Vacation With 'Rents: Lago Atitlan & Antigua

Vacation With the 'Rents: 4 of 4 Posts

After Tikal and Semuc, the rest of the vacation with my parents was spent at Lake Atitlan, NPH, and Antigua. I have less to say about these spots just because I've already been to them multiple times/live there, but I enjoyed everything nonetheless, especially because I was showing them to my parents!

While we were at the lake, we stayed in the town of San Pedro. My parents were impressed by how high the lake water has risen over the years, as well as the toughness of the fishermen who work on the lake every day!

errr slight flooding problem :/

they make it look easy!

We had a really fun memory coming back from a day in Panajachel using the lancha boat. Of course the wind was blowing strongly and the waves were rough, which meant we got... SPLASHED! My parents were once again good sports and troopers about the whole thing and just embraced their sodden states. We laughed a lot :)

before the "splash ride" began

During the last days of the trip, we just hung out around "home base"- NPH and Antigua. As much as I enjoyed traveling with my parents, I'm so glad I was able to show them the NPH home that I've been calling MY home for the last nine months. They met my kids, other volunteers, and employees, saw the clinic where I work, and in general got a sense of my daily life. This more than anything was what I wanted them to experience during their trip. It's weird to think that now they know what I'm talking about when we Skype!

For the very last day of vacation, we started the day off right with a hike up Cerro de la Cruz in Antigua. We had the place to ourselves- we had beat the tourist rush! Both of them loved it, so it was definitely a success. I was happy that they were happy! At the bottom of the Cerro de la Cruz hill, we stopped to admire the ruins of an old church that I had never really taken the time to appreciate although I had passed it several times.

Cerro de la Cruz- always a memorable climb!

taking time to appreciate the ruins!

We spent the rest of the day running around Antigua enjoying the beautiful ruins, buying lots of pretty souvenirs, and soaking up the last few hours of each others company. Overall, it was a wonderful way to end our vacation!

some final liquados de fresa :')

Saying goodbye to my parents was probably the hardest goodbye of my life. I love them a lot. I'd do the painful goodbye a thousand times over though in exchange for the trip of a lifetime that we had which was so special for us. Thanks for the memories, Mom and Dad, and I'll see you in a few months! :)

Vacation With 'Rents: Lanquin & Semuc Champey

Vacation With the 'Rents: 3 of 4 Posts

After a great few days in Peten, it was time to head off to a small town called Lanquin in a new part of Guatemala for more adventures. I was feeling beat after a long shuttle ride when we arrived late in the afternoon, but the spectacular sunset over the mountains in the jungle made me feel that the trek was going to be worth it!

sweet, sweet sunset

The next morning brought daylight, energy, and a little time to explore. While waiting for breakfast, I got to take a nice little walk down to the Lanquin River that our hostel was located on. It was a pretty, peaceful river- a wonderful way to start the day.

the Lanquin River

Although I really liked the Lanquin River, that's not why we had traveled all the way to Lanquin. The real reason people come to Lanquin is to explore the nearby Semuc Champey National Park! This was a place I had heard about from a friend in language school during my first week in Guatemala, and I had been dying to see it for the last nine months since then. So, through our hostel, we signed up for a tour of Kan'Ba Caves and Semuc Champey and it was 100% ADVENTURE TIME for the rest of the day. (I HIGHLY recommend this- one of the best tours I've ever purchased in all my traveling!)

We started the day off by exploring Kan'Ba Caves, but it was unlike any cave tour I've ever done before. The cave system was pretty much untouched by man, which was awesome. Wearing only bathing suits and carrying candles, the group entered and before we knew it we were SWIMMING through some pretty chilly water.... and, when I say swimming, I mean swimming- in many parts, I couldn't touch the bottom! During the experience, I had to scramble down rickety ladders, clamber up a waterfall using a rope, and do a "trust slide" through this teeny tiny hole into another part of the cave (don't forget this was all only by candlelight). At the end of the cave system before we turned around, we jumped off the cavern wall into a giant pool. After two hours of adrenaline, stressing over my parents' health, and cold water, I was EXHAUSTED, but it was a such a BLAST. Seriously, just incredible. It's a shame that I don't have pictures, but trust me, it was awesome. I have to say, I am POSITIVE that this kind of tour would never be allowed in America because of all of our safety regulations (and yeah, I'll admit, this wasn't exactly the safest activity ever). Thus, I am extra grateful that we got to experience such a rare opportunity. Definitely, definitely an adventure. After we exited the caves, we got to take a turn on a rope swing to jump off into the river and then jump off a bridge... The swing was plenty for me! A very welcome lunch break finally came and provided a pause before we picked up again in the afternoon...

