CENTRAL AMERICA (Guatemala and Costa Rica) - January 2025

Friday January 3, 2025

While we were on the plane in Madison incredibly early this morning, I looked at my Facebook feed and saw a “memory” from two years ago. In it, we were boarding the little plane in Costa Rica for the quick flight to Quepos for our yoga retreat at Imiloa. It is comforting to travel with familiar routines, and this trip will be a combination of old and new!

It was a short night, as we had dinner with Dan and Tam and then attended “Funny Girl” at Madison’s Overture Center … so it was close to midnight when we crawled into bed with an alarm set for 3:50 am and a backup set for 4 am! I jumped up startled at the 3:50am alarm and that was the shot of adrenaline I needed to get up and dressed! I had booked an Uber for a 4:30am pickup and our driver arrived promptly and even early (first sigh of relief for the day). We checked in, triple-checked that we had Precheck after our December fiasco that almost made us miss the flight (second sigh of relief, cleared TSA with 20 minutes before the plane was to board).

I plugged into my downloaded The Guilded Age series and can’t even tell you they de-iced the plane, I was so engrossed in the series. Jeff put his headphones on and slept most of the way to Atlanta. We had a tight connection there again, but I tried to comfort myself by saying it was an early flight and if we missed it, there would probably be another. We landed 20 minutes early (hooray) but then sat looking at our gate waiting for another plane to push back. Fifty-five painful minutes. We were in the front of the plane, so we rushed out and speed-walked / ran from Concourse D to International (Concourse E). We had just 15 minutes until the scheduled departure time to make the transition and I was sure we’d find the boarding doors closed. However, we lucked out. The waiting area was empty, but the doors were still open and friendly gate agents were waiting for us. I remarked that even though we made it, there was no way our luggage was going to make it, and the agent said they would delay the departure to ensure it would. I was skeptical about that, but before I put my phone on airplane mode, I had a notification on my phone that my bag was onboard!

Easy flight to SJO, and for the first time arriving there, we had no line at immigration. We got an odd look from the officer there when we told him we were just here for the night and heading to Guatemala tomorrow, but he passed us through anyway.

At the luggage carousel, we found a chatty Delta employee that wanted to chat about when we’d done for New Years while we were waiting for our luggage, which came pretty quickly and intact (another sigh of relief).

We made our way out the doors and turned right towards the hotel shuttles. We’d stayed at the Airport Marriott Fairfield before so this was a familiar routine, and it was helpful to be confident to we could dodge the offers for taxis and assistance from guys posing as porters that we’re looking to make a few bucks!

I left Jeff at the shuttle stand and went up to the departure level to do some reconnaissance for our early departure tomorrow on an unfamiliar airline (Avianca). I came back to find him peeling off layers (it is wonderfully warm and humid).

We caught the shuttle to the Fairfield and our room was not ready, so they offered us a complimentary welcome drink at their bar. We settled in there just before 2pm. We got into our room and Jeff had a nap while I did a yoga session. We’ll have an early dinner at the hotel and set our alarms for another early flight tomorrow morning!

Our alarm went off at 3am, painful, but we had probably been sleeping since 9pm last night. We showered and were down in the lobby for the first hotel shuttle to the airport at 4:15am. We checked in with Avianca Airline with no problem, then stood in the always long immigration and security lines. In my carry on bag, I had two Costco (large) bottles of Calcium supplements that got extra attention (but were ok through TSA in Madison). Jeff had the rest of the vitamins / supplements that we are bringing for the Mission Guatemala medical clinic in his checked bag, probably a better option.

We bought an OJ and croissant sandwich to split, then it was time to board the flight. We squeezed ourselves into the seats; we’ve been spoiled flying Delta’s front of the plane so this was an eye opener! I had downloaded White Lotus on my iPad, so we watched the first two episodes of that which made the time fly by (and also let us skip all the preflight announcements!). We finished the second episode just as we were on our approach to Guatemala City. We got an appreciation for the hills and forests, and why it will take us three hours to travel the 60 miles to Panajechel once we meet up with the rest of our mission group later today.

We arrived at GUA, cleared immigration and customs and claimed our bags with no issue and by 8am we were outside the airport. I was surprised to see it was quite a small airport, so it’ll be no issue to find our group (scheduled to arrive about 1pm on a United flight). We settled in some chairs in the café to read, play backgammon, and people watch! It was surprisingly chilly and I kept my puffy jacket on until we went outside around noon to wait in the fresh air.

There were many vendors selling flowers and balloons to families that were there to greet travelers (large families!). We went to the second floor to try to check out the arrivals area, but you could only get in if you had a ticket. Consequently, the area outside the entrance was packed as it seemed that those large families also travel to the airport to see their loved ones off! I am not sure why I was surprised by this, but just like in the states, nearly every person had a smart phone pulling at their attention. Most of the women and some of the girls were dressed in traditional Mayan skirts. Gorgeous colors! For most of the morning, we were the only white people around, which was good for us to experience. I went to the cafe twice to buy hot chocolate, water and sandwiches and did okay with ordering and paying. But even though we’re so close to Costa Rica, that is definitely a country set up for tourists, and what we’ve seen so far in Guatemala, it is NOT. But again, what a cool opportunity for us to immerse ourselves in the culture and figure things out!

There was an arrival schedule in the lobby, but it was hard to read so I checked out the United flight schedule online. They had a delay leaving Chicago, so by the time they came out of the terminal it was about 2pm.

We met Daniel, who will shepherd our group all week, then 8 of us piled into one van and met our driver, Luis.

In our van:

Phil (our leader who has been here many times, his wife, Michelle, and daughter Olivia

Brian (from First UMC in Madison)

Julie (mom) and Nate (son, engineering student at U of M).

