Journal #54 April 29, 2009
Today Meghan and I woke up around 6 and got ready for our volcano climbing trip. I was really excited because this is something that I have never done before. However I was very tired because we stayed up late watching One Tree Hill. I failed to tell you guys that we are addicted to One Tree Hill. We started watching the first season 4 days after Hawaii and now we are on season 4. You can guess what we have been doing on our free time.
When it was time to leave we went to the pier and waited for the bus. The bus was an hour late but it was ok because it was an SAS trip so they took care of it. Our tour guides name was Chickie and he was very cute :) It took us about an hour and half to get there. The last 20 min of the trip were up a mountain top, it was extremely curvy and it was a gravel road. So it was really hard to sleep, but it was an experience. When we got off the bus we were swarmed by 10 year old boys who wanted to sell us walking sticks and give us a taxi drive. The taxi drive was a ride on a mule up the volcano. I thought it would be a good idea for me to get some exercise so I decided to just get the walking stick.
As we walked up the volcano I knew it was going to be a tough hike. It was rocky and steep. I was very grateful that I had my walking stick :) We took several stops and Chickie told us about the Pacaya volcano and showed us some tequila plants and sugar plants. When we were half way up the volcano we go away from the trees and we were able to see the prettiest view. There were Volcanoes on every direction. The clouds were hovering over them so it even more beautiful. We kept walking up the volcano until we came to a place where we had to go down. All of the sudden without even saying anything Chickie ran down the mountain at full speed. It was insane, but it didn’t look like it was too hard. So off I went, I started running full speed. The ash from volcano was about 1 foot deep. So it felt like I was skiing!!! For about half a mile I was running full speed down a very steep volcano. It was awesome!!!!!!!! I got a great video of Meghan and I doing it. I even got Meghan falling, hahaha.
So when we got to the bottom we got to the part where the lava had hardened. It was very pretty looking and because it was so fresh it was very sharp. Chickie told us that we had to climb over it to get to the lava. So for about 2 miles we walked in very sharp hardened lava. A lot of people fell and scratched themselves but thankfully I did not. When lava was in sight I was really excited. It was soo cool looking. I thought that was the closest we were going to get, but no Chickie kept on going. We kept going until we were about 2 feet from the lava. It was super hot!! I could feel my hair sing off. We were able to roast marshmallows over the lava and eat them.
On the way down we noticed a huge river of lava. This river was moving very fast and on either side was surrounded by hardened rock. It was so pretty looking, like it was from National Geographic. When we walked to a free space we stopped to have lunch. The travel company provided us with chips, sandwich, and chips. It was surprisingly very good. There was a stray doggie that was following us so I gave him half of my sandwich. He was actually a very picky eating. He did not eat the cheese and lettuce. You would think that a dog who was very skinny and never got fed was not a picky eater.
When we were about to leave we saw people running down the volcano. The Volcano was erupting and lava was flowing down the mountain. It was then that Chickie told us it was time to head back. It took us about 2 hours to climb and about an hour to climb down. It was very steep climbing down and I fell a couple times :) But I did not hurt myself.
When we got to the bottom we hopped on the bus and headed back to the ship. It was around 3 when we returned so Meghan and I took showers and relaxed. We decided to go back to the restaurant that we had gone to last night. We brought our computers this time because they had free wifi. We stayed at the place for about 4 hours and ate dinner and had some drinks. I got shrimp this time and they were absolutely amazing. The owner was there again and he sat with us for about two hours. He was such an interesting guy and I really enjoyed his company. He told me about his wife and kids and how they always travel to the US. After being there for about three hours the wind picked up very quickly and it started pouring. After about 5 min the power to the restaurant went out and it was pitch black. It was very scary but very fun. On account of this happening the owner gave everyone free drinks!!! When it was time to pay the owner told us that our meal was on him. I was really surprised because we got a $100 tab paid for. When we left we took the shuttle back to the ship and got ready for bed. Of course we watched a couple episodes of One Tree Hill!!!
Love
Michelle
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
P.S. Being drunk, climbing trees, and throwing coconuts at the po-po is not such a great idea
Journal #53 April 28, 2009
I woke up this morning by the alarm going off saying “welcome to Guatemala.” Its our first day here and I am very excited. Today I am going to hang out with Meghan and we are just going to stay around the port. Now at the port we are at there is one main dock that only holds on boat and an industrial port that holds 4 ships that is about a mile away. Our ship was supposed to be at the main port but we were bumped by a ship named “The World.” This ship is a timeshare on the water. People own rooms on the ship and get to choose whenever they want to travel on the ship. It seems so amazing but extremely expensive. The average age on the ship is 65 so I am sure its all the old folks who have the money :) The ship was supposed to be in Mexico during this time but it stayed in Guatemala for an extra week because of the swine flu outbreak. So because of this we had to take shuttles from the ship to the main entrance every single time we got off the ship. It was a little bit of a pain but it worked.
