Day 2

As a little continuation of Day 1, we learned that Walter and his Dad loved to backpack, which to the rest of the 4 of us seemed a bit odd as according to Jonas, "they didn`t even have backpacks on this trip, just their shoulder bags." We all piled into the town`s warehouse, or storage room which was a concrete floor with a bare cold floor. We all hit the floor and fell asleep.

Day 2:

3:30 am. While we stayed in this storage room, the night turned cold, but at least we would be free from the rain if it did fall. Little did I know, that from eight bodies in this room, the room would turn into a veritable green house. I was awoken by a small drip that splashed on my cheek, then sleeping bag then back to my face. Then all of sudden the dripping spread to other areas of the room. The whole place was one room of condensation. Sam and I moved, then moved again and the water followed us. I was pretty surprised that Stefan didn`t demand that our guide should have provided scuba gear, but he remained motionless with his family on the other side.

4:00 am- Dripping noises now were drowned out (yes the pun) by four of the following things:

1) Roosters having a Banjo-like competition to outdo each other. Roosters outnumbered people in this town 4-1
2) A dog that would not stop barking
3) The van that parked next to our room and beeped and beeped and beeped to awake people going to Xela
4) The rooster crowing right next to our room as if to make fun of us.

I got up, tired of swimming inside and watched the sunrise.

5:30 am Stefan busts into the room after watching the sunrise and demands coffee and tea even though we weren't scheduled to GET UP until 6 . The guide, bewildered, complies and we've already had the day`s first awkward silence even before the sun has a chance to warm the city, which would not take long. I feel young but my legs are stiff and cramped and my ankle is sore, so I continue to do stretches that I have been doing since 4 am.

7:15am We have a huge day of hiking. The first part is through the forest and downhill, then as the guide says Subimos, Subimos, Subimos. (Translation, only tears can get you through this day as we climbed upward for four hours.) I am overjoyed by this prospect and to celebrate I sprain the same ankle again 20 minutes into the trip.

9 am. We make it down to the river after descending some rocks and going through wild coffee fields within the forest. This concluded the easy part and after a 15 minute break we scale a mountain side.

9:45 am At a rest point after moving up a mountain side, Stefan and his merry family, after we have all had a chance to rest, throws the sleeping bag at our guide and tells him that it is his problem and that "I don`t need this at all, I am going to leave it here, you carry it." To score at home, they have not carried any of the food, I am carrying their sleeping mat, the guide is carrying their other sleeping bag and mat and according to Walter they love to backpack. The guide is speechless as are we, but before the guide saddles more weight, Walter steps in a starts to carry the bag, to which Stefan whips around and chastises Walter for doing such an awful thing and demands that the guide carry the bag. I step in and just grab the bag and I give my sleeping mat to Sam. The hiking lines were drawn and the family, completely void of anything, sped up ahead while the rest of us wobbled upwards. For the next two hours we climbed and climbed.

2 pm- 8pm: We make it to Santa Clara, our final spot for the night and collapse in the house. We divide into sane and insane/oblivious rooming areas and begin to unpack. This house has a sauna which is quite typical for the area. A small clay hut, people boil water inside and it becomes extremely hot. The family decides to partake in this ritual. Sam and I begin to play cards, with my back to the hut, but Sam in full sight. The family rumbles out of their room in just towels and I remark that they are probably that family that is "really close." Ten minutes later, Mila emerges from hut, naked, and pours cold water on herself, basically disrespecting all Guatemalan customs of keeping covered up. Guatemala is very strict on showing skin like India. Women can wear shorts, but the more prudent thing is to be covered. Two minutes after Mila has gone, the men plow out, and within plain sight of about everyone, just begin to wash themselves, having a giggling fest and laughing. Sam, holding back the vomit in her mouth is giving me the run down of what is going on. I asked her if she now felt closer them to which she replied, `couldn`t feel farther away.' We all ate dinner with each other, one side ignoring the other, and to answer your question I slept fine with my extra mat, and Sam as well with her extra sleeping bag as padding. Not sure how the family slept with two mats and two sleeping bags, but as I said, they were just that type of family.

Day 3:

5 am: Enjoy an incredible sunrise over Lago de Atitlan and hike to another view point to eat breakfast. All things considered, we have moved closer to Jonas and Helena and will spend the next four days with them in San Pedro. Trying not to speed away from the family, we take the slow approach down the hill. About 300 meters from the bottom, even after carefully repeating to myself take it slow, I look up and magically a hole with some leaves covering it moves into my path. This was the most grandiose fall of the trip. I fell forward, then crumbled and swore. Ankle again, but this time it hurt. I limped the rest of the way down, but luckily by having ankle tendons like a hammock, the pain subsided.