Day 2- So far so good, no, great!!

We've all survived day 2- in fact Dan is just tiptoeing to her crib to set her down. Now he's passing out on the couch with his iPod.

We went to Antigua today and Kat was just awesome the whole time. I suppose it's a baby trait, as the world is mighty big, but she is insanely curious about everything and thus going out in her carrier is very fun and entertaining and so far being in the stroller is too (though we've only gone to the restaurant downstairs). I'm guessing we'll both be feeling some soreness tomorrow after having 20+ pounds strapped to us while walking around (and in the car, as there are no child seats here).

We got her visa today, so all should be well tomorrow at the airport. Excepting the fact that I may have discarded her ticket in the little envelope with our luggage stickers from the flight here, as I knew we would not be needing those and forgot all about the baby paper ticket inside. Dan thinks it's a e-ticket and he checked, it is definitely linked to ours, so hopefully we won't be buying a new one..... And her name is wrong on her reservation, it has just her first three names and thus does not match her passport exactly (which I've been told it has to).....we're allowing time before the flight to take care of possible ticketing issues.

I asked our guide today about Guatemalan naming conventions (and I think it applies to the rest of Central and South America as well). Everybody has 4 names and the mother's comes last and you always use all 4 names. Which would explain how they did it on her birth certificate.

Antigua is beautiful- all of the streets are the original cobblestones and there are many buildings, especially churches from the 1500s. Most have been rebuilt after earthquakes bet. 1500-1700 or so, though some have not. And there are tons of street vendors selling just about any kind of craft-ware. Yesterday I bought a scarf, a table runner and a kid's patchwork backpack. Today, after going to the Jade factory, I had to buy a ring and bracelet and a beautiful jade (blue jade, indigenous to Guatemala) necklace for Kat when she grows up. And I had to get her a handmade wall hanging that tells a story of the Mayan people (if one knows how to read the pictures) for her room.

There is no question that there is severe poverty here, especially amongst the indigenous populations. And I've never seen so much razor wire in my life as in Guatemala City (on 2 very brief forays out of the hotel). I was extremely surprised at the US Embassy that the guards outside it were NOT US Marines. They looked like (from their uniforms) and in fact are, rent-a- cops (or at least a contracted company). I had just assumed that all US Embassies were manned by Marines. Now I know.

This is us at the old monastery, in front of the pool from the old aqueduct.