Life in the Jungle

Today was amazing, I still cant believe what I saw.  We went to the ruins this morning from 9 AM until 2 PM.  We saw every ruin and climbed everything we could.  The views were amazing and the architecture was unforgettable.  It was something I will never forget.  The park was huge and the view from Temple 4 was amazing.  We walked the whole park without stopping.  We got Ben to get over his fear of heights by climbing a 7 story ladder to the top of Temple 5.  At the beginning of the day it was raining but it broke 15 minutes in and never started back up.  We also had a special visitor in our pool, a crocodile.  He has been in there all day.  We even got attacked by killer ants. Our feet were bitten but the sores have since then resided.  We walked down to the crocodile pond but nothing showed up.  We did some shopping in the area and had dinner.  The food here is very good which was unexpected coming from the reviews we saw.  

Back to Guatemala City

We all woke up to a wonderful storm still encompassing the country.  Fears of mudslides along the highway on the coast forced us to take the three-hour trip from Xela to Guatemala City early rather than at 3 am.  We went to the Agua del Pueblo at 9 am and learned more about the operations there.  We also watched the ceremony for the new director. Amanda Aceto presented a check to the group and  a photo is posted below. We had lunch at the hotel consisting of burgers or fajitas and then continued onto Guatemala City at 3 pm.  It was a 5 hour trip.  We stopped at a steak house along the way.  Upon arrival to the city we got to a new hotel.  We had trouble getting the van through the garage and had to all sit in the back to put weight on the rear tires.  A picture is posted below.  We stayed there the night and woke up to breakfast.  We headed to the market for some last minute shopping and are now at the airport boarding the plane.  Everyone except a few of us will be heading back to the United States.  A group of four will be heading to the Mayan ruins in Tikal and the city of Flores until Sunday.  The blog will still be continued until we return.

Good Morning Mariachi!

Today the group was woken up at 7:30 AM by firecrackers and a mariachi band in celebration of Ben Schwartz’s and Becca Raymond’s 20^th birthdays. After cake and breakfast, we took a tour of the towns surrounding Xela and visited a small artifacts museum near the Laguna de Chicabal. Due to a tropical storm in the region, we were unable to visit the lake itself.  We ended up visiting a museum dedicated to the Mayan ceremony of the lake.  On the way back to Xela, we stopped at the market and picked up some fruit which are indigenous to Guatemala. We went to Albamar for lunch and some fun on the slides. Before dinner, the group went to the artisans market to peruse a variety of handmade goods.  We had dinner and are all taking it easy on our last night here.  The pictures below are of the Mariachi wakening, Bruce Clemens riding the slide and of the group at Andre's house.

With help from Taylor DiNicola, Keira Duffy, and Ben Schwartz.

Keeping it HOT

Today the group took a tour of Xela on the way to the Hot Springs.  These pools are filled with naturally heated water that drips down rocks.  The dripping of the water causes beautiful sulfur deposits and cave like structures within the rocks.  These pools sit over 12,000 feet above sea level.  A photo of a canyon on the way to the hot springs is posted below.  We all had fun swimming in the hot water and eating lunch along the pools.  We also stopped at a market on the way home.  Tonight we are having a talk with Victor, head of board of directors for Agua del Pueblo.

Greetings from Xela!

We arrived in Xela about an hour ago and got the opportunity to explore a bit. The city has beautiful architecture and quite a bit of history behind it. Although it is raining pretty hard here today, we are doing some more exploring tonight. We plan to take a look at some of the local dancing places and also get a taste of some the night life. We met our host today, Victor who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Agua Del Pueblo. He plans to take us on a historic tour of Xela on Sunday. It is definitely a different vibe here than in San Lucas and we are all excited about this new adventure. 

Posted below are a few pictures from our last couple days in San Lucas. 

With help from Amanda Aceto

Last Days of San Lucas Toliman

Today is the last full day in San Lucas Toliman. We are heading out to Xela (the second biggest city in Guatemala) tomorrow at 9 AM. We had the day off to go shopping around town and to get lunch at the beautiful Hotel Toliman. We had everything from Spagetti to Filet Mingnon. We went shopping at ¨Martas store, she is a local ¨Gringo Lover¨. She showed us many hand made clothing and jewelry as well as her home. She has pictures of many people from the Mission and is going to take ours tonight. We are also going to Andres home for an authentic Guatemalan dinner. We are unsure as to what it will consist of but we are the first group of people Andres has ever invited to his home for a meal. We are going to get some packing done tonight and maybe head to the pub for a final goodbye.