It was interesting drive thru Guatemala City, where 4 million people live and apparently, many others came to town today to go to the airport! They said it sometimes can take up to three hours just to drive out of town! We drove the back streets to try to be faster. While we had seen a lot of different vehicle configurations during our wait at the airport, seeing them on the streets was another story! Motorcycles with multiple passengers (including babies), weaving through traffic and “chicken buses” which are old school buses retro fit with truck front (and diesel engines) and tricked out with lights and speakers. Whenever traffic was stopped, there would be vendors selling snacks like nuts, dried plantains, water and fruit.

It ended up being a 4-hour drive to the River House, we arrived after dark but had some gorgeous views along the way. We also climbed some mountains because we are at over 5000 ft in elevation here! We were greeted by Dave & Abby, along with their 18-month-old, Ty and a couple of dogs. We got our room assignments, dumped our stuff, and headed to the kitchen house for a taco salad dinner - yummy. Everyone is pretty exhausted and scattered back to their rooms after dinner to get settled and rest up from the travel day.

Courtyard at the River House

Our Room at the River House

Sunday January 5, 2025

It ended up being a really chilly night, even with two wool blankets. I was too groggy to get up to put on more clothes or shut the windows! It was in the 50’s, but at this altitude, that felt cold.

I got out of bed about 6am, dressed in yoga clothes with a puffy vest and went in the kitchen to put the hot water kettle on for tea. Then I grabbed my yoga mat and set up in the courtyard for meditation and yoga. By the time I got going, I felt warmed up. Back to the room to change for breakfast with the group at 8am.

Breakfast was omelets with cheese and fresh zucchini, beans and fresh fruit. The food here has been amazing so far: fresh and prepared and served with love. After breakfast, Jeff and I sat in the rocking chairs on the porch of the kitchen and visited with others for a bit. The sun was up (we are in a valley so the sun disappears early and arrives late) and it was starting to heat up. I walked around the grounds a bit taking in all the amazing flowers and plants in our compound - breathtaking!

Mission Guatemala Team

At 9am we gathered on the porch for Dave to tell us some history of Guatemala and Mission Guatemala. Here is my best recap:

Guatemala is a very poor country, and the economy relies heavily on agriculture. It is also a very unequal society but is steadily improving in healthcare and literacy rates.

The Mayans had been here since the beginning of time, and had a very sophisticated civilization before this area was “discovered” (conquered) by the Spanish. Just as we learned in Peru, the natives were enslaved, and many were killed or died after being exposed to western diseases. In Guatemala, there is still a mindset of the Mayans being a substandard class of people. Dave reported research has shown that because they were stronger than the average person, white people claimed that was “proof” that they were animals, not human.

Centuries of exploitation continue to this day with examples of forced labor on coffee and sugar plantations as well as highway work for the government. A thirty-six-year civil war ended in 1996, with natives fighting for equality. Because of anti-insurrection tactics from parties outside of Guatemala, there is still much trauma and mistrust among the Mayan people. Today, there are 21 different Mayan communities in Guatemala making up about 51% of the country’s population.

Dave’s description of the “hope” of the Mayan people differed from some of what Daniel said in the van yesterday, but of course their perspectives would be quite different (Dave is an American and Daniel is Mayan). Dave told us the country is very hopeful that the new president, elected last year, can reform the government from its former corrupt ways. Daniel said not much has changed, but added that those things would take time.

Mission Guatemala was founded in September 2010 by United Methodist pastor Tom Heaton, with the original mission of operating a small medical clinic to serve the people in San Andres and surrounding communities. Tom and his wife had adopted two boys from Guatemala and they travelled here often to try to keep their sons engaged in the culture. Dave said Tom tells a hysterical story about packing their van with household items and driving from Indiana, through Mexico to Guatemala (not recommended) when they moved here to establish the clinic.

Today, the clinic serves thousands of patients every month and the mission of MG has expanded to include:

- Operating a dental clinic

- In partnership with another non-profit, providing pre-school education for the community

- Feeding programs providing 45,000 meals per year

- Stove and clean water projects to promote health for the rural communities

- Hosting over 20 volunteer teams per year to work on projects in the communities

- Working with 18 communities to help the residents realize their dreams through scholarships with students.

Dave moved from Florida to Guatemala in 2008, after work in HR for the state government left his soul feeling numb. He worked with a few other non-profits before meeting Tom and agreeing to help him with MG. He told the story of Sugar River UMC being the first church to come here to help with the mission. Tom had developed a website, and someone from the church found it and a partnership was born! Tom is back in the states now and mostly retired, and Dave is the man. He was humble in his description of what they have done and how they’ve done it. But for two white guys to integrate themselves into this culture, which must be done in order to be trusted, it’s an amazing feat.

In 2014, MG bought the River House, where mission groups stay. I must say, this is the cushiest accommodation we’ve experienced on a mission trip! It was a former senior housing compound. Each apartment has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen and a sitting area. There is a separate large kitchen where our meals are prepared and served.

Mayan Fire Ceremony

Next, we walked to a spot above the river where a Mayan spiritual guide, Elma, led us through a ceremony. She told us about the Mayan calendar and that “guides” like her are keepers of time, and help connect participants with nature, ancestors and the universe, and help to balance the energies of people. Most amazing to me was when she chanted in her native language, the sounds of which I’d have no chance of making on my own! We participated by dropping wood, candles, seeds, and corn into the fire - offering a prayer or a wish for something each time as she led us through the different spirits and energies.

We’d been sitting in the sun, and it felt fantastic after being on the cool side yesterday and this morning. Beside probably having a bit of sunburn in some spots now, I’ve already got bites from no-see-ums … which is bound to happen to me!

After the ceremony, six of us loaded into two Tuk-tuks, the others into the open bed of Dave’s truck and headed into Panajachel for lunch and our first glimpse of town. We had preordered lunch and they had it ready for us at Mister Jon’s - a hamburger - taco joint that is owned by an American with a Japanese wife (who owns a local sushi bar). Lunch was great and it gave us a chance to chat with our teammates and Dave a little more.

