Report on our trip to Guatemala

As most of you know, Kenyan, David and I, traveled to Guatemala.  Kenyan was assigned a school project to research Guatemala.  He spent several weeks researching and writing his report.  He did an incredible job.  He was very prepared to visit Guatemala.  He was familiar with virtually all the locations we visited.

We flew into Dallas were we met up with David.   We arrived late and thought we were going to miss our connecting flight.  Fortunately, we arrived just 10 minutes prior to the other flight.  David had arrived earlier and timed out the route and called us as we arrived.  Kenyan and I got off the flight and ran through the airport like contestants on the Amazing Race.  We arrived as they were closing the doors with David waiting anxiously beside the airline employee.

Our first stage of the trip was to Tikal.  Tikal is the largest of the Mayan ruins.  It is said to have 4000 structures over 8 square  miles.  We began our adventure by riding ziplines through the jungle on a "Canopy Tour".  It was an incredible 7 zip tour from the tree tops of the jungle canopy.  When you get a chance ask us about the "surprise" on the last zip.

We then took a tour through the ruins with our guide.  He was very knowledgeable about the history and construction of the Temples and other structures.  That night we stayed in a Hotel located within the national park boundaries.  It was very simple and beautiful.  Each night they shut down the power as it is all run off generator power.

The next morning we joined the "sunrise tour".  A tour group comes in from the local city each morning in order to arrive at Temple IV before sunrise.  We each sat at the top of the temple.  Even with nearly 100 people sitting at the top of this temple, it was virtually silent.  All you could hear was the natural sounds from the jungle.

Unfortunately, the morning was too foggy to see the sunrise.  We left the tour group at this time and wandered around the Temple sites on our own as we had already heard the "tour guide" version.  It was absolutely amazing to experience the Temples with the quiet of solitude and the mists of the morning.

We left the park shortly after our morning excursion.  We stopped by Peten Itza and visited a Zoo across the lake, held hands with spider monkeys, and swam in the lake, and explored the Actun Can limestone cave.

After arriving back to Guatemala City we joined with some of my friends from Washington and their friend from Australia.  We first visited Antigua, an city that has held on to many of its ancient traditions.  At one time Antigua was the capital of Guatemala.  It is evident with the prestige of the city buildings and spanish style architecture.

After Antigua we visited various cities on the banks of Lake Atitlan.  We visited Santiago where our friend Paul, a firefighter from Washington, has been building a house, San Juan la Laguna, where he has been working with the newest fire station in the country, and San Pedro, where we stayed for 2 days.  While in San Juan la Laguna, we spent the day fixing the golf cart that they use to transport equipment thru some of the narrowest streets and teaching a class on splinting to the new firefighters of this station.

After leaving Lake Atitlan, we visited Vulcan Pacaya, where we climbed nearly to the top.  At one point almost cracking through the crust of the recently hardened lava.  It was amazing to stand atop a living breathing mountain.

Our last day we spent with my friend David Alvarez and his family.

I wish I was a better story teller in writ.  I feel very comfortable relating such events in person, but find it hard to create the detail in my writings.  I hope that this new blog improves this skill within me.