ferris wheels, buses, breasts, and bikes

My last night in San Lucas I met 3 boys- probably around 10 yrs old- who convinced me to to go to the large fair that is being set up to celebrate St. Lucas on October 18. Well, I{m usually a tough sell when it comes to spontaneous excitement with complete strangers (ha!), but i decided to go along. We atesome cracker-cookie things and then decided to go on the ferris wheel. They informed me that there was no reason to be worried, but my reality goggles were saying that the enormous wooden wheel that I saw being pieced together earlier that day wasn{t exactly a bright idea. Oh, but those little boys were so excited and their enthusiasm was contagious. Before I knew it I was on top of the world- or at least San Lucas with Stefan...a sweet, quiet 7 year old. He was shaking because it was starting to rain; my shakes were purely fear. I{ve never seen or felt a ferris wheel go so fast, and Ive never seen any type of machinery so in need of repair: metal wires hanging out everywhere, rotting wood seats, loud creaking noises, etc. I couldn{t stop squealing/screaming and I{m pretty sure I was scaring the wits out of poor little stefan. After about fifteen minutes of whirling excitement we all got off the ride grinning. Buenos noches amigos, and off to bed I went- delightfully satisfied.

Friday morning I said farewell to San Lucas and hopped into the back of a pick-up truck. Me, 6 men, and one woman with her daughter were standing in the bed of the truck holding on to support bars (picture cattle). We climbed up the bumpy road towards the top of one of the nearby volcanoes where there was an absolutely breathtaking view of lago de atitlan and all of its surrounding volcanoes, which are covered in lush, tropical plants and trees. I tried to make small talk with my fellow travelers, but eventually stopped to avoid disrupting the flow of life, culture, etc. and simply observe. However, I couldn{t resist a farewell wave as each passenger de-boarded. I was having one of those euphoria moments where everything felt right, which instantly makes me feel connected to the people around me...poor things.
After the truck ride it was 3 buses and 4 hours later that I arrived in San Andres Itzapa. Along the way we passed markets with all kinds of life bustling through: men, women and children in traditional dress (detailed, bright hand woven fabrics: shirts, skirts, and thick belts..each with different patterns and colors...picture an art farm on flag day...so many colors so much movement); malnourished dogs darting between the buses, motorcycles, cars as everything moves along the roads that are patched together with brick, rock, and dirt.
On the buses themselves there is an similar lack of disorder; for example, seating arrangements. Well let{s just say if any part of a seat is showing why a bum can surely fit there. For about an hour of the ride 1/4 of my left cheek was on the seat, which was occupied by three other women. The remainder of my left and right cheeks bounced in the isle and occassionally onto the woman{s thigh to my right. At each stop people would squeeze into and out of the bus: nursing mothers, preachers (he read from the Bible for a good 20 minutes as we bounced along), vendors from the market with bushels of flowers and ripe fruit...what an adventure. The importance of touch plays a role in this situation..by the end of the bus ride I felt like I had been hugged or intimate with hundreds of people...glorious!

At 2PM I arrived at Maya Pedal to be greeted by Alli and Colin and Carlos. Alli and Colin gave me the run down since they{ve been here for 2 weeks and are the only inhabitants at this point. Carlos, the brilliance behind the operation is delightful. One of the most patient beings I{ve ever met...and while I was impressed before meeting his pedal powered machines, wow! Washing machines, water pumps, corn mills, macadamia nut shellters, blenders...I write these out, but you must understand thaty they actually work- phenomenal! Today I started fixing up a bike...lots to learn on this end, but I do like getting greasy even if the bike still doesn{t work :) At 6PM Carlos closes up shop so Alli and Colin and I made dinnerafter picking up fresh tortillas -we watched them being made- what an art...clap, clap that dough into delicious flats of warmth.