Our Special Visitor

Last week my aunt Kim Kooima, my mom's sister, came to visit us.  Besides Bible Society people coming to work with my dad, she was our first visitor!  Yay!  During her week here, we went to Palenque for two days to see the ruins.  To get to Palenque, we rode a bus for almost six hours.  The day after we got there, we headed for the ruins.  It was a lot of walking around and climbing stairs, but it was very interesting and beautiful.  That's Kim in front of the Temple of Inscriptions.  The next day we went to the museum that was by the ruins.  We learned even more about the Maya culture.  There was a huge tomb of King Pakal that had a lot of carvings on it and it was pretty cool.
We took another bus back to San Cristobal.  This bus went very fast on the curves, and we got back in five hours!  Back in San Cristobal, we did touristy things.  We went to the markets, the Ambar Museum, different restaurants, climbed to the churches, and rode a tourist tram around the city (see the last picture).  We had a lot of fun with Kim, and we hope she enjoyed her time (and the food!) as well.
While she was here, I interviewed her about her first-time experience in Chiapas.  Here is what she had to say.
 
Q: (by Rachel) Hello. How are you enjoying your stay?
A: (by Kim) I'm loving it! The weather has been great. I'm also enjoying seeing a lot of new sights.

Q: What did you see here that you expected?
A: The tortillas, narrow and hilly streets, shops close together, and the green vegetation.

Q: What did you see here that surprised you?
A: I wasn't expecting to see all the villages, the different types of clothing, and the people here were quite short.

Q: What was your favorite food that you have had here?
A: The chilaquiles, breads, and pastries.

Q: What was the most interesting food?
A: Again, I'll have to say the chilaquiles, but I would like the recipe for that green stuff on my plate!

Q: What was the best part of the trip?
A: Getting to spend time with family, but the most exciting (tourist thing) was Palenque.

Q:  Were the different cultures and sceneries you saw interesting? Why, or why not?
A: Yes, because it's so different from what I'm used to. I felt like I was learning more and more about the culture.

Q: Were the ruins in Palenque fun to go to? Why, or why not?
A: Yes, they were really interesting, historically and also fun (but tiring!)

Q: What are some random facts you can tell us?
A: The sidewalks are not handicap accessible; the traffic is very wild; all the food here is very good and inexpensive. I really like going to the market; there was almost too much to see there! Everybody is trying to sell something; almost like everyone has their own little business.                               

Thanks again, Kim for coming and sharing the joy of Chiapas with us!    Rachel