Chiapas Week #2

It was another great week in San Cristobal. On Monday, Brad Olson came for an eight-day visit. Brad is an RCA missionary, secunded to the United Bible Societies. Brad is one of the main computer programmers for the translation software Paratext 7.
The first two days Brad was here, he and Brian worked together on various issues of Paratext. On Thursday, the four Ch'ol translators came to San Cristobal to work with Brian and Brad for a couple of days. One of the translators had had dengue fever just a few weeks ago, but was feeling well enough to come. Soon after he arrived, however, he got a phone call that his wife was running a high temp and was possibly coming down with dengue as well. So Thursday morning he caught a bus back to Palenque to be with her.
Brian and Brad worked with the other three translators for several hours on Thursday, getting Paratext 7 installed on their computers and teaching them how to use it. The Ch'ols already have the Bible in their language, but they are in the process of revising the text and adding introductions for each book of the Bible. The translators are all full-time pastors and do the translation work in addition to their pastoral responsibilities.
Friday the translators returned for another day of training. Unfortunately, Brad came down with a bug of some sort during the night and was unable to work with them. In fact he was unable to do much of anything for two days! Brian worked with the team quite a bit, with the plan being for us to make a follow-up visit to Palenque at some point in the next month to continue the training.
Friday evening we had a very interesting meeting. Two employees from the Mexican Bible Society, as well as a man from the Norwegian Bible Society and a woman from the Netherlands Bible Society came to meet with the Ch'ol translators. Both Norway and the Netherlands are huge contributors to translation work being done in the Americas. The two individuals had come to visit the Ch'ol and Tojolabal translators to investigate the possibility of providing support for both projects. It was a unique and interesting conversation as they discussed with the Ch'ols their language usage and translation needs. We found out that the man from the Norwegian Bible Society had lived for several years in Canar, so it was exciting to relay to him the good news that the Quichua translation was now completed.
The original plan was for Brad and Brian to go to San Pedro on Sunday to work with the Tojolabal translators for a few days. But since Brad only started feeling better Sunday morning, that didn't seem like a wise decision. So on Sunday we went to a Presbyterian Church here in San Cristobal, then did some walking around and resting in the afternoon (and Brad did a little shopping, as you can see in the picture). We continue to appreciate your prayers as we work with various translation teams here in Chiapas. God bless! Donna

First Week in Chiapas

It was a very good week here in San Cristobal. The first few days we unpacked, did a little furniture rearranging, set up our bedrooms, school room and office, and just plain got settled in. Rachel and I are in a pretty good routine with school and spend most of the days studying together. We also have gone for lots of walks around the city to figure out where the grocery stores, tortillerias, taquerias, and bread stores are (as well as the best places to buy candy!)
Last Tuesday was a little like Christmas in November. Before we left for Acapulco, we had three of our big suitcases shipped to Chiapas. We didn't want to take them with us to Ecuador, Peru, Cheranastico and Acapulco. And it was a lot cheaper to ship them ($23) then to pay the airline's extra baggage fee. So last week Tuesday, Brian went to the shipping company office, and there were our suitcases! It was fun seeing what we had packed and having a few more changes of clothes, books, and some kitchen goodies.
This past weekend seemed somewhat strange, and at first we couldn't figure out why. Then we realized that it was the first weekend since September 5 that we hadn't been traveling! So instead of packing, checking out, catching a bus or plane, checking back in, unpacking, and getting accustomed to a new place, we were free to do something else! So Saturday morning Brian and I went to the market. Now that was the San Cristobal that we remembered! What a reminder of years ago as we walked past stalls selling tomatoes, papaya, avocado, chayote, several variety of bananas, as well as chickens, spices, rice, beans, and hundreds of other things.
Then for lunch we grilled ribs, chorizo and beef with the family that is living in the basement of the mission house, Rogelio and Becky. Actually Rogelio did the grilling and we did the eating! After lunch Rachel and I went to the movie theater at the shopping plaza (not the San Cristobal that we remember from before!) and saw "New Moon". I have to admit that I am not a Twilight fan, but Rachel is and I was curious to see what all the hype was about. The movie wasn't too bad, but I don't think I'll run out and read the books anytime soon.
After a little shopping at the mall, we got home in time for tamales. On Saturdays in San Cristobal, various people make tamales in their homes and then sell them in the evenings. You can tell who has tamales for sale by the red light they hang outside their house. So we went to a few different "red light" houses and picked up tamales de mole, azafran and de bola. Yum. We made sure to buy plenty so we'd have leftovers.
Rachel already wrote about Sunday and our visit with Vern and Carla Sterk to Nuevo Zinacantan. This Tzotzil village is made up entirely of displaced Christians. Vern said that there are 50 villages throughout Chiapas for Tzotzils who have been forced from their own villages because of their Christian beliefs. It was amazing to worship with the people and see the Sterk's reconnect with friends from the years that they lived here.
Now as we prepare for Thanksgiving, we are reminded of how thankful we are. Thankful to God for being so loving and faithful; thankful for this opportunity to serve Him in the area of Bible translation; and thankful for family and friends who mean so much to us. We pray that you will all have a very meaningful and blessed Thanksgiving! Donna

