Guatemala

I was traveling to Guatemala for work at the end of September, and so Mike joined me for the first time on an IJM trip.  Yay!  We extended the trip by a couple days on the front, so we could explore Antigua and hike a volcano (Pacaya).

We had an unexpected overnight layover in El Salvador because of flight delays.  So, we got dropped off via shuttle at a very posh and noisy-ish casino/resort.  But, they had a buffet for us at like 1 am when we got there, and the room was comfy and clean.  All part of traveling internationally- anything can happen...

We arrived a little less than a day later than we expected, but ReJean Twedt (FOD Brad's wife) met us at the airport, connected us with our cab driver, and we got dropped off for the afternoon and evening in Antigua.  We weren't able to take the tour we originally wanted to, but we had a lovely time wandering through the town, eating yummy food, visiting shops, drinking coffee, and hanging out in a park in the evening watching the locals dance and sing, and just enjoying being in a new place together.  Here are a few pictures of our day.

The next morning, we woke up really early and got picked up at our hotel around 5 am by a guide.  We were hiking the volcano, Pacaya!  The drive to the volcano (about an hour) was perfectly misty and foggy through the mountains and hills.  By the time we picked up our native guide and started the hike, the day was clearing beautifully.  The hike was incredible.  Beautiful, unique and relatively secluded.  We passed a couple other people, but mostly just us and our two guides.  New terrain to hike, beautiful vistas, a gorgeous stop for lunch, fun facts by our guide, roasting marshmallows over the hot spots, a little non-profit lava store on the way, and it was a wonderful adventure.  

We were back at our hotel by early afternoon, and we showered and rested before dinner at the Twedt's house with Brad and ReJean Twedt, and their dog, Bear, and Dan, the contractor I always travel with to do this training.  That was really fun also, and we stayed way too late and had wonderful food and conversation.  It was such a rich and lovely trip.  So glad we did it!!