Entry #4, A Relaxing Day

Casa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Lake Atitlan, 1/8/2010

Another very relaxing day. The weather is mild, with a tropical breeze. It is a bit humid though, and I can feel some symptoms of asthma, even though I’m not asthmatic. Seeing the lake in the morning is even more beautiful. The colors show up more vivid on my camera when I snap shots of the nature here. I’m determined to wake up early tomorrow to catch the sunrise; I’m sure it must be a very moving experience.

Some photos of the lake taken first thing in the morning:

Today we ran in to some problems with our project. We decided against installing any filters because we don’t have the right materials. We are going to proceed with the hygiene education program, but don’t want to risk providing unsafe water for the locals. We decided to come down in March for the implementation phase of the project.

Later in the afternoon, we went to a remote hotel where we had another exotic lunch. The highlight of my meal was an avocado and strawberry smoothie. Everything here is very cheap and fresh when comparing it to the price of things in the U.S. I think I’ve eaten more fruits in my last three days here that I have in my past four years in the U.S.!

The restaurant where we had lunch

My group as we awaited our meals

After the meal, we just lied around and watched the clouds pass us by in the sky. My group partners are very talkative, and for some reason I’m in a very contemplative mood. I can’t get myself to engage in their conversations because the jungle and the lake have this calming effect on me. I love enjoying it in solitude and silence, except for the chirping of the parrots and wildlife in the background. I’m really glad I got to travel to this part of the world.

A photo from our cloud watching session

Anyways, I’m back at the hotel room. I think I’m going to take a nap. I guess the plan is get some dinner from the Iguana later on, get some work done (i.e. create a plan of action), and then hit the hay because tomorrow we’ll be sailing to another town on the coast to get some materials. My aim is to wake up before sunrise, continue resting on a hammock and enjoy the sunrise. Looking forward to telling you all about it!

The hammock at the Casa Rosa, our hotel