First Day Out

     We all awoke on our first day in Guatemala and it was an early one. We had gotten into the retreat house the night before at around 1:00 am and it was a sleepy crowd that gathered for breakfast. We met a pair of kids from International Samaritan named Kenneth and Victoria who would offer us some much needed help with our Spanish. Luckily, we had a long van ride ahead of us that allowed us to catch up on some Z's. 

     The view was incredible as we traveled, and, unlike Toledo, there was a variation to the landscape that was referred to as "mountains." I guess it was something that people from a flat state aren't quite used to. The driving style was also quite different than what we were used to and at one point our van came within a half inch of another bus on a busy street; however, our driver was completely unfazed. 

     When we arrived to Lake Atitlan, we boarded two small boats that would take us across to the lake for some sightseeing. The boat that Brian Dooley rode in was a little bit more tilted to one side than was expected, though we all made it to the other side safely. Brian was quite likely the biggest human any of the locals had ever seen and their wide eyes portrayed this feeling. We were all famished after our hours of traveling and we headed to a local spot for lunch. 

     Andres, our tour guide for the week recommended a garlic fried fish that was delicious, along with fried plantains. It was an excellent way to be introduced to the Guatemalan cuisine. After lunch we climbed onto the roof of the restaurant and took in the view of the small city next to the lake. 

     From there we entered the church of Santiago Atitlan and heard a story about the struggle for independence amidst a recent civil war. Santiago was actually being beatified in 112 days and we could tell from the way that Andres said the number that it was a national countdown to when this holy man would soon become a saint. 

     As we walked out of the church we heard what sounded like gunshots near us. It turned out that Real Madrid had just won a huge soccer match and fireworks were going off all around us. We turned into a local painting store and Andres gave us some advice on how to bargain with the locals when purchasing gifts. Rahul took this advice to heart after he bought not one, not two, not three, but FOUR souvenirs within five minutes. We transitioned back into traveling mode as we headed back to the boat and then into the van again. 

     Everyone was quite a bit more energized than we had been in the morning, and because Louie had forgotten the speaker at the retreat house, it was a necessity that we would have live music provided by the sixteen teenage boys. The music varied from Jay-Z to Bon Jovi. Maybe there was even a little bit of the Frozen soundtrack and Taylor Swift thrown in. If you couldn't guess it, there was much more gusto than talent in the sing-a-long and the van was absolutely filled with voice throughout the three hour ride back to the retreat house. Jack definitely received the award for loudest (and occasionally highest pitched) singer. 

     Dinner was served as soon as we returned and we finished the night with some quiet euchre games. It was a great way to start our trip and begin our acclimation into the Guatemalan culture. 

Louie & Jack