Bicycling- Amana Colonies

 

We drove over to Amana colonies I’m parked at the old train depot. The Amana colonies was settled in 1843 by two German brothers, escaping German persecution and looking for religious freedom. It was a communal colony where the people worked together with farming and everyday life. There were 55 kitchens in the community where people could eat their meals. Today it’s a beautiful pristine Looking tourist area. The lawns are perfectly manicured and they’re beautiful flowers everywhere surrounding the brick homes. Our first stop was the chocolate house as any First stop should be. The chocolate was solely to fuel us with some energy for our bike ride. We had three truffles and they were absolutely delicious. I would say it with some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Our bike ride was about 5 1/2 to 6 miles long and it goes by the lake and all the different shops. We perused in the general store, the Christmas shop and two different  Artist shops. We ate lunch at the Millhouse brewery where we had a citrus wheat beer each. I had a bratwurst with salad. Scotty had a schnitzel sandwich and we shared some cheese curds. It was a perfect day to sit outside to enjoy a perfect lunch.

Camping - Kent County Park

 It was about a 4 Hour Dr. to our next stopping point which was Kent County Park. The Sites here our first come first serve, Which was definitely not a problem. There are two loops and we drove around twice until we finally realized where the water outlets were. We filled up with some water about a third of the way and then found a nice level campsite site number 68. There is a water spigot nearby, should we need to get more. 

After setting up our home, we went on a walk about 2 1/2 miles around the lake. The trail is called the Rod Dunlop Memorial Trail. It’s an interesting trail that this man devoted his life to developing. There are seven bridges along the trail and over streams that lead into the lake. There are four different kinds of steel bridges That were brought into the park from various parts of Johnson County. The Bridges date from the 1870s to the 1930s. There was one bridge that was put into place by a Chinook helicopter. It was also Nice to see other people out enjoying the beautiful weather and the lake. 

Camping -Pere Marquette

 It was about a 5 hour drive to this campground. This is a nice campground as the sites are spread out. The only thing we noticed was it was overrun with mosquitoes, but it was only a stopping point so it did not matter much to us.We chose this campground because of its vicinity to St. Louis and Ricky and Ray came to meet us for dinner at Grafton oyster bar. We had a lovely dinner overlooking the river. I had a salad with grilled pears and Gorgonzola cheese and shrimp. it was absolutely delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well and best of all we were allowed to bring in carrot cake for dessert, we were celebrating the birthdays of both Ricky and Rae. We also gave a slice of carrot cake to the waitress who seemed to appreciate it.  I also received a bouquet of flowers and a Mother’s Day card, which was very sweet.

Guatemala City

Our walking tour of Guatemala City was canceled this morning—the guide had twisted her ankle. We tried to find another, but everything was either fully booked, only in Spanish, or unavailable. To add to it, many of the major attractions were closed for the weekend, including the museums in the botanical gardens, which we would have loved to see. It all felt a bit surprising.

So we decided to explore on our own, walking from Zone 4 down to Zone 1, the historic district. Both areas are considered relatively safe, though many parts of Guatemala City are not. Along the way, we passed countless shops and locals going about their day, and at no point did we feel unsafe.

We did feel like we stood out. Scotty, because of his height, and me—maybe because of my hair color. Most people didn’t pay us much attention, though one couple stopped and asked, “Canada or America?” When we answered “America,” they smiled and said they were from Canada.

Our first stop—no surprise—was a panadería. We had visited one with the same name near the Holiday Inn earlier in the trip and remembered the pastries fondly. One thing that stood out: there were two armed guards inside. In fact, nearly every store seemed to have a guard at the entrance, usually carrying a gun.

Walking through the city felt very different from any U.S. city I’ve experienced. These are simply observations, as I don’t fully understand the culture or context behind them:

• Street vendors were everywhere, actively calling out to attract customers.
• The streets were busy and loud, filled with constant movement and conversation.
• Many disabled individuals were asking for money. (Blind, physically deformed, paraplegics)
• We saw a baby with a cleft lip, which reminded me of what our host in Antigua shared about a clinic there that helps treat cleft palates.
• Mothers carried their babies in beautiful woven slings—quietly and closely. I never once heard a baby cry.
• English was rarely spoken. At one pizza place, a young boy knew just a little. Not having Wi-Fi made ordering and understanding menus more challenging.
• Churches were full, and the people inside seemed deeply engaged in prayer—heads bowed, some with tears on their cheeks.
• People didn’t mind being photographed, as long as I asked first, especially for close-up shots.
• Children stayed close to their mothers, whether mom was running a booth or selling goods on the street.
• Very few women wore traditional Guatemalan dress. Most dressed modestly in long pants; I didn’t see shorts or dresses. 
• We saw a young woman stop to pee at an extremely busy intersection. 

