It is SO good.

  We've reached the two week mark. I am so sad that we only have two weeks left, but so grateful for all the wonderful experiences and memories we've all had so far. We just finished our spanish classes last friday and it's been so great to see how much we've learned so far. It was also sad to say goodbye to our maestras, but we all had an awesome lunch and then gave all of them small thank you gifts. I think they liked them. :)
  Right after lunch we jetted to Atitlan hoping to squeeze in some activities into the day. Unfortunately it was raining, so we just checked into our lovely hotel in San Pedro instead and had dinner at this super cool Israeli restaurant. not too shabs. After dinner we headed back to the hotel because we knew we had an early morning ahead of us. Luckily, the hotel had an awesome rooftop terrace with hammocks and a gorgeous view of the lake at night so we talked and sang songs and it was wonderful.
  The next morning, our group got up at 5:30 am to hike up Volcan San Pedro. It was a killer hike, but so worth it. It was such a wonderful feeling to get to the top of 9000ft. The view was cloudy at times but still amazing! After the hike we quickly cleaned up and headed over to Panajachel to find a hot tub/sauna to relieve our sore muscles. We probably walked to at least 4 or 5 places to find the perfect one that would fit all 9 of us, but we found it. :) After that we headed out and experienced the night life in Panajachel. 
  We were all pretty sore the next day, so we decided to nix our bike ride around the lake. Instead we headed back to San Pedro and went on a horseback ride near the lake. or should I say gallop ride. It was probs one of the best rides I've been on. After the ride we headed out to rent kayaks and we started going out to cross the lake when we heard thunder. Before we knew it, it started to rain and I mean monsoon, so we all headed back to the shore soaked in all our clothes. It was like a scene out of a movie really. 
  This past weekend in Atitlan was one of the funnest ever. I am in love with Lago Atitlan and can't wait to go back soon. Weekend trips are always really awesome and hard to leave, but we start clinic work this week so I am really looking forward to that.
 Until next time. Hope you all are great! 
   Grace and Peace
Shreya

Israeli Restaurant in San Pedro

Before our hike

view from 9000 ft

group at the top of the volcan

Lago atitlan

mas Lago

Remember that time we...

  This past weekend at Semuc Champey was amazing! So many adventures and beautiful scenery the whole time. It took us a good 8 hours to finally get there with a stop at a sketch lunch place and Mcdonald's (driver's favorite) in between but the mountains were absolutely beautiful so it wasn't too bad. We got to our hostel and it was literally like a camp in the middle of the  jungle.  Our cabin had the boys in the attic and the girls in bunks downstairs. Oh and did I mention there was electricity only from 6-10 and spiders and insects galore? soo great. Soon after we got there the boys and queens and Jessica jumped off the nearby bridge into the river ( I was quite happy videotaping thank you very much) and then we swam around in the river for a bit and skipped rocks. Idyllic really.
  The next morning we had breakfast surrounded by the mountains which were just breathtaking with all the greenery and the clouds just resting on the top of it. The tour guides Johnny and Junior led us on our first adventure of the day. a killer hike. No but seriously though it was a million steps to the top of the viewpoint with lots of slippery moments as it had just rained the night before. However, once we got to the top- the view of the aqua-green pools was incredible. We then quickly made it down to see some waterfalls and then spend some time jumping into the pools and swimming around. So so beautiful. 
  We came back and got ready to go tubing down the river. We were waiting on the banks and I saw Queena slip a little and yelled out and then before I knew it plop! went my new Flip camera. Unfortunately, the wrist strap snapped for some reason and it headed straight for the bottom. The tour guides tried to find it but the current was too strong so I said my goodbyes. Kind of a bummer but what if it had been my Canon or worse...QUEENA. Thankfully everyone was safe. 
  After lunch we had our last adventure of the day which was the cave tour. It was incredible and unlike anything else. For starters they give you a candle to explore the cave with, but it's also got water where you have to swim at times and being so bad at multi-tasking as I am...my candle fizzled out real quick. We climbed ladders up a waterfall, walked along tiny ledges, jumped through a crevice that was gushing water and held on to rocks for dear life (at least I did) when the current was strong. Ridiculous. but unlike any other. 
   That night we played some games and had a delish dinner when they started playing some reggaton music. One of our tour guides asked me quieres bailar?! Of course I said yes, the locals are so good at dancing to salsa and merengue. All the girls took turns dancing with him and then we got a bunch of other students to dance and started playing limbo. Que divertido! 
   The next morning we had to leave early to catch our chicken bus that took us to our actual mini-bus that was driving us home. We've gotten real good at traveling on buses on this trip, that's for sure. We started driving for a while, going through the beautiful mountains and I asked the driver if we could sit up on top of bus as I had seen other people do it the whole weekend. He stopped right away and we climbed the mini ladder up to the roof and a few of us rode on top of it for about an hour or so with our ponchos and all. It was the BEST. Well... minus the occasional bugs hitting your face and the aftermath of windswept hair. We started playing a game where you got points if people whistled, blew kisses, honked at you, or dogs barked at you. I think Queena won. What a gunner. :)
    Semuc was an amazing trip to go with our group. Special thanks to Queens and Brian for watching my back in the caves, I appreciate it! And hey! Thanks for reading!
   Grace and Peace
 Shreya 

