We have now been in Xela for three weeks. It is a fun and friendly city and much safer than we were led to believe from guide books.

It is common to hear firecrackers around the city, especially in the mornings. They are used to wake up people having birthdays.

There are gorgeous mountains surrounding the city. One is an active volcano that fumes smoke!

Most of the streets in our district are one way as they are much too narrow to fit two cars side-by-side. Traffic patterns tend to be chaotic. If a car beeps it means "Beware I'm not slowing down at this corner, so get out of my way." Many of the streets are made out of rocks which make them extremely bumpy. Sidewalks are adjacent to the street and have buildings on the opposite side. The sidewalks are quite narrow which makes for many close calls for pedestrians. When pedestrians meet on the sidewalk, it is necessary to either chance it in the road, or suck in and squeeze past each other. These tightly enclosed areas also give Xela a quaint feeling.

Stores are very small. In fact, many are simply counters with the items for sale behind them. One must ask for whatever specific item is desired. Often times we are not able to figure out the pattern of items for sale. This makes shopping at locally owned stores difficult. There is also a market called Minerva. It is full of vendors at shack-like booths. The walkways are muddy ground and it is crowded. It is a delightfully cross-cultural experience! One can buy whatever a heart desires here.

Yesterday while we were at the market we saw the trash area. There were about 10 stray dogs eating from the large pile. The city has many feral dogs wandering about. They are behaved well enough, so one does not fear them. However, we were instructed not to touch them because they are full of fleas. In fact, one day after wearing shorts, Chase had small, itchy, red dots around his ankles. Flea bites!

As mentioned previously, Xela is a safe enough city. One can walk alone in daylight without fear. It is the transportation that is dangerous.

Yesterday we went to Xocomil, a water park about an hour from Xela, via chicken bus. After locating the correct bus at the bus terminal, we realized the loud noises we were hearing were people trying to get our attention. Apparently, there was another bus leaving sooner. We were on the new bus no more than 5 minutes when it stopped in the street, in front of a tire repair store. We waited as the tire was repaired, then continued on our journey, which fortunately, went without a hitch.

The water park was pure entertainment and great fun. It was similar to any large water park in the US. We noticed only two small differences. 1) one needed to say "pasa" rather than "go ahead" to people in line, and 2) the ubiquitous signs which read, "Favor, no orinar aqui." That is, "Please don't pee here."

Sonia has been gone the past couple of days in Guatemala City. We have had the house to ourselves and have been cooking our own meals. Chase has spent the last 2 nights at our house and is currently cooking pancakes for breakfast.

Today we will return to the church we visited last week and then we will shop for mementos of this fabulous trip.