Guatemala

A Guatemalan truck stop at 4 am. The "fog" that you see is my lens fogging over as it was about 40 degrees on the bus and 85 degrees outside with about 90% humidity. This was when I discovered that all overnight busses are an ordeal of frostiness. People huddle together for warmth. Finally the driver on this bus relented when some one from the back shouted out "mucho frio señor" A phrase I was glad to learn with all the bus travel I had in front of me!

Trying to catch dinner. This guy really impressed me with his concentration. El Remate, Guatemala.

The catch of the day! El Remate, Guatemala.

El Remate, Guatemala.

Bam! I like the way it "explodes" on the frame. El Remate, Guatemala.

Every night the women come down to the lake to do the laundry. They though I was crazy! El Remate, Guatemala.

The kids just come down to have some fun and maybe take a bath as well. They thought I was crazy too! You can tell from everyone's eyes that they were all very kind. El Remate, Guatemala.

Coming home from school! El Remate, Guatemala.

Tikal, Guatemala.

Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple II. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

The view from Temple IV. One of my favorites from the trip. This area was also used in the filming of "The Empire Strikes Back" for any Star Wars fans. Tikal, Guatemala.

I moved so I would have an angle to photograph this little monkey and he moved with me until he was directly above me. And then he started to drop things on me. I moved again thinking that maybe he just wanted what was in that specific tree and he moved with me and continued to drop twigs and such on me. What was so funny about it was that he would drop something and look down to wait for a reaction! So here I was in Tikal at the crack of dawn staring straight up into the trees talking to this little monkey while he dropped things on me to amuse himself! Tikal, Guatemala.

Coatimundi. Tikal, Guatemala.

Turkey on the run! I really like this photo. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

Temple I. Tikal, Guatemala.

Everybody comes to the lake in the evening! El Remate, Guatemala.

Tikal, Guatemala.

This is Don Miguel. He took me around Flores on his boat and even shared his lunch with me! I have his number if you are ever going to be in Flores, Guatemala.

The center of town. Flores, Guatemala.

Flores, Guatemala.

Toucan. Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala.

As soon as my shutter clicked, he was instantly alert! Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala.

The jaguar has the strongest bite of all big cats, oftentimes simply biting through the skulls of their prey. His head was huge! And you could hear him breathe. He exuded power. Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala.

Lake Peten Itza, Guatemala.

Santa Elena, Guatemala.

Framnboyan.

A construction worker in Santa Elena, Guatemala. He was quite amused that I was taking his photo. Which was a pretty common response!

The Biotrop. El Remate, Guatemala.

He heard a bag in my pocket rustle and all of a sudden he was very interested in me! Panajchael, Guatemala.

Coatimundi. I really wanted to pet him! Panajchael, Gutemala.

Volcan San Pedro. Lake Atitlan. Panajachel, Guatemala

Panajachel, Guatemala

Maximo. People bring liquor and cigarettes to offer to him. The guy in the sunglasses in the background drinks and smokes the offerings. Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala.

Panajachel, Guatemala.

Pottery. Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

The steps of the main church in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. Notice the haze in the air, it is the incense that is burned throughout the city.

The eye of the storm. Chaos all around, but this guy is the calm center of the world. Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

The usual chaos on market day in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

"We prepare a face to meet the faces we meet" There are a lot of choices here! Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

Chichicastenango. Guatemala.

There are two things that I noticed about this photo. First is the phasing out of the traditional dress from generation to generation. Grandmom being the most traditional, mom being somewhere in between and junior completely Americanized. The second is that they are a handsome family. Chichicastenango, Guatemala.