March 22: Day 8

Hola Everyone!

Well, time flies - we only have one full day left in Antigua before we are homeward bound bright and early Monday morning.

We enjoyed a little extra sleep this morning, and headed to to breakfast at around 8:15. Fernando's was packed this morning, as a another school group arrived at our hotel last night. We enjoyed another delicious bite before walking to Casa Santa Domingo, where our shuttle was picking us up to go to our destination of the day: zip lining.

Casa Santa Domingo is a beautiful hotel that was once a monastery. The workers were picking petals off roses and putting them into buckets of water, and candles were lit everywhere. There was a small art gallery on the inside, and monuments that date back to the 16th/17th century.

We took a safari type bus up to the zip line. It was open at the sides, with a canopy roof on top. It was about a 10 minute bus ride. We arrived to a gorgeous site. Up way above Antigua, this recreational establishment that is a part of the hotel was a site to see. Beautiful mosaics made with tiles were placed everywhere, the grass was green and the view was breathtaking. We made our way to the zip lining booth and got harnessed in, and were given helmets and gloves.

We decided to take the long route - 11 zip lines, two huge stair cases and one very long ladder later, we made it to the end. The most dramatic zip line was our last: 600 metres long, and instead of the regular position we went "superman style". We were harnessed by our backs, faced down and sent to "fly like a bird". It sounds pretty outrageous, but don't worry parents, we made it out safe and sound!

We managed to work up quite an appetite and had some cold drinks and hot dogs for lunch before returning to Antigua to shop for the afternoon. Sarah, Jalees and Danielle decided to get some cornrows, while Shelby and Rachel opted for a henna tattoo (not permanent!).

We met back at the hotel at 6 and headed off to a group dinner. We had some tasty frozen drinks, which satisfied Shelby's Slurpee craving, and then all munched on nachos and various sandwiches.

We enjoyed our relaxing day, and are now back at the hotel winding down for the night. We have some competition for the terrace tonight, so we might be stuck hanging out in the boys room.

We miss you guys, but we're all pretty sad our time here is almost over.

We'll fill you in on our last day tomorrow!

Adios,

The Guat Crew
DWC Participants & Sahali High School Students
Guatemala: March 2014