So when we got off the ship we found the first shuttle and hopped on. We had to sit on the bus for 30 min because the port gates were not open. That was a little bit of a pain. When we got to the port there were shops all over the place. We did not go shopping because we had to find an ATM to get money. Of course the nearest bank around was 8 miles, so we had to take a taxi. By the time we got our money and were situated it was lunch time, so we went back to the ship to get lunch. We had planned on going to the beach today but our plans got a little messed up because the beach was closed during the hours of 12-3. They love their siesta time.
So after lunch we rested for a little while and headed back to the main entrance to get a taxi to the beach. On the way another shuttle stopped us and asked if anyone wanted to go to San Jose. San Jose is the closest town to the port. Meghan and I decided to go because it was getting a little cloudy out. When we got to San Jose I was a little scared. It did not seem like a safe place and it was just Meghan and I. We walked along the streets and went to a couple markets. It was crazy because they sold machetes on almost every corner. I was extremely scared. At one point we stopped to look at some pirated DVD’s and this drunken man stared talking to us. You could smell the alcohol from a mile away. He told us how all his family is in the States and that he misses them and wants to come to the US with us. At that point the police came over and took control. We left and went to some more markets and after about 30 min we decided to leave. It was just to scary. When we were leaving we saw the same drunken man climbing a tree to run from the cops, hahha. When he go to safety he started picking coconuts and chucking them at the police, he was hiding the coconuts in his shirt. It was really funny.
When we got back to the port entrance we did a little shopping and after a while we headed to the restaurant that is right by the shops. There were not a lot of people there but it was right on the harbor and had a gorgeous view. We ordered a couple drinks and got some food. After sitting there for a while the owner of the place came over and talked to us. He was a very nice guy and I do not remember his name but I recall it sounding god like. He is Greek. He bought us a couple drinks including an apple beer. It was quite gross. The restaurant actually had free wifi and free international calling. So that got me really excited and I was able to call my family and my boyfriend :) At around 7 we left and headed back to the ship to get some rest. We had to wake up really early the next day to climb a volcano.
Love
Michelle
I woke up this morning by the alarm going off saying “welcome to Guatemala.” Its our first day here and I am very excited. Today I am going to hang out with Meghan and we are just going to stay around the port. Now at the port we are at there is one main dock that only holds on boat and an industrial port that holds 4 ships that is about a mile away. Our ship was supposed to be at the main port but we were bumped by a ship named “The World.” This ship is a timeshare on the water. People own rooms on the ship and get to choose whenever they want to travel on the ship. It seems so amazing but extremely expensive. The average age on the ship is 65 so I am sure its all the old folks who have the money :) The ship was supposed to be in Mexico during this time but it stayed in Guatemala for an extra week because of the swine flu outbreak. So because of this we had to take shuttles from the ship to the main entrance every single time we got off the ship. It was a little bit of a pain but it worked.
So when we got off the ship we found the first shuttle and hopped on. We had to sit on the bus for 30 min because the port gates were not open. That was a little bit of a pain. When we got to the port there were shops all over the place. We did not go shopping because we had to find an ATM to get money. Of course the nearest bank around was 8 miles, so we had to take a taxi. By the time we got our money and were situated it was lunch time, so we went back to the ship to get lunch. We had planned on going to the beach today but our plans got a little messed up because the beach was closed during the hours of 12-3. They love their siesta time.
So after lunch we rested for a little while and headed back to the main entrance to get a taxi to the beach. On the way another shuttle stopped us and asked if anyone wanted to go to San Jose. San Jose is the closest town to the port. Meghan and I decided to go because it was getting a little cloudy out. When we got to San Jose I was a little scared. It did not seem like a safe place and it was just Meghan and I. We walked along the streets and went to a couple markets. It was crazy because they sold machetes on almost every corner. I was extremely scared. At one point we stopped to look at some pirated DVD’s and this drunken man stared talking to us. You could smell the alcohol from a mile away. He told us how all his family is in the States and that he misses them and wants to come to the US with us. At that point the police came over and took control. We left and went to some more markets and after about 30 min we decided to leave. It was just to scary. When we were leaving we saw the same drunken man climbing a tree to run from the cops, hahha. When he go to safety he started picking coconuts and chucking them at the police, he was hiding the coconuts in his shirt. It was really funny.
When we got back to the port entrance we did a little shopping and after a while we headed to the restaurant that is right by the shops. There were not a lot of people there but it was right on the harbor and had a gorgeous view. We ordered a couple drinks and got some food. After sitting there for a while the owner of the place came over and talked to us. He was a very nice guy and I do not remember his name but I recall it sounding god like. He is Greek. He bought us a couple drinks including an apple beer. It was quite gross. The restaurant actually had free wifi and free international calling. So that got me really excited and I was able to call my family and my boyfriend :) At around 7 we left and headed back to the ship to get some rest. We had to wake up really early the next day to climb a volcano.
Love
Michelle
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