Day 2: End of Antigua/Beginning of Los Andes

So, today, January the 14th 2010, we awoke to a rooster-seriously. We meant to wake up at 7 a.m. but were actually fooled by the one hour time difference, therefore it was 6 a.m (coffee por favor). We ate a traditional Guatemalan meal made by Blanca, who works at Hostel 5--sidenote: $7 dorms, holler. It consisted of eggs, black beans, a sweet fried banana (i think it's called a plantain), and tortillas. After the lovely breakfast, we took a stroll down the cobblestone streets by the mountains and enjoyed the sunny weather (70 degrees, take that Maryland). Now, meet Fidel--the bus driver. He is supeourghb (Tara--is that how you spell it?) He drove us to the Casa de Popenoe, a reconstructed authentic Guatemalan house. The rooftop view was incredible. We learned the brief history of the original and the renovated building. Here comes the best part. MARKET! Yay. We were informed by Fidel to suggest 30% less than the original price before we made a bargain. All of this was done in Spanglish, and a calculator. No bueno. But, we made it happen, and we all left with about 500 less quatzales (Guatemalan currency). After a tiring but educational experience, we preceded to a local Guatemalan restaurante, needless to say we ate a lot. With full stomachs we decided to take a walk to a beautiful park in central Antigua. Fun Fact! People retire in Antigua because if they make more than $350 a month from outside of Guatemala, they can live there tax free. We were surprised to see very young girls walking around selling scarves. That's not something we were familiar with. Once our time in Antigua was up, we began the 3 hour trek to Los Andes. Oh, but before that, Genna attempted to pet a street perro and it was honestly the most terrified look we've ever seen from a dog--and the quickest escape. So, onward, the 3 hour drive consisted of driving up the side of a volcano, driving through water, rubber trees (they do exist), and many small villages. We received many stares from the Guatemalan people along the streets. Many seemed intrigued by the large van with unfamiliar looking people. As we drove closer to Los Andes, we saw women and their children walking along the streets barefoot carrying baskets of fruit and men with lumber on their backs. We noticed one teenage girl washing her dishes in a stream. This was yet another cultural difference that taught us more about the culture and made us appreciate all that we have (Thanks America). After a few attempts to find the correct route to Los Andes, we arrived and were immediately in awe of the house that we're staying in. The sun was setting as we drove up creating an ambiance beyond our imaginations. Needless to say, all thirteen of us were taking the same picture, multiple times. The house has a pool, volleyball net, 3 dogs (that like people), and space for us to enjoy. We got our room assignments, and hope everyone comes back in one piece. Before dinner we had reflection time with the group and we set up a few guidelines and expectations for our trip. Finally, when we were exhausted from talking we ate... again. We had broth, some veggies, arroz (rice), and multiple glasses of definitely caffinated iced tea. During our meal we let loose, out of exhaustion and caffiene, which led to prolonged laughter, tears of laughter (christine and tara), and more laughter. When that was over, we mistakenly thought we were done with activites for the night, but oh no. Christine and Genna had great plans for us. We talked about service and openly spoke about our experiences and opinions. Now, we are currently writing a blog, while others are playing cards. So, buenos noches.

Love,
Tara and Rachel