Saturday, April 6th
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Flores, Santa Elena,
Perez Family
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Ixpanpajul Natural Park – Zip line and hike
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Fly to Guatemala City – via TACA Airlines
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Leaving 7:55 p.m. arriving 9:00 p.m.
This morning Jill and I went for a nice run around the
Island of Flores. And through a few neighborhoods of Santa Elena. What a beautiful area. It felt good to jump into the pool at the
hotel, and the poolside breakfast buffet was great – beans and eggs, fresh
fruit, and more. I ordered hot
chocolate. It was very watery like a
tea, but it was definitely chocolate.
On our way to Ixanpajul, I was able to pick up part of the
general conference on my phone with the KSL app. It only lasted part of the way, and then I
lost reception. We were excited to hear
about a temple to be built in Cedar City.
Ixanpajul is a privately owned natural reserve in the jungle
with monkeys, jeep rides, cabins, ziplines, horserides, hiking, swing bridges
and more. We even saw a toucan! We took a jeep ride up and down some steep
roads that lead to the first of 6 ziplines.
Before heading back to the airport, we had a great visit with the Perez family. Tina, Jill's sister, became good friends with them on her mission. It gave great insight into how the people of Guatemala live. We talked in their small front yard while chickens and dogs ran around. Henry, one of the sons, brought some parrots to us. Sandy, a daughter, gave us a fruit drink, then went into the kitchen to wash some dishes - the kitchen was outside the front door.
Here are some pictures to help you get a better feel for our experience (sorry they are not in order):
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| Riding to the zip lines |
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| Getting ready to fly over the jungle on 6 zip lines |
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| Climbing to the first zip line |
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| These resourceful people make their own brooms. |
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| Looking down from one of the swing bridges |
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| Starting our 2 mile hike that would include several swing bridges and some really great views. |
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| Looking up at Jill and Bish from the road below |
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| Jill and I played Tarzan and Jane |
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| Looking down on a coconut tree from a swing bridge |
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| Jill goes upside down |
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| Monkey |
Monkeys
Outside a store
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| Visiting the Perez Family |
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| Doing dishes in the outside kitchen |
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| The church |
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| We found this store called Megapaca. It reminded us so much of the Deseret Industries - tons of random stuff. Except it had all been cleaned and was nicely displayed for purchase. Then I noticed old price tags on some of the items that said Deseret Industries (look close at the sticker on this frame). The DI must have a relationship with Guatemala. |
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Many people ride motorcycles and scooters. I've seen families piled on a bike. Gas costs over $4/gallon.
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| One of the missionaries we met had this pet |
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| We met a group of missionaries at the church getting ready to watch the priesthood session. They were all excited to see someone from Utah. |
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| Flying back to Guatemala City |
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