Day 4

Friday!!

Getting up this morning was torture; 6:45am breakfast! Breakfast today consisted of scrambled eggs, and tortilla chips, but this time we had the option of having cereal with warm milk again or cold milk. Then we were off…on a lengthy 2 hour bus ride down through the mountains to a regional hospital. Our tour there was like nothing we had seen before, even far from what we had witnessed in Xela. We met the administrator and he kindly showed us where the restrooms were...as usual, no tp. We toured the hospital, stopping first in the emergency room, where we saw a blood trail leading from the outside into the emergency department. Then, the heat kicked in and made for an exhausting yet informative day. We saw the maternity ward, pediatrics, radiology, men’s and women’s medicine, and the trauma ward. Pediatrics was emotional – a lot of mothers beside the bed of their sick child. After a few hours in the desert-like hospital DRENCHED in sweat, we boarded the bus once again.

We located the nearest Pollo Campero for lunch, which was nicely air-conditioned, followed by a short trip to an ice cream shop. Then it was off to the bus once again for a sticky and slow, 3 hour ride home all the way back up the mountain. Driving in Guatemala is like nothing you have ever experienced in your life. Nothing. The picture shows some of the scenery we saw from the bus on the way to the hospital.

After a short break, we gathered for dinner at our usual restaurant where we were offered chicken, steak, fish, or a hamburger. Needless to say, most of us opted with the hamburger con queso. We then retired to our rooms for a relaxing evening after an exhausting day. We are all beyond stoked for the hot springs tomorrow; it is hard to foresee us ever leaving them.

Authors: Briana and Christine