After lunch, we got to the part of the tour that I had been most anticipating- THE Semuc Champey! Inside the park, we took a hike up to a lookout point that provided a breathtaking view of the pools of Semuc Champey. Check it out and know that it's even better in real life!

THE Semuc Champey

Once everyone had snapped a billion and one pictures, we headed down to explore the pools. I knew we would get to go swimming in them, but I had no idea it would be in such an exciting way! We dived, jumped, and slid our way from one to the other thanks to our superb guide and his endless amounts of energy. The water was truly the perfect temperature, which made it a completely cool and refreshing swim. Also, the was was so clear I could see all the little fish swimming around me! Once again, I reflected on how a place like this would be so protected in America that you couldn't get within 20 feet of it, let alone go swimming and exploring the way we did. GRATEFUL GRATEFUL GRATEFUL.

I swam in these bad boys!

pretty fishes! :)

Overall, the Kan'Ba Caves and Semuc Champey probably made this day my favorite one out of the entire vacation. I knew it was going to be special, and then it turned out to be even better than I imagined. Topping off such a great day was the fact that my parents TOTALLY ROCKED and impressed all the young travelers by keeping up with the group and doing everything. I cannot express to you how much you just HAVE TO DO THIS if you find yourself in Guatemala. I think it's one of the better kept secrets of this country, because it's generally not on the top of tourist itineraries and you have to be pretty adventurous to enjoy it. But, I have to say, it was well worth the visit, I'm so glad we went, and I loved it. I think Semuc is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot of nice places.

And so, totally wiped but also completely satisfied and happy with EVERYTHING, we ended our only real day in Lanquin with enthusiasm for what was still to come...

Vacation With 'Rents: Tikal, Peten

Vacation With the 'Rents: 2 of 4 Posts

After we had spent a day eating, resting, and getting oriented in Flores, it was time to head out and explore one of the most famous parts of Guatemala- the Mayan ruins of Tikal! All I can say is "wow". It was pretty fantastic and definitely worth the trek up to Peten to see it. After driving about 2 hours from Flores, we started the morning walking through the jungle-forest with a guide. One of the first things we came across was a truly GINORMOUS tree called a ceiba. It's the national tree of Guatemala and the inspiration for the tree in Avatar. Its three parts- the branches, trunk, and roots- reflect the Mayans' belief of the gods in heaven, their connection to us, and the underworld. I'm probably butchering that explanation a bit but you get the idea. All in all, it was a pretty sweet tree!

THE CEIBA TREE

Just a few short minutes later, we stumbled across some wildlife! These little guys are called coatimundi, and they had absolutely no fear of humans. They definitely were posing for the camera... We didn't get to see an elusive jaguar, but it was still neat to see the coatimundi roaming about without a care in the world.

so glamorous

The trees and animals were cool, but they are not what make Tikal famous. A few minutes later, we finally started to stumble upon the Mayan temples and pyramids! The picture below is of the first ones we saw. The front half was restored by archeologists, but the back half has remained untouched since the end of the Mayan empire. What a difference, right?! The next picture that looks like a hill is actually another temple that has not been restored at all, meaning that it is completely covered by earth. What an effect time can have!

front vs. back=excavated vs. untouched

Look, it's a hill. No, it's a TEMPLE!!!

As the tour progressed, we saw one cool, impressive thing after another. I had a real "woooow" moment though when we turned a corner and saw a massive temple rising up through the trees. I suddenly felt like I was thousands of years back in time, totally lost in the forest. Wild.

surreal

Perhaps the strongest impression I had from the day was being totally blown away by how complex Tikal must have been during its glory days. I can only imagine it in its prime with painted buildings and bustling with people, the New York City of the Mayan world. It was still really incredible in ruins! People can build some amazing things, and it's even more impressive when you think about how little technology they had.

pretty sweet temple, not gonna lie

too awesome to handle

I think my favorite part of the day was when we got to climb one of the taller temples and take in an incredible view. It was amazing to see the jungle spreading out untouched for miles on end, punctuated only by Mayan temples poking through the tree tops. Factor in the howler monkeys howling in the background and it was even more out of this world.

another world...