With help from Becca Raymond

Plants of Guatemala

We started the day with a typical breakfast consisting of oatmeal, baked beans and bread. We went off to work at 9 AM. Today’s project was to work at the Reforestation Station. We didn’t do too much work, but we learned a lot about the trees and medicinal plants. We also ventured to an ancient Mayan alter which overlooked all of San Lucas Toliman. We returned for lunch consisting of bread, tortillas and beef along with rice. We are having a talk with a Guatemalan cook to hear her perspective on the Finca as a woman. Later tonight we will probably do our usual activities of Catch Phrase and maybe head to the pub. Today’s weather was temperate. It was nice to have a cooler breeze especially with everyone’s burns from yesterday.

With Help from Anthony Deming and Amanda Aceto

Fire Brigade

So today was our third day of work. We went to the local clinic to help reconstruct the roof. The builders needed supplies lifted from the ground to the roof. In order to complete this task we needed to set up a type of firefighter bucket system to bring dirt and rocks up to the roof sequentially. Teamwork was a necessary part of today instead of having individual jobs, and we all worked together to complete the task. Today was the first rain-free day. The sun was out all day and our tans/burns show it. A few of us went to take a quick dip in the beautiful lake. A few of us also got sick from freshwater lake amoebas and had to take the day off. We are going to take it easy tonight as tomorrow is our last official day of work.

With help from Tori Alberts

Back to San Andreas

Today was the first day back to work. We all worked on the kitchens back at San Andreas. Teamwork was a big part of our routine today. We split up into separate groups and completed our tasks. When we finished one task, we teamed up to get the rest done. It was sad to say goodbye to the children, as today is the last day in San Andreas. The children were very sad to see us go. After work, we met with two bold individuals who were very big in the revolution of the Finkas. The Finkas were land plots in which Guatemalans were essentially enslaved to work on. We met with the individuals who planned the strike and eventually led to a successful break from slavery. Tonight we are meeting with another individual, Andres (of which San Andres is named after) who is responsible for the success of the Guatemalan people of the San Lucas Toliman town today.

A Weekend Off

The weekend was full of tourist attractions. Saturday we decided to go zip lining. We took a boat to a nearby city across the lake. It was about an hour ride. We walked down a trail to the zip line and got suited up. After hiking up the mountain, we took 8 separate lines to the bottom of the mountain. The trails ranged from 8 to 22 seconds long and from 26 to 100 feet high. It was quite an experience; the view was breathtaking. We took a boat back to San Lucas Toliman and went off to dinner. We also stopped for ice cream at a nearby local shop. Sunday was market day. Many inhabitants of the town meet up in the center to buy their everyday goods. Anything from apples to fish to shoes can be found in the market, which was very crowded but a few of us managed to purchase some goods to bring home. We went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch, and since then it has been raining. In fact, it has been pouring non-stop for the past 6 hours. Today is Becca’s birthday and tomorrow is our second day of work. We are going to stay busy!

First Day of Work

So today was the first day of work. We woke up at the usual 8 AM for breakfast and went off to work in San Andreas. The town consists of many identical houses, and each is getting a kitchen added onto it. In order to build the kitchens, the dirt is dug from the ground, a foundation is put in, and cinder blocks and cement, along with metal rods, compose the walls. We all helped build kitchens today, whether it was tying the metal rods or digging for the foundation, we all assisted. We really take for granted an 8 to 5 day. These people wake up at sunrise and start building their houses and they don't stop until sunset. Although they have to break their backs every day for work, they all have very positive attitudes. The children are great, sometimes shouting “gringos!”and always ready to play. They love digital cameras. Towards the end of the workday, a few of us got to witness the killing of a pig for meals. It was quite a gruesome scene.

Photos!

I just wanted to add a few photos!

The photos are of us on our first day of work, us and the kids, and of the beautiful active volcano across from our hotel "Volcano Atitlan".  It was only visible last night as the clouds hide it very well.

First Impressions

Our first day was full of traveling. We landed in Guatemala City at 12:15 pm. It was a four-hour ride to San Lucas Toliman, where we unpacked our bags at a nearby motel. Dinner was served at 6 pm and a meeting was held after in order to discuss projects.

After a long night's rest, we met for breakfast and went on a tour of the different projects going on in the town. We took a ride in the back of the truck, all fifteen of us, through the Guatemalan forest and terrain. We went to the woman’s center, agricultural center and to the town named San Andres, which is full of homes whose construction was funded by various different charities, including groups from the USA and Guatemala itself. Our first project will most likely take place in San Andres tomorrow: we will be building kitchens for the homes. We met many Guatemalan children, which were eager to have their pictures taken. After each photo, the children would come over to the digital camera and laugh, then immediately pose for a second picture.

After the tour, we returned to San Lucas Toliman for lunch. We had a presentation by Father Greg in which the history of the town of Saint Lucas Toliman was discussed. After the presentation, we went to a neaby park to have a fiesta with some locals. On the way to the internet café, The Atitlan Volcano appeared as the clouds finally got out of the way. The sight was breathtaking. Photos will be added soon.