r.i.p.

Interesting how this case has shaken things up in America...Either way, it is sad to have an innocent kid shot and killed.

Land of Eternal Spring

Took some clips from the Gopro and 60D to make this..

last post from Guatemala (forgot to post!)

It's the second to last night of our trip and it seems we've covered a ton of ground since the last post about Tikal. Our trip to Belize proved well worth it, having a great time in San Pedro and enjoying Ramones Hotel right on the water. Hopefully we will be able to return one day and spend a few more days. We were still able to enjoy the crystal clear Caribbean water and barrier reef as well as the Lobster Festival. 

We headed back to Flores after Belize only to head out again to the south towards the town of Semuc Champey, where we stayed at one of the best hostels of the trip. Although the trip was long we finally made it to the town hidden in the Jungle but not before making the last leg of the journey in the back of a  pick up truck with a number of other tourists. Our  hostel, El Portal, was a self town along the river that only had power from 6pm to 10 pm. Nestled among the jungle and mountains El Portal was just a few minutes from a cluster of waterfalls and limestone pools of crystal blue water cutting through the jungle. We hiked through the park and ended by swimming in each of the pools and swinging off rope swings and climbing down rope ladders beneath giant water falls. Semuc Champey might as well have been mother natures version of White Water Adventures. 

As if there wasn't enough to do, we spent the afternoon swimming through caves, guided only by candle light and our feet scraping against whatever portion of the limestone floor they could get a hold off. Most of the time we were chest deep in water trying to keep one arm elevated enough to prevent the flame from going out the the other arm holding onto a rope that prevented you from the current of water beating against your body. Alex wasn't too thrilled about the caves and was relived to see the daylight that signaled the end. 

    We woke up the next morning planning on heading towards Antigua but Alex's stomach had other plans. Realizing we weren't going to be catching our shuttle we settled in for about day at El Portal. Luckily the locals helped us out by heading I got the jungle and bringing back a traditional Mayan medicine that was brewed into a tea known as tres pontes te. I could barely try a sip of the tea without getting nauseas and having flashbacks of the jungle root medicine I had consumed last year in Peru (however for a different purpose) and I applaud Alex for having two rounds if it. It must have worked to stop her bowels because I don't know if she has had to go número dos since!  Staying another day wasn't the end of the world and led us to meet Steve from California who we continued to hang out with when we got to Antigua the next day. 

It was a pretty long bus ride back to Antigua compared to be short I looked in the map but we finally made it after about 8 hours if travel. We decided to spent our next 3 nights in a hostel called Jardin De Lolitta. Lolitta was the old Guatemalan grandmother who ran the hostel and offered us a great deal for the rest if our stay. Half of the time we didn't understand what the little lady was rambling about but we came to enjoy talking with her and playing with her Perro salchita ( Weiner dog) named coffee. 

For the rest of our time in Antigua we toured a coffee farm ( finka de cafe) and got to understand a little bit more about the drink that keeps us going on a daily basis and we also did a lot of looking in the markets. Alex tried her hand at haggling after the practice previously at the Chichi market but in the end she always ended up paying a little more. 

Our last night we went to a local fair and it reminded me a lot of the Griffin Fair, including the fighting pre teens, but was filled with only 2 gringos, Alex and  I. We rode the Ferris wheel and luckily it didn't fall apart and played a cheap 5 quetzal game and we won a toy car that we have to a little kid that could not have been happier. The final venture of Antigua was crepes and beers on the curb with our buddy Steve from El Portal.  

Woke up this morning to rain and caught our shuttle to the airport. Now we're en route to the States some 15,000 feet in the air.  I'm pushing it close but I think I'm going to be able to make to my 7:30 am orientation tomorrow to start the next chapter in the neverending story called Medicine.