Gualan, Guatemala

We drove 3 hours last Thursday to visit Emilio's uncle Sergio and family on his beautiful sprawling ranch in La Vainilla, a small pueblo outside of Gualan. Sergio has I don't know how many acres, and it is beautiful! He has cows, horses, chickens, pigs...What a delight for the boys! We got up early every morning we were there to walk to the "granja" where the cows were corralled. We watched Sergio and his grandson milk the cows. It was amazing to see that, one by one, he reunited the calves with their mothers. The calves knew it was their turn when the watched him tie up mom. Then, the calf was allowed to nurse for a few minutes before being pulled away so that the heifer could be milked. Serigo's cows are Brahmas. We (E, Sol, and I!) even took a couple swigs of the fresh milk - deelicious!!! And we didn't get sick, thank goodness. It was the first dairy we've had since we arrived in Guate, if you don't include the cheese on our McDonald's hamburgers. :) Afterward, Nefty got a ride on his cousin's horse, and Sol drove the tractor back to the house. The only downside to the visit was the intense heat - over 100* daily - and the innumerable mosquitos. I was eaten alive, and have too many bites on my legs to count. But it was worth it all. What a treat!

Unfortunately, our camera broke shortly before the trip. The tile floors here are not forgiving, and one fall from the table was all it took. We are looking into purchasing another very soon. So hang in there for more photos!