the final 2 weeks

Shana: We had an incredible 2 weeks with my parents. Our standard of living improved significantly with stays at beautiful hotels and delicious meals. We went back to Antigua and Lago De Atitlan. Our hotel at the Lake, La Casa Del Mundo, was literally built into the side of the cliff overlooking the lake. Each room at a private balcony overlooking the lake. We spent our time relaxing, swimming in the lake, and enjoying the wood-fired hot tub at night.

Next, we flew up to the far north of Guatemala to the incredible Mayan ruins of Tikal. These huge stone pyramids were in the middle of the jungle often separated by 30-45 minute hikes through the humid environment. Even better, the jungle around the ruins were full of monkeys, tucans, possiums, and many many more animals that we spotted from the steps of the ruins and the porch of our hotel room.

After that, we went further into the jungle by heading east into Belize. We chartered a TINY flight to take us to Chan Chich lodge in the Orange Walk District. This luxurious resort was built on the site of more mayan ruins in the middle of dense rainforest filled with plenty of mammals and uncountable birds (and a few too many mosquitos, too). The owner of the lodge also produces just about everything in Belize including its beer, shrimp, beef, and gourmet sauces. Needless to say, the food at the lodge was INCREDIBLE. We overate at every meal (the 3 course meals were included with the price) and each was better than the previous one. The Coquilles Saint Jacques (scallops with a rich creamy mushroom sauce), Shrimp Caribbean (coconut shrimp with pineapple sauce), the key lime pie, and the Beef tenderloin were our favorites.

Finally, we headed south to the small costal town of Placencia. It was HOT on this sandy beach, but each night there were incredible rain storms often with lighting and loud thunder. It was too hot to do much, so we relaxed in our nice apartment, went swimming in the very warm water (almost too warm with the hot air temperature too), went on a tour of Monkey River to see more jungle animals, and ate some delicious shrimp. Unlike the rest of Central America, people speak English in Belize and everything costs prices comparable to the US. It was a nice transition for us before heading back home.

Today (Sunday), we just arrived back in Portland, OR and tomorrow morning we're heading down to San Jose to find an apartment. And, in less than 2 weeks Greg will start school. SO MUCH TO DO IN SO LITTLE TIME.

We'll try to get to posting some pictures as soon as we can find the time.

It's been one crazy adventure and we'll remember it for a life time!