La Laguna Chicabal

At 8 a.m. on Saturday morning Christie and I set off for the beautiful lagoon of Chicabal. Alhough I knew it was in the crater of a volcano, I guess I thought we would get a ride to the top (I heard it was possible). I had sworn off climbing more volcanoes, but I guess I didn't learn my lesson because up we went (in flip flops, nonetheless!). At least we had banana bread for sustenance.

After 45 minutes of steep uphills, then 15 minutes of downhill, then 45 more minutes of uphill, we arrived at the top of Volcán Chicabal. It was already too cloudy to see the surrounding scenery, but luckily it was clear inside the crater, so we got great views of the gorgeous and crystal clear lake below. They prohibit swimming in it because it is sacred and is used for lots of Mayan rituals.

However, to get to said lake, we had to walk down 615 steps! Minutes after arrival, the fog rolled in and we spent half an hour reading and waiting. We eventually made it back up all those stairs, only to have to wait some more. The fog never did clear so we just hiked back down, but it was definitely worth it, sore knees and all!

When we got back, it was too late for lunch at our houses, and we were hungry...for ice cream. So we shamefully went to Wendy's for their fabulous frosties, and who did we get to meet but the one and only stripeless Garfield! That's right--it was a kid's event that we ridiculed, but then participated in. How bizarre is that costume?!?

That night we went to the fútbol game between two National Guatemalan Teams--Xela and San Marcos. We were lucky enough to sit right next to the marchnig band cheering section, so we got free sparklers and we got to hear all the cheers and songs right up close! Xela won 2-0, and the fans were so excited after each goal that they would run up and jump on the fence, screaming and setting off firecrackers!