Our Time In Antigua (Ivan Sarabia)

We left San Lucas and went to Antigua on Sunday January 21st. We had a 3 hour car ride and when we got there we had a few hours of free time. We went to the Santa Catalina Arch which is one of the distinguishable landmarks in Antigua. The street with the Arch had many stores where we all bought gifts for our families, the prices are negotiable so you can bargain any price down. After our shopping we went to a nice restaurant called La Fonda de la Calle Real where they serve the best typical and homemade food you can find in all of Guatemala. After eating we went to get gelato at a chocolate museum called ChocoMuseo. We came back to the hotel to rest up and have pizza because the next day we were going to have a long car ride. After our adventure at Semuc Champey we were back in Antigua, and had domino's pizza. The next day we had breakfast at Rainbow Cafe then we went on a 1 hour car ride to the Volcan de Pacaya, an active complex volcano which we hiked. We came back and went again to the rainbow cafe, this time for dinner. The next day we had free time all day. We had breakfast at the Cafeteria y Panaderia Santa Clara then went shopping to many stores and markets and most of us bought a jade necklace. We had lunch at the Antigua Deli & Bistro then continued our shopping. We then had dinner at Las Palmas, since it was our last dinner together we were all fancy and most of us had steak. The next day we left.

El Volcan (Luis Corona)

As the mountain slumbers and the children stare in awe, all young Luis can think about is his searing marshmallow he was forced to leave behind in the melting hole.  How did this day start?  As the gang woke up for brunch in Antigua everyone was ecstatic to hike yet another mountain.  I swear you could see their excitement through their closed eyelids and limp bodies as we rode the van up to the mountain.  Once there we were faced with probably the hardest decision yet: waste the last of our dwindling money on a horse for the hike or face the mountain with the strength of a lion.  I being by far the bravest and strongest of the group stood up in front of everyone with my chest held high turned around and bought a horse.  I only bought it on the way up the volcano but you can bet it was worth it.  The ride up was scenic but since the crew had been seeing the same green trees and mosquitoes tearing at their legs for the last two weeks they focused on surviving what was clearly the hardest of the three hikes...or at least that is what I heard I was on a horse.  Once we got to the top we left our horses and walked down a steep mountainside in order to get to the base of the volcano.  Once there we took pictures and roasted marshmallows inside of holes in the volcanic crust that contained massive amounts of heat given it was still ways away from the actual volcano.  After a few pictures we decided to begin the trek back to the van.  Except on the way back since it was mostly downhill most of us ran it because we are boys and running is fun and stuff.  It was very different running here as you had to focus on where you were placing your feet as you jumped down stair and ducked under trees and made split second decisions over which path to take or whether to slow down or jump.  Maybe it was the "Eye of the Tiger" blasting in my ear but its felt very adventurous and nothing like running in sunny San Diego.  On the way back everyone talked about their experiences...or at least I think they did I don't really know I was asleep.

Oh San Lucas (Parker Richardson)

The city of San Lucas was the first half of our trip, and it was focused on service. We did a lot of work on wood houses, dug trenches, mixed cement and concrete, and helped build part of the school. Our service was done through the mission of San Lucas, and that is also where we had our meals. The food there was good, and so was the coffee. They grew a lot of coffee in San Lucas, and it tasted good black. We also stayed at a nice hostel that was close to the mission, and unfortunately the upstairs bathroom did not smell the best after Toby brought home Boots the chicken. We also made some friends in San Lucas with some of the locals. We met a family that sold papas fritas whom we visited often. We also played a game of basketball with some of the local kids as well as a game of soccer with the workers. There was also a beautiful lake that we took a boat ride across. Overall, the time we spent in San Lucas was pretty fun. The people there were very friendly, and it was fun to practice my Spanish speaking skills when I was buying things and talking to the locals.