Guatemala: Complete

The rest of our time in Guatemala was a lot more of the same; walking, swimming, hiking, playgrounds. But one new thing we did do our last week there was going on the ziplines. This was AMAZING! It was a series of 8 ziplines high above the nature reserve from the previous post, and it was so incredible to fly above the trees and look over at the lake. It's hard to explain and we don't really have pictures because it's difficult to handle a camera while wearing leather gloves, but seriously one of the highlights of my trip.


Steve also had the opportunity to take a boat across the lake to the island of Santiago with his friend Juan a few days before we left. Juan grew up in a small village on the island and Steve got to spend a night there with him.


We really enjoyed the trip in general, but I'm not going to lie, I was soooo ready to come home. The plane ride home was a little rough, Aliyah is not a big fan of sitting in one spot for very long or of falling asleep while being held, so there was a little crying, a little frustration, and a lot of happiness when we reached Seattle. It was all worth it when we laid down in our own beds that night, and then, after waking up at least once a night the entire time in Guatemala, Aliyah slept until 8 o'clock the next morning.
One of the greatest things we gained from our stay in Guatemala is an immensely increased measure of gratitude for the many many things we have, both materially and conceptually (such as standards of cleanliness and clean water), that so many people go without their entire lives. We are so greatly blessed and will strive harder to not take these blessings for granted.