Tikal was spectacular. My imagination was working in overtime the whole day and I'm glad I finally got to see such a famous spot in Guatemala. Wonderful day, wonderful memories... Lucky, there was still more vacation to come! :)

frame worthy :)

Vacation With 'Rents: Flores, Peten

Vacation With the 'Rents: 1 of 4 Posts

It's always a great moment when a volunteer's family comes to visit, and it was even better when it was finally my own family! After 9 months, my mom and dad came down for 10 days to take a Guatemalan adventure with me. It was pretty much the best thing ever, the end. No haha, there's actually so much I could say about how great it was that I don't even know where to begin. Let me just say though that it was wonderful and so incredibly special <3 It was a big, full trip, so I'm breaking it down into 4 blog posts. Here is the first one!

We kicked off our trip by traveling waaaay north to a departamento (the equivalent of one of our "states") called Peten. It's the most northern departamento in Guatemala as well as the most isolated and undeveloped. I was excited to go to a new place in Guatemala, and it was definitely different- much more warm and humid than the Guatemala I had known. In Peten, there is a small island town called Flores. While quaint in itself, a lot of people use it as a place to stay before heading on to explore nearby Tikal. Thus, after traveling on an overnight bus, we arrived at the little Flores in Peten...

Our first day in Flores was wonderfully relaxed and slow, which was exactly how I wanted to kick off the trip. Check out how lovely Flores looks from the shore!

Flores! :)

We spent the day just walking around the streets and taking in the sights of Flores. One thing that really stood out is that they have a sliiiiight flooding issue. Living on an island is generally pretty cool, except when the lake water starts to rise! On one side of the island, all the sidewalks plus more were covered with water that had risen up from the original lake level. It was so high, in fact, that small fish and tadpoles had created little ecosystems on the sidewalks. It's a bummer for the lakeside property, but I did enjoy seeing the little tadpoles swimming around!

the water has definitely risen a bit...

TADPOLES, COOL! :)

Flores is definitely a small place, and it wasn't long before we had explored everything and retired to a shaded bar to escape the heat and drink a beer. We were on vacation after all... :)

vacation, sweet vacation

In the afternoon, we took a lancha boat across the lake to explore a couple of the small villages on the other side. The views were equally as quaint and my mom and dad loved the boat ride!

the destination

how pretty!

Pretty much native Guatemalans now

After a full day in Flores, I felt we had seen everything there was to see, but I'm still glad we made it part of the itinerary. It was a great place to relax, hang out, and eat good food before the big Tikal day! To be continued...

January and February Proyectos Familiares

Here it is again, folks, everyone's favorite recurring blog post about the proyectos familiares! In case you've somehow forgotten what they are, I'll refresh your memory really quick. A proyecto familiar (AKA "family project") is something a volunteer has to do twice a month with different sibling groups within the home. Among many other smaller ones, the main idea is to create a space for the siblings to spend time together. Proyectos can be a pain to organize sometimes, but they are almost always a lot of fun during the actual event. Here are my proyectos from January and February!

The "Proyecto Amistad"- It's always a lot of fun doing proyecto with our special needs kids, and in January I got to do a friendship project (because these two don't have siblings in the home) with two beautiful young ladies and another volunteer. We chopped up some banana, pineapple, and watermelon to make a delicious fruit salad and then just walked around outside in the sunshine. What a success it was!

stir it up, girl!

my wanderer :)

friends <3

The "Bros" Proyecto- I had proyecto with these boys a few months ago and I really enjoyed it. Thus, I was thrilled when I saw I had proyecto with them again! The brothers are now living in different places because of their levels of schooling, so we all met up in nearby Chimal for some ice cream in Central Park. We had a nice time catching up since the last project. They are good guys.

don't smile now or anything guys, really.

The "Newbies" Proyecto- NPHG had received some new families into the home recently, and I was lucky enough to be able to do their first proyecto with one family. I was stoked- I got to make the first impression about how great and fun and awesome proyectos are! There was quiet an age range between the four brothers, and I really appreciated how patient and attentive the older siblings were to the younger ones. We played with Jenga blocks for awhile and then nommed on a brownie we had baked. This was a milestone proyecto for me as well because I was "training" one of the new volunteers on how to do them. I remember when I was paired up with an old volunteer for my first proyecto, and it was pretty crazy to somehow suddenly be on the other side of the experience.

bigs and smalls!

teaching the new volunteer the ways of proyecto

That's it, ladies and gentleman. Stay tuned for more proyectos familiares in the months to come!

