 Wow, it was like Christmas and birthday in one: my parents visited us in Guatemala and brought a suitcase full of things e.g. sweets, like "Mozartkugeln" and "Roibuschtee", letters with fotos and gifts from friends, bicycle parts from our sponsor "feine räder" in Duisburg, books in German, new medicaments etc etc. The little soft toys we wantet to give the children of our hosts. Together we had a beautiful time which sadly ended much too early. Horst Langbehn and Markus rummageing (mi) |
 Gathering wood is for free in Guatemala. Women first of all use it to cook. The tortillas, which is the main food of the poor population, only succeed on the wood burning stove, people say here! Miles and miles they carry the bunches. Also the children get as much as they can bear. Other Children take care of the cheeps and goats. (mi) |
 The highest point of the Panamericana: 11,800ft of altitude! We can't really believe, what the book says. So hard it hasn't been, but we are happy anyway. Afterwards we headed down quickly, because up here it's really cold. (ma) |
 Time for a break and a small talk. I thought all the time, I talked to an old lady, until Markus told me, that this is a man in a skirt. Strange traditional costumes they wear here! (mi) |
 Searching a place to stay is often the beginning of an adventuer on this trip. This time we ran into a big birthday party for two children. We were welcomed and they served first of all delicious tamalis (corn-dough wrapped in big leafs and cooked). All women around wear traditional costumes. It's wonderful to see the people loughing and having so much fun. Between corn fields near Chuiatzan (ma) |
 "Juego de Piñata", the clou for all children. A puppet made from paper machee, filled with sweets, has to be smashed blindfolded. But it isn't as easy as it seems. Somebody always moves the puppet and most of the beats don't hit. We also tried it and after the final hit all the sweets felt down and everybody tried to get some. The party was video taped, that the parents of Nelso (2 years) and Yenifer (4 years) can see it later. They actually were working in the States to send home some money. (mi) |
 The "shortcut" through the mountains turned out to be a very rough slope. The bikes and also we were groaned with all the joggling. Then Markus' front rack broke again. First of all we had a small break eating some Mango pieces with salt and chili powder. That boosts for the downhill into the next village. Shortly before Sololá near Lago Atitlan (mi) |
 A nice room in a hostel in Sololá. The expensive bikes sleep always with us. But what is that? Something is hopping on the floor! Fleas! Too late, the beasts had already started eating us. (mi) |
 It took us some days to get rid of the fleas, but now we can relax. On an unused landing stage at the beautifull Lago Atitlan we read German books. It is hard, not to read all at once. We had a big backlog, but the approaching rain forces a reading break. Lago Atitlan with its volcanos (mi) |
 In Panajachel we made up for something we denied ourselfs for a long time: Shopping! In the colourfull little shops we rambled for days, compared prices, bargained and bought lots of things. It would be invaluable to ship all the things home. But we met my parents here again and so they can carry everything home. They nearly collapsed under the load of souvenirs (mi) |
 Typical street scene in San Pedro. On this trucks, which were used as bus, forces themselves up to 50 people with their harvest from the field work or the gathered firewood. Again and again we see pictures of trucks and buses in an accident in the newspapers. Not seldom more than 10 people die in this cind of accidents. (mi) |
 A typical path in one of the villages at Lago Atitlan. On one hand poornes can astound, on the oter hand it can look so picturesque. But this flowery view soon dies away when we think, that we will shortly live in such an ambience vor more than one month (see the next report) (mi) |