"Guatemala: Kodak moments & going digital " a Guatemala Travel Page by melosh

After many years of wishing and hoping to visit, I finally got a 15 day opportunity. Yes, I saw the post card views like this one of Lake Atitlan, but more inspiring were the beautiful people with their colorful dress.

This is such a beautiful country one can easily forget for a moment the long recent history of suffering. The insecurity continues and still the people are extremely friendly. The people seem to be alive and hard working and I think they now have some hope. The Spanish is good and there are alot of language schools.

This is also a place that presents a lot of opportunities to go and help.

It is not uncommon for some family members to pause and rest in the plaza while they wait for the rest of the family to gather from shopping. It takes some patience and some luck to wait and catch the reunion.

Usually when I read that a place may be packed with tourists on a weekend, I go during the week. I made an exception with Champey water falls and pools, and I was rewarded with a fun experience among Guatemalan tourists. They came to picnic. I caught these girls fetching water.

This is a Photo Shop manipulated picture. I removed the other people on the stairs so I could just show this one lady. More and more I am learning to love digital photography. It allows me to search for the picture inside the picture.

I have rarely gotten any good pictures inside of a church. I have never been willing to interrupt the mood with a flash or a loud camera noise. This represents a moment away from the bus, into a church with a silent digital camera.