A Week of Adventures

Here's a funny cartoon which represent the traveling we did during the break, compliment of Julie. Hahahahah!

Jan 10th: (getting ready for the temple closure break)

We have been on the night shift this week and just got home! Every night this week has been after 10:30pm... It has been crazy busy because this is the last week before the closure. We usually get two weeks, but they added an extra week because they are going to install fiber optics. Dad is pretty happy about the extra week because he is tired! Next week is our trip: Monday is Tikal and we leave at 5:30am and come back around 7:00pm... We fly in a small plane there... Ugh! I hate those things, but I am biting the bullet. Four of Pitchers' kids are here and will be traveling with us, so that will be fun! Tuesday and Wednesday is Rio Dulce and we stay over night... Who knows what the accommodations will be?! Thursday and Friday we drive to Lake Atitlan and stay over night, too. One of the former missionaries has a little travel business and she is taking us in a 20 passenger van. She will be the tour guide, too and speaks a little English. Then, the last week of the break, we are going up to Quetzeltenango to the other temple for a session. Look these places up on the internet, they are supposed to be interesting! I will let you know how it goes. I am putting our names on the temple roll tomorrow! 

January 11th:

Schooool's out for Summerrrrr!!

January 13th:

 We left this morning at 5am! Just got home, and the flight was good. It was about a 20 passenger and 13 were our group. We hiked in the rain forest/jungle almost all day and climbed pyramids and temples... Our walking/stair climbing program really paid off! It was the most interesting place we have been so far. I will send pictures later... Those Mayans were seriously geniuses, and we had the best guide who knew everything about their history. They picked us up at our apartment, took us to the airport, had a tour van when we got there, and he stayed with us all day. We ate lunch in the coolest outdoor place with a grass roof! Really enjoyable and not that expensive! You can't believe how big those things are!

Here's a map we bought. I will send it home so you all can see it.

January 17th:

We just got home! It was mostly fun, except the bus ride... Kill me now! We did a zip line at Atitlan with eight platforms and crossed about eight suspension bridges. We had to hike to get to the top! The bridges had wooden slats and a chain link fence on the side... It was a little scary, but after the first one, I was like what the heck, at least I am doing a once in a lifetime!

Dad was sick as a dog today. Bad food or the flu, but I think he will be okay if he rests up on the weekend.

Pictures to come. The Pitcher's kids took pictures of us on the zip line and cheered us on! I didn't even read the release form... Ijust signed it. I figured what the heck, if I die, I have a fabulous view on the way down! Haha!

Just the Pitcher's kids and Elaine went with us on Thursday and Friday. Paul couldn't go because of area office responsibilities. Elaine did a zip line in Canada and the kids said it scared her to death so she didn't do this one. Plus, she got a little ways out on a suspension bridge and had to crawl back, she was so scared! Paul would have done it though, if he could. The kids bought her a badge that said, "I almost made it part way on the bridge." So funny!

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Here are some pictures from the bus ride and the stuff we saw on the way.

Farming is the main industry in this area, although there is a growing middle class in the area. We are about 10,000 feet above altitude, but they farm and live at the tops of the mountain.