Sunday

The celebration for El Dia de los Muertos began at midnight in the cemetary. We woke up at 1 am to the sound of music and the sound of a loud motorcycle headed to the cemetary. When we woke up in the morning, they were lighting off the "bombas". They sound like what I imagine a cannon to sound like. We hear them often in San Andres when the brujos (witch doctors) are doing their sacrifices and ceremonies. They were lighting them off when we were at the Children's Home last Thursday in preparation of the weekend. There is an initial bang and then shortly after there is a much louder bang that you feel in your chest. The ones on Sunday morning in Canilla did not seem quite that loud but the dogs were not liking them at all.

We spent the morning packing up our picnic lunch and then at around 10 am or so we headed up to Chiminicijuan. It took us about an hour or so to drive up the mountain roads. Since the rains have stopped we were able to drive the entire way to the clinic building. The fire was started to get ready for lunch and also because it was very cold up there. (I know it is all relative - it is colder where most of you are than it was there!) Here is a picture of most of us huddled around the fireplace.


There is a swing hanging from the rafters so the kids kept warm by playing on that. This is Sylvia and Hannah.


After lunch we took a hike up the mountain. Once we reached the top - this was the view. You could see the entire valley where the ministry serves past the line of mountains. San Andres is to the left and Canilla is to the right.


After our hike, we returned to the clinic building and roasted marshmallows. We headed back down at around 5 pm and reached Canilla around dark. We met several truckloads of people headed back up the mountain - returning home after their day in Canilla for the celebration.