Christmas with a Piñata and Cock fighting!

Christmas was great.

We started the morning off with a little home-made breakfast of pancakes, organic coffee, yogurt, granola and fruit bought from the market (white pineapple & papaya). Then, we busted out the Piñata. It was in the shape of a star, was red, green and white and filled with trinkets perfect for our little man; little farm animals, a flute, bubbles, a few not-so-toddler-friendly candies, which were quickly hidden once we realized they were a choking hazard. He wacked the piñata with a broom. His two favorite things: brooms and wacking things. He is a total boy and will hit, dig and get dirty like a total pro. So, this piñata was right up his alley. We took a million pictures, which I will post when we get home.

Mama coming home from the market on Christmas eve!

The beginning of the fun!

Henry checking out the loot!

After nap time little man and I took a cold shower.. there is no hot water, but no hot water is needed. Its hot. Showers, a word which he can now say, are super fun with little man. He now runs through the stream of water only to come out the other side looking so pleased and proud of himself. Its adorable.

I mean honestly... too cute for words!

Once clean and cooler, a taxi picked us up and after some searching for the right place we went to a cock fight. It was crazy cool. It was all locals, mostly men, was a little off the beaten path. There was a ring, stadium seating and went much like a boxing match. The roosters were weighed in and opponents were of equal weight. Each cock had a holding area in which they were caged and next to which their owner sat (like in a boxing match how each fighter has their own dressing room). Once the two opponents are matched to fight each cock has a single blade tied onto one of its toes. Right before the match started the ring was full of men edging people to place their bets. On-lookers shouted out their bids; it was loud and chaotic. Then the roosters started fighting. It was violent. Poor little Henry, I will say, did see it. And, he looked at me as if to say ¨Wow, Mom are you seeing what Im seeing?!¨ We didn´t stay till the end of the fight. Not only did we feel like Henry didn´t need to see the death and dying of one of his favorite animals but also we had dinner plans and had to run.

Center ring!

For dinner, as I mentioned in my last entry, we bought tickets to a traditional Nicaraguan dinner put on by a local tour company. It was really sweet. Some local women, who work to preserve their culture through cooking traditional recipes, prepared a great meal. There were about thirty or so tourists and ex-pats and we had great juice and rum drinks.

Overall, it was an amazing day. We have decided that Piñatas will be a part of our celebratory future (either birthdays or on Christmas).

Henry is napping and then were headed out to get a frappuccino.

Feliz Navidad.. a la Nicaragua!

Merry Christmas!

Since last writing we have left El Salvador and are now in Nicaragua. The journey between countries wasn´t a trip highlight (lets just say a sleepless night and a toddler on a 10 hour bus ride with 2 border crossings wasn´t that much fun). Once in Nicaragua, we landed in Esteli.

First impressions of Nicaragua are that the country seems a little more rough around the edges... not quite as charming as El Salvador and not nearly as foreign or indigenous as Guatemala.

Esteli is a town lacking some charm but surrounded by beautiful national parks and mountains. The town´s saving attribute was the great place we stayed and the restaurant that accompanied it - where we met so many great backpackers also hitting the central american trail. And, Domingo, our tour guide for our day-long excursion, made it a worth while stop.

On our second day in Esteli Domingo picked us up in his truck and we headed out of town to a national park called Tissy. We worked our way up to a small town. The town is a cooperative, where all members of the community work to sustain and maintain their life there. They grow food (all organic), make cheese, there is a craft shop- all wages earned are divided equally amongst all members of the community. We got an agricultural tour, which consisted of checking out their crops field-side. We walked on a trail through the woods which ended with a beautiful view of Nicaraguan fields, mountains and volcanoes (one of which was steaming). We also got a tour of their cheese making process.. the cheese was disappointingly salty but its super cool that they were putting out their own cheese.

View from our hike! Check out the Nicaraguan volcanos in the far distance.

The cheese!

Today, we took a little bus from Esteli to Leon. It got significantly hotter over the course of the two hour bus ride. So, we arrived sweaty and hot. First impressions of Leon are mixed. The book describes it as a place where people ¨leave their hearts¨ but so far I wouldn´t say Im in love. Its a church town for sure, all of which we´ll be checking out tomorrow (its the perfect day for a church tour, no?). So far today we had lunch at a cute little place and have just walked around trying to figure out what is open over the course of the next two days and we´re we might celebrate our Christmas. As it turns out, a local tour operator is organizing a typically Nicaraguan Christmas dinner tomorrow night. We bought tickets.. so we´ll see how it goes.

