Hi all!
Well, here we are, almost done with a relaxing week in San Marcos, Guatemala. It is incredibly beautiful here! It really is like a relaxed, tropical paradise. It was so amazing to arrive here, especially after our crazy 3 day trek. All in all, our trek was a total of 48k, with some pretty ridiculous mountain climbing the whole way. We crossed rivers on tiny log bridges, walked through clouds, and forged our way through tunnels of bamboo. The temperature fluctuated from steamy hot to freezing cold in minutes. We often shed layers because of the extreme heat, only to put them back on only moments later. We had the treat of a hot springs on the first night, which felt amazing on our cold, dirty feet. We traversed some of the steepest trails I have ever hiked, often balanced precariously overlooking treacherous cliffs. On the morning of our last day of hiking, we witnessed a beautiful sunrise (though unfortunately surrounded by heaps of trash). We tackled our last decent with ease, into the city of San Pablo. There we took a boat over to our current abode, San Marcos.
San Marcos is incredible! We are all taking it easy for the most part, which is the exact opposite of our trek. The food here is incredible, with tons of little cafes and restaurants to choose from. I find it hard to imagine no longer having 3 delicious meals a day after San Marcos. I and three others have been taking massage classes, making us extremely valuable to the rest of the group. All in all there is a very “hippy” vibe here. I have only eaten meat once in my stay here, and dreadlocks, tattoos, loose clothing and chill attitudes are the norm. I can confidently say that more people here speak English than Spanish. However, I am enjoying it thoroughly, and I will certainly be sad to leave.
I hope you are all doing well, and stay tuned for another update next week!
-Montana
