On our previous visit trips, our agency told us not to leave the hotel with Daniel, because he wasn't yet legally our child, and if the police harrassed us, it could get hairy. As much as I love hotels, even I have to admit it is a real drag to have to stay in a hotel for a week! So now that we have Daniel's final adoption papers, we've gotten a little bit more adventurous. We do carry copies of Danny's amended birth certificate that lists us as his parents, copies of all our passports, the phone number for the U.S. Embassy and our attorney, etc. just to be on the safe side. And, we have only gone out in groups, and take taxis at night even if we're going somewhere within walking distance.
Our first excursion was yesterday, when we went to the zoo. We went with my new friend who lives near us, her son, and her mom. It was a beautiful day, and great to get out of the hotel! The taxi driver dropped us off at the entrance, and I told him when and where to pick us back up. He was right on time, and we didn't have to pay anything until he picked us up for the return trip. The zoo is small, but pretty nice, and they have some interesting animals that we won't find at the L.A. Zoo. Daniel particularly liked the leopards, pumas and baboons. There were a lot of baby animals, including some monkeys that looked like they had just been born!
Right across the street from the zoo is a handicrafts market. It is smaller, safer and less crowded than the main "Central Market" in G.C. My friend wanted to buy some things, so we went through the market and I shopped vicariously through her. I figured I'd bought enough stuff on our first 4 trips, although I could easily have bought a lot more if I'd been holding the credit card, I saw so many beautiful things!
Now for the food report:
Today, we went with the same people to lunch at a nearby bakery/cafe. The food was delicious! I had what is actually a Mexican sandwich made with chicken, both red and green salsa, tomatoes, and refried beans on a baguette. I'm going to try to make it at home, I liked it so much. Eric had a good vegetarian sandwich. We managed to keep ourselves from buying the bakery items, but they looked really yummy!
Tonight, I went to dinner at a restaurant very close to where we had lunch. Eric and Daniel both seem to be coming down with colds, so they stayed at the hotel. We crammed 5 adults and 2 babies into a very small taxi; my friend had to sit on her mom's lap! But it was worth it, because the food was fabulous. Everyone got a cup of what tasted like chicken broth with cilantro in it, which I liked a lot. I had tacos (how original, I know!) and I brought a steak back for Eric. His dinner also came with corn on the cob, a baked potato, three kinds of salsa/condiments, and tortillas. We have to find a good Guatemalan restaurant back home, if only for the tortillas!
I think we're going to hang around the hotel tomorrow, especially if Eric and Danny are still feeling yucky. But it has been great to get out of the hotel, do a few last "typically Guatemalan" things to tell Daniel about when he's older, and meet new friends.
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