The typical tourist..

That is probably what I would classify this weekend as since everything we did was very touristy but very fun. We only get 30 day visas so in order to renew them we simply leave the country and come back in and bam new visas. We went and visited Tikal in Guatemala, we only live about a 15 minute drive from the boarder and then just walked across which was a cool experience. Despite the rain at the beginning it ended up just being slightly overcast which was nice kept the temperature down. This is the fourth Mayan ruin I have visited and was definitely the most impressive second being Tulum in Mexico. But Tikal is just huge they have a couple thousand structures not even a fourth of them are unearthed. You can climb on so many of them and they just keep going like you climb up one and walk through it and then all the sudden there is a ball court. Guatemala was also incredible the people there have such a rich culture there was a lot of them wearing traditional Mayan dress walking around Tikal and apparently they still do rituals and ceremony's in Tikal itself. We also learned that although yes December 24, 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar this just happens to be one of the several times the Mayan calendar has ended and will simply just start over again at year 0 and end in 5,337 years. Hate to disappoint looks like we will make it to 2013. Then for lunch we had a traditional meal and I was dared to eat the homemade hot sauce by a spoonful which of course naturally I did it. Regret, I have never felt so much fire in my mouth and I started crying because it was so hot. But totally worth it because I got free ice cream. So end of the day ended up with lots of stamps in my passport and another unforgettable experience.

Walking across the boarder!

 Back view of temple one, the most famous one. Its a temple because it only has one staircase.

Me, Bri, Kristy and Andi at the top of one of the many ruins. I love them. 

Some more ruins, pretty cool looking they are all covered though with an additional layer of bricks to help preserve them. 

One of the carvings on the side of the temple its covered up with a hut to help preserve it, its really big and incredibly cool looking supposedly its in the image of The Chocolate King, one of the most famous kings.

All of us together with temple one in the background!

This ledge was slightly intimidating this is a close up of the one that is above. 












Saturday was all day fun, literally. We left about 8:30 and went zip lining, it was of course raining again because now it is rainy season and we were zip lining through the jungle. The views were incredible, it was over 2,000 feet of zip line which involved climbing ladders, hiking through the jungle or simply zip line from one platform to the next. There was a few tree people collisions because you are responsible for stopping yourself, but we all made it out alive. At the end for the last zip line we had to take a jungle lift up, it was a little nerve racking but completely thrilling.

 (Currently dont have any pictures of zip lining)

 After lunch we drove to a different place and went cave tubing which was absolutely incredible, on of the coolest things I have ever done. It of course naturally started pouring down rain the second we got there so we hiked through the jungle for about 45 minutes in the rain before we could put in our tubes. It then stopped raining so we free swam for a bit and then entered the cave. You have to go with guides which was actually really cool because they gave us this whole Mayan tour and how the Mayans believed the caves were the entrance to the underworld and would go in them and perform rituals. They had us all link together as they took us through the caves. On the way home we stopped in Spanish Lookout which is where all the Mennonites live. Awhile back the government made a deal with them that they could live tax free so the country could benefit off their produce, its so odd to see people dressed as pioneers driving cars. They are the most technology advanced people in the country and make the best ice cream. And now its Sunday and Ive been working on this blog post hanging out with everyone in the house. Our chef, who we call Mama Kay came over and ate dinner with us, she speaks creole and is one of the most entertaining people I have ever met as she called out everyone in the house on different things, like not being married yet or having a crush on each other. Oh and we attempted baking chocolate chip cookies. So all and all there are really no words to describe how truly amazing this has all been. I absolutely adore everyone in the house we all get along so well and I feel like I have already known them from somewhere before. I love life. Thank you for taking time to read my blog posts, if you have made it this far.

 The whole group! Almost the whole team went, and yes it was absolutely pouring rain, the first time I have actually felt cold here, but so worth it.

The end of the river.

Hiking through the jungle to get to the starting point.

 This is were we started the cave entrance is on the far right, the water so blue and pretty.

 Everyone in the water!

All linked together ready to enter the cave

 Exiting the cave. 

Random Mennonite picture! They have the best watermelon.