Daniel is off trying to hunt down Henry´s Christmas present.. we´re aiming for a piñata. Keep your fingers crossed Santa can come up with one on such short notice. Otherwise, there are a few other trinkets that have made their way into our backpacks.

We´re staying at a little place called La Tortuga Booluda. Henry is taking a nap (naked, with the exception of his diaper) and in addition to blogging, Pearl Jam is my musical accompaniment.

A few additional thoughts: On the bus today, as Henry reached over the seat to touch the head and hand of the young boy sitting in front of him I couldn´t help but think how we really screw things up. The boy´s response to Henry was to hold his hand. They played and the boy (along with his brother) made Henry laugh by hitting their empty coke bottle repeatedly against their heads. Kids keep it simple, they connect on such a basic but human level. It really is all about the kids because the adults screw it up. Wars, garbage, hatred etc... Henry doesn´t even know what it means to hate. And, his attempts at connection with complete strangers are so earnest. Not to paint such a tree-hugging, hippy/peace picture but if us adults just kept it simple and thought about the little ones we impact, things might go better for us.

Another Esteli highlight was the truck ride home from our day-long excursion with Domingo. Henry hung is head out the window (yeah, that car seat thing is still kind of a joke). He watched himself in the truck´s side  mirror, and watched his hair blow in the wind. He would then poke his head back in the truck say ¨mama¨ point to his head and then proceed to do it all again.. it was so sweet. Also, he and Domingo had a really sweet moment where Domingo let him sit on his lap in the drivers seat and let him make the windsheild wipers go, honk the horn and touch anything and everything he wanted. Henry kept looking back at me as if to say ¨this is so freaking cool.¨

Look at me... no car seat!

oh yeah!

Merry Christmas and sending love from Nicaragua.

El Salvador wrap up and a little bit of bacon!

We are coming to the end of our time in El Salvador. Its been truly amazing. For memory sake (mine seems to be slipping) and in case you ever wanted to head this way here is what we did.

We flew into San Salvador and grabbed a cab to Suchitoto. We stayed two nights in town (we fled quickly because the Christmas festival was occurring. If you remember, it wasn't charming. Rather, it was fit for an episode on Jersey Shore). We stayed one night at Los Almendros de Lorenzo (www.hotelsalvedor.com) and one night at La Posada Suchitlan.

Mama and baby on our room's porch at Hotel Posada Suchitlan

We rented a car (totally the way to go) from Manuel and Rolondo (aka El Salvadorian Laurel and Hardy) who delivered it to us in Suchitoto, thereby allowing us to skip picking it up in San Salvador. We headed to Lake Coatepeque - beautiful, peaceful and an easy 1.5 hours from Suchitoto. From there we hit the "Route de Flores" - a road that winds through several small towns and twists through the heart of El Salvadorian coffee country. We then spent two nights in Tacuba at a charming guesthouse called Mama y Papa. They loved Henry and called him their first "tourist baby". They were truly Mama y Papa.  From there we drove back to Ataco (we had passed through Ataco on the way to Tacuba but a cheesy festival forced us onward). In Ataco, we stayed at Hotel Santa Domingo and ate at a great restaurant called El Boton - where they have a fabulous and famous Salvadorian goat cheese. From Ataco we headed south to the coast and landed at El Tunco. We stayed at Tekauni Kal. And, minus a few slight flaws it was the best spot in town with ocean views, an outdoor shower and two plunge pools. Last but not least, we're back in Suchitoto. We are now 2 days into rest and relaxation.

Suchitoto, as I've said before, is so amazing. Each evening we head down to the hotel La Posada de Suchitlan, where the terrace overlooks one of the most amazing views on earth! Its gorgeous. And, each evening I think of my grandmother. She taught me how to see color. She taught me that a green landscape is not simply green. Rather, there are hints of yellows, blues, navys, blacks etc.. all buried in the green. There are so many shades of green in this landscape. Its vast and its impressive! Its worth a trip to El Salvador in and of itself.

 View during the day

 View at Sunset

View just before Sunset... you can see it never looked the same twice!

Randomly, but also in line with the subtle class and beauty of this town, there is a non-violence campaign against women. It goes like this.. on almost every house, next to the front door, painted in stencil is a picture of a bird in mid-flight with a saying that translates to read something like this "this house is a non-violent house and does not support violence against women". Its unreal classy and everywhere. I've never seen anything like it.

This was on the facade of most houses in town.

