We arrived on time in Patalul and got on a pick up with 12 or so other people and rode the 1/2 hour or so to Pochuta where we were to meet Becky and Aaron @ 3. We arrived at 2:45. The ride was a combination of good, new road and rough dirt road up a mountain.
It was so good to see Becky and Aaron! We purchased some supplies... 100 lbs of corn for tortillas, bottled water, and 2 doz eggs as well as veggies and fruit. This was how we kept from being a burden on the family we would stay with. Becky and Aaron had hired a driver (the local school principal) to take us the 6 miles up the mountain from Pochuta to Union Victoria. He owns one of two pickups in the entire community of 525 people in U.V.
It was an amazing change in climate and countryside. Xela was warm/ cold and very dry... not much green vegetation... and VERY dusty! U.V. is very mountainous and green with lush vegetation and dark rich soil... a STARK difference!
We spent some time with Becky and Aaron getting briefed on the community and some do's and don'ts. Just before we were ready to go meet the family we would stay with, it started pouring. When it didn't let up, we walked down the hill to meet them anyway.
We met Antoino, Maria, Jose, Paulina and Flora. They are a sweet family. Antonio is a 4th and 5th grade teacher and makes 35 Q a day.... about $5! Their oldest son is at a boarding High School and that costs about 1300 Q a month for 10 months.
Supper was black beans, coffee, sugared milk and tomales (a glob of corn mush cooked in a banana leaf). After supper with the family and Becky and Aaron, we were shown our room... with a 3/4 bed. The bed was in the corner against the rough cement block wall and had no mattress... only boards. Most of their houses do not have inside doors and all four rooms open toward the center. All eyes were on us always! The bed was VERY HARD... my hips and back hurt for 3 days after leaving! This was the first time I felt like maybe I had contracted an amoeba... my stomach rumbled all night very vigorously!
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