Sunday morning

   We had a very fun day Sunday! We went to a church with Vern and Carla Sterk. They were missionaries  for several years in Chiapas. They are now retired, but they come down here a couple times a year. The church service was in the Maya language, Tzotzil. It was very interesting going to church and singing some of the songs in Tzotzil. They had some familiar hymns like "Holy, Holy, Holy" and some other ones that my parents knew. Almost all the people were dressed in their traditional clothes. Also, they were seperated by men on one side and women on the other during the service.

  After a while my mom and I got to go to Sunday school with Carla, which was really fun. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" in English to see if anyone knew it. There were about 35 kids there, and they were sitting on long wooden benches. The benches were quite tiny and close together! The lesson was about Muslims and different facts about them. For example, they are called to prayer 5 times a day and they don't pray on their knees, but on the ground. The kids thought it was really funny when Carla acted that out. (We knew those facts, of course, because we had been in Turkey.)  We could pick out some of the stuff Carla was talking about from the hand motions she did, but otherwise, she talked all in Tzotzil. It was very cute after Sunday School because all the kids wanted their picture taken.

  After church, we went to two people's houses because they were sick and wanted to have someone pray for them. On the way back to San Cristobal, we stopped and got some wood for our fireplace. All in all, we were gone from "home" for 5 hours. Even though we didn't understand Tzotzil, we could still interact with each other. Of course we stood out with our height and our clothing. But we were also very welcomed.

San Cristobal

After nearly 14 years, we're back in Chiapas! Brian has been here several times working with different translation teams. But this is the first time I've been back since we lived here from 1991-1995. And of course it's the first time for Rachel's since she wasn't born when we lived here.
It was with great excitement and anticipation that we flew from Mexico City to Tuxtla this past Sunday. After landing, we took a taxi to San Cristobal de Las Casas. When we lived here, it took at least 1 1/2 hours to get here from the airport. But because they built a new airport and a new road, the time has been cut dramatically to a little less than an hour. The route isn't nearly as "thrilling" either as the new road doesn't contain all of the hair pin curves that the old one did.
Once in San Cristobal, we made our way to what will be our home for the next 2 1/2 months. When we lived in Mexico nearly 20 years ago, the RCA owned a large home called the mission house. RCA missionaries that lived in remote areas stayed at the mission house periodically whenever they needed to do banking, shopping, laundry, attend meetings, etc. We stayed here many times during those years, and actually lived here our last few months in Chiapas in 1995. The RCA has since sold the house to a couple who used to manage the house, Jeff and Deb Feenstra. The Feenstra's were gracious enough to allow us to live here during our stay in Chiapas.
Even though it has been 14 years since we lived here, it immediately felt like we were back home. We're staying in the same bedrooms that we stayed in several times before. We love having a full kitchen and being able to cook meals again! Thank goodness there's also a washing machine and clothes lines. Not being able to do laundry consistently the past 2 1/2 months was a challenge.
As we continue to get settled in, we'll write more about the city of San Cristobal and the work that Brian will be involved in here in Chiapas. As always, thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers this year. Donna

Chiapas!

   We're all settled in Chiapas now! Yesterday we got to San Cristobal at 4:30 pm. We flew here from Mexico City to Tuxtla. Then we took a taxi for an hour to the mission house. Well, it's not a mission house any more, but it used to be when my family lived here before. A family from Michigan, that owns it now, is letting us live here for the next few months.

   The house is huge!! As soon as we got in the gate, I said, "Wow! It's just like the home movies!!"  I have my own room, and it has 3 beds and a desk in it. Now we can actually do our school work at a desk instead of on a bed!  This morning we did some rearranging of beds and desks. We wanted to put one of the beds in a closet, but it wouldn't fit, so we put it in my room.  So now I have lots of places to hang out. 