Another tid bit about this town: there is a shop on the corner of the main square. In it sits a machine. The machine is essentially a giant Cuisinart. Women, and some men, line up with their ingredients. Such ingredients might include those to make a salsa or those to make the dough for tortillas.  When its their turn, their ingredients are dumped into one side of the machine and out the other ends comes the desired end result-either salsa or dough for making tortillas or whatever else. Its wild. There is a little, hard working man who runs the whole thing. And, at the end of the day, he can be found diligently and proudly cleaning the machine. Yesterday, the line was out the door.

The giant "do everything" Cuisnart

On Wednesday we will wake up way too early and take a bus to Esteli Nicaragua.Our itinerary in Nicaragua includes Esteli, Leon, Granada, Lake Ometepe and the corn Islands. Ill keep you posted. Oh, and we'll be in Leon for Christmas.

And, now for the bacon bit. Henry, my little non- meat eater dove into some bacon this morning like it was going out of style. From no meat to bacon. Hum?!

El Tunco to Suchitoto

Today we´ll leave El Tunco and head to Suchitoto. Its a 2 hour drive, which is not bad but we have to go through San Salvedor... so it should be an adventure. Scary!

Last night we did our nightly ritual of hitting the bar by 5pm. Pina Colatas and beer for the sunset. Prior to coming here we had met these 2 Canadians who said the sunsets here were really amazing. We didn´t really believe that they were THAT great... we were wrong. They last forever. The setting occurs at about 5:30 but the sky morphs continually for at least an hour after the sun goes down. Its amazing.

Henry eating a lovely Garbanzo bean appetizer while we enjoy our sunset cocktails

I dont think I´ve mentioned that I look like Courtney Cox in the Friends episode where they go on vacation to the beach.. her hair is a frizzy ball on her head. Thats me!

I also dont think I´ve mentioned that I love breakfast, really love it. Its a total highlight of the day and especially when your on vacation and can really sit down and enjoy it.

You should also understand the total obsession Henry has with the broom. He makes a swishing sound everytime he sees a broom, hears someone sweeping or sees a mess that needs to be swept. And, when a broom is available to him (which it is nearly everywhere we go- remember these people sweep the dirt) he gets it and gets to work.

Henry very serious about his sweeping

Off to Suchitoto!

Surfs Up!

Well, surf is certainly up in El Tunco, El Salvedor.

We have landed along El Salvedor´s pacific coast and its a slice of heaven, not to mention a total surf scene. I feel like if you are a surfer and youre not here than youre just not where its at. Board shorts, surf boards and dudes without shirts on is what this town is all about... not to mention some killer cheap eats and a georgeous view of the ocean. The sand is black. Its soft and warm just like a white sandy beach only its deep black. When the sun hits it, it gives off an irridescent, silver shimmer. Its really amazing. And, when Henry is rolling around in the sand, throwing it and getting semi-swept away by the waves (of course we catch him pretty quickly before that happens) it makes it look like he is really into it - the black sand contrasted against his lite skin and blonde hair.

The mark of a very special little man

Playtime

Fun in the waves

He is loving the waves, the water and the sand. By cocktail hour he looks like he has all but become one with the sand. Its in his ears, his hair, on his lips, his eyebrows.. shower time is all about just getting the sand off. But the water is warm and so we easily wade in and out, playing and throwing coconuts.

Our hotel (Tekauni Kal) sits oceanside. Our breakfast view is amazing. We look out onto the breaking waves and surfers - who hit the waves pretty early. Their amazing to watch and make it look so easy. There are some local young ones who can really put on a show. A surf lesson is in our future!

Looking out onto the beach from our hotel

View of our hotel from the beach

Post-nap at the beach

Our view from Breakfast

Some of El Tunco's more serious surfers

Sunset (viewed each evening while sipping yummy cocktail = this is the life!)

The food here is pretty amazing. I haven´t talked too much about the food so far (on previous trips I talked about it a little too much and took some heat- all in good jest).. but really, its worth talking about. There is amazing fruit. Papayas, pineapple, watermelon.. all so juicy and delicious. They do great pancakes and eggs served ¨tipico¨ style - which just means with plantains, refried beans and a salsa on the side.. yum! There are fruit shakes everywhere and like the fruit itself, they are pretty amazing. There is a little shack in this town where one woman cooks some amazing grub. Yesterday we had the shrimp tacos and veggie burito and it was killer. All the surfer dudes go there, so the place is packed with shirtless men.. its not unappealing.

