Oh, how much has happened since the last post!

Our arrival in Antigua, Guatemala was a welcome one after 48 hours of bus rides and an all-night dance party with the girls in San Salvador. A beautiful colonial city with cobblestone streets and a piece of history on every block, Antigua is the kind of place cameras were invented for. It also has excellent coffee which was needed after a week of drinking instant. Finding one of the tallest buildings in town (3 stories!) we made our way to the roof for some sunset city shots . The following morning we awoke ready to hit the town and after filming Amy and Marisol in the markets, we hired a pair of Tuk Tuks to take us on a wild race to a volunteer program on the outskirts of town. The nonprofit center was founded several years ago by a local lady to help the children of unwed mothers in the area learn about arts and horticulture and to give them a unique learning experience. Several travelers from around the world were volunteering there and shared with us the importance of volunteer work as a means of getting a true sense of local communities. The kids were a blast and the headmaster was very appreciative of our interest in her program and was thrilled to interview with us.

The beauty and warmth of Antigua and the ability to get great food and coffee made it hard to leave, but after a couple of days it was time to move on. Moving on from Antigua, we made our way West to Lago de Atitlan, also known as “The Volcano Lake” for the ring of large Volcanoes that grace its shores. Arriving in Panahachel, we hopped a water taxi to the small town of San Pedro at the base of the giant lakeside volcano of the same name. Though beautiful and quaint, San Pedro has seen a tremendous rise in drug abuse in recent years and the traveler culture there reflected it. San Pedro has become a trap for some travelers who come to visit and end up staying for the cheap drugs. We talked to one Israeli who had extensive plans for his visit to Central America but ended up spending almost his entire 4 months in San Pedro spending all of his money on pot, cocaine and hallucinogens. Amy and Marisol spent their time in town kayaking on the lake, planning the next phase of their trip and sharing their disappointment with us in the local drug culture.

Taking a lancha across the lake the girls soon discovered the opposite of San Pedro in the idyllic little lakeside community of San Marcos where swimming and cliff diving are the preferred form of entertainment. Mustering the courage for a twelve foot cliff jump, the girls were soon put to shame when Allen put down his equipment and jumped from 35 feet! The calming waters and quiet shores proved an excellent reflection spot for the girls.

That evening, as the sun set on our time on the lake we prepared for the longest single day journey of our trip. Following Amy on a sixteen-hour trek from the shores of San Pedro to the small village of Lanquin in the Northern Highlands while Marisol would make her way further West to go Salsa dancing in the country’s second biggest city, Xela. But that’s a story for part three.