After lunch, some of the group went shopping, some were going hiking and possibly zip-lining, some went back to the River House, but Jeff and I walked to a sports bar I’d seen hoping to watch the Packer game. We walked into the bar with one large TV and it had a soccer game on. The bartender was willing to change the channel, and found two games, but not the Packer-Bear game. So, we had a beer and watched the Tampa Bay - Saints game instead. We were about to leave when six of our teammates came in with loaded shopping bags, so we stayed awhile longer before walking the 1.5 miles back to the River House. The walk was slightly treacherous mainly because of scarce sidewalks and crazy drivers, although it was mostly motorcycles, Tuk-tuks and several “Chicken Buses.” The shops and dwellings were pretty run down and junky, but it didn’t feel unsafe … just the low standard of living, I think.

Scene from Panajachel

Back in our room, I used the Wi-Fi to watch the Packer game overview, didn’t look great. The Viking-Lion game is tonight and we’ll have to check that out on our phones, as we’re not interested in heading back to town tonight!

Before dinner, Dave invited a family to come and sell Guatemalan goods to us. It was a dad and his 5 kids, the mom died a year ago. The older kids go to an English immersion school and like to meet the team members to practice English! They were darling, the goods were inexpensive, and it was fun to interact with them. I bought a small table cloth, a backpack handbag, and Jeff bought a shirt.

Another nice dinner. It is really a great group. We’re looking forward to getting to work tomorrow!

Monday January 6, 2025

Up at 6 for meditation and yoga - perfect start to the day. Breakfast was served at 7:30am: eggs, black beans, and fried plantains with fresh fruit on the side.

Transport to the Work Site

After breakfast we gathered at the front gate to load into two older vans to drive the 30 minutes to the worksite. Joining us was a young girl named Marta who will be joining us this week to help with lunch prep and translating. Her English was great, she said she learned it in High School. It was not clear to us if she’s done any work with Mission Guatemala before, but it doesn’t matter. Most shocking is she travelled two hours on two different buses to get here by 8am this morning! In typical fashion, they tied the lunch coolers on the roof and tools into the bed of Daniel’s truck. Then we were on our way. After 15 minutes, we stopped at the clinic where we picked up more tools and our work crew.

Our work project is building a kitchen for a middle school. In my mind, that would be painting, installing a floor, maybe installing equipment… however the project isn’t that far along yet!!

We started by unloading the trucks and top of the buses, then gathered in a classroom and did introductions with our work crew. Some of the crew spoke English really well, so we hardly needed extra translators! The group is:

Eric

Don Albert

Nacho (nickname for Ignacio!)

Jose

Juan Carlos

Daniel, the coordinator for us, is no longer working FT with the crew or on this project, but they brought him on to work with us, and he'd previously worked with Sugar River UMC groups.

Our first project was to load some rubble from a previous demo job into the back of a large truck, where it will be transported to the River House to solidify the road. A chute was fashioned from an old hunk of tin (likely from a roof) and the workers on the second floor loaded the rock / dirt into buckets where most of it landed in wheelbarrows and was then wheeled over a plank to the truck bed. I did one turn with the wheelbarrow, but to trip over the planks was a bit too much for me!

School is not in session from November until February, which is better for our work project. We only had access to one disgusting toilet however, so I peed in the woods behind the school!

I spent the rest of the day working Jeff on building a cinder block wall. Our workers were so kind and patient with us. The day opened my eyes to how much we take for granted - running water being just one thing! It was warm and sunny. We’re at about 6000 ft, so the sun was intense. We worked to stay well hydrated, but also didn’t want to have to pee (see above).

We had our lunch break under the tree, with fresh guacamole and sandwiches for us, our workers ate rice/beans and those adorable handmade tortillas they have here.

JT Places a Block

We worked until about 3:30p, but I didn’t really get the hang of what I was doing until the day was nearly done. Then we cleaned up, inventoried tools and headed back to the River House in the vans, arriving back in time to shower before dinner (a much-needed shower).

It was a great day - good physical labor, great co-workers and learning new skills. It is fun for me and Jeff in the way this trip evokes memories of some of the other mission trips we’ve been blessed to partake in.

Prayer for the week:

Lord, let me be an instrument of your love. In every little and large thought and action this week, let my interactions with others on my team and those I meet be living proof of my love of God and God’s love for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Tuesday January 7, 2025

One of the things Dave really pressed in his discussion of Mission Guatemala was the intention we have as we do the work we are doing this week. It struck me that it wasn’t just a lecture for us to do a good job, but more to consider the ripple effects of doing good work. Serving with an open mind and an open heart is important to serving well. Listening and learning is often more important than speaking and teaching in another culture. John Wesley described three simple rules for Christian life: Do no harm, Do good, Stay in Love with God.

We are blessed to be collaborating with such remarkable guys this week. Clearly, they alone could knock this project out so much faster than them patiently trying to coach us to do the work but working with us gives them a different purpose as well. It is such an amazing experience.

Same morning routine, meditation, yoga and breakfast. We sat with Dave, Abby and Ty - such a remarkably mellow two-year-old! We visited so long we had to rush to get to the bus, where we ended up waiting for the other bus and then another 20 minutes for a delivery of bananas! We were on the road just before 9am.

On our drive to the worksite, we go through two small villages which gives us a glance into the everyday lives of the locals. Many of the women / girls are in the traditional dress. If they are not, they’re most likely in tight jeans and a t-shirt / sweatshirt. We had been told to be conservative in our attire: no spaghetti strap tops, short shorts or mid-drift tops. Basically, no skin showing, and that’s what we see - quite a difference than the way girls dress in the US these days!

We spent the day laying block, with breaks for hauling new block up to the second floor. It felt good to use more muscles! Just when I felt like I was getting the hang of laying the blocks, one of the guys would come by and point out something wrong. Frustrating, but it is good that they want it to be as close to perfect as possible.

We knocked off a bit early and arrived back by a little after 4pm, with time to shower before a presentation by the clinic doctor.

