Saturday, June 9, 2012

Zunil and Hot Springs


So...we got permission to head out of Xela with the Darringtons and Thompsons, who are missionaries serving as temple workers in the Quetzaltenango Temple.  We had a lovely, comfortable van this time and an excellent driver-Erik.  This is the town of Zunil, which is much like other little cities outside Xela.


My goal was to hunt down the exceptional corte from the weaving co-op in Zunil.  It is dimensional fabric and very heavy, due to the layering of threads.  I saw a woman come into the store with exactly what I wanted, but did not see the patterns I was looking for on the shelf.  I settled for a brightly colored corte much lighter in weight that I can find a use for when I return to the U.S.



While I was doing the serious decision-making, Mike and Sr. Thompson were entertaining themselves on the other side of the store.


The grandmother of this little girl was pleased to let us photograph her.  This is typical corte cloth with the edges sewn together by means of a large flower strip down the center.



This corte is much brighter and more vivid than the typical corte of the other cities and aldeas.



As we head up the mountain toward the hot springs at Georgina, the views are spectacular and we begin to drive up into the clouds.  The roads are precarious, but that doesn't slow Erik down.




Now that the rains have started, the fields and mountains are becoming lush and green. 



The entrance to the spa is very jungle-like, as you can tell from the leaves above Br. Darrington's head.  Erik, our driver,  and I made an agreement that he would protect me from spiders and I would protect him from snakes.  Thankfully, we saw neither.







There were three pools and no one was in this one.  I'm a lover of a good, hot bath, but this pool was too hot to even keep your foot in the water.  



This is not the French Riviera.  Bathing suits are required.  




The whole area is lush and beautiful.  It has started to rain, so we are picking the sheltered areas when necessary to stay somewhat dry.




This was a bad night at Georgina for some unfortunate couple.  When the severe rains come, the guest houses crash down the mountainside and land upside down.  It's kind of bad public relations to just leave it there, but so it stays.




The whole area has a very ethereal appearance as the clouds roll in from above and the mist rises over the hot pools.  We cut our visit short to allow for a safe drive back down the mountain.  The view becomes more and more obscured later in the day.




If time and circumstances had allowed, I would have loved to soak in these therapeutic waters.  People come from all over the country to benefit from the hot springs.  

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