de vuelta en Virginia cuando divise las enaguas color amarillo brillante de Forsitia camino al trabajo esta maniana

El azafran habia huido mientras que el narciso entraba de puntillas

Message for St Patricks Day [image and music]

A good Mexican friend of mine, rather a Yucatan woman, sent me an audiovisual today -unrelated to my inclusive picture above.

Relax and Enjoy images, music, prayer [Coulter and Downey]

Guatemala City

Got here Friday 11th at 8 am after traveling all night from Flores, Peten, northern Guatemala which we left the previous night at 10 pm in a rainstorm.

Flores is a small and beautiful island which is the stepping stone for the Peten Rainforest and the Mayan ruines of Tikal with its impressive pyramids...[the Jaguar is one of the highest in the Mayan world]

Aura's friend, Thelma, has been our gracious host; although we spurned her offer for lodgings and checked into the Strofella [Best Western] in the fasionable Zona 10

Guatemala is a bustling metropolis of 4 million people which dispenses with car lanes -but less hectic and aggessive than Mexico City -or Rome for that matter!

Rio Dulce, Guatemala

San Felipe Fort, Rio Dulce, Guate

from the Pacific coast's Monterrico to the Caribbean coast's Rio Dulce, Livingston, and later to Flores, the Peten rainforest and Tikal
From Tuesday through Thursday; leaving Flores in a rainstorm at 9:30 for Guatemala City.

Rio Dulce, "Sweet River" runs from the top of lake Izabal through a stretch of water teeming with pelicans, cormorants and white egrets...

Getting to Rio Dulce and sleeping there make a good story to tell later on; we took off in a launch for 15 people at 9 am on Wed the 9th the pilot took us by San Felipe Fort which the Spanish built to defend against English pirates in the 17th century
Ciao

Monterrico, Pacific Coast, Guatemala

and we have been to Panajachel and Chichicastenango in the Highlands,
back to Antigua,
then to Jocotenango and San Felipe
Sunday morning left Antigua for this remore village on the Guate's Pacific coast

Panajachel, Guatemala

Wed 2 and Thurs 3
from Antigua to the north to the beginning of the Highlands
Pana, gateway to Lake Atitlan, a real paradise of nature
surrounded by hills, mountains, volcanoes and picturesque viallages

Ruins of Santa Clara Convent and Church, Antigua, Guatemala

Tues 1 March 2011
Today we prepared for our short trip to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan
We had to do our washing at one of the local coin laundries, traveling by tuc-tuc and searching around; two small bags washed and folded cost us Q85
Then we had to take out cases from Soleil to Lo de Bernal, highly recommended by Travelocity -turned out to be a small but recently remodeled hotel near the La Merced Parish on the Calle 1 Poniente
We started rambling to visit the Hospital of Brother Pedro which we stopped by -Aura planned to have her father taken care of here before he passed away suddenly...
Not far away we found a neglected buy once beatiful public garden where a number of indigenous people were relaxing in, at the end of which where what used to be the public clothes washing pool, and behind that the magnificent ruins of Santa Clara