My friends in the Matazano mountains
our police escort through the mountains of southeast Guatemala from Guatemala City to Chiquimula
nightly fare put on at the Bensen Institute by one of the native ladies we hired. Looks like rice milk, potato, pasta, meat and tortillas.
we set up in the Matazano mountains on the portch of this house
palm leaves roof and bamboo walls
a couple Aaronic Priesthood waiting for church to start
Driving to our Tuesday destination
driving down the mountain Tuesday night
Coopan, Honduras mayan ruins
Grateful family we worked on at school in Rio Arriba
Matazano
border of Guatemala and Honduras--stop and pay to leave Guat and pay to enter Honduras
Copan, Honduras Mayan ruins
cathedral Esquipulas
our team at Bensen Institute preparing for day's adventure: Daleen King (facilitator), Judy Melchor (assistant), Phil Terribilini (dentist), Glen Dean (pedodontist), Tiffany Railsback (assistant), Emily Hartman (hygienist), Ben Wall (dentist), Vicente (driver)
church at Chiquimula
countryside Guapinol
Dr Wall, dentist and archaeologist
Dr Wall at Rio Arriba
Guat-Honduras border
early morning outside our Chiquimula hotel before walk to Bensen Institute
Catholic church at Guapinol where we worked Monday
doing laundry
school at Matazano
no pickups going by without passengers
Porch of house where we set up our Tuesday clinic
observers, waiting their turn at school in Rio Arriba
Guatemala City hotel San Carlos where we stayed before driving to Chiquimula
colorful attire of mountain ladies waiting for their turn in Guapinol. Throughout the country, it is rare to see a lady in pants.
hospital where the whole group did extractions all afternoon Sunday.
Matazano mountains--girls had some extractions done. Generally all the kids and adults rarely expressed pain with injections or dental treatment
school kids at Rio Arriba where we set up clinic
an old 1600 cathedral is being restored after earthquake and fire damage. A few blocks away in Chiquimula
school Rio Arriba
Dr Ben Wall and friends
lots of dogs in town--trying to come in before church
building materials drying
Karaoke with Asorech employees (our hosts/drivers) after work week
Vicente and Dr Wall
we picked up some passengers on way up to Matazano since we had 2 pickups that day (had to take a generator--no electricity) Fun driving 4WD very steep inclines. They had lots of stuff to carry and had miles yet to go!
my favorite location of the whole trip--Matazano
the whole group
Tiffany, me and Dr Dean
don't ride your bicycle too close to those hub caps.
Vicente (our driver/facilitator) and me
Luke Owen, behind me, poor guy tried to study his organic chemistry during the trip (pre-dental student)
hospital waiting room where we did extractions our first day
dogs everywhere
coming down off the mountain on Tuesday
Tiffany was very helpful (and always cheerful).
roadside wildflowers
home in Matazano village
Tuesday--The mountains of Matazano--this was my favorite day--it was so green and beautiful and the people were so kind and grateful. Daleen called it "celestial"
Vicente with Emily Hartman (RDH)
did you know that McDonalds delivers?
church on Sunday morning
we had room for passengers on drive to village of Matazano
my shower in hotel--only on and off--no hot
Daleen King of Logan Utah (facilitator and sterilization) always kept me guessing. That bamboo in back is getting big, but they use it for buildings.
Jose Beltran, dental assistant and translator, works at Rachel's school.
Susan Frame of Orem in Guatemala City
Play farkle (Pace's favorite dice game)
don't worry, those are Quetzalo prices 7-8 to a dollar.
Hotel in Guatemala City before going out and "roughing it"
Bags of blankets and hygiene kits were also brought for distribution
but how will I get one of those cool brooms onto the plane?
we are ready to rumble
church
driving off to our assignments that day
flag of Guatemala
Judy Melchor (with Dr Wall) was very helpful to our team
Typically it was an hour and a half to our village each day.
the bishop and his son
While the women are selling the produce at the market, the men try to stay busy
our hotel in Chiquimula
The church where we set up our Monday clinic
village of Matazano--my favorite place
hike from Hotel to Bensen Institute (run by Church welfare) where we are our cold cereal each morning. Townspeople always have a friendly greeting.
Ann Brown helped organize the trip standing next to Estuardo (one of the Asorech driver/facilitators)
trees with yellow flowers in bloom all over the countryside
organizing blankets/hygiene kits for distribution
wanna buy a casket?
Assignments for the 3 teams each day. We were team 2.
Not everyone in the country is poor--some can afford gold in their teeth
I do not want to be driving on these narrow, mountain roads when it's the rainy season May-Oct (esp Sept, I hear--along with mosquitoes)
woops, have to drain the diesel fuel out of the gasoline engine.
looks like carpet, it's just colored fine sawdust on the floor at the hotel in Guatemala City
susan frame, daleen king and angie Prince at the airport
if trucks weren't carrying produce, they were carrying passengers
school kids walking home Chiquimula
It started to rain in the afternoon in our Matazano clinic
on Thursday we set up in a city auditorium in Esquipulas
Karaoke after a work week--some in English, some Spanish
cute kids in Matazano
kids in Guapinol
photos others took
tobacco fields
low door
