Puppy Travels in Guatemala

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Hey kids! And, happy first birthday to Eddie (here they say feliz cumpleanos)!!!




Since I last wrote we have been travelling through Guatemala; Honduras too, but I was not feeling well so I stayed in the van when we were there. We visited Lake Atitlan in the highlands, Lake Izabal not far from the Caribbean, and Lake Peten Itza in the north.



We entered Guatemala in the highlands; this is where the tall mountains and volcanoes are located. This is also where Lake Atitlan is and when we were in this area we stayed in the town of Panajachel. It was cool to be on a lake surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. We went on a boat tour of the lake and visited two area cities. In the city of Santiago Atitlan Grandpa and Grandma hired a local guide who brought us to observe a Mayan ceremony where people prayed to Maximon for health and prosperity.



Lake Izabal is connected to Rio Dulce and this is where we stayed; two nights at a resort and two nights at a really cool riverside backpackers hotel. We watched for manitees (they live in the waters here), but never were able to see any. We went for another boat ride while we were here to a Garifuna town on the Caribbean coast called Livingston, a cave called Aguas Calientes (because the water is warm there), and the old Spanish fort of San Felipe. We also drove to the Mayan ruin site of Quirgua about an hour away where there are many stelae (ancient Mayan monuments).



Our last week in Guatemala we were in the Peten; it is in the northern part of the country. Here we visited many ancient Mayan sites; some are still used by the Maya people today for ceremonies. My favorite was camping at Tikal. We climbed to the top of a pyramid where the view was not like anything I had ever seen; looked like the jungle forest around us went on forever. There were monkeys, and these other animals that are cousins to the raccoons, and even turkeys (the turkeys even came to play with me one morning).



Guatemala was great fun. We went on boat rides, climbed pyramids, and saw many different animals, birds and plants. I was sad when Grandpa and Grandma said we had to leave, but they say not to worry because next we are going to Belize where I will have many more fun days and we will have cake for Eddie’s birthday.



Have to go now. We miss you and think of you all every day!

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