P.S. I tried writing a blog in Acapulco, but the ocean called on me everyday!  It was very fun playing in the waves in the ocean.  One day we found a sand dollar - alive!  It was annoying when we had our two-hour time share "talk" (sales pitch), because the ocean was right there, but we had to wait until all four people were done trying to sell us something.  At least they gave us some water to drink!  As you probably saw in my mom's blog, I got my hair braided.  I chose a ton of different colors for the beads, but the lady doing the braids favored orange a lot for the rubber bands.  The braids are still in, and I hope they last a few more weeks.  My hair will be really fluffy when the braids finally come out!

Ahhh, Acapulco

What a great time we had in Acapulco. I don't think we've ever had a vacation like this before. Except for Tuesday's city tour, we basically didn't leave the Grand Mayan. We just relaxed! Because the weather was so hot and humid, our main activity everyday was spending time at the pool and ocean. Rachel had such a blast riding the waves. She never wanted to come out of the water! A few of the evenings we enjoyed watching the sunset over the ocean. So beautiful.
Since we had a kitchen in our suite, we made most of our own meals. Every few days we'd go to a nearby shopping center to buy things at Wal-Mart and/or go out to eat. One morning we had the brunch at the Mayan with lots of good authentic Mexican food. (as you can see!)
This morning (Saturday) we checked out and caught the 11:15 bus for Mexico City. It was another gorgeous ride through great scenery. We're staying in Mexico City tonight, then tomorrow we have a flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. We're very excited to not only be back in Chiapas, but to be based somewhere for a few months after so much traveling. We'll be visiting different projects in Chiapas, but probably won't leave there until the first part of February. We'll let you know how it feels to be "back home." Donna

Acapulco

I never really thought we'd be spending a week on vacation in Acapulco, but here we are. Thanks so much to mom and dad for the time-share! It's wonderful.
We arrived here Saturday afternoon on the bus from Mexico City. It was a beautiful 5-hour drive through some incredible scenery.
We had seen pictures of the Grand Mayan on the internet, but nothing totally prepares you for what it's like. The open-air lobby is immense with several thatch-roofed buildings and replicas of Mayan monuments. Our 7th floor "room" is really a suite - kitchen, living room, bedroom, and patio. There's even a dipping pool on the patio! The Mayan is right along the ocean and has a 1-kilometer long swimming pool, a water park complete with lazy river, and several lakes and ponds through the grounds.
We're quite far from the city of Acapulco, so most of the time we spend at the Mayan, lounging by the pool or relaxing by the ocean. The temp is always in the 80's or 90's, so the water feels great. Last night we sat on the beach and watched the sun set into the ocean. Beautiful!
Yesterday we took a 4-hour tour of the city. We stopped at the Chapel of Peace, George Wessmuller's (Tarzan's) home, a flea market, several beautiful look-outs of the city, and of course the cliff divers. This tradition has been going on for 50 years, with divers as young as 12 diving into the water. We saw 6 different dives - some with two divers at once, some alone, and the highest dive from 35 meters. It was a great show, but probably the most impressive was watching the divers scale the rock wall to get to where they were going to dive! I think that took as much talent as the diving itself.
We don't have any plans for the rest of the week, which suits us just fine. We may do another tour tomorow or Friday, but nothing definite at this point. Hey, it's a vacation! We head back to Mexico City on Saturday, then on to Chiapas on Sunday. As nice as this week has been, we're anxious to get to Chiapas and work with the translation teams there. Have a super week! Donna

