Guatemala...installment one

 Several angles of La Merced, my favorite church in Antigua. I believe it is also a convent, but I've yet to take a tour of the whole thing. Note the Jacaranda tree blooming below-the purple was a great contrast to the yellow, and the tree itself reminded me of Australia (even though the trees are originally from Central America).

La Merced from down the street where the Santa Catalina arch is located (pictures of the arch in another post). Both the church and the arch are landmarks in the city. The street is typical of Antigua, and most of the cities I saw in Guatemala, though the streets in Antigua are in good repair compared to most, and are extremely clean. I love all the color!

Another typical street in Antigua. Again, I love the color. The large, imposing mountain in the background is actually the Volcon de Agua, or the water volcano. I caught it on a relatively clear day-usually there aren't clouds in the morning, but by early afternoon the cone is obscured by cloud cover.

Another typical street-the street where my hotel for the first week was located. Just a block from La Merced. I shared quarters with a family practice doctor the first night. For the rest of the week, my $16 a night room was all mine. Two med students, one teacher and her husband also stayed in the hotel, and they were good company for after clinic dinners. Clayton (one of the med students) and I spent a good deal of time wandering the streets of Antigua after clinic and engaging in deep and meaningful conversations.

Speaking of my hotel, here is the entrance. Central American cities amaze me. Almost all the facades look the same, and you never know what you'll get when you pass through the doors. It might be a small store selling snacks and sodas, or a fancy hotel that covers at least a city block.

Ray is the friend that got me in contact with the group. This was his third trip to Guatemala with the group, and he was good company most of the time...in this instance he makes a good prop for a photo of an interesting entrance and lots and lots of bougainvillea.

He also snapped this lovely photo of me while we were wandering the city our second night there. We'd attended church in the morning and decided to see what we could see walking around the city.

I thought these sinks were funny. The masks are typical of Guatemala-they are linked to the Mayan culture and come in all shapes and sizes. I bought a couple when I was in the city ten years ago. Anyhow, this is long enough for now. It's past my bed time, and I'm tired of fighting with Blogger about where I want the pictures and in what order. I'm sorry this has taken so long to post. There has been a lot of sorting through pictures, and copying other peoples pictures from Facebook. I realized when I got home and started looking through pictures that I hadn't taken nearly enough of us while we were in clinic. Anyhow, I hope you've enjoyed your quick tour through Antigua. Another will shortly follow!