Just before dinner, Dr Lydia came for a visit. She has been the clinic doctor for 9 years now. She described the clinic space to us, and we are hopeful we’ll be able to visit there and get a tour over the next few days. Their goal is to do whatever the clinic visitor needs the same day, which could encompass ultrasound, lab work, and medication administration (IV). A large part of her day is spent educating patients about their medical condition and contributing factors. Fees for the clinic vary, but in general it is10Q for the consultation, 5Q for lab tests, 40Q for ultrasound, 20-up for medications (currently $1 = 13Q). If someone cannot pay, they are still treated, but most see the value and want to pay something. Jeff asked what they would wish for if they had a magic wand – the answer was an EKG machine with capability to transmit results to a consulting physician at another location. It’d be great to see that happen.

We had tacos for dinner, and we are pretty exhausted again. A little backgammon and we are going to crash!

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

John Wesley

Wednesday January 8, 2025

I slept in today instead of meditation and yoga. While I can stretch out my muscles anytime, when I got to the cacophony of breakfast, I realized I really missed the tranquility of my morning meditation!

Same drill as yesterday, but this morning our delay was waiting for the avocados - a necessity for lunch!!

Most of us continued with laying block today, a few others moved to applying stucco to the outside wall (by leaning over the stack of 4 blocks that make up the wall). I felt better about my technique today and was able to lay a few blocks on my own. Just before lunch, they asked for two volunteers to make up the guacamole for lunch and I took a turn today. I was surprised that we didn’t cut the avocados - just squeezed them and popped them open. They were so yummy and fresh – it was the best guacamole I’ve ever had (and I’m not just saying that because I made it)!

We took a longer lunch break today as Daniel told us it is Guatemalan law that the workers take an hour break. Ok with us, and after my sandwich and guac, I took a nap in the sun. It was very windy in the morning, which actually made it feel a little cooler (and we were windblown and felt dustier than the other days). The wind died down after lunch and it became warm again. After lunch I got out my Bluetooth speaker and we had tunes (when the jackhammer and drill were not running). Always perks up my mood to have music.

The end of the day came fast, and we cleaned up and inventoried the tools and loaded the buses. I had a quick nap on the drive back, then a well-deserved shower and some rest time before dinner.

After dinner, they majority of us opted to head into town (Panajachel). Dave was nice to arrange for 4 Tuk-tuks to pick us up. We were standing outside when they arrived - a little light parade. A ride to town costs 10Q each, which is just over a dollar. They dropped us off at Dina’s Chocolates, which unfortunately was closed. Jeff and I walked with Chris to the leather shop, then we met the others at the Atlantis for drinks (and we split a Nutella crepe). Then we flagged down Tuk-tuks for the quick ride back to the River House.

Thursday January 9, 2025

Normal morning routine, up at 6am for meditation and yoga. Breakfast was amazing today - French Toast stuffed with cream cheese and berries. My work clothes are so crusty and gross that I stayed in my yoga clothes and changed just before we left for the job site.

Jeff and I worked with Michelle & Chris to finish laying the brick on the stand-alone wall. Day four, we have finally got the hang of it. Another group did stucco on the backside of the back wall, and others worked on putting rebar along the new walls - the next mission group will build forms and pour cement, and then more brick will be laid on top of that. It’ll be a while before the project is complete!

Clay brought along a basketball from the River House and after lunch, the guys played 5 on 5 against our Guatemalan work team. The Americans had a major height advantage, but Guatemalan guys were much younger, faster and scrappy. In the end, height won out but if the game had lasted any longer the younger guys would have outlasted them! It was fun to watch, and the players looked like they were having a great time.

After lunch, they tried to teach us to tie the rebar, but it was more difficult than it looked! I realized the gang that had been doing it this morning had not made much progress either. Then it was time to cleanup and say good bye and appreciate the work we did over the last four days - felt great!

We headed back to the Mission Guatemala clinic for presentations about their nutritional and scholarship programs. They originally secured a 10-year lease for the clinic property, which expired in 2020, and they bought the property then. Dave pointed out how much space they have, more than they needed initially but they have grown into it and have plans to expand eventually.

Dave introduced us to Debra, who has been with MG since the beginning of the organization. In those days, the clinic was open two days a week and she would record the details of each visit and work closely with the doctor. She now oversees the scholarship program, which benefits students from the greater San Andreas area. The program focuses on families with reduced resources. Without support, the students would not be able to continue on to Middle School and High School. Most local residents work in construction or agriculture without a steady income. Scholarships cover from 7th through High School, when students choose to study for a particular career path. School will start in February and run for 10 months. They are just finalizing the numbers for this year, but it looks like 63 students for MS (8 different schools) and 29 for HS this year.

When the program began, the focus of the program was covering tuition. It has expanded now to include uniforms, books, access to the clinic, and workshops for the students (art, study skills, tutoring, time management, issues like bullying and internet addiction). In many cases, the parents have not completed school beyond elementary (if that), so MG has realized they need to support students in a more wholistic manner than they first realized.

Cost for each student:

MS $25/month

HS $50/month

Next, we met Meliá, who has worked with MG since 2012 and heads up their Nutritional program. She had participated in a program where she went to the US to study and that is where she learned English. She had an enthusiastic energy - how wonderful to have her in this role!

More than 50% of Guatemala children are malnourished, but not “starving” the way the word makes it sound. Impact is mostly seen as stunted growth when children do not get enough fruit, vegetables and protein in their early years. Many also suffer from iron deficiency anemia. Studies performed on children from families where some were adopted and raised in the US demonstrate the difference nutrition can make in development.

There are currently 135 kids in MG’s nutritional program, ranging from 6 months to 6 years old. They work in 6 rural communities and host a program at the clinic. Each month they meet, they weigh and measure the kids, deliver supplies (supplements and vitamins) and work on education for the mothers. The cost is free for families, but they may be additional charge for lab tests.

Melia told us a story about a girl with a medical condition that she would have died from. The family does not speak Spanish and needs to walk an hour to get to the closest road to get a ride to the clinic. It really hit home with us the way MG gains trust with the families in need - such wonderful work!

