The first four photos are of my stay in Antigua and the second four are from Panajachel, Sololá, Lago de Atitlán from where I traveled to Flores, Guatemala yesterday on a 13-hour bus trip after my 7-day visit to my friend Bob in Pana.  Arriving at 8 PM all I could do was eat dinner, have a couple of beers and crash.  But today I´m wandering the beautiful island city of Flores, a short distance away from the ancient Maya ruins of Tikal, a huge truly American metropolis founded 900 years before the spawn of christianity rose to infect humankind´s mind to its present dogmatic state.  Tikal was a city that existed in royal splendor alongside similar Mayan metropolises for almost 2,000 years until 900 C.E.  In the next few days I will be exploring and studying Tikal as well as other Mayan city-states in Guatemala and Belize, of which there are hundreds, many not yet excavated.  The adventure continues….

This colonial city is replete with history.  I have been walking around for the past three days and have encountered antiquity in every block, beginning with the cobble-stoned streets for which one must definitely wear sturdy shoes if doing much walking.  A few minutes ago I walked by a large crumbling structure that occupied half a city block and I noticed a metal plaque mounted high on a stone wall.  I edged closer to peer through the metal wrought-iron fence and read that in that building lived and wrote the conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who arrived on Mexico’s shores in 1519 with Hernan Cortez, one of the common soldiers who wrote a first-person account of the conquest of Mexico.  It took two years to subdue the Aztec empire.  Bernal Diaz ended up in Antigua, Guatemala’s first capital city, after participating in numerous battles subjugating and enslaving the original indigenous American inhabitants.  Tomorrow I leave for Lago de Atitlan, considered by many to be the most beautiful spot on the planet.

Governor Jerry Brown and First Lady Honor 2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado

 Last Updated on Thursday, 31 May 2012 04:14

5-30-2012 – SACRAMENTO – On behalf of all Californians, Governor Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown honor 2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado, who bravely gave his life in service to our state and nation. The Governor and First Lady extend their deepest condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.

In memorial, Governor Brown ordered that flags be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol today. 2nd Lt. Morgado’s family will receive a letter of condolence from the Governor.

2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado, 25, of San Jose, CA, died May 23, in Zharay, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 

There are endings and there are beginnings.  Some of life´s endings are enough to shake one to the core and shatter the belief in an ability to welcome new beginnings, the future appearing dire and dark.  I have been forcing myself to go through the motions, sick inside, emotions heaving while life goes on around me.  Edith invited me today to go with her to the groundbreaking of the new well being dug before construction of the new building for the Fundación Señor San José begins.  24/7 water is key to maintaining a population of 29 anticipated at-risk children.  Of course I went with her and the two youngest children.  I am committed to supporting her efforts.  The future of the children is the future of our community, the future of society.  As committed as I am, nonetheless I will be traveling into the Guatemalan jungle in a few days in a search for guidance.  Travis and I climbed the ancient Maya pyramid ruins in the Yucatán in his senior year of high school.  Perhaps I can find some peace of mind visiting the Maya ruins at Tikal and Palenque.  I plan to be gone for a month trying to understand and accept why, recognizing that I must move forward in spite of the pain: recognizing and coming to terms with the fact that there is much pain in the world.