Gaining a new perspective

From Antigua, we headed to Quetzeltenango by way of some proper chicken buses. If you think it's a mouthful to say the name of Guatemala's second largest city, rest assured, most people call it Xela (pronounced Shay-la) for short. Our first few nights in town, we had the opportunity to meet up with our buddies Dave and Julie from Colorado who were a month into a year-long trip similar to what we did a few years ago. The conversations we enjoyed with them over a few beers reminded us just how much we learned in the year we were away from home.

When we think back on that trip, it's easy for us to only remember what things were like by the end of the year - the personal growth we had both made and our ability to communicate in Spanish. We realized in talking to Dave and Julie, that if we can stretch our memories and remember back to the beginning of that year, there were some real challenges too. In hindsight, these difficult and confronting events were absolutely necessary. They were the catalyst that made us realize we even wanted to create change.

One of the most obvious shifts was in our ability to roll with life's surprises and disappointments. During our month of travel this April, there were a few things we tried to plan out ahead of time in an attempt to control the outcome. It's funny how we have the illusion of being in control - but in reality, we can only do so much and then life just kind of happens around that. We have learned in the last few years that every situation provides us with the choice to fight what is, attempt to change it, or accept it. Instead of holding on more tightly to the things that are out of our control, it seems that loosening our grip helps create a more fluid experience.

I think these ideas continued to sink in as we headed into the wilderness and up to the summit of Tajumulco - the highest point in Central America. Accompanied by our Spanish-speaking guide, we hiked up steep paths though pine forests to a base camp of about 13,000 feet where we spent the night. The next morning we woke up at 4am, left the warmth of our sleeping bags and hiked to Tajumulco's 13,845 foot summit to watch a most spectacular sunrise. It was incredible to know that on a particular day in history, we were the first people at highest point in Central America. The sunrise was amazing to watch as little by little more light crept into view. The clouds that seemed so far below continued to change shape and color. It was a magical hour to watch the transformation of night to day.