Volcan Pacaya -in the rainy season

I took the new Striders on a tour up to Volcan Pacaya - as it's the rainy season, it was slightly different to my last visit. Here's a few photos.

Roasting Marshmallows on the volcanic lava!!!

Coming down the volcano in the dark was an experience!!!

New Striders

This week I've been getting to know the new Central America Striders.

Catherine is off to Honduras to work with the children's ministry of Scripture Union Honduras.

Joel is off to Costa Rica to work on computery things with Letra Viva (a network of Christian publishers.)

Matt and Jo are staying here in Guatemala and will be working with El Castillo.

Independence

16th September was Mexican Independence day so there were lots of celebrations whilst I was there. They had a big stage set up in the main square - where they had lots of bands playing. Everyone congregated there the night before - when they had a new years eve style count down and fire works at midnight.
This parade may or may not have been for independence day - but it's got music!!!

I was in Mexico for Guatemala Independence Day (15th September) so missed the celebrations - but the school across the road from my house have been practicing their marching drummers every night for about the last 6 months - so I feel I've had a flavour of it!!! But more next year!

Political Graffiti (Mexico)

Whilst in San Cristobal, I noticed quite a lot of political graffiti. San Cristobal is in the State of Chiapas, which has been the centre of an uprising that begin in 1994. I admit that I don't know that much about it - but the graffiti made me want to investigate more....

(Immediate liberty for the political prisoners on hunger strike in 'El Amate' and 'Los Llanos')


(Inform yourself, organise yourself, fight; the revolution is just beginning.)


(Commando kills hippies)
I'm not sure if these are political or just artistic, but I like them.

San Cristobal de Las Casas

We stayed in San Cristobal de Las Casas ......- a fairly touristy city - with plenty of Mexican tourists as well as foriegners. Here's a few pics.

On the journey, it seemed like as soon as we crossed the border from Guatemala to Mexico, all the houses got brighter - and more so the churches - were painted very bright colours. Emma did QUITE A LOT of shopping!
After she'd travelled on to her next destination, I spent a few days wondering round museums, gardens, reading and eating.....

Palenque (Mexico)

Whilst we were in Mexico, we went to Palenque, one of the Mayan sites which has been studied and restored. It was very very hot but we climbed up these steps (very steep)


And saw this view....

Here's a few other pyramids and buildings.

None of the pyramids are solid - all of them have chambers and tunnels and sarcophoguses (how do you spell that!??) inside

This is the tower in the centre of the palace complex - which was apparently used to observe the stars. The Mayans were great astromoners - and had developed a very complex calendar - more sophisticated than any other at the time.
Many of the buildings are engraved - often with pictures of their daily lives - sometimes involving sacrifices or blood letting in order to communicate with the gods.

Waterfalls (Mexico)

On the way to Palenque we visited the Aqua Azul waterfalls. Very spectacular but unfortunately as we're near the end of the rainy season, the aqua (water) wasn't all that azul (blue) - more like a muddy brown.

The Misol Ha waterfall, though seemed to escape from browness and was fantastic to swim underneath.

Emma's Birthday

Emma came to visit and to do a bit of travelling around Mexico. This was her birthday - at Panajachel on Lake Atitlan, with me and Naomi.

Mystical / Poetic

I´m on holiday and reading 'A generous orthodoxy' by Brian Mclaren, and really enjoying it. Lots of it I think that I´ve thought before but maybe never articulated. But one bit that I really like is the chapter on 'Why I am mystical /poetic'. He quotes C K Chesterton

'Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion... The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits......'

I think I want to be more poetic .......

Goodbyes

Yesterday Catherine, who has been a Strider working at one of the El Castillo homes, went back to N. Ireland. She's been living and working with the girls for the last 3 months. The girls were all very sad to say goodbye to her - and had prepared a few dances to say farwell.

It's been really great to see Catherine getting to know and making friends with the girls, and listening to them say their goodbyes and the girls praying for her, it was really clear how they had made really strong relationships and had learnt so much from each other. That's so much of what Stride is about - making relationships across cultures, and learning from each other. And it's great to be involved in that.