Imagine...stall after stall of beautiful handmade textiles (blankets, table runners, placemates, traditional female huipuils), jewelry made from Guatemala jade, decorations made from wood and metal, and my own personal favorite, an endless amount of brilliantly colored and designed bags.   This continues for rows and rows until you are wandering lost but still finding treasures everywhere you turn.  While it is definitely crowded squeezing through the rows you get to name your price for most items and are gauranteed a good deal if you can hold your ground.   Not for the faint of heart, this is the Sunday market in Chichicastenango, a Guatemalan town known for and made famous by the above events.  Two weekends ago, Ryan and I visited Chichi with some friends from school (the Cade family and another couple). 



We arrived on Saturday and walked into town where we caught a glimpse of the preparations for the biggest day of the week.  We made sure to get to bed early so we could grab a quick breakfast in the morning and be shopping by 8. 

Ryan chose to start the morning at Church (I gave up on Mass in Spanish!) where he prayed that I wouldn't hit the ATM too many times.  The Mass was an interesting mix of Catholic and Mayan traditions.  By the time he was done Kristin, Audrey, and I done some damage.  Ryan GLADLY volunteered to make the first trip back to the hotel with a round of packages and the youngest shopper, Channing Cade.  At five years old, the hotel swimming pool was sounding more enjoyable to her than many more hours in the market.  As I'm sure my dad and many others would tell her father, Stephen, he should be grateful she feels this way because it won't last long.



By the end of the day I had stayed on my budget and gotten some great gifts for friends, family, and ourselves.  We only have four weekends left here in Guatemala and we have plans to take full advantage of each of them.  We're starting this weekend with a visit from Ryan's dad and stepmom. 

[Editor's Note:  This sets a record for Sarah with 2 blogs in a row.  Columnist O'Connor will return from vacation later this week.]