Kittens, Puppies, and Dynamite

All of the guys at the river crossing

 We headed out for Antigua the next morning with the rest of the crew; little did we know that it would be impossible to make it to Antigua in a day.  We decided to take a road which, on the map, was labeled as a major highway.  In actuality, they had begun to pave the road but either ran out money or just quit building it part of the way in.  The curvy, mountainous road quickly turned to gravel and what should have taken us no time at all took much of the day.  The road did have the most stunning views so far, but we weren’t able to enjoy them like we usually would due to our circumstances.  When we reached the summit, we were stopped by a couple of local police on motorcycles telling us that the road ahead had been blown up just a few hours earlier and that it would be two or three hours before we would be able to cross.  We hung out for a while enjoying the view as well as the town drunk’s antics; he had made his way up there somehow and the guys found him pretty entertaining.  

Stopped due to road explosion

 There was a town about twenty minutes back the other direction, so we turned around and decided to wait there.  Ty needed to find internet to check for updates on his mom and everyone wanted to grab a bite to eat.  We arrived to the town, which had no electricity at all except for generators.  Amazingly, there was an internet café that was powered by one of the generators and Ty was able to talk to his brother.  I walked in to check up on what was happening and discovered Ty had made some new friends; The local boys were climbing all over him, trying to see what he was doing.   

Ty with his new internet friends

 We lured them outside with lollypops and hung out with them for a while; they loved playing with the cameras and getting their picture taken and we had a lot of fun with them.  There were no other adults in sight and it seemed like the boys had little to no supervision.  We saw that traffic was coming through from the other direction again, so we knew the road was once again open.  

Charlie, Ty and Patrick with the boys

 

 

Some "very good" pictures the kids took of us!

Everyone said goodbye to the kids and we headed towards Lanquin, the small town next to Semuc Champey, one of the most famous outdoor spots in Guatemala.  We had already realized by this point that it was going to take us a few days to get to Antigua even if we pushed it, so Lanquin seemed like a good stopping point for the night.  The guys had heard of a place called Zephyr Lodge, and had been told that it was not to be missed.  Whoever told them was absolutely right; it was a beautiful hostel just outside of Lanquin, perfectly positioned on top of a mountain overlooking the river and the other surrounding mountains. 

This is no joke!

They had several small A-frames which were all occupied, so we decided to camp for $2 for the night.  The hostel had a full outdoor kitchen and bar which we all enjoyed thoroughly along with the eighty plus other people staying there.  It was a big outdoor party in the middle of nowhere in Guatemala and it helped to take our minds off of what was going on at home, since there was nothing we could do at the time.  The hostel also had twelve other occupants that had major appeal to us; eight brand new puppies, three tiny kittens and a little teenage rascal orange tabby.  There is something about a tiny kitten or puppy that can make everything seem a little bit better.  We enjoyed some cold beers and the company of the guys and listened to music late into the night.  

Two cute guys :)

Babies Everywhere <3

The next morning we woke up around six with the sunrise and, definitely a bit tired, decided to get going.  After taking an open-air shower and having breakfast, we sadly said our goodbyes to Alex, Tom, Charlie and Patrick.  There was no way they were going to leave Zephyr so soon after arriving so we headed for Antigua just the two of us.  We hoped that we would be able to catch up with them again somewhere along the way and were so happy that we got to know such a great group of guys. 

We love you guys and can't wait to see you again soon!