Calla lilies in bloom in Coban, the main town in the mountainous Alta Verapaz region of central Guatemala
Lush, fertile Coban is the first place we ever saw amaryllis growing in a garden
The courtyard of one of our favorite restaurants in Coban, the Xcape Koban, a quiet oasis among the noisy streets
Flowers in the courtyard at Xcape Koban
Corn drying in the eaves at Xcape Koban
Lacy white cotton blouses of the kind traditionally worn by women in Coban
A shop selling the full, pleated skirts and synthetic, colored, lacy blouses that women in Coban wear now
A flower seller napping in the central market. Coban is the commercial center of the Alta Verapaz region.
Relaxing outside our room at the Posada Monja Blanca guesthouse, a traditional house with a shaded veranda around a flower-filled courtyard
More verandas at our guesthouse; in a hot country like Guatemala, much of life is lived out of doors in hopes of catching a breeze
A old well at our guesthouse
A papaya tree in the courtyard
Steps leading up to the hilltop El Calvario church on the edge of central Coban
Niches built into the stairway are used as altars for burnt offerings (we saw the charred remains of candles, feathers, hair, corn cobs, and small coins)
Finca Rubel Chaim, a farm about 20km from Coban, owned by a North American couple, that takes paying guests
The newly built guest bungalow where we stayed at Finca Rubel Chaim
The finca's owner, Ken, with 5-year-old Olga, the daughter of the farm's local manager
Olga found us fascinating and often stopped by the bungalow to play with Melissa's art supplies
Olga in front of her family's home
A piece of cloth hand-woven by Olga's mother on a backstrap loom. We bought it for our collection of Guatemalan textiles.
The 350-acre farm has a little bit of everything, including tree ferns that reminded us of ones we saw in Australia
We got a chance to ride some of the farm's horses all over the property
The property includes a large cave, which local villagers use for religious ceremonies
A beautiful stream meanders through the farm
