Finca Azotea Coffee Farm Tour

A visit to Guatemala would not be complete without learning about coffee.  We took our Summer Sojourners to Finca Azotea in Jocotenango to tour the coffee farm and see how coffee is not only grown but processed.  The tour cost Q50 (around $6.00) and takes at least an hour.  

 

our crew ready for the coffee tour

 

learning where coffee is grown around the world

 

David relaxing while the students did the tour.

 

Me relaxing as well.

 

The boys rotated between the hammocks and the swings while we waited.

 

coffee plants

 

the coffee plant flower

It blooms right before it starts to produce the beans and has the sweetest most pleasant smell.

 

 

coffee beans growing

 

 

our students walking through the farm on the tour

 

 

 

At the end of the tour everyone gets to sample a cup of coffee. They also get to sample several jellies made from coffee.  And of course there is time to shop in the store.

 

coffee cheers

 

When the tour ended we joined them for biking.  The farm rents bikes for 30 minutes or an hour.  We spent the rest of our time there biking through the farm and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

 

 

a video of our time at Finca Azotea

House of Jade Antigua, Guatmala

After our ChocoMuseo chocolate class we walked up the block to the Casa del Jade (House of Jade).  There we toured the museum and learned about the history of jade with the Mayans.  It is an interesting tour!

 

You can request an English speaking guide.

 

learning where jade is found in Guatemala 

 

sweet girls!

 

Trey explaining something to the boys.

 

our group at the jade museum

 

The tour is free and then you have the option to shop.  It's worth a visit if you are in town.

 

 

Here is a video of our time there.

Mother's Day 2023

In Guatemala I get to celebrate Mother's Day twice.  Mother's Day in Guatemala falls on May 10.  This year that was on a Wednesday.  Then, we celebrate again on the Sunday that it falls in the States.  When you add in the last day of school celebration, that gives me almost a whole week to be celebrated.  I'm not complaining!!  You know I love to celebrate. 

 

I got these delicious cupcakes from San Martin on the Guatemala day. They were just as yummy as they were pretty.

 

On Sunday morning I woke up to beautiful decorations in my kitchen and dining room.

 

I had a homemade card and new San Martin coffee cup waiting for me on the table.  I love collecting San Martin special occasion coffee cups!  This one for Mother's Day was very pretty!

 

 

For breakfast we had blueberry pecan pancakes, bacon, and fruit.

 

me and my boys on Mother's Day morninig

 

 

We took a few photos before leaving for church.

After church we had lunch with our friends the Johnsons at Pappy's BBQ in Antigua.

 

my delicious pulled pork plate

 

Afterwards, our family drove up to Santo Domingo del Cerro for a fun outdoor outing.

 

We spent a lot of time walking around.  There is so much to see and explore there. It is a beautiful place and was a wonderful choice for a Mother's Day outing.

 

Antigua down below.

 

We stopped by the restaurant for coffee and dessert.

 

 

creme brulee and flan

 

A view of Agua Volcano from the restaurant.

 

A view of Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes.

 

We walked through the museums.

 

 

I took a picture of Cruz with this statue of Tecun Uman, who is the national hero of Guatemala.

It reminded us of the time he had to dress up as Tecun Uman to march with his school in the Guatemala Independence Day parade in Jocotan. We still laugh about that!! You can read about that in this blog post of us celebrating Guatemala's Independence Day in 2013.

 

 

me and my sweet Ben

 

one of the museums on the property

 

There were many water fountains throughout the property and I think the boys played in almost every one of them.

 

 

 

Trying to take a family picture with this crew is a chore!

 

but it can also be a lot of fun!

 

We stopped at the lookout on the drive back down to town.  They had been offering helicopter tours over Antigua all day.  We stopped to watch them.

 

Antigua in the distance.

 

That evening we went to El Bosque, which is in town.  It is a beautiful outdoor area with restaurants, short walking trails, outdoor games,  and fire pits.  It has become our favorite place to go in town to relax.

 

me and the boys sitting by the fire at El Bosque

 

There are individual fire pits all over the property.  They are free to use and enjoy.

 

Our friends, the Johnsons, joined us for the evening.  Here I am with my sweet friend Sara.  I was glad to get to spend part of Mother's Day with her. In this season of life, I am thankful for friends here like her that I can walk this journey with.

We were married fourteen years before God gave us kids.  That's a long time to wait but we are thankful that in His perfect timing He blessed us with our two boys.  Not much in this life will ever bring me as much joy as I get from being a mother.  It is something I will never take for granted.