having fun is, well, fun

In El Salvador they celebrate a holiday called Augustina. In practical terms this means that El Sal closes down and everyone heads home for a week of religious festivals, carnivals and time with family.

A few of my friends and I took this opportunity to see some more of Central America. Jamie Huff, a Vanguard Anthro Professor working with ENLACE for 6 months, and his family--Rebecca, Reyna and Emily--borrowed a friend's van and Ashley, Matt (Jamie's assistant) and I snagged a ride.

We went to Copan Ruinas in Honduras. This is a delightful small colonial town within walking distance of some amazing Mayan ruins. We had a great time exploring the ruins and we took a great drive through the beautiful Honduran mountains to some "local" hot springs. It was a looong drive, but gorgeous, so we didn't mind too much. Our hostel/hotel, Iguana Azul, was awesome. We paid $6 a night and had hot, hot showers and our own room. We were also able to get awesome massages for $25 for an hour. All in all, it was a perfectly balanced time of wandering the city with down time to read, relax and enjoy one another's company.

After 3 nights, The Huff's & Matt left to return to El Salvador and Ashley & I grabbed a shuttle to Antigua, Guatemala. Honestly the $15 was well spent to just be able to see so much of Guatemala. What an amazingly beautiful country! The beauty of nature contrasted sharply with urban life as we drove through quite a bit of Guatemala City (GC) dropping different people off and saw some of the harsher sides of Central America's largest city. Truly GC dwarfs San Salvador as far as cities go.


And after 6 hours in the shuttle we made it to a very dark and rainy Antigua. Our first night was kind of a bomb amidst our wet clothes & luggage, the dank hostel we stayed at and the intense rain--but the sun came out on Wednesday and the lovely Antigua that I know so well was delightful as ever. We found a nice, reasonlably priced hotel room, took showers and "did a do-over." We then had 3 great days or eating, shopping and walking around at night. It was a great lil break and Ashley is the greatest travel partner ever. Really we had great fun just talking about all of life, laughing and hunting out the best cakes in Antigua.

All in all it was a fun a week away, but truly I felt like it was a week of restoration and that God was able to return some former joy into my heart. I guess my boyfriend Julio really knew something when he focused so much time on playing because playing is not only fun but fills you with laughter and peace and wonder and delight in this amazing world and the many cool things in our lives. Julio is sooo smart.

For more intriguing and cultural relevant photos, visit my facebook photo gallery. And if you are on facebook, join the ENLACE group.