"You take the mallow..."

Remember to always bring marshmallows when hiking to flowing lava at an active volcano. We were all pretty disappointed when we got to the base of the volcano and all it was was a dead forest that smelled of horse crap. I guess real treasures really do come from lots of perseverence and nose-plugging. On the ride in the "luxury" mini-van I noticed a few cultural differences of Guatemala: they have TONS of roadkill; literally, there were four dead HORSES on the side of the highway. Also, honking your horn means either "thank you", "excuse me, sir", or "I'm right here": it appears to be a very polite horn-honking culture. Of the three towns that we have travelled to (Antigua, Panajachel, San Pedro), Mayan clothing and language is still extremely prevelant. The women wear the same pattern on their high-waisted skirt, a tucked blouse with extensive, colorful stitching around the neck, and flip flops (which hold up quite well when they're carrying everything on their head!). I adapted to the food quickly (eggs, beans, plantains, fruit, fruit, more fruit), but the water is another story! Aside from my height, skin, eye color, and clothes- I think I'm fitting in fantastically!