Day 9

Day 9: Sunday, August 18th, 2013

Today, we woke up in the town of Panajachel, next to Lake Atitlan. I slept in, took a nice hot shower at Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the restaurant with a nice big cup of cafe con leche. A few of us walked around the town, doing a little shopping before we had to leave for Market Day in Chichicastenago. 

Chichi is about an hour drive from Panajachel - Cobblestone streets make the ride a bit bumpy, causing some of us to get a little motion sickness, especially me. I kept a nice little barf bag right next to me the whole time. I had to keep my eyes closed, because every time I looked around, I almost instantly became nauseated. So jealous of people who can read or journal on long car trips or airplaine rides. I took a few Dramamine to try and help with the mostion sickness, but it didn't help me very much unfortunately.

 After the drive, we made it to the market where we split up in pairs or small groups to do some serious shopping. Hammocks, necklaces, knives, backpacks, purses, and cigars were just a few of our purchases while there. We've all become experts at bargaining with the locals! After spending almost two hours at the market, we headed back to the bus for our long ride home, but stopped at a restaurant along the way. Outside the restaurant, a woman was selling fresh bags of strawberries and papaya. A man was playing an instrument on the steps of the restaurant, while children ran around the grounds playing games with each other. 

The drive home took about 4 hours, we caught up with a lot of traffic which only made the long drive, longer. More motion sickness, but not as bad this time surprisingly. Once we arrived home, our street was packed with people selling bracelets, food, shoes and other various items. It was nice to finally be in our own beds at home base. Funny how this feels like "home" now after just being in Guatemala for a little over a week. Once we all settled in for the night, we skyped and chatted with friends and family, then went to sleep for the evening. Tomorrow we start our last week here in Guatemala City, and volunteering at our sites bright and early. Cheers to a fabulous weekend and an even better week ahead of us!

Sam