Guatemala 2008 - Lots of pictures!

**vizi** · July 28, 2008, 05:40 PM

Just got back from Guate. My 6th time there. I went there to help with some orphanages, Mayan Indians and people that work in the garbage dump.

City Cemetery

There is a yearly rent for the mausoleum's. At least for the large more communal ones. After you fail to pay the rent I am told they remove the casket and toss it into the garbage dump. Which you can see in some of those pictures. Poor people live and work in the garbage dump. Collecting things to get money for. The buzzards were not afraid of us at all. Considering they live in the dump with the people that are working there.

Will update later.

**vizi** · July 31, 2008, 04:15 PM

Mazatenango

We went to a girls orphanage that we helped organize and fund. Lots of fun. In the lowlands. So it was almost as hot as Northwest Ohio. Which makes me angry.

**Hounf of Culan** · August 05, 2008, 02:25 PM

Cool! Did you go there to do charity work and stuff?

**vizi** · August 05, 2008, 03:00 PM

Yes I did. Provided food for people who work in the garbage dump. Food and medical supplies for a Mayan indian village and we support two girls orphanages. With education, cloths, etc...

Mayan Indian village we went to. I have more later if you want to see them...

**Aldgarkalaughskel** · August 06, 2008, 02:59 PM

Very nice pictures. Funny ones in the bus.

You must be a good man for engaging in this activity.

**IAmTheWarchief** · August 08, 2008, 04:52 PM

Thats awesome, congrats to you for doing charity work. Would you recommend going there?

**vizi** · August 13, 2008, 06:40 PM

It is a beautiful country. The people are generally nice to you. It isn't too hot in most places and there are plenty of tourist things to do as well.

Here are some more shots of the Mayan village

This is at the Santa Clare Nursery at the Guatemala City garbage dump. Before this place mothers would stack cardboard on top of the babies to prevent them from being eaten by buzzards. Now they have a nursery and a school for those kids.

I'll post more in a couple of days...just remind me.

**~~Miraj~~** · August 13, 2008, 06:43 PM

You are awesome.

Love these pics and those kiddies are adorable!

Btw, is that a volcano erupting in one of those pics?

**vizi** · August 13, 2008, 07:42 PM

Yes it is. I was happy with that shot! We were moving at about 50 km/h down the road and I was just taking blind pictures trying to get a good shot. And then later on we stopped and I was able to take some more pictures.

And thanks

**Thanatos** · August 13, 2008, 11:44 PM

Jeez, how many pictures did you take total?!

**vizi** · August 14, 2008, 02:21 AM

Uhhhh.....163...there are people that took 60 gigs worth of 7.1 MegaPixel Raw photos...I am just a happy amateur.

**Lord Consul** · August 17, 2008, 09:15 PM

Guatemala is a very poor country, but it's nice to see that people are not blind to their plight. Those mestizo kids deserve a better future than dying a ditch, victims of disease and starvation.

Miraj's right. You're truly awesome.

**~~Miraj~~** · August 17, 2008, 09:57 PM

Well so much for Vizigothe's hard ass persona.. you kind-hearted man you.

**vizi** · August 18, 2008, 01:50 AM

I have always been a internet tough guy Miraj.

I have been doing work in Guatemala since 2002. Helping people is something I have always loved to do. In fact it is really the only time I ever find my life grounded and not spinning out of control.

More pictures from the Santa Clara Mission!

The entire nursery and school sits looking over the garbage dump. The smell is very oppressive for most people. I have actually grown use to the smell so it doesn't bother me. We got to go to the houses of people who work in the dump area. I spent most of the time in the street watching people. It was very interesting. The little kids running around were amazed with me and kept playing peek-a-boo with me. Running out and yelling and then hiding again. We didn't take cameras with us because of the possibility of offending people or having them stolen.

Again if someone bumps this is a few days I will post some more pictures...

Thanks everyone for the compliments.

**vopohame** · August 31, 2008, 03:10 PM

I was there in the early 90s, looks like things have improved a little. Do people still live on the garbage dump?

I love that country people are very nice unless your in the middle of the civil war back then.