Dave told us they are also doing some vocational work at the clinic site. In 2015, they built a “Computer Lab” where students receive the education that is required in Middle School. Local schools were doing a bad job of it, so they built this lab for school students, with plans to expand it to adult education. Their computers are 10 years old, and they have a donor, a volunteer that was here last fall, who is going to help to replace them this spring. Its clear that when you see the work they are doing and the impact they have on the communities, you want to do whatever you can to help!

We had a quick tour of the clinic itself, one room for exams, another for treatments. There was a room with shelves and that was the pharmacy (stocked with lots of Costco vitamins!!), and an office area with paper patient files (another group of former visitors is working to automate that). I was especially interested in their little closet of a laboratory that appeared to have an automated hematology and chemistry analyzer.

By then it was late - we arrived back at the River House at 5:30pm and took quick showers before dinner. This was the last group dinner for JT and me as they have arranged for transport back to Guatemala City for us tomorrow afternoon, as we have an early flight Saturday morning.

Friday January 10, 2025

Our last day in Panajachel, and another cultural experience. We said goodbye to Dave this morning as he said he had a meeting in the afternoon. Jeff and I both gave him a side hug, as he was holding Ty in his left hand. Then Ty reached out his arm for a hug too - so adorable, both Jeff and I teared up.

At 8:30am our vans picked us up and delivered us to Jenna’s B&B for breakfast. It wasn’t what I think of when I hear “B&B,” rather a gorgeous resort with room staggered into the hillside, and a beautiful veranda where we were served the breakfast meals we had pre-ordered a few days ago. In previous years, on this day the group would take a boat to a different resort for breakfast and it is not clear why they changed it up this year. In any event, Jenna’s was lovely with amazing food on beautifully set tables with locally made pottery and woven linens (our next stops). Jeff had a veggie omelet, and I had wonderful homemade granola and yogurt. We sat with Brian and Robin and had interesting conversations about death and religion as we were waiting for food.

It was a bit of a culture shock for us though as it was the kind of place we would probably normally stay, and there were tourists (American and Canadian) finishing up their breakfast when our noisy group came in to take over the restaurant. Pretty far removed from the River House and what we see when we are traveling through the villages.

After breakfast, we drove along the lake to the village of San Antonio, just outside Pana and much like the villages we would drive through to get to our worksite.

First stop, pottery. We got a demonstration of how they make mugs and vases in a mold. They blend three kinds of clay from Mexico to get the consistency just right. The next station was where four ladies were sanding down the items - didn’t look like much of a fun job (dusty). From there, we went down two levels to see where the designs are hand painted onto each item, the man doing the painting had headphones on and didn’t interact with us at all, but clearly, he was a master at what he was doing!! The next step would be spraying them with glaze (also it didn’t look like much fun), and then to the homemade kiln to be baked. They said they use a wheel to make plates, but we didn’t see that process. Then it was time to shop! Since dishes are always a temptation for me, I was in my glory. The tough part was limiting myself to what would fit in our bags to get home!! I bought a few bowls of various sizes and designs, can’t wait to be serving guacamole in them!

We walked single file through the village (no sidewalks), then entered a sidewalk that wove up through the village. There were stores and restaurants and ladies with textiles assertively trying to sell us their wares, but we were heading to a Women’s Weaving Collective. There we saw demonstrations of two different types of looms - a large one a woman was operating with her feet, and a “Guatemalan Loom” where the woman had a sling around her back and the other end tied to a pole. She sat with her legs tucked under her (we call it Heroes Pose in yoga) and used her hands to weave the string back and forth. It looked like tedious work. A man in the store told Jeff that it would take her about a week to finish the piece she was working on, and it’d sell for about 35 US Dollars! After the presentations we had a chance to shop and also, they offered that we could try on the traditional Mayan outfit and take photos if we wanted to. I would have done that, but I was too busy shopping. I bought two table runners, a scarf, some napkins and a gorgeous, embroidered pillowcase that will look great on the porch in our lake house!

We continued walking up hill, feeling the altitude! We came to a gorgeous spot overlooking the lake and much of the town. The lake was hazy every day - we think it was pollution from the wood stoves used for heating and cooking.

At the top of the hill was a Catholic Church from the 1500’s. We went inside to have a look around and it reminded us of a lot of many of the churches we had seen last Fall walking the Camino in Portugal and Spain (but then, it was built by the Spaniards). Daniel told us there is one church in Guatemala where Mayan and Catholic practices are combined, otherwise, they are mostly separate and for hundreds of years, the conquerors tried to squash the Mayan traditions and practices.

We walked down the hill and along the lake for a few blocks, the closest we had been to it this week. Then back in the vans for the 30-minute drive to Pana. Our group got out there and set out to find a place that could accommodate us for lunch. We said goodbye to Daniel, and he promised to drop our purchases off at the River House. It was 1pm and Jeff and I were to be picked up at 3pm to be transported to a hotel near the Guatemala City airport as we have an early flight back to Costa Rica tomorrow.

Daniel suggested we go to Circus for pizza, so we walked there to check it out. They had a nice room that could accommodate our group of 15 - that was lucky! Jeff and I got our order in right away, and were surprised how fast it came. By then it was 2pm and I still had to pack (and figure out how to pack our new purchases!) so we settled up, said our good-byes to the group, and went outside to hail a TukTuk to take us to the River House, arriving at 2:15pm.

We packed and relaxed for a few minutes, then walked through the quiet courtyard for the last time, out the front gate and found our driver waiting for us in the silver van. When I booked this trip, I had not worked out how we were going to get back to the airport (we have an early flight tomorrow, those going back to Madison tomorrow have an afternoon flight and will drive early tomorrow). I had researched a few options, but it was such an unknown. Our leader, Phil, reached out to MG (probably Dave) and a ride was arranged! All we had to do was make a $150 donation to MG (much cheaper than what I had been looking at, and a driver known to Dave). We were on our way about 2:50pm.

We drove back past the clinic and to the town where we had been working at the school, also where the driver lives, and we picked up his wife who rode with us to Guatemala City.

