Hotel Real Plaza Antigua Guatemala

... Costa Rica on our way to Peru. Our time here is going to fly by - I can't believe we've already been here a week. A typical day has been something like the following: Breakfast at 7AM. School from 8AM-noon in our open-air classroom overlooking Volcano Agua. Lunch whenever we get home after school. Activities through the school at 2PM. Dinner at 7PM. We try to study intermittently. We are extremely spoiled here ...

Guatemala was the first trip I took with PLAY it Forward Adventures. I was unsure what to expect on this new type of trip: active outdoor adventure combined with volunteering, sounds pretty amazing. And it was! This was one experience I will never forget.

We spent the first part of our trip doing the adventure thing...hiking, biking, and kayaking around Antigua and Lake Atitlan ...

... recommendation!). It’s a cool place with a kitchen, a living room, and internet (although not wireless). We ventured to the market this am in order to buy the last presents (and some random things for ousrsleves… Anwen picked up a very nice leather bag). Haggling without a voice is rather interesting, and I just tended to pay the full price since I really couldn’t be ...

... as I come up and out without going deeper into the gutter and damaging the underside of the vehicle or running into the cliff wall now along side of the vehicle. 

3rd attempt: Drive out of the gutter on a wooden plank. Nope... the engine is not strong enough to drive up the plank. Again, no movement! This is looking bad.

Final Attempt: The Guatemalans from the truck decide to get a rope and attach it to their truck and pull the van out. Images off ...

... four days in bed.










Leaving San Pedro is one of those things you have to plan well in advance and thoroughly commit to. That means buying the most expensive bus ticket possible so there is no way of 'accidentally' missing your ride, and it means ignoring everyone you have made friends with who will inevitably try and convince you to stay, “ ...

... was like some infinity pool in a five star hotel. Floating in the crystal clear water, waterfalls all around, rainforest and a stunning view up the valley. There was also a lookout which was about half an hours climb up the cliffs. The view from here nearly took the breath away. I dont know how many places Im going to find over the course of the trip that amaze me like this, but it seems to be nearly a daily event! The world is such an amazing place, and when I think I could be back in ...

... is the processions and carpets that people take part in. There are very loud and smokey ( frankensence and posiblity mire) parades of people carrying very large and heavy floats on there shoulders with depictions of a religious sort, usually Jesus and a cross. Then another float carried by the women ( they are an equal opprotunity sacraficing nation) and a band playing what sounds like a durge. Not that in itself would be enough of a ...

So, I just finished a rather lengthy entry, which was promptly deleted when I lost my internet connection. I'll summarize: Having a great morning. It's a little foggy, a little misty, and totally a lazy homework day. Yesterday was a especially great day. Had Geography in the morning. Had a great lunch of pasta out of a package, peraleros (sp? Sort of like potatoes), and a small steak; it was special because it was Valentine's Day. Went to a cafe and "did work" (err, coffee ...

... very big gun and a very big dog outside our hotel front door. I think. Guatemala city is a very very poor cousin of Mexico City, it has nothing of worth to look at, the main square that tries to imitate Mexico City's Zocalo has a 60s block in it....? Zone 10 is comfortable if a little characterless with business hotels, malls and Maccy Ds. To be honest, Guatemala in general is a bit of a poor relation of Mexico. It wins on landscape but lacks a little in character.

... river. I was very tempted cuz I've jumped off many things so far on my trip but this was just too high for me. So we get back in the truck and continue to these caves. We really don't know what to expect from these caves, all we know is that they have water in them and you have to wear your bathing suit. So once we are at the entrance our guide gives us each a candle ( it was 5 of us) and lights it, then we enter! As soon as we enter we hear what we think are bats, the ...