Earth Lodge Salida

NPHG gets a new wave of volunteers in January and July of every year, so we had just received a group of newbies last month. Traditionally, the old and new volunteers go away for a weekend to spend time together and get to know each other a little better. When I was new, we went to the beach in Monterrico. This time though, we headed to a place called Earth Lodge, an avocado farm up in the mountains about a half hour outside of Antigua.

Overall, it was a really great weekend. I had seen appealing flyers for Earth Lodge throughout the year, so I was thrilled to be going at all, let alone with so many great people. We got to get reallyyyyy close... because 8 of us (about half the group) were crammed into the super tiny dormitory! ;)

ittttty bittttty living space

What I did that weekend was basically a lot of... nothing. Earth Lodge is a place to relax, chill, and hang out. I spent a lot of time soaking up the sun in a hammock with a book. Mixed in with the quiet time were lots of good conversations, card games, and DELICIOUS food. Seriously, the food was fantastic and almost entirely vegetarian. Let me tell you, the avocados from the farm were superbbb. I felt healthy, full, and happy with life.

logging hours for mandatory "hammock time"

All the great food and comfy hammocks aside, I think my favorite part of Earth Lodge was the view. Perched high up in the hills, Earth Lodge looks out over the Antigua valley, which is decked out with volcanoes on each side. It was pretty nice, especially first thing in the morning while the sky was still clear. Given our spectacular vantage point, we could even see the plumes of smoke from when Volcan Pacaya erupted one morning while we were there. Cool, dude, real cool.

the view. niiiice.

watching the volcano erupt

The weekend was quiet, relaxing, and peaceful. It was also a great opportunity to spend time with the other volunteers. All in all, I was very satisfied with our trip to Earth Lodge. And with that, I can add another thing to the "been there, done that" list!

Volcan Pacaya

Since living in Guatemala is like living in Volcano Land, I'm trying my best to climb a few of them while I'm down here. It had been quite awhile since we hiked the monstrous Volcan Acatanango, and a few other volunteers and I were itching to climb another one. Thus, this month we organized a day trip to hike Volcan Pacaya, one of the three active volcanoes in Guatemala. It worked out really nicely because we had just received a new wave of volunteers so it was a great group bonding activity for us.

We all rolled out of bed bright and early one Saturday morning and left NPH at 5 AM. An hour or two crammed in a shuttle later, we had arrived at the nearby Volcan Pacaya. We were assigned a guide who dubbed us "Team Tigers" (hahaha) and got started with our day. Surprise, surprise, but we were greeted with some pretty extraordinarily views. SOOOOO unlike Guatemala, being beautiful and whatnot, right?! ;)

so breathtaking!

lava slide WOAAAH sick, dude.

All the great views aside, my favorite part was when we were actually right at the base of the volcano walking on the hardened lava. I felt like I was in the Elephant Graveyard from the Lion King or something. It was eery and beautiful at the same time. It was also pretty sweet to look up and see the smoke and steam billowing off the volcano. You know, all that fire and brimstone stuff cause it's ACTIVE WHAAAAT??!!

"Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom." WORD.

It's ALIIIIIVEEE.

Towards the end of hike, we got to check out the "Lava Store", complete with the Titanic theme song playing in the background (because obviously when I think of volcanoes I think of Titanic). Then, our guide dug a little hole in the hillside. We could see the ground was literally steaming under the top layer and was warm to the touch. It was pretty cool and definitely a new experience for me.

checking out the random Lava Store

Steaming hot ground!

I'll admit that the experience was a little too touristy for me. Lots of people were trying to sell stuff and the hike was hardly challenging. Especially in comparison to the 10-hour ordeal of Volcan Acatanango, Volcan Pacaya felt like a stroll in the park. I was also just a teensy bit bummed that I didn't get to get within five feet of RED HOT LAVA or something like that. (Gotta live on the edge a bit, you know.) Nonetheless, it was still a really enjoyable (tame) adventure filled with gorgeous views and beautiful weather! How could I not hike Pacaya one time when I'm so close to it? Sometimes even us volunteers have to play tourists :) And, how cool is it that I can now say I've been on an active volcano?! WAY COOL, that's how cool it is. :)