1/22-1/23/15 - Francesco Russo

  After a night of perfect sleep in our loft that overlooked the river, we woke up to another beautiful day in Guatemala. We ate a calm breakfast together and began our tour of Semuc Champey. Emilio, our tour guide showed us a cocoa tree and other indigenous plants (in spanish). Then we walked over to a map of the park to see the trails we’d be taking. Emilio explained to us (in english) how long each leg would be and when we’d go back for lunch. First, we hiked up a steep mountain to overlook the pools we’d later be swimming in. About 200 steps and three dehydrated kids later, we reached the top. Our view (below) speaks for itself. Next we flew down the mountain to take a dip in the crystal clear pools. The group climbed, slided, swimed, jumped, and belly flopped from pool to pool. At 1 we were back for lunch and an hour later we were off for round two: the caves and tubing. At the caves, we were all given a lit candle and followed our guide into the water. At first we just started walking through. then there were parts where we swam and climbed. The cave was a Disney ride on steroids. then we came to a 7 or 8 foot tall waterfall. Most of us walked around it and climbed up a ladder. Shout out to Joe, Jake, and Ryan who didn’t know any better so they climbed up a rope in the middle of the waterfall. After more swimming and climbing we reached the end, where we could jump of a ledge into a pool. After exiting the caves we took a relaxing tube ride downstream and walked back. However, the fun wasn’t over yet. Emilio jumped off this 35 foot bridge into the lake. As any good Americans, we couldn’t let indigenous people show us up. Off we went, and some of us twice. The bridge should also be in the pictures below. Semuc Champey is a place everyone should have on their bucket list. Thank you Fr. Kirk and Ms. Mekrut for being brave enough to take us such an amazing trip. A big thanks to Sir, who funded some of the adventure. P.S. Colonel Sanders secret blend of herbs and spices is nothing compared to the fried chicken in Guatemala.