Our plan is to stay here thru friday and head back to Suchitoto on Saturday. Thats the amamzing town that was mid-festival when we hit it last time.. we´ll go back to enjoy it in its normal, quiet state.

Traveling with Henry really has been going well. Lately, hes gotten to be more of a picky eater than we´d like, his knock-off crocs dont stay on his feet (so were constantly chasing a shoe around) and the dude sleeps in the same room as us. So, if he wakes up he knows were there. Home isn´t going to be nearly as much fun. Here, we´re constantly outside/open air.. he wakes up in the morning and the first words out of his mouth are ¨outside¨. He´s busy and as long as there is a broom in sight its all good. Yup, the kid is obsesed with brooms and sweeping. And, all this time together allows for a lot of self-evaluation in the parenting department.. Im doing a little too much helicopter parenting lately...but its a work in progress.

El Salvedor coast is pretty great and a lot like the California coast only cheaper and in a lot of ways more accessible. A flight to San Salvedor is 2 hours from Miami, about 3 from Atlanta. To rent or buy a house here is significantly cheaper and boasts very similar views. We see more of El Salvedor in our future and hope to bring some friends and family with us... its awesome!

Video Games and Waterfalls

Daniel is off trekking today. He is checking out some waterfalls with 4 others staying at the same guest house as us. We're in Tacuba, El Salvador and it's a quaint, beautiful little town in the western part of the country. Henry and I are chilling in town, and are currently hanging at the internet shop. There are about 5 boys (ages 8-10, I'd guess) and they are playing video games with a small blonde companion - perfect babysitters while I blog and fight the slow internet.

Waterfall from Daniel's Trek

We rented a car and have been driving all over. Its amazing how easy its been. There are no road names and our map is basic. But you just turn in the direction you are headed and there is usually a sign saying its 10 kilometers to such and such town.. it works! And, when you stop to ask if you're headed the right way EVERYONE is so nice and assumes we understand what the hell they´re saying. Thank goodnes for hand gestures.

The place we're staying, Mama y Papa, is adorable. A guesthouse run by an older couple. Equipped with a cat, a dog, two ducks (that chase Henry and try and bite him) and 2 parrots that say ¨Hola¨! Mama and Papa are in love with Henry and keep calling him they're first tourist baby. We have use of the kitchen for 1$ a day. Its nice especially since its been getting a little harder finding food that the little guy will eat. He's not into refried beans, won't eat rice and can only eat so many scrambled eggs. Last night we bought some pasta; he had some pasta with butter and then an orange from Mama y Papa's tree. After Henry's gourmet pasta dinner we went to a local joint to eat amazing Pupusas.

Guesthouse Mama y Papa

Pupusas - yummy!

El Salvador is such a small country. On any given day we have only driven about 1.5 hours to get where we want to go. At our last stop, which was an amazing hotel called Los Trozos, you could stand on their balcony, located up in the hillside and heart of El Salvadorian coffee country and look to the end of the country where the waves of the pacific ocean break against the coastline.  It was so beautiful. I really love it here.

Los Trozos ( www.lostrozos.com) was a small, luxury boutique hotel. Its style was somewhat shabby chic. The electricity was spotty (for which we received a $50 discount) but that added to the ambience and old world feel of the place. Dinner was served on the terrace with white linens, real china and consisted of a typical El Salvadorian Christmas dinner. It was pretty darn good.

Henry on the porch at Los Trozos

Relaxing porch at Los Trozos

The shabby chic decor of our Los Trozos bedroom

Today we're headed to Ataco; a small town with cobble stone streets, cafes and some cute little hotels. We stopped through there for lunch on our way here. We´ll do a coffe plantation tour and probably some laundry before heading toward the beach.

Christmas is big here! Lights, santas and trees everywhere. I'm not quite feeling the christmas thing.. its hot here and everything is so new and foreign there isn't that cuddle up, christmas cozy thing going on. It looks like we might be in Grenada, Nicaragua for Christmas. We'll see.

Love and Hugs, K and my computer companion.

Cocktails for three!