This is the closed museum. Ridiculous that they’re closed on the weekend!!

We bought two of these small red bananas. They tasted slightly sweeter than our yellow banana, bananas, in the fruit almost had a pinkish tint to it.

Chickens in the market.

After watching the movie, we headed out for dinner to San Martin. This was the same bakery, where we got our pastries this morning. The menu was quite extensive and we were at a loss. We each ordered a combination meal and a drink only after I discovered it was Wi-Fi. Did I realize we had just ordered two tea drinks. Now that I had a translator I was able to request another fruit drink rather than tea I do like my sleep. Dinner was absolutely delicious, probably one of our better meals because it came with a fresh salad. We’ve been hesitant to order fruits or vegetables at the local stands and felt more confident in this chain like restaurant 10 out of 10 for this restaurant! 

Shuttle to Guatemala City

At the last moment, I jumped out of bed and headed down to the water for sunrise photos. The hotel was incredibly quiet at 6:45 a.m. I watched fishermen pulling in their catch, and one waved and called out “adiós” as he left—a perfect little sendoff.

Back in the room, Scotty had already packed, so I quickly got my things together and we went to breakfast. It was excellent. I had an omelette with avocado, cheese, and beans, plus fried potatoes with finely chopped peppers that I loved. Scotty had three large wheat pancakes with blackberry syrup and another syrup that tasted like molasses, along with fruit and two eggs over easy. We both had fresh juice that tasted mostly like watermelon. Sitting on the balcony, it was a lovely way to end our stay at Casa del Mundo.

We walked to Jaibalito to grab drinks for our shuttle, then spent some time relaxing back at the hotel, where we met the founder. An American who came to Guatemala in the ’90s, he built the hotel over time and now runs it with his son. He shared how they treat employees well, even building housing nearby so staff can stay during the week. It was interesting to hear how much thought he’s put into the place.

Soon it was time to leave. Our ferry back to Panajachel was quieter than usual but made several stops along the way. As always, I worried about timing—but we arrived with time to spare. A locked gate slowed us down briefly, and after rushing up the cobblestone hill with our suitcases, we realized we were at the wrong meeting point. Luckily, Scotty reached the driver and we made it onto the van just in time.

Suitcases travel on top of the ferry. This worried us some as the boats go fast, the railings are short in the front of the boat definitely goes up out of the water pretty high.

The drive wound up steep, twisty roads toward Guatemala City. At our Airbnb, the receptionist only spoke Spanish, so after some back-and-forth and a quick call with the host, we got our key. The unit is small but comfortable on the 17th floor. Surprisingly, we could still hear traffic below, but earplugs helped—I ended up sleeping a full nine hours.

Hike to Tzunun-na

The skies were a beautiful blue when we woke up—the first time we could really see the volcanoes’ terrain clearly across Lake Atitlán.

We walked up above our unit at Casa del Mundo and picked up the trail to Jaibalito—an easy 15-minute stroll.

 From there, we continued on toward Tzununá, which was definitely not as easy. It took us about an hour and a half (maybe more) to cover roughly three miles, climbing up and down the mountainside with some pretty steep stretches. Starting early was a smart move—we were able to pause in the shade and catch our breath along the way. There were incredible views and the path was pretty most of the time.

By the time we reached Tzununá, my knees were making their opinions known. We split up—Scotty powered on for another 45-minute uphill trek to a small waterfall, while I wandered through town, found a drink and grabbed a roll. This town is known to be less touristy, and I noticed a lot of Guatemalan’s heart at work in different tasks. It seems like every town has some sort of a municipal/community center with resources for the people. And as usual, there were many colorful, murals, and many tuk-tuks on the road.

We very wisely took a ferry back to Jaibalito—otherwise I might have staged a full-on protest right there on the trail.

For lunch, we headed to a German restaurant we’d heard about, Hans’ German Restaurant. We both ordered beef schnitzel—Scotty with fried potatoes (and more fried potatoes thanks to a translation hiccup), and me with sauerkraut. It came with delicious bread, and we each had a pineapple smoothie. It was hearty, filling, and such an interesting, unexpected spot. The owner, Hans, is German and has lived here for 25 years. The place felt like part restaurant, part community hub—dogs lounged under our chairs, a few ducks wandered by, and we even spotted a goat nearby. It’s clear he’s well loved in the village, employing locals and supporting the community in meaningful ways.

After lunch, we took the lakeside path back to Casa del Mundo—just a quick 10-minute walk and easily one of the nicest stretches of the day. We relaxed on one of the lower balconies before heading up for hot showers, then spent more time unwinding on our own balcony as the rain finally rolled in.

Weather-wise, we’ve been incredibly lucky—despite daily forecasts calling for all-day rain, it’s mostly held off until later in the afternoon, giving us full, beautiful mornings to explore