Purhepecha

Last Friday morning we left Cheranastico after working with the Purhepecha translation team for four days. Approximately 100,000 people speak this language in a number of towns and villages throughout the state of Michoacan. Brian visited this team almost five years ago when they were just beginning their work. Now they’re getting very close to finishing the New Testament and hope to send it to the typesetter in February, 2010. Then they plan on beginning the Old Testament translation.
Every translation team and project is different, but this was a very unique week for several different reasons.
The first difference was that all five of the translators have other jobs (mostly in education), so their translation work takes place in the late afternoon and evening, beginning at around 4:00. Another difference was that our lodging was in the same house where the translators work. We had the two bedrooms, and they worked in the living room. There weren’t any doors on the bedrooms, so Rachel and I got a first-hand view of exactly what it is that Brian does with a team. (Also, the bathroom was right off the living room. Since there was only a curtain for a door to the bathroom, we had to time our visits accordingly!)
On Monday, because it was a holiday, the translators worked off and on from 8:00 AM until 8:30 PM, so we had lots of chances to hear them in action. Tuesday one of the translators didn’t go to work, so he was there most of the day as well and was joined by a couple of the other translators in the evening. Wednesday and Thursday they started working around 3:30 and finished up around 10:30 (even later on Thursday).
Because Cheranastico is such a small town (3,000), there aren’t really any restaurants, but several people have small shops in their homes where they sell food. There was one place just up the street that sold the best tacos every morning. For 40 cents, we got a fresh-off-the-grill tortilla filled with the toppings of our choice. Just down the road the other way, a family sold tortas (Mexican sandwiches) and quesadillas every evening. So when the translators weren’t taking turns feeding us, we didn’t have far to go to find something delicious to eat.
Something else that was different was the number of people we met who had either spent time in the U.S. or had at least one family member who was currently in the U.S. Every time we went anywhere, we got asked where we were from. When we said the U.S., they wanted to know where in the U.S. I don’t think very many of them had heard of Iowa, but when we said we’re from the state next to Illinois, that sounded familiar! Actually, three of the translators had lived for a time in the Chicago area, one even graduated from high school there.
So now we have a bit of a break before heading to Chiapas. We're looking forward to our week in Acapulco. We'll let you know how we like it! Donna

Cheranastico and Dia de los Muertos

Sunday morning found us on the road - again. Iskra and Yolanda dropped us off at the bus station for our 10:15 bus ride to Zamora. We check a couple of our bags, bought a few things to eat and drink, and waited for the bus.
When we boarded the bus, the “bus attendant” handed us each a can of pop and a snack. We knew then that it was going to be different than some of our other bus rides. Little did we know how luxurious it would be! There were only 3 seats across with triple the leg room of most buses (or airplanes, for that matter). Besides the snack, we also got pillows and headphones for the movies. Unfortunately, the movies were pretty awful, but the scenery outside was incredible, so who needs a movie?
After just a few stops to let people on and off, we arrived in Zamora at 4:00. Joaquin, one of the translators, was there to pick us up and drive us the 1 ½ hours to Cheranastico. The village of Cheranastico has approximately 3,000 people, the majority belonging to the language group Purhepecha. There are no hotels here, so we’re staying in the house that the translators rent to do their translation work. The house has quite a bit of room, with two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room with their tables, chairs, computers, and a printer.
That evening we walked around a little, getting a feel for the town. When we got back, Joaquin’s brother, Tanganxuan, came over to invite us to his house for supper. His wife had made a delicious soup of shrimp, carrots, cabbage, and chayote. She also served atole, a warm vanilla-flavored, milk-based drink.
With full stomachs, we headed back to the house to get ready for the week. Because it was a holiday weekend and most people had Monday off, there was a lot of activity on the street until very late at night, and we didn’t get to sleep quite as early as hoped. We’re also pretty sure that every dog in the town made a point of welcoming us by barking right outside our window.
Monday morning around 6:00 I thought I heard someone - first outside the house, then in the house, then to our surprise, in our bedroom! It was someone related to the owner of the house, looking for something. I’m not sure who was more embarrassed or surprised, him or us, but we haven’t had any more early morning visitors since, thank goodness!
Usually the translation team works in the evenings because they all have regular jobs during the day (most of them are teachers or work in schools). But again, since it was a holiday, they had Monday off, so the translators starting arriving at 8:00. They worked until about noon and said they would be back around 3:00. We were invited to go with them to the cemetery for the Dia de los Muertos festivities. We walked up there, and it was quite a sight. Almost all of the graves were decorated with flowers, beautiful wreaths, and baskets of food as an offering for those that had passed on. Families were seated by the graves of their loved ones, enjoying each other’s company and eating fruit, bread, tacos, ice cream, or whatever other food they had brought along. At some of the grave sites, there was a short service going on.
We found the family of one of the translators and sat with them for awhile before walking around the cemetery. Rachel and I went back to the cemetery later in the afternoon, and almost everyone had gone home. But the flowers and decorations remained, along with several candles. It definitely was a meaningful way for the families to spend time together and honor those who had died. Donna

