Day 10

Today began with a boat ride across Lake Atitlan to the city of San Antonio. Almost immediately after we stepped off the boat, locals greeted us with various handmade items to purchase including scarves and bracelets; all of designs common to the Guatemalan culture. We continued to explore the city streets and the many tiendas (shops) filled with ceramic specialty items and traditional wear. A few female students were given the distinct opportunity of being dressed up by the locals in traditional outfits. Cassie sat patiently as one shop owner fixed her hair into the common wrap style of the Mayan people, and Rachelle enjoyed a full Mayan makeover.

After loading the boat once again, we set sail to Panajachel for a zip lining adventure through the scenic mountains and coast of the volcanic lakeside city. Once ashore, we filed into tuk-tuks (a.k.a. the typical transportation of the locals) for the quick trip to the Nature Reserve Atitlan.   

We hiked up a steep trail for a half hour to reach the start of the Ultra Extreme Cable course. As we all took our turn descending the cables reaching speeds of 14 meters per second, we began to appreciate the natural beauty of the poverty stricken country of Guatemala. Reaching the bottom after a two hour span, we were given the opportunity to attempt the zip line obstacle course. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity.

Following our adventure, we ate lunch and toured the Panajachel tiendas for more purchases. We then loaded the boat for the last time for a choppy, wet and rocky ride back to San Lucas. The view from the middle of the lake was also stunning, with all three volcanoes visible. Gladly reaching land, we returned to our hotel to change and ate dinner at the Mission. The chili, cheese, rice, apple bread and lemonade was a great end to a tiring but amazing cultural day!

-Emily & Elise

Day 9

Today we began with breakfast at the Mission before heading over to the construction site across the street.  Our tasks for the morning consisted mainly of moving rocks and dirt from the construction site to a local school that is also run by the Mission.  While trying to dodge the countless children with the heavy buckets of dirt, we managed to move five or six truckloads of material.  This work brought us into lunch time.

After lunch we went to the reforestation project down the road.  This branch of the Mission aims to grow and preserve many species of plants that they distribute to the local farmers once the plants have grown.  The man who runs this project also educates children about the importance of preserving the Earth and its natural resources.  Our project today was to fill biodegradable bags with dirt that will later be used to plant seeds.  To make the work more enjoyable, we had a friendly competition to see who could fill the most bags.  After filling close to 600 bags with dirt, we ventured up the steep slope of the mountain to learn about a Mayan altar and the importance of the ceremonies performed there.  After this, we walked back down the mountain and went to the Mission for dinner.  It ended up being a long day of hard work that was also rewarding and worthwhile.  The group now awaits a day of fun tomorrow in Panajachel where we plan to go zip lining. 

-Alex and Zach