It felt weird to not be with our group, but I also appreciated the quiet time on the drive to begin processing everything I had seen, done and learned over the last week. First of all, we’re so blessed to have participated in this trip! The people of Sugar River UMC were so welcoming to us and so dedicated to the Mission Guatemala project. I am hoping they’ll invite us along again!

My heart aches for the way the Mayan people have been marginalized for so long, and the struggles with poverty, education and health. What is very much alive though is the spirit of those we met and interacted with, and also the moxy we saw in people we didn’t meet - people doing what they can to make a living.

I am still trying to process the amazing work being done by Mission Guatemala in so many areas. I read a column by Dr Zorba Pastor around the end of last year with a message of “Do More,” and am trying to make that my mantra. But it is humbling when I meet the kind of dedicated people like Dave and Abby, or hear the story of the founder, Tim … and can’t imagine having a dream like theirs and making it come true. I guess it starts with small steps though!!

Traffic was fairly light going into the city, and we had a smooth drive. The last hour was stop and go traffic, but not as bad as the traffic leaving the city! It took just over three hours to reach the Marriott Courtyard, and what culture shock to walk into the gorgeous lobby. We checked in and arranged for an early ride to the airport tomorrow. After getting settled into the room and enjoying the beautiful sunset, we headed down to the bar/restaurant - very quiet for a Friday night. We had a fun waiter that was coaching us with our Español!

Looking forward to the king size bed with wonderful bedding and pillows, as well as not being on scorpion alert! Feeling like we’ve been transported to another world, or back to our world…

Saturday January 11, 2025

Early alarm for our 5:15am ride to the airport. It was the nicest car we had seen / ridden in since we arrived in Central America nine days ago - it even had seat belts!! Traffic in Guatemala City was light, but the airport was crazy when we arrived. There were hordes of Mayan families getting off buses, presumably to say good-bye to a family member as we didn’t see them inside the terminal. Also, lots of people hawking souvenirs … it’s like running the gauntlet to get inside the departure area, where only ticketed passengers are allowed.

We had to stand in line to print our bag tags and boarding passes. It became apparent there were a lot of first-time flyers, more than I had ever noticed in any other airport. People standing looking wide eyed and stunned. We navigated the process, and I was delighted to find a Starbucks on the way to our gate just outside security! We had breakfast sandwiches and our usual drinks - Chocolate Caliente for JT and Latte Sans-caffine for me!

We had about 30 minutes until we boarded, so perfect timing. We squeezed ourselves into row 6 again and watched another two episodes of White Lotus that I’d downloaded on my iPad.

Arriving at SJO was a familiar process for us now, except we walked right up to the counter at immigration! When you come in on an afternoon flight from the States that can take an hour!

We claimed our bags and walked over to the domestic terminal without being harassed by someone wanting to help us. We checked in with Sansa Air, the kind of little airline where they take your checked bag and then ask you to stand on the scale with your carry on! Through security, we had about two hours to await our flight. In the waiting area, it was a different world with primarily white American tourists awaiting flights to resorts and yoga retreats. We played our daily 5 game backgammon tournament on my iPad (my winning streak for this trip continues)! We bought some fruit, banana bread and plantain chips from the little snack bar and then it was almost time to go.

We landed at the Drake Bay airstrip about 1:30pm, where a man with a nice van was waiting for us. He took a different route than last year which took us over a bridge rather than driving through the river. Besides that, it was the same bumpy ride which made for a long 20 minutes (my Apple Watch told me I hit my “move” goal because I was bouncing around so much it must have counted as core work!).

He dropped us at Drake Bay beach where a boat was waiting for us, and we were transported to the dock at Aguila de Osa. There we were greeted with cool towels and cold drinks. And it was hot and humid - so different than the climate in the Guatemalan mountains!

We relaxed, caught up with Bradd the owner, then Alex walked us up to our room #12, the best view of the bay but quite a climb to get there. We got settled and Jeff had a nap and a shower while I spent 90 minutes reading in the hammock. Good to relax and blessed that we had such a smooth travel day.

We went down for cocktails at 6pm and met three couples, two traveling together (from Iowa and Upstate NY) and another from Manchester England. We had G&Ts; they serve them in large wine glasses with lots of lime and ice, so refreshing … and a tostada appetizer served on a plantain tortilla (could have been dinner). At dinner we sat with two couples from CA, a couple from St Louis, and another from Germany. Great food and interesting conversations. We chatted with Bradd a bit and were the last people to head up to our room. It was just beginning to rain and cool off a bit. Went to bed listening to the sound of the surf - perfect!

Gin & Tonics / Backgammon Match

January 11-14, 2025

Our three nights at Aguila de Osa went by too fast, but we are so glad we squeezed a visit here in between the mission trip and our yoga retreat.

We stayed in Villa #12 with a gorgeous view of Drake Bay and the sunrise. Sunday after breakfast, we had a boat drop us off at Playa San Josecito, the end of the six-mile hiking trail that starts at Drake Bay. We alternated between napping and swimming as we hiked the trail back to the resort. They had packed us a lunch of ham & cheese sandwiches, fruit and cookies so we stopped and ate that along the way as well. From the boat, I had counted 12 mostly deserted beaches along the way, but as we were hiking the coast, there were dozens more small beaches that you wouldn’t see from the sea.

We got back to the resort and enjoyed a cold beer and more cookies while we played our first round of backgammon for the day. Then showers were in order as we were encrusted with salt and sand. At one point today, I tried to be clever and run around a large volcanic rock when the wave receded, but it was further than what I’d estimated, and I ended up in water to my knees and completely soaked socks and shoes (my low Oboz’s). With the humidity, not much is drying here.

