Amapala

I went to Amapala (a volcanic island) with 9 other students this weekend for a mini vacation. We arrived on Friday after experimenting with the bus system and found a hotel with a somewhat clean pool to cool off in. Then we went to the ocean and explored a cave and found 100s of bats in murky water! On Saturday we climbed the volcano. It took 7 hours total.....almost too much to handle for me, but the view was worth it. One picture is of the volcano, and yes, we did climb all the way to the top. The other photo is me on top of the world. At one point, we were so high that we were inside a cloud and everything was foggy. I don't think I have ever seen anything so beautiful in my life before.

The ride home was another story as I experienced trying to flag down a bus full with more than 100 people, and then cramming more people on the bus for the first time in my life. I closed my eyes and prayed that I would remain standing in the heat for the 2 hours without passing out.

Tomorrow is another week of classes, except for Wednesday because it is the day of independence here. Tomorrow I have my first hospital visit for my ethnographic study to visit the place and learn how to get there with busses or taxis.

I hope you are all enjoying the cooler weather as fall arrives and know that I am jealous as it will get hotter here!