Guatemala City to San Salvador to San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba to Roatan to San Salvador to San Jose to Quepos to San Jose to Guatemala City to Charlotte to Chicago to Guatemala City.  12 flights (including connections) in 5 countries was the only way to take full advantage of a 25-day break from school.  I'm just glad I resisted the temptation to work in a flight to New Orleans (see Sugar Bowl debacle). 

We began our vacation with another trip through our favorite adventure company in Guatemala.  This time it was Old Town Outfitter's 4-day kayak trip to Rio Dulce.  Near the eastern coast of Guatemala sits a large lake called Lago de Izabal.  The 30 km Rio Dulce connects the lake to the Caribbean Sea.  We met our 2 guides and 3 other teachers in the city and made the 4-hour drive to the town of Rio Dulce.  From here they took us to one of the most remarkable natural phenomena in Central America.  After a 45 minute drive down a bumpy dirt road, we parked the van and hiked a few minutes to the river and found the hidden gem of a lifetime:  A beautiful 40-foot waterfall rushing and bouncing over huge rocks.  But that wasn't the best part!  A hot spring above the waterfall provided a virtual bathtub for up to 6 people at a time.  This hot spring was the source of the waterfall, which cascaded down into a separate chilly flow of river water, creating steamy, transcendent perfection.  



We climbed up the side of the waterfall, using the tree roots for leverage, and soaked in the greatest/cheapest hot tub in the world.  While some took the same route back down, I opted for a more enjoyable return trip.



After swimming in the hot/cool mix and climbing on the rocks for a while, we ate a nice lunch prepared by the guides before heading upstream.  We climbed and jumped across slippery rocks, swam, and hiked up the river to find its source.  Reaching the ultimate destination included a 200 meter swim into a cave and a shimmy up some rocks on the cave wall to see water gushing out of the back.  During our float out of the cave, a gliding piece of foam near the mouth up ahead gave us a little scare as it briefly disguised itself as the head of a crocodile.  The swim/climb/hike back downstream to the waterfall went much quicker and we ended the adventure sitting back on the rocks underneath the natural hot shower.  Pure heaven.  Finding this spot was worth the price of the guided tour alone. 

Day 2 (all 25 days won't be this detailed I promise!) brought on the rain.  It was the middle of the rainforest, but disappointing nonetheless for a day of kayaking.  Our guides offered to cut the trip short, but we would hear of no such thing.  I brought my top-of-the-line Eddie Bauer rain poncho (compliments of my grandma), while Sarah brought a thin Dayton windbreaker.  Yeah, guess who was wearing the wind breaker!



Kayaking in the rain turned out fine, as the water and exercise kept us quite warm.  The guides took us through small inlets with the jungle completely covering us on 3 sides.  Amazing!  We stopped at more hot springs (too hot, actually) before landing at our second hotel.  The 12 hammocks in the outdoor lobby told the story on what kind of place this was.  Our long paddle up the Rio Dulce on day 3 was met with beautiful, sunny weather.  We kayaked through a canyon with 400-foot walls of trees and foliage on both sides. 







I even got to swing on a real jungle vine and land in the river (much safer than a tree).  By the early afternoon, the river emptied into the Caribbean and we reached our hotel in Livingston, which boasts one of the most unique cultures in the world.  Far from a mainstream Latino lifestyle, the out-of-place Garifuna (or black Carib) people have created a fusion of Guatemalan and Caribbean culture.  We didn't experience their famous nightlife, but I was happy to enjoy the culture via a plate full of 6-inch peel 'n eat shrimp.  On the ride back to the city, we stopped at the Mayan ruins of Quirigua.  The park was far from the spectacle that is Tikal, but it does have the largest stelaes (totems) in the world, which were incredible.

For the second leg of our vacation, we flew to the Caribbean Bay Island of Roatan off the northern coast of Honduras.  It actually took us 4 flights to get there, but we arrived before noon.  The construction sites and cruise ship visits provide proof for the island's tremendous state of growth.  However, it's still very quiet compared to other Caribbean islands.  Most of the hotels and resorts cater to divers, as it boasts arguably the best diving in the world.  The rich coral reefs are accessible right of the beach and the prices are cheap.  As my first scuba diving experience, it will be a tough standard to live up to in the future.



Sarah went snorkeling with me, but I couldn't talk her into diving.  She was plenty happy on the beach, where we both devoured several books, got a sun burn, and enjoyed many sunsets and more shrimp (and actually the best American food - burger and fries we'd had in a long time!).  I think Roatan now has direct flights from Atlanta, Houston, and Miami so if you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation, we highly recommend it.  Trust me, it won't be this quiet and cheap for long and you can see why:



From Roatan we flew to into the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose.  Our attraction of choice is on the Pacific coast and we had the option of a 3.5 hour bus ride through the mountains or a 20-minute flight for $20 more.  Easy choice.  There is only one major airport in the country, so we knew it wouldn't be a 747 flying to the coast.  However, we figured out the plane was even smaller than expected when they asked us how much we weighed.  As we walked outside to our 12-seater, we quickly realized we were the only 2 passengers on the plane!  As one of the pilots helped buckle us in, the other climbed in and gave his full speech, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard Sansa flight 602 to Quepos..."  Hilarious.  Sarah closed her eyes the entire flight, and as we arrived at the coast I searched the ground for an airport among the banana fields.  Finally, on the last turn I saw runway/driveway #22 (not sure where the other 21 were).  To show we are not exaggerating, check out this picture of the airport.



No joke.  When returning to San Jose we met a couple from Australia.  They had taken the ground route, passing cars in the night through curvy mountain roads in the rain.  Then when they received their luggage from under the bus, they realized the driver only had one eye!  They decided to take their chances with the small plane on the return.  

In Costa Rica we spent our time at the tourist haven of Manual Antonio.  But the tourists flood the place for a reason:  it's where the jungle meets the ocean.  The national park features tropical beaches with rocky coastlines, prolific wildlife, and plenty of safe hiking trails with spectacular views.  We saw bats, birds, a snake, sloths, "Jesus" lizards (walk on water), iguanas, and the stars of the show - countless white-faced cappuccino monkeys.  And this is not a zoo folks!  It was amazing how close the monkeys came to us, and we heard stories of them stealing food and cameras from the backpacks of unsuspecting tourists.  For long, amazing morning hikes, lazy beach afternoons, and spectacular sunsets, Manuel Antonio was perfect.  I also gave a kid 20 bucks to lend me his surfboard and give me a quick lesson.  Some of the waves were far too big for a first-timer, but I was able to get up and ride in 4 waves (and swallow about a gallon of salt water in the process).  











After all this action in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, we were very fortunate to still have 12 days to spend with our families.  We balanced our time between Illinois, Kentucky (at Sarah's grandparents), and Indiana.  We obviously enjoy all our travels and adventures, but we miss home dearly and could not have imagined being anywhere else for the holidays.  We attended the beautiful wedding of our friends Elizabeth (Sarah's roommate in ACE-Biloxi) and Danny on the campus of Marian College in Indianapolis.  I was also lucky to catch a basketball game and witness a new and improved international style basketball TEAM in South Bend.  After a disappointing football season, it looks like this team will provide Irish fans with some much needed therapy.  Otherwise, I know of a hot spring waterfall that will help heal some wounds.  And don't worry, you can make it here and back in 4 flights or less.