Day in Panajachal

Today Katy and I drove to Panajachal for the day. The weather was very warm and sunny. The lake was beautiful and we enjoyed walking around, looking at the shops and watching the people.

We both did a little shopping. I bought a t book at the bookstore that I have heard is really good. The title is To the Mountain and Back. It is written by a nurse who worked in the highlands and shares her experiences. I have started reading it already and she begins the book by talking about learning a new culture, living with the people and becoming a child again. I can relate to that so well. Everything is new.......the language, thought processes, what is accepted and what is not, family interaction......it is a totally different world and imposible to describe until experienced. Your past experiences do not help you understand or give you direction.

I bought my first huipil today and it is beautiful. It is from the community of Tecpan, which is close to Chimaltenango. I was not sure how the sleeves were to be sewn so the owner of the shop, Delores, offered to sew it for me. She did it by hand in just a few short minutes and charged less than $2.
We headed back after having tacos for an early dinner. Tomorrow we have plans of going to the Chichi market and then worshipping with the Church here in Santa Cruz.