Hernan's Home

In the afternoon, after Kabah, we stopped at the home of our tour guide's friend. Señor y Señora Hernan still live the Mayan lifestyle... very simple, very humble, but also very happy.
Señora Hernan made us tortillas filled with ground pumpkin seed and habanero salsa. It was hot! I can't believe I lived.
Señor Hernan told us this was a "family hammock." It fits six people. He told us that two go to bed at night and three wake up... I immediately made Eric get out of the hammock... and he immediately bought one.

(House, out house, cook house)

Hernan's have a plot of land as well as a garden next to their home. They seem to have a remedy for everything; mosquitoes, headache, stomach ache... if you had it, they had the remedy in plant form. Every morning they walk an hour to their plot- work in it- then walk back. There was no electricity (except for one small tv... which was kind of funny), no running water, they had a one room home that acted as living and sleeping area (they raised four children here).

dinner

He taught us how he makes rope from a guava leaf. First, he peeled the green off of the leaves and inside are fine fibers. He hung these fibers in the sun to dry, then tied the fibers to his toe and quickly made a rope out of it. I told him he needed to teach me his technique so I can do that to Kinsley's hair in the morning... he thought I was being funny... I was being serious. I still don't know how he did it.

It was very humbling. On the way back to the city Eric said, "That made our Dead Cat House look like a mansion." Yes, our cat house may smell bad and look bad, but we are blessed.