We are now in El Salvador. We landed here on Dec 6th and took a taxi from the airport to a town called Suchitoto. Suchitoto is a dream with a glitch. It's an amazing town.. the kind of town where you might come looking for me if I go missing. The glitch is that there is a festival in town. And, I'm not talking about a unique or local affair. It's kind of like The Jersey Shore hit Suchitoto..a cheesy pageant, loud music and a transportable ferris wheel and roller coaster. It just about sent my amazing husband (who has a true asesthetic and wants authenticity at all costs) over the edge. And, our amazing hotel (Los Almendros de San Lorenzo) is hosting a wedding tonight and could therefore only accommodate us for one night.  Los Almendros de San Lorenzo is owned and run by two kind Frenchmen (one of whom is the ex- ambassador to El Salvador). The place is charming with a courtyard fountain, lovely rooms with georgeous bathrooms and includes a delicous fountain-side breakfast. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this hotel. It is reasonably priced and elegant. What more could you want? Because of the wedding tonight, however, we headed down the street to Hotel Posada de Suchiltan. It is also pretty amazing and has one of the best views I have ever seen. We look out over hills and a lake with a huge mountain range in the distance.... only rivaled by views I've seen in Africa -words just dont to it justice.

Suchitoto's church, in the main square. Lovely!

Yummy! (Shirt is off for the obvious reason of messy breakfast and also because playing in the fountain was a fun, but messy affair)

The lovely Los Almendros de San Lorenzo

Sitting area at Los Almendros de San Lorenzo

Formal Dinning room at Los Almendros de San Lorenzo.. these guys have some classy digs!

Outdoor indoor living and relaxing at Los Almendros de San Lorenzo... move me in!

For our Journey onward the Frenchmen convinced us to rent a car. So we are hitting the road tomorrow.. we'll see how it goes. It is sure to be a serious adventure. The road maps aren't quite up to par and the explinations are a little vague and grandiose (typical french) but they swear its the way to go.. so we'll see.

In the meantime, we had pina coladas on the terrace this evening. Henry just didn't get why he couldn't have any (seeing as they look just like the fruit/yogurt shakes hes been drinking all along). So I orderd him a glass of milk with a straw and the three of us sat happily enjoying our view and doing "cheers" about a million times.. his latest discovery and he loves it.

If you need to plan a trip out of the country, Im telling you, this is it! Suchitoto is the kind of place I could really hunker down. Daniel and I talked about how if we stayed, we could have the Frenchmen over for dinner. Hilarious!

Our view while sipping Pina Colatas from Hotel Posada de Suchiltan

34 and still growing.

Today is birthday # 34. Yikes. Well, its not a big one and I'm down with letting it slide on by. But the best birthday present, by far, is having the day (nestled into a few weeks) with my little guy. I got a real kiss this morning.. on the lips, kissing sound and all. Priceless!

Sharing a smoothie with my little man on my Birthday. 

Our time in Tikal came to an end. We awoke on our last morning to 50 or so White Nose Coati and a dozen birds (they looked like a combination of a Turkey and a Peacock) eating insects on the lawn outside our hotel room. It was a real safari. Later, we hung with some howler monkeys - have you ever heard those suckers? They are for real! Totally loud and even scary sounding.

White Nose Coati outside our room at Tikal Inn

Yesterday we came back to Flores. Henry had his first major (MAJOR) meltdown last night at dinner. That was fun! It involved throwing food, screaching and foot stomping, not to mention crying. The whole nine yards. He was hungry and tired and it was all too much. Things are better today. Thank god.

We're having a leasurely day around town and will fly from Flores to Guatemala City tomorrow. There, we'll catch a plane to San Salvador. From San Salvador we will head on to a town called Suchitoto.

Plane from Tikal to Guatemala City- en route to El Salvador

I did a little trek to a real grocery store to get some baby provisions (cans of peas, garbonzo beans and formula - were doing formula instead of milk since we dont always have access to a refrigerator). I love going into grocery stores in foreign countries. I love seeing what they have and the differences.

All in all life is good. And, thank you to my amazing sister for her blog post- www.weekendssosweet.com. Such a thoughtful and sweet birthday present.

3 amigos

Daniel said today that we've taken some risks..leaving jobs etc... but that we would never get this time again.  He is so right. He said this as Henry buried his face in my shoulder on our way home from dinner tonight.

There are so many moments to take in when you really have the time to sit back and enjoy them. For example, tonight after dinner I took off Henrys clothes, prior to getting him into his pajamas. He walked over to the mirror, with only a diaper on. I watched him watch himself. He really looked at himself in the mirror for the first time. He touched his head, then his stomach, his ear and he just stood and looked. He said his name to himself a few times.  After awhile I said ok Henry lets change your diaper. He waved at himself in the mirror and said bye. It was really amazing to watch.

