Semuc Champey

So this is the gorgeous post. Between three more crazy medical days was our "rest" day on Thursday, where we went to Semuc Champey. This is Semuc Champey:

 It's a natural monument in Guatemala that was about 3 hours away. It was breathtaking- a little chilly but so much fun. Unfortunately, it was this day that I started feeling sick and most of the day I was fighting taking antibiotics for a sinus infection. I think I would have explored a little more if I had felt better. Nevertheless, it was so nice to swim and talk to the girls. I even went down a couple of the natural rock slides, which turns out, are a little rougher than I imagined in my head. Ouch!!

Showing us the fresh cocao beans

Chocolate!

 And yes, I am fully aware of just how unflattering this picture of myself is. I went swimming AND I was sick. The key point of this photo is the silver gem I'm holding in my hands. This is a chocolate bar handmade by local Guatemalans, the kind of thing I'm pretty sure my mom wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. But I had to try it. So ignoring my fleeting thoughts of what the kitchen was like that it was cooked in, I had one of the most delicious chocolate bars of my life. It was a little grainy, made from fresh cocao and mixed with cardamom, their biggest export. I also bought the cinnamon and vanilla, but by far, the cardamom was the best. I dream about. I've considered starting a business of these chocolate bars. I googled them. You can buy exactly one cardamom chocolate bar online. They are $9 EACH! I haven't had one. mmmm....but it was so good.
And just so you know, I may have had a sinus infection while I was there, but my stomach was a champ the whole time. ;-)
The drive home was breathtaking....in more ways than one.
These pictures show the first way (gorgeous, right?)

And these last two pictures show the other way it was breathtaking. As in, we might have almost died driving across this stretch of road. Not that there was any other option. It rained a little while we were swimming, making this road more treacherous than on the way in. I was in the first. We had about 3 inches before we would fall. They made everybody in the second bus get out while the bus driver drove across. Interesting thinking there.....But we did make it home safe and headed to a fireside.