You're going where!?

“You're going where!?!” Most people responded as we mentioned that we were going to Aguanoueterique for an over night during Semana Santa. For the last 5 years or so, our friend Joel has been inviting us to his remote village where he grew up as a kid. So we finally said YES.

We looked a little hill billy as it was a BYOB (bring your own bed) invite, so we had 4 mattresses rolled and strapped to the top of the 4Runner with the back piled high of our bedding, clothes, swim stuff, and our share of food and snacks. He said ‘turn at the unfinished road and go straight for at least an hour’ – well we found it with not one wrong turn.

The house was a typical, middle of the road pueblo house – made out of block, a few hammocks swinging through the otherwise empty living room, 2 bedrooms off the back porch, and 1 toilet stall, 1 shower stall, and then 2 wood cooking stoves and a fridge. As we showed up so did 2 other cars of cousins and second cousins. We were given one of the bedrooms (they are so hospitable!) and we changed and headed to the big attraction: the river. A bumpy 15 minute drive later we all jumped into the water seeking relief from the heat! We swam and explored until after the sun set and then they brought out the coffee thermals and sweet bread (seriously awesome and surreal!) There were at least 30 of us – we had joined their  family!  We arrived back at the house to no electricity – no problem thanks to the outside fires to cook the fried fish. They then took us to see the Center Park (the pride of every pueblo) and Tristan started a big game of hide and go seek tag… By the end he had attracted every child within 3 blocks and everyone was sweaty and laughing.

We all slept well and got up to more coffee and sweet bread on the patio, some games of UNO and swinging in the hammocks until we were given MORE breakfast (oh had I known before I'd have eaten all that bread!) then we headed back to the river – this time we weren't the only ones there…the entire pueblo was there for this holiday break! We swam and ate all day – feeling very much like a part of this great family that accepted us as their own.

Despite the fact that we have been here for almost 8 years, these 24 hours was a first for us – seeing our kids comfortably fit right into the frenzy, jumping into a normal family holiday, and being comfortable with going with the flow. The power outage, lack of water, no showering, was really all ok, because we were included into this loving family as their own.