So we are now in Tikal. When I last wrote we were in Coban. We kind of hung out there and waited out a day of rain, did laundry and regrouped. From Coban we took a 2 hour shuttle bus ride to Lanquin. A very small town in the middle of no where, made famous because of some caves and natural pools in close proximity. Its certainly a stop off on the back packers circuit. We stayed at a place called El Retiro. It sat on the side of a river, had thatched roofed bungalows and did a great family style dinner buffet. We had a great time. The caves featured thousands, some say millions, of bats that fly out at sunset. We stood at the entrance of the cave at sunset with candles and flashlights and watched as they swarmed over head and out of the cave. It was pretty incredible. Henry and I then opted out of exploring the rest of the cave, while Daniel and guide did a little exploring.

El Retiro, Typical Bungalow at the Hotel

Henry playing with some boys on the street outside our hotel. He is quite the popular kid in town.

The next day we hoped a transport bus from our hotel to the pools. Again Henry and I opted out of the first part of the tour , thank god! It was waterfall and caves combined. Those that went were freezing, it sounded very scary and featured large spiders and black holes in which you were supposed to jump. No thanks! Henry is the perfect excuse! We then wandered over to the natural pools, called Semuc Champney. They were beautiful, turquoise cascades of water that dribbled down the side of a lush mountain side. It was really amazing. Henry and Daniel got in together, threw rocks and had a blast. Henry cried when it was time to come out despite shivering and purple lips.

Daniel and Henry play in the pools of Semuc Champney

From Lanquin we spent a very long day -about 8 hours on a bus- getting to Flores. Flores is a stop of point that people use to get to Tikal. Its about 1.5 hour ride from Flores to Tikal. Tikal are some very famous Mayan ruins in northern Guatemala. Most people stay in Flores and go back and forth to see Tikal. With Henry we decided not to make the trip back and forth but rather to stay in the park. There are 3 hotels in the park, we're staying at the Tikal Inn.  After a leasurely morning of re-grouping we grabbed a taxi out here. We had lunch and hit the park.

Our Bungalow at the Tikal Inn

What is so crazy about Tikal is that these ruins are in the middle of the jungle and built around 600 AD. Its the setting, at the time so remote and so unimaginable as to how they transported the building materials. We say monkeys, tucans, several white nose coati - which is a cross between a racoon and a posum. We also saw some birds that look like a cross between a turkey and a peacock. Henry, of course, is in heaven with all the monkeys. He keeps pointing up to the trees and saying more, more.

Grand Plaza at Tikal

Monkeys, Monkeys everywhere!

View from atop one of the ruins. Here you can see that the ruins are truly deep in the Jungle

So we're here thru Sunday night. We decided to just take our time. Henry can take his afternoon naps, we can hang by the pool and see the park at our leasure. On Monday we'll head back to Flores and spend the night there. We'll do a little b-day celebrating there with some yummy food and fly out the next moring to Guatemala City. From Guatemala City we'll fly to San Salvedore- and begin the next leg of our adventure.

Some tid bits - Many of you are asking for photos. I dont have a clue how to get pictures from our camera on to these random computers and then onto this blog. Its all spanish and I am barely getting by with this keyboard. So, I promise pictures will come when we get home.

As we drove out to Tikal today, from Flores, in a taxi- Henry was in his carseat. Let me back up and let you in on the whole carseat saga.  We bought a used, infant carseat prior to coming on our trip. I didn't want to risk not having one on long car rides when we were in a private car. The seat is supposed to be a rear facing infant car seat for babies up to 22 pounds. Clearly Henry is now a little big for this seat - which shows when you put him in it. He looks giant and it looks tiny. This seat can be used without the base, and just a seat belt- which is what we are doing.  Its the lightest weight one there is. So far today was only the second time we've used it. The first time was when we got picked up from the airport in Guatemala City, upon arriving in the country. We keep lugging the damn thing around wondering if we should ditch it. Anyway, the whole thing got me thinking about all the differences between our country and so many others. Here the roads are so bad, with so many speed bumps that you could never get going fast enough for there to be a real problem. Also, travel by car here is such a different thing. There is never enough room for a carseat in the car- there are too many people crammed in. I mean the other day we took a local bus to see a church, it was a 12 seater and there were 24 people jammed in. Carseat?! - Are you kidding me. We would have gotten thrown out. It just totally struck me today that what seems so big and important some places is nothing in other places. Now, I will say when its just us in a private car or taxi I am glad weve had it - all two times that is.  There is no picking up locals every 5 minutes so you actually do get moving along above 15 miles per hour.

Alright, off to bed.