We headed down for cocktails and dinner and had enjoyable conversations with Christine and Peter from Manchester England. In addition to regular jobs, they run a charity in Uganda that provides technical training and education to young people. So cool, and yet, it tugs at my “do more” mantra, shouldn’t I do more too? We also had dinner with Jenn who is here with her 20-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son. They were on a zoom call during dinner, so she ate with us and the kids joined us for dessert. Jenn and her husband (home with the dogs) came here 22 years ago on their honeymoon. Funny to come back her with her kids and not him, but who am I to question? They are remarkable kids, especially Ethen the 18-year-old. He easily explained to this table of strangers about the 6-week backpacking trip they will do this summer in New Mexico with other Eagle Scouts (they’re both Eagle Scouts, led by their dad, also an Eagle Scout). Once again, we were the last people to leave the dining room.

Monday we slept in again, at least until the sun was shining in our porch windows, then went down to breakfast. Others were out on excursions and we sat and talked with Bradd while we ate breakfast. Then we changed into swimming suits and headed down the trail again. Jeff stopped at the first beach (0.75 mi), and I dropped my pack and walked until I hit the 2 mile point, and then walked back to join him. There we repeated our cycle of swimming and napping. The waves were really fun today and the water is very warm. I was reading when Jeff decided to swim one more time and all of a sudden he was gesturing to me from the water - oh no. He had gone in with his hearing aids! He tried drying them out, but to no avail - salt water is the death of fine electronics, and we had learned that once before in Slovenia!

We walked back and had lunch with a pair that had just arrived; the mom from Bath UK, and daughter living in Utica NY working at Cornell. We’d ordered salads with ahi tuna and they were amazing. If it sounds like we are eating a lot, that’s correct! Back up to take showers. Jeff tried to call his audiologist to see if another set of hearing aids could be FedEx’d to Imiloa, but couldn’t get a phone signal. He texted Ryan, who made a few calls for him, learning that those hearing aides had outlived their warranty life and he’d need a new visit to get new ones (even though he had a routine visit two months ago). Makes sense, but it will be a rough week for him with communal dining and soft women’s voices at the retreat!

We showered and were lazing about in the hammock on the deck when a monkey appeared on our roof. Jeff jumped up to shut the door to our room - that would not have been fun to have him in the room eating our trail mix! We’d heard that the monkeys have been bolder since last year now the sugar packets for the coffee are kept in the fridge because the monkeys have gotten into some of the villas and they’re crazy for the sugar packets!

As we were getting ready to go down to dinner, Jeff tried the hearing aids once more and to our delight, they worked! Another amazing dinner. Sad to be leaving here so soon - next year, 5 nights!

January 14-20, 2025

Easy transfer from Aguila de Osa to Imiloa. A taxi met us at Mamma Toucan’s in Dominical, and drove us the 15 minutes up the steep hill to the Imiloa Institute. The rest of the attendees arrived at the same time, about 11am. We were greeted with cool towels and a cold welcome drink (NA of course), and snacks.

It’s a mixture of returning attendees and newbies, so they offered a walking tour of the property before lunch. Even though we have been here twice before, we joined the tour - plus it’s good to move! We learned a bit different history of the place, which has been run by Jake as Imiloa Institute for the last 5 years. Apparently, an Austrian man is the one that brought the Bali houses to this site. The area where the kitchen and dining area is (called Home), was a workshop where the Austrian had a plan to build and recreate structures like the Bali villas (no report on if he was successful or what happened to him). When Jake brought the property, he built the jungle bungalows and domes as additional accommodation for retreat attendees. It is such an amazing property, and they have such respect for the flora, fauna, and sustainability. We learned about local organizations they are partnering with such as animal rescue and rehab, where they’ll be a sanctuary where rehabbed animals can be released.

We were served an amazing lunch; all the food we are eating this week will be vegan, but it will be yummy and beautiful, and in large portions!

After lunch, we were released to get settled in our room. Even though we’ve stayed in the same villa, Potoo, twice before, it takes my breath away - the dark wood, the breeze flowing through the open windows and doors, the sage infusion, and the bed draped artfully with mosquito netting. Beside the beauty of the suite, the setting is mind blowing - on stilts above the jungle with a view of the ocean and steep mountains. Underneath the villa, there is a patio with a private plunge pool, a lounge chair and a hammock.

We got settled, then headed to the Heart (the yoga pavilion) for our opening circle where we learned about the agenda for the week and did preliminary introductions. Including Andrea, we are a group of 30 individuals, 10 people we’d met at previous retreats, and about 10 first-timers.

From there, we all gathered at the pool for sunset and mocktails, before returning to the Home for dinner.

General Schedule for the Week:

6am wake up, hot drinks, noble silence

7am meditation

8am breakfast in silence

9am Ayurveda talk

10:30am yoga with Andrea

12:30am lunch

1:30p-5p free time

5pm yoga with Rebecca

6:30pm dinner

Wednesday

Jeff and I had massages after lunch today, the massage therapists set up the tables on our deck and were playing soothing music. Perfect setting and 60 minutes Deep Tissue massage, not sure I had ever been that relaxed! We spent the rest of the afternoon on our private patio, reading and dozing.

Thursday

After lunch we hiked down to the waterfall at the bottom of the property. It’s a rough hike, but worth it. We floated in the pool below the waterfall for a bit, then hiked up to the pool by the Bail house where we hung out until evening yoga.

Friday

Today we went with a small group to Dominical, where we walked through the little village and to the beach - our first time to this beach. Along the road, vendors had displays of sarongs, t-shirts and other souvenirs. Jeff realized he had misplaced his hat, so we were on the hunt for a replacement, but no luck. We rented two chairs and an umbrella for $20, great deal! I walked down to the end of the beach and back … this one was more rocky, and had an active surfer community (the waves were so so today). About 30 minutes before our planned meeting time, we packed up and walked back to town in search of ice cream. The ice cream shop was closed, but we were able to buy some at the grocery store! We also went into Mama Toucans and bought some chocolate. As we were sitting waiting for our ride, Jeff realized he had now misplaced his prescription sunglasses too - oh no!! Back to Imiloa, we hung out at “home” and had the daily smoothy (carrot juice). We’d arrived back about 5pm, so we skipped yoga and headed up for a shower. Another great dinner, and good conversation. We are intentionally working to engage with others this year, and there are many interesting individuals here that it really enriches the experience.

