Guat Part 1

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My trip to Guatemala was with Global Youth Network. Eleven university students backpacking together to two different eco-tourism/volunteer locations. The first was two weeks at "Volunteer Peten", San Andreas near Flores, in the Peten Region. The project is run by Mateo, an American who moved there something like 20 years ago. He started with a conservation area just outside of town, and built a school to teach of conservation, agriculture, and environmental related aspects of health. He also built a library in town to try and interest young kids in learning. We spent our mornings volunteering in the conservation area. By noon it was too hot to work, so we went to the lake most days, then back to the library before dinner to do crafts with the young kids, and teach english to the older ones wanting to learn. We did home-stays, so each of us stayed with a local family who would also cook for us while we were there. The costs of the program were split between the families who would host us and the upkeep of the school/teachers/conservation area/library. While this is added income for host families, they are also screened by Mateo himself to ensure they are meeting his standards for the volunteers.

One weekend we went to Tikal -the Mayan ruins. Impressive pyramid-style buildings in an elaborate ancient city thats only been partially restored. Many of the ruins remain submerged in mosses and growth that make them look like natural features of the landscape. Stayed at the camp-site on location. We brought our own hammocks and mosquito nets and slung them from the huts they have on site. Sleep was hard to come by, however, due to the howler monkeys at it all night.

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