Touring Mexico City

Saturday was tourist day for us. Iskra was willing to take us wherever we wanted to go, to do whatever we wanted to do. The day started with an excellent breakfast prepared by Yolanda. The food she prepares isn’t complicated or extravagant, but the flavors are just so fresh and delicious.
Our first stop of the day was Wal-Mart. That was not at my insistence, although I didn’t complain having to go there! We could actually buy our bus tickets to Zamora at a ticket office in Wal-Mart. So Yolanda, Rachel and I roamed around the store for awhile while Brian and Iskra got the tickets. It was fun seeing how the store compared to what we were used to in NW Iowa (much bigger, lots more variety, mostly the same items).
Then Iskra drove us to downtown Mexico City and dropped us off at the Archaeology Museum. She recommended this museum as being something very worthwhile for us to see. We greatly enjoyed it, especially the displays about the Maya, including the Tojolabal. We walked around Chapultepec Park for over an hour, watching paddle boats and canoes in the lake, checking out the hundreds of booths selling everything from popcorn, Halloween costumes, souvenirs, candy, toys, and almost anything else you could want.
We walked along the Avenida Reforma on the way to the Zocalo. On the way, we saw a statue of Christopher Columbus and the Monument of Independence. Iskra picked us up and drove us the rest of the way to the Zocalo. We saw where the president does El Grito Viva Mexico on September 15 for Independence Day. We also went inside the Cathedral (I think Rachel’s lost count of how many Catholic churches we’ve been in the past 2 months.)
We hadn’t had lunch yet, so we drove to a Christian book store that had a small coffee shop in it. I had a delicious mango crepe, and Brian and Rachel had a chicken ciabatta (I know, not very Mexican!) We enjoyed a Christian concert that was going on at the book store before making a few purchases and continuing our adventures. D
By this time it was dark, so we went back to the Zocalo which was beautifully lit up. The entire day, Iskra and Yolanda were great about pointing out the main attractions. At times it was a bit overwhelming trying to absorb all of the information they shared with us about the many museums, churches, monuments, statues, important buildings, major streets, etc. that we passed by. We decided that when we saw a nudist cross the street, that we had seen it all!
There were several other places that Iskra was willing to take us, but we decided to call it a day. Traffic once again was pretty crazy, and it took quite awhile to get home. We made a brief stop at a taqueria for a quick bite, and finally by 9:00 we were “home.”
We’re so grateful to Iskra and Yolanda for their hospitality and all of their help with the bus tickets, power cable purchase, city tour, meals, as well as letting us do a couple of loads of laundry. What a blessing to have brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who freely give of themselves. We have been so blessed. Donna

Arrival in Mexico

We’re back in Mexico! Despite the fact that we’ve never spent much time in Mexico City, it still feels like we’re back home.
Our flights from Guayaquil to San Jose, then San Jose to Mexico City were uneventful, which is always a good sign. The worst part was the gentleman who sat in front of Brian on the second flight. He absolutely insisted on reclining his seat, but every time he did the back of his seat bashed into Brian’s knees. I’ve never seen anyone so determined to recline those extra two inches despite making someone else very uncomfortable.
We landed around 9:00 p.m., went through immigration and customs, picked up our bags, changed some money, and waited for our ride. Iskra, a woman who has worked in the Mexican Bible Society office for 18 years, had graciously offered to not only pick us up from the airport, but also invited us to stay at her home for the weekend. It was a welcome change to not have to rely on buses and taxis for transportation and not have to check into a hotel, for a few nights anyway.
It was quite late when we got to the home that Iskra shares with her mom Yolanda. Before going to bed, we discovered the second casualty of our trip (the first being my missing Grand Tetons t-shirt in Cuenca). We searched every suitcase, carry-on, purse, pocket, toiletry bag, everything, but my computer power cable was nowhere to be found. We both saw in in Guayaquil in the electronics carry-on, but somehow it didn’t make the trip. Somewhat disgusted and frustrated, we finally went to bed, knowing that Friday would be a busy day, and now it would also include an electronics purchase.
By 7:30 the next morning, the four of us were on our way to the Mexican Bible Society (SBM) office in downtown Mexico City. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and it only took about 35 minutes. Iskra introduced us to several of the people in the office before we headed out to grab some breakfast. On the way to eat, we met Bob Bascom, who was going to be spending the day at the office as well, so he joined us for breakfast. It was good catching up with Bob again after spending the two weeks in Alaska with him.
Back at the office, Rachel and I did some school work while we waited for an 11:00 meeting with Abner, the General Secretary of the SBM. Bob, Brian, and Iskra were going to meet with Abner to discuss the various translation projects in Mexico and our role with those projects in the upcoming months.
Rachel and I stuck around for the introductions, then excused ourselves for some important business. Iskra had told us that just a few blocks away, there were two museums, The Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. We didn’t think we could pass that up, so we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours taking pictures of Elvis, Pancho Villa, Barack Obama, Harry Potter, and seeing the weird and unusual at Ripley’s.
By the time we got back, the meeting was done and we had a chance to eat some of our first real Mexican food. We walked to a small street stand that sold delicious quesadillas and other similar foods. Bob left for the airport for his 5:30 flight, and Rachel and I again left for important needs. No museums this time, but a shopping mall. We didn’t buy much, but it was fun walking around and looking in the stores. We did buy a couple of magazines (in English!) for the bus rides we will be taking in the coming weeks.
After more meetings and making arrangements to get to Cheranastico (where the Purhepecha team works), we finally left the office at 6:00. As you can imagine, Friday night traffic in Mexico City, coupled with the holiday (Dia de los Muertos) and the fact that it was raining, was awful. Iskra dropped Brian off at an enormous electronics shopping complex to buy my power cable. After several unsuccessful attempts, he was finally able to get what we needed. Then, back to Iskra’s house. Despite her excellent driving and use of every short-cut imaginable, we didn’t get back until 8:30. I’m so glad we don’t live in the most populated city in the world!
Yolanda had a great supper waiting for us when we got back, and that was a perfect ending to a busy, somewhat hectic, yet very enjoyable day. Donna