On top of the hike at Semuc Champey

Such a lovely color

by the waterfalls at Semuc

gotta get a pic with the tour guides.

Rooftop riding= the best. 

  

Guat's up?

  We've all been in Antigua now for almost a week and it has been lovely. We've each been assigned individual spanish tutors and they are the best! My maestro treats me like her daughter and we even get to study in cafe's sometimes. We've also made it a habit to study at a different coffee shop almost every day to do our homework. :)
   So far we've spent our time exploring the city, shopping (duh) and hanging out as a team. We finally got to go the Cerra de la Cruz this past week. I have been wanting to go for so long! You basically climb stairs all the way to the top of the hill and get an awesome view of Antigua and the Volcan de Agua if you're lucky.
  We also got to tour the coffee plantation this past week which was awesome to see how it was made.... and at the end of tour we got free coffee. yum. 
   This weekend we are going to Semuc Champey. It's a jungley place about 7-8 hours in the mountains of Guatemala. I've heard it's a ton of fun from other students in the past so our group is really looking forward to it. 
   Grace and Peace
Shreya 

A few of the girls at Cerra de la Cruz

Pyramid with our group, it took us forever to decide how to make it. 

coffee at the plantation.

unBELIZEable

   Our trip to Caye Caulker, Belize was AMAZING. However, we had quite the adventure while there and on our way back. We had arrived in Antigua last wednesday and left that night to take an overnight bus to Flores, Guatemala. We boarded our next bus to Belize City and as we were waiting for the bus to start, I looked out the window and who do I see but Vishal and his friend, Maruf, boarding the same one! Before med school had ended, we had all previously planned to meet in Belize or Guatemala but we weren't sure how exactly it was going to work out especially since we we had no way to communicate with each other. It was so fun catching up and I think Brian appreciated having other guys around. :)
   We arrived in Caye caulker around noon and settled into our hotel which was beautiful and even included free bikes! Apparently the island only has 2000 inhabitants and they were so friendly and helpful and that weekend happened to be a lobster fest. We had some food and drinks across from the beach and then played around in the water which by the way was deliciously warm but it SO salty. We decided to take our free bikes for a tour of the island and met some cute kids who were fishing for eel and got to an airstrip with a very appealing trail by the beach. At first it was really beautiful with large houses and private beaches and then we ended up in a swamp area. bad idea. We got swarmed and I mean swarmed by mosquitos and rode as fast as we could back to our hotel only to discover we all looked like we had smallpox. 
   After we had showered and tended to our unfortunate bites, we headed over to get some delicious dinner and helado. Apparently the lobster was unreal. The next morning, we headed out in hopes of scuba diving but unfortunately the waves were so high that the guides said it would be dangerous. However, there was a snorkeling tour that promised turtles and manatees and coral reefs so we weren't too disappointed. 
   Our snorkeling adventure was beyond amazing. We saw beautiful fish and turtles in the first drop off spot and the water was crystal clear. The next spot had sharks and sting rays. Amazing. The last spot had a manatee that was super shy. All in all a wonderful snorkeling experience! 
 That night we all went out to dinner out on the beach and then got some more mango coladas and headed out to a reggae bar that had rooftop swings. Definitely the best view of the island at night and spending it with friends was the best. 

