Thank you

To all of you who have supported us, both financially and in prayer, we say THANK YOU!!!

Another detour

Our neighborhood road is currently blocked due to the installation of paving bricks on a 60-meter stretch of road.  At that rate they will have to block it repeatedly about six times before arriving at our driveway!  They only do road improvements once a year when the municipality gives them money, so we are hoping they will do more at a time when they re-block the road in the future.  

Here is a map of our current "back way" detour in yellow.  It takes about 15 extra minutes of slow driving to navigate with some tricky maneuvering to pass oncoming vehicles.  It is mostly a single-car-width dirt road with various cornfields, steep dropoffs, and concrete walls lining the edges.  The blue line shows our normal drive out of our neighborhood, which is the part currently blocked.  

December in Chichi

When we moved here 14 years ago, we thought the December festivities in our town were in celebration of Christmas.  However, over the years we finally figured out that they were actually in celebration of the town's patron saint, Saint Thomas.  In fact, there is so much traffic and hullabaloo in Chichi during the entire month of December, with main roads closing unexpectedly and twice the normal number of people in town, that we try to stay home as much as possible. 

Here is a video posted by a local tourist hotel in early December showing a sampling of what goes on.  

Translation:  Did you know that the Fair of Chichicastenango in honor of Apostle Saint Thomas is about to begin?  From December 4th to 22nd, its streets fill with color, with music, and with tradition.  Different celebrations and ancestral dances are in honor of its patron Saint Thomas.  The carnival rides, food, parties, and all of the magic make this fair one of the most special celebrations of Guatemala.  We invite you to live it with us, to feel its energy, and to enjoy an unforgettable December in Chichicastenango.  In Santo Tomás Hotel, it will be a pleasure to receive and accompany you during these festivities.