P.S. Once again, no luck with uploading pictures. They will have to wait until this weekend!

21 Hours in Guayaquil

That’s how much time we were able to spend in Guayaquil last Thursday and Friday. After our bus ride from Canar, we got to Guayaquil Thursday evening about 6:00. We instantly noticed the heat and humidity of being at sea-level as opposed to the cool, high-elevation climate of Canar. We checked into our hotel, attempted to get the internet working (unsuccessfully), unpacked a little, and went out looking for adventure. Actually, we were just looking for a nearby place to grab a bite to eat, but that can be an adventure in certain places!
Guayaquil was founded in 1534 and is the largest city in Ecuador. Our hotel was in the center of the city, so it wasn’t a problem finding something to eat. How we ended up going to McDonald’s is a mystery, but it may have something to do with traveling with a 12-year old!
After our fries and ice cream, it was still fairly early, so we walked to Malecon 2000. This 1 ½ mile waterfront walk includes shops, museums, gardens, restaurants, monuments, docks, etc., along the Guayas River. It is billed as the largest architectural development in Guayaquil in the past century. We were very impressed. There were hundreds of other people there enjoying the area as well.
When we got back to the hotel, we tried to get the internet working again, with very limited success. It seems the router was in one of the guest rooms across the hall, and the signal was so weak, that we had to sit out in the hall across from the room to even get an iffy connection. Oh, what we’ll do to stay connected! In the morning, Brian was going to sit out in the hall again to connect to the internet. He explained to the housekeeper what he was doing, and she said she could just put the router in our room, which she did! She definitely came to our rescue that day.
We still had a few hours before our flight, so we did some more exploring. First we went to Seminario Park. This park is famous for the iguanas that live there. We enjoyed seeing them roam freely throughout the park, undisturbed by the many people walking around (and posing for pictures with them).
We decided to walk down to Malecon once again and not only see it during the day, but also see the parts we didn’t get to the night before. Wouldn’t you know they had another McDonald’s, and once again, we managed to enjoy some of their ice cream. I wish we had had a chance to take a picture of the security guard with a machine gun guarding McDonald’s, but it didn’t seem like a wise choice. Believe me, I didn’t dare take any extra napkins!
Finally we made our way to the airport. It was a typical airport trip, waiting in several lines; first to check-in, pay the airport tax, have our tickets checked to make sure we paid the airport tax, immigration, and finally security. We had a few more minutes before boarding, so we sat in a café where there was free internet (are you detecting a theme here?)
While we were waiting, Brian heard his name on the loud-speaker, and so he immediately went over to the gate to see what the problem was. About 10 passengers were randomly chosen to have their checked bags searched, and my bag was one of the lucky ones! So he had to go down with the other 9 passengers to watch them search my bag. Luckily, there weren’t any problems (good thing I didn’t take those extra McD’s napkins!), and we soon were ready to board. Now we’re on to Mexico! The weeks in South America were great, and now we’re excited and ready for the next several weeks in Mexico. Donna
P.S. I desperately tried to add photos to this blog, but the internet connection wouldn't allow it. I'll try to put some pictures on Facebook, but the result may be the same.