On our ninth day we drove south heading to the Autosafari Chapín. This is a drive through zoo with a smaller walk through zoo and a pool resort at the end of your drive. In order to drive through that zoo, though, we were to first drive through a valley of sorrows.
On our way there we drove past the devastation that Volcán de Fuego left last year. Volcán de Fuego (Fire Volcano) is one of Guatemala’s active volcanoes. On June 3 2018 the volcano erupted in a series of explosions, pyroclastic flows, and clouds of volcanic ash. It caused the death of hundreds of people.
Life and time here on this earth are so… linear. As you make your way through this winding road you go from the lush green of all the vegetation that grows along the roads to a buzz of activity of a community that is seeing the rebuilding of the roads and bridges that now need to be restored. You’re likely to have to come to a complete stop for road work, a good 20 minutes at least, but you will not lack anything as street vendors will come to your window offering water and a variety of snacks. When you start driving again, you suddenly go through devastated patches covered in black sand. There are tons of trucks and cranes moving about, road workers hammering, large machinery moving equally large chunks of concrete and steel, but it still somehow feels silent. It’s almost as if the land itself just sits there grieving, numb to the traffic and work. Much like a recovering victim, she lets life happens around her while trying to figure out what to make of herself now.
Looking at this mixture of desolation and building project all the stories and rumors heard at the wake of the tragedy come to mind of the families that had gathered together for a Sunday family meal who had to run for their lives and came out missing large numbers in the end; of the people who left for work and were never able to come back to the homes or the people they said good by to that morning. All such sad stories of loss and pain. My heart appreciated those brief sobering moments of prayer for those we can’t help and gratitude for the life, health, and wellness we enjoy. We kept driving through and came on the other side where sunshine on the trees and greens along the roads. The pain has been left behind, the land is full of life and joy, the grief of just a few miles back seemingly forgotten. Life goes on.
Through the valley of sorrows we kept going, pressing through for the excitement ahead. Oh! If it had only been so easy for those who actually lived through the eruption of the volcano!
The drive through zoo experience was a lot of fun.
Those giraffes, though! Past the driving through the giraffe’s enclosure, we read there was a stop where you had the opportunity to feed the giraffes. We looked forward to the chance to get out of the car, stretch our legs, and —of course— feed the giraffes.
It is no surprise that things are run very differently in Guatemala than in the States. We paid for our branches and were pointed in the direction of the platform where we could feed the giraffes. There was absolutely no one there. It was our family and these three giraffes.
Leo realized very quickly that if he didn’t hold on tight to that branch, that giraffe was just going to snatch it away!
Victoria was also thankful that I refused her independence and helped hold on to her branch! The giraffe basically lifted her off the ground!
But the most epic moment of this experience (and maybe even the whole trip, if we’re really honest!) came when we decided to pose with one of the giraffes behind us!
Wait for it…
Up close and personal!
and the stare!
This was for sure one of those moments we will never forget! and Benny gets to brag about being “smooshed” by a giraffe! Of course, after we laughed, we quickly left that platform because we really don’t know giraffes and there was no one around to tell us whether he was being playful or beginning to lose his patience with us!
We wrapped up our time with pool time and a snack by the pool. Before the rain hit we got in the car and drove to an early dinner. We had a wonderful time!
