It was hard to drag myself out of bed. My butt hurts, as does
my left elbow (my elbow was hurting when I left home, but operating the clutch
lever of the motorcycle for several hours has added insult to injury). Tom was
already up, but also feeling the effects of yesterday’s exertions. Right then
and there we both agreed that a day of rest was in order.
I loafed around all morning, cycling through reading a few
pages of the book I am currently reading (The
Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston, which is the real-life
story of a video-making expedition into the heart of the Mosquitia, in the
northeast area of Honduras, to try to locate a major archaeologic site. A very
good read that goes well with my current Central American adventure).
At mid-day Alma, Tom, and I took a short car ride to the
urbanization Tom and Alma developed (which I have dubbed El Pueblito), visited some of the beautiful houses they built, saw
a small eruption of Fuego from the terrace of one of the houses, and eventually
walked to the Convento de Santo Domingo. The Convento, and all the city block
in which it seats, was acquired by the archaeologist in charge of the
excavations at Tikal, and was later converted into a very plush hotel and an
“archaeologic park” on the footprint of the old convent and the remnants of the
church.
We had lunch at the coffee house and restaurant of friend
Juan Antonio and his wife Monica. He is in charge of the coffee house, and he
is perfect for it because he is an expert on all the aspects of coffee farming,
drying, and roasting. Monica is in charge of the Sweets Shop (Guatemalan
candies include marzipans, sugared figs, milk candies, and all sorts of jams).
Between the two of them they have created a unique list of dishes for the
restaurant, which proudly claims “authentic and traditional Guatemalan food).
Alma ordered cocido de res, Tom took
roasted chicken, and I indulged in a pipian
with three meats that was to die for.
And that was it. We spent the afternoon resting, napping,
and gathering our strength for the next leg of the adventure.
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