Saturday

Different routine today, and my favorite day of the week! We had meditation at 7a and breakfast at 8a. After breakfast, we piled into the vans and headed to Playa Linda. I was happy to see Michael and his magical rake there with the Imiloa staff that arrived earlier and set up chairs, beanbags, tables with beverages and snacks and a tent for changing / portable toilet!

We swam in awesome waves while Michael carved the labyrinth in the flat damp sand for us, the joy of the people jumping in the water and being rolled by the waves was so infectious. Soon Michael whistled for us to join him. This year, the labyrinth had only “soft” edges, mirroring the theme of this retreat! He had one of Imiloa’s JBL boomboxes, so we had tunes to dance our way through the labyrinth- so cool! He went to work on the mandala and most of us jumped back in the surf. When the mandala was done, he summoned us to join him around the circle. This year he drew overlapping lotus flowers - he says he doesn’t plan the design, it just flows out of him as he works. He led us through an energy exercise that was so cool. We wrote our names and a one word description of what we bring / need to the session (JT and I, as well as many others used LOVE). We walked around the circle, observing what others had written for their intentions. Then we put our offerings into the hole, we covered it up, and danced on the mandala once again! Even though this is our third time having this experience, it is never the same.

When we arrived on Sunday, there were two ladies with horrible coughs. Grrr. I did my best to avoid them, but sat next to one in the opening circle … then they both avoided the sessions and meals until today. Really a pain for them as they travelled so far and spent $$ on this retreat which they’re not getting experience! Of course, today I work up with clogged sinuses - hoping I am not coming down with a cold or Covid!

We lounged around after lunch - down to our private patio where JT found his missing hat - hooray. Then to the shower for 4pm lecture and 5pm yoga. We were both exhausted and could hardly make it through our nightly backgammon ritual before falling into bed!

Sunday, I awoke with full blown sinus issues. I’d brought a few doses of multi symptom sinus medications, but not enough to get me through our flight on Tuesday so I’m trying lower doses to stretch things out. Now I’m the one faced with the dilemma of do I still participate in group activities? At this point, I think a large portion of the group has been exposed and what will be will be, but I’m having the same sort of feelings that we faced in Ireland when we came down with COVID.

Sunday’s routine was mostly the same. I felt better as I got up and moved a bit and drank hot water with lemon and honey. We were able to get second massages scheduled, and had those on our deck after lunch - soooooo amazing!

At 3:30p, we gathered for our closing circle, sharing what was most impactful from the week and one thing that we will take home. It is really touching to see what kind of connections have been made, and how the group supports each individual in this magic space.

Andrea suggested these tips to continue this good feeling after the retreat:

After Retreat:

Create a sense of regularity (schedule, meal times, sleep times)

Eat cooked warm foods for each meal (support your digestive fire)

Plug into the Sanctuary and continue the practice

Spring Cleanse April 7

Next year - January 15th in Costa Rica

After the closing session we went back up to the ridge for the most spectacular sunset yet! The Imiloa staff served mocktails and we enjoyed immersing into this amazing community one last evening.

Monday morning started with an additional meditation session at 7am, followed by our last breakfast at 7:45am. I’m still stuffy/sniffling so I skipped meditation and opened all the window/doors in Potoo and enjoyed our last morning in paradise while packing our suitcases for the almost last time.

Another amazing breakfast and then our luggage magically appeared and they were trying to herd us into the waiting vehicles for transport to the airport. Jake put “So Long Good Bye” from The Sound of Music on the boombox and it was hysterical … only thing that could have been better was if the staff had learned some of the moves!

It was about a 25-minute drive to the little Quepos airstrip, where we were loaded onto three planes for our short hop to the San Jose Airport Domestic Terminal. We walked to the Marriott shuttle stop, joined by Barbara and Deb, and by noon we were at the hotel. Too early to check in, we went to the bar and had bacon cheeseburgers and beer, then we hung out in the lobby using the Wi-Fi until our room was ready. We went to the gym, felt good to lift weights and stretch our legs before a day of travel tomorrow. We have already received messages from Delta about potential weather issues in Atlanta tomorrow, but we’ll start out early and hope for the best!

Tuesday

In an attempt to avoid last year’s arduous journey from San Jose back to Madison (24+ hour saga), we decided to stay this one more night and catch the first flight out in the morning, with the rationale that arriving at ATL earlier in the day would allow for a few delays and we’d still be home!! So it was another early morning, but we got checked in at the airport, found the Starbucks (and Barbara) and departed SJO on time (7am). We had a several hour layover in Atlanta, and spent some time in the Delta Club in the International Terminal … then set out to find our gate. There was a winter storm hitting the south, and it was snowing lightly in Atlanta. Our departure was delayed about 30 minutes, but we still expected we would be home before 5pm. Bailey offered to pick us up and we were to have dinner together. We boarded our flight – Jeff promptly fell asleep and I tuned into Guilded Age on my iPad. The Captain came on the overhead speaker and said we were in queue waiting to be deiced. When Jeff woke up 2 hours later, we had not even left the gate yet!! We played 10 games of backgammon and the stewardess brought us some bourdon. For the most part, the passengers were allowed to move about and it was a jovial crowd. We eventually taxied toward the deicing station, but then the Captain said we’d exceeded the time federal law allows passengers to be on a plane without taking off! Back to the gate. The terminal was a zoo due to so many cancelled flights. I went on the Delta app and booked a contingency flight for Wednesday morning. Then we got a notification that our flight was boarding again, so back to the gate. It was actually about another hour, then more time awaiting de-icing, but we were headed home and happy for it. We arrived about 1am and Bailey picked us up and it was so good to be able to jump right in her warm Jeep and it was about 0 degrees!! Even though we arrived 8 hours after we had been scheduled, at least we were home!! Not sure what plan we’ll follow next year, with these bizarre weather patterns, it can snow anywhere!!