Week One: Lake Drives & Raining Ash
The first week in a new home, let along a new country, is like a scavenger hunt. You go from knowing everything in your home town to wandering streets looking for things like cotton balls, good cheese and a dog park. What side of the street do you walk on and who exactly has the right of way on the roads when there’s no stop signs, street lights or bike lanes? And what exactly do you do (and how do you not breathe it in) when your neighbor volcano rains ash for hours, which doesn’t settle for four days? And there’s the discovery of new insane restaurants, breathtaking cafe courtyards and visiting those creating intricate woven textiles for that first collection. Eyes brimming with wonder and heart with gratefulness, to be here, to be in this, right now.
travel. it’s opening a book and discovering a new string of words on every page you turn. the stuff that used to be ordinary and second-nature to you is no longer is here. and if you open yourself up to it – if you let go of “the way things should be” – what an adventure.
Week one adventures (via my trusty iPhone):
A view of Antigua from the hill.
Weekend market in front of El Carmen ruins.
Street Sights
Volcan de Fuego (“Volcano of Fire”) erupted ash 18,000 ft. into the air, closing down the Guatemala City airport and leaving Antigua in a thick layer of white on our floors, lawns and pets. Of the three volcanoes that surround Antigua, this is the only active one. It’s a way of life here, and what makes all these beautiful plants grow.
Being back in Guatemala means catching up with the artisans I’ve been working with this last year and seeing the first collection develop in person.
Finding inspiration at every little stop in Lake Atitlan.
Getting to explore the land which my artisan partners in Lake Atitlan come from.