  The next morning we peaced out of Caye Caulker early in the morning and headed to Tikal, Guatemala to check out some ancient mayan ruins. The lady asked if we wanted to get dropped of in Flores, a city about one hour from Tikal or at a junction about 30 minutes from Tikal. Naturally we said the junction because we had a bus from Flores back to Guatemala that night so we wanted as much time to check out those mayan ruins as possible. Mother nature had different plans for us. We arrived at the junction in the middle of nowhere guatemala and waited for our bus. After about 10 minutes it started pouring rain and I mean monsoon status so we gunned it to a shed that was close by. We asked every bus/van that drove by if they would take us to Tikal but they kept saying no or asked for ridiculous amounts of money. The locals kept telling us there would be a bus coming soon and sure enough a "chicken bus" showed up with tons of people and hundred pound bags of flour in the front. We got on and it was experience for sure. It probably went about 20 miles an hour and we were never quite sure if it would make it up the next hill. but it did. and we arrived in Tikal with one hour to explore. The guard laughed so hard at us when we told him. So we trekked luggage ( and you all know I do not pack light) and all and saw the Gran Plaza and Temple V. Both had amazing views and were well worth the hike with all our stuff. We gunned it back to the entrance and took a bus back to Flores. Funny story on the bus ride home- the guys we were riding with stopped about halfway to get some cheese from their house and got back in the bus. When we asked what they were doing, they gave us the most incredulous look as if it was completely normal to stop at home and get cheese. Of course it is.
   We got back to the station, had a slightly sketchy dinner on the road and got on the bus home to Antigua. Around 2 am, I noticed the bus had stopped moving and people were getting off. Turns out the transmission had broken down and the driver wasn't sure when the next bus was coming. good thing we were in the middle of nowhere. We sat on the bus unsure of what to do next as none of us speak spanish very well and before we knew it the bus driver closed the door so all the passengers couldn't get out for our "security". The four of us were so delirious at this point so we were laughing our heads off playing would you rather while we were waiting to get the bus driver's attention to let us out of his jail. I finally saw the bus driver come out from the bus and I yelled at him until he opened the luggage and we jetted out there as fast as we could and took the next bus at a nearby station to Guatemala city.
   32+ hours on a bus, 3 pairs of cankles, 100's of mosquito bites between the four of us and 4 passport stamps (my favorite) later we finally arrived in Antigua and I have never been more happy to be home. Thank you Lord for such an amazing trip y gracias para Queena, Brian, Jess, Vishal and Maruf for such a wonderful time. The trip was unforgettable. :)
    Grace and peace
Shreya

Fab four

paradise

Queens and I at Tikal.

postcard?

Sorry it's so shaky, but here's a vid of our snorkeling experience. Yes, I really did wear a life jacket.

  

Guatemala. Al Fin.

  Finally. finally I am here in Antigua, Guatemala. Never thought I'd see the day.
Queena and I had a whirlwind weekend meeting up with med school friends, packing up our apartments and moving out in two days and then taking the bus to O'hare along with Brian- our other med school friend from SLU.
  We had a late nite dinner at the airport with Brian and then parted ways as we were at different terminals. Queena and I rushed to the check-in counter only to see that it had closed down about five hours ago. Excellent. So, we waited until 3:30 AM to check in and finally got through security around 4. We landed around 11, got some sweet stamps in customs and then proceeded to get our luggage. So we waited and waited, but still no luggage.
  Apparently, the airlines had not gotten our luggage through [curse you O'hare] and it was supposed to come on the 10 o clock flight later that night. no problemo right?
A: Si es un problema. We were leaving that night to Belize and all our clothes were in our checked luggage.  Luckily, once Jess got in (other med school friend), our luggage happened to come along in the flight.  You can be sure the whole airport heard us screaming with joy.
  Anyways we got home to Antigua and it is just beautiful. Lots of green mountains around, cobblestone streets and the nicest people you will ever meet in Central America. We left that evening for our 15 hour bus ride to Caye Caulker, Belize (aka Paradise).
   Until next time!
Grace and Peace,
  Shreya

our welcoming party, we may keep the sign

Thanks for being our lucky charm Jess!

Twins at the airport.