Driving in Guatemala

Yesterday we spent the morning around the apartment. We opened our gifts from the gift exchange, played with Luis' new toys and had some free time. After lunch we headed to the artisans market to pick up a few gifts and things for the house. Christopher bargained for three packs of Pokemon cards for Q15 (about $2). Then it was off to pick up the rental car and head to Hiper Paiz (Super Wal-mart Latin America style). I got my first experience driving in Guatemala and it was easier than I thought it would be. The main differences are you always have to watch your mirrors for "Motos" (aka motorcycles), the mountain roads are very twisty and there is lots of traffic so you never really get going very fast (which is good for me). Here is a picture of the kids in the car.




The other thing you will notice drving in Guatemala is the Chicken Buses. You never know what you will see with them. Here are a couple of pictures of a man putting his stuff on top of the bus and getting back in while the bus is headed up the mountain.





Going to Hiper Paiz three days before Christmas was just short of insanity, but the trip was successful. The store was packed and it took about as long to get through the check out line as it did to do our shopping. We got supplies for two months and hope it is the last time we have to make the trip there. Here is a picture of Hiper Paiz.


After we got home, we watched Luis' new Barney Christmas Star movie and made the kids dinner. It was an early night for them as Jenny was hosting a date night. Jenny found a new store called Epicure that has a lot of good food for date nights. We started with some Gouda and Edam Cheeses on Triscuits. They were both delicious. Then she made Salmon and scalloped potatoes. Here is a photo of the awesome dinner.



After dinner we watched Christmas Vacation (our personal favorite Christmas movie) and shared some great coconut desserts that. Today we are headed to Casa Aleluya to take Maria and Jennifer to lunch at Pollo Campero and give them Christmas gifts. We are so proud of Luis for wanting to go back and see his friend and give her a gift.