We now have another volunteer ... Julie Bedford from Alberta. Julie will be staying for almost 2 weeks getting the library organized, cataloguing books and preparing to offer library services to the youth of the village. 
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Cataloguing Books
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Angel
Over the past couple of months, we lost two of our three parrots to virus and accident. That left R2D2 alone, for the first time in his life, and he didn't like it much. We were happy when, on 6-6-6, a young boy asked if we wanted a baby parrot. We have named her Angel. She's building up strength in her toes and legs by practicing on the branch we hung from the ceiling in my office. She started prying open peanuts and sunflower seeds over the last couple of days ... she will soon be ready to join R2D2, who is once again singing above us in the lemon tree!!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Triathlon Hombre Maya
As the participants in this years Hombre Maya Triathlon head off to the first buoy of their swim, you can see in the background the promontory of land that has been called since Mayan times "El Cerro Cahui" ... Crocodile Mountain (note its shape like the snout of a crocodile).
Eduardo and Eduardo
This is the 17th year that Eduardo Cofino has hosted the Hombre Maya Triathlon ... a competition that begins with swimming in Lake Peten Itza, followed by bicycling to Tikal, and finishing up by running through Tikal Park to the finish line in front of the famous pyramids at the Central Plaza. Here Eduardo, and his youngest son, also named Eduardo, are announcing the beginning of the event (June 11, 7 a.m. Sunday morning).
Waiting for Dinner
It is traditional at this yearly dinner, after the athletes have been served, to serve up the leftovers to the kids of the village, who wait patiently in line for their turn.
The High-Carb Dinner
Gonzalo´s food service crew are all ready to serve the yearly "high-carb" dinner to the athletes on Saturday evening. After the participants for the Hombre Maya Triathlon have registered, they receive a dinner of pasta, bread and salad.
Local Triathletes
Since its inception, the local children have been encouraged to participate in the Niño Maya Triathlon. Our local kids are naturally strong bicycle riders and runners, but need instruction in swimming ... we are looking for a volunteer to teach them.
Niño Maya Triathlon
On Saturday, June 10th, the 6th annual National Niño Maya Triathlon was held here in the village. Here, the youngest children begin their swim, following which they bike towards Santa Elena and back to the beach, then run towards Tikal and back again to the beach and the finish line.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Cleaning Up
People who live close to street lights were out early this morning with brooms, shovels and wheelbarrows to clean up the piles of crunchy beetles ... called something that sounds like "drone-droneys" to my untrained ear (roll those r's) ... before the smell overwhelmed the neighborhood.
Jungle Lemmings
Once every few years, like lemmings running off a cliff, these hard-shelled beatles take wing and fly to the closest light source, where they bang and crash into each other, falling flailing to the ground, never to rise again.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Presenting Certificates of Excellence
Today, on the last day of this 2-week journey, the women were presented with Certificates of Excellence for the incredible job they have done in planting a Forest Garden that will help to increase the earth´s oxygen supply. Here we see Marta Luz making the presentation to Doña Bety.
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