Scenes from Panajachel

Just some simple pictures around Panajachel, Guatemala, where I live.

This is my portón, my gate. The wooden door to the left is one of my neighbours; the black gate to the right is the other.

This is the view from my gate looking down the street. The boards to the left are being dried in the sun. A lot of lumber here is very wet. There is always construction going on on my street. They are building UP! They have to, cuz the houses are squashed so close together.

This is looking further up my street. Notice the tangle of wires overhead, the barbed wire, the honeycomb cobbles. The grate in the middle of the road is the sewer. Smelly!

Some lovely Mayan ladies walking down my street from the top of it, from near the highway.
I love my street for many reasons, but one reason is the pine trees. They smell like home.

More beautiful Mayan women in their lovely clothes, called traje (TRAH-hey).
If traje was cooler and more comfortable than regular clothes, I think I would wear it.

Learn more about the elements and creation of traditional Mayan clothes at Mayan Families' website.

One of the main intersections in town. The thatched roof in the middle right is La Palapa, a great bar, one of our favourites.

Walking up Calle de los Arboles. Chicken bus coming down the one-way street. Kids on a bike riding up!

Drying piñatas in the sunshine.

The church in Panajachel decked out for Semana Santa.
The banners say: Mercy, God. We have sinned.

Shoeshine boys and their customers.

Inside the mercado, the market.

The maze of narrow hallways in the market.

The upper level of the market, fruits and veggies, plus butchers along the back wall.

An abundance of fresh veggies outside the market.

The municipal office in Panajachel. For some reason, there are metal statues of dinosaur skeletons in this park. :D

Another busy intersection in Pana. The guy in the yellow vest on the middle left of the picture is the traffic cop. Tuk-tuks everywhere! :D

Flower petals in water at Deli Jasmin.

Flashback! Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Cherry 7Up in Sandra's Grocery.

My first choco-banana, courtesy of my friend, Jo-Lori. Cost Q1. Delicious!
Very cold. The banana is frozen. Almost like eating a banana popsicle.