Against the Current

This morning marks the first day we have slept in passed 8:00 am – it was wonderful. And totally necessary after a night filled with very vivid, very frightening dreams on account of the antimalaria medication.

In short we spent the morning kayaking to a ‘white sand’ beach where the tip of San Pedro volcano meets the lake. For the first while this was thoroughly enjoyable, until after about an hour of paddling against the current – our arms felt lifeless and we had no idea how we’d make it back. We took this opportunity to pull up to a pebbly beach, and rest. It was really peaceful as we were completely alone and all we could hear was the water hitting the shore and the occasional chirps of birds passing. The way back was much easier, for the first half we were paddling with the current and making excellent time. Occasionally we would hit swells from the passing boats which was a fun break. Half way back the current turned on us – once again stuck paddling against the choppy waters.

Everything was fine, we made it back, and just in time to catch the Brazil/Uruguay game. We had the entire upper floor of The Alegre Pub to ourselves, and food was on the way – we were feeling good. Soon a cute little Mayan girl named Isabel joined us. All along the streets here young children work all day selling various items from fruits and cakes to baskets of nuts and more. We apologized as we were not interested in buying any of her various nuts. But we asked her to take a break and have lunch with us. I shared my quesadilla and we got her a plate of fries, which she thoughtfully saved half for her sister. It’s was pretty neat to be able to communicate with her in another language and have her understand us – each day we are getting better, and more confident.

Eventually the kayaking caught up with us and we hit the hay for a much needed nap. The rest of the afternoon involved various errand running and making plans for our next destination. In preparation for our seven hour hike, a massive carbo load was in order. Fortunately for us D’noz was hosting an Italian Night. We sipped tea, talked about our favorite moments thus far and stuffed our faces with Gnocchi and Penne Carbonara. Both pastas were some of the best outside of Italy. Now, we will retire for the evening, as tomorrow starts early – 6:00 am – and goes long. Wish us luck!