Although delayed due to midwestern storms, we made it from Guatemala City to Boston in one piece (and with all luggage-- I have a veritable STREAK going!!)
It was so great to see Marie (Shomir's sister), Adam, and the kids, Anne, Lily, and Emma, who are 6, 5, and 3, respectively, and about as adorable as they come.
While it was COLD up there, the weather was quite sunny and I got my "fall" fill (if you recall, it's my favorite season!) with the beautiful New England leaves. We did laundry (immediately when we got to the house!! Our soaked clothes reeked!), got to do more sleeping, visited the kids' school, had playtime around the house, had some good dinners, did festive Halloween decorating and trick-or-treating, saw some of historic Boston and museum-visiting, and got also to meet up with old friends Tia and Rob! It was a perfect blend of relaxation and fun.
Shomir bearing gifts of Guatemalan fabric.
Here dressing Anne, who obviously admires her "Uncle Shom" greatly!
Dressing little Emma
Ta da!!!
The kids jumping on the trampoline!
Trip to the Children's Museum of Boston, which is hugely impressive!
Lily, who is great with towers!
Action shot, Lily running on the dance-floor
Foray into historic Boston...
Despite the cold (we Californians were underprepared!), we braved parts of the "Freedom Trail" which is a walk which covers major historic sights in the downtown area such as cemetaries, birthplaces of i.e. Ben Franklin, sites of the first public school (Old Latin School), Old Corner bookstore, site of the Boston Massacre, the statehouse, and Boston Commons.
Paul Revere's Tomb at the Old Granary cemetary
I think this is a Red Auerbach statue, near Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall which was the town center
Boston Cream Pie... mmm
We made our way, via the T (public transport), to the Brigham area to meet up with Tia and Rob! I hadn't seen them since med school graduation, and it had been way too long! I miss those guys so much! We visited their cute apartment on Wigglesworth St, we drove by the hospital, and then had a lovely Venezuelan dinner followed by regional favorite J.P. Licks icecream. We four had such a wonderful time! It was so great to catch up on all the happenings of residency and their recent trip to Tanzania. I'm trying to convince them to come visit me and EVB in California, although I think Tia already has plans to go to Hawaii for her next vacation.
Halloween
... would not be complete w/o carving pumpkins!
Uncle Shom and Lily
Anne and me (we also did, using a stencil design, a more impressive kitty cat jack-o-lantern not pictured here)
Anne and me (we also did, using a stencil design, a more impressive kitty cat jack-o-lantern not pictured here)
Daddy and Emma
... and then came the costumes which were all variations on princesses/fairies, with myself being roped in and included! And off we went Trick or Treating... Luckily, it wasn't too cold (I always wondered what you do in cold northern climates! It's a bummer for warm clothes to have to mess up/obscure your costume, right?!)
Doesn't this princess dress look like it fits me fabulously??
While the kiddos got handed candy, the adults got handed....
..beers! Shomir liked trick-or-treating a lot! :)
The girls with neighborhood kiddos on candy break
While the kiddos got handed candy, the adults got handed....
..beers! Shomir liked trick-or-treating a lot! :)
The girls with neighborhood kiddos on candy break
Anne devouring her treats... (she generously shared w/ us!)
What an awesome, awesome, vacation! I can't wait until February for the next one.... :)
What an awesome, awesome, vacation! I can't wait until February for the next one.... :)
Now.. back to night float.
Antigua was the last town we visited in Guatemala. What a lovely city, and what a change of pace/scenery from the rest of our trip. We got there via cross-country bus (see pic above) from Puerto Barrios, via Guatemala City (which we virtually bypassed as it seemed dirty, crowded, and a bit dangerous). Antigua, near the western highlands, is nestled among 3 volcanoes and (I'm not a very beachy person) provided my mountain fix for the trip. It is very European in feel. It also houses multiple Spanish language schools, so there was a large number of students, as well as tourists, around. If is famous for jade, including a lovely shade of lavender, with lots of jade shops. We also stayed at a lovely hotel, which was much needed in terms of comfort. We did a lot of relaxing, eating and chilling at cafes, but also did some hiking. Here are some pics!
Merced church.
Jugo from a street stand
Ruins at Colegio of San Jeronimo
Pyro (this was Shomir's favorite part of the trip!)
