Exception to the Rule

As a tourist, I have a tendency to be the exception to the rule in many scenarios whether on the bus, at a restaurant, in a hotel, on the beach, on a tour-the rules are a bit more flexible. It's not because I do something manipulative or bad, but it's mainly because I treat people with kindness, love, and respect.  I empathize with their job, talk about their life, identify with their feelings, learn about their family, and their daily routine.  I let them know that I am also a human rather than just a tourist. It is my goal to make them feel good and leave my presence feeling satisfied.

When you extend yourself to people, they naturally do the same in return, which leads some rules to break and exceptions to be made.  For example, everyone needs to sit in their assigned seat, but I end up switching my seat and sitting in the front.  The tourists stay on the bus while I use the driver's family home's personal bathroom. Beach privileges for towels and drinks. Room discounts and privileges. Coach buses have even dropped me off directly at my location. It's a fun relationship where I am making them laugh and smile. We share our food with each other and share our cultures with each other. I am fitting in as if I was a local or part of the staff. It makes my traveling so much more rewarding having this interaction. 

As for other tourists, they can also chime in with the laughs and enjoy the entertainment. They can be annoyed with  it and not understand it. On the whole, they don't mind and find my behavior funny. They usually want to talk to me and learn more about my travels. It attracts them when they see someone outside the normal travel box. Many travelers are comfortable in their safety zone, but there are others who want to interact with locals and learn from them. They just need a little push, a little motivation, or a person to show them "They don't bite, they are just like me and you." There is always an opportunity to speak, to learn, to listen, and to grow:)

Spiritual Exploration

When you make a stop at a tourist destination, it may take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half. There may be a famous statue or landmark, waterfalls, a volcano, a flower garden etc.  When you are just starting to enjoy it, the tour guide will usually say, "Okay guys you got five minutes." Once you take the individual photos and tourist shots, you only have about five minutes to actually take in the beauty of the site and surroundings. You may be in a beautiful Rose garden and there are butterflies in that area you overlooked or did not get time to see.  You are at a waterfall and you just take a shot of the waterfall and some silly photo in front.  You missed the beautiful path that lead to the waterfall. You had no time to truly explore behind it, around, and what's next to it. 

With those tourist stops, I find myself wondering behind and wanting so much more. "Priscilla, come on the bus is leaving." I hear that often if I do take a tour.  It's just not enough to stop at a volcano for 20 minutes at a volcano when I want that time to sit near it and take in my surroundings. It always feels like just when you are starting to enjoy it, you have to leave. This is problematic towards getting to the real part of traveling.  You are missing out on the real beauty of that site or landmark listening to the tour guides words, taking pictures, and then leaving. 

Where is the connection to the site, where is the time spent reading the excerpts, where is the time spent with the nature, and where is the imagination? While this is not true all the time, it is true a majority of the time. There is something that is missing and that missing component is spiritual exploration- truly allowing your body and five senses to take in a site. 

People are getting the talk from the guide, the photos with the site, the time to see what was recommended, but where is the spiritual exploration time? It's there to leave an impact on a human being. That experience can improve their being as it resonates with them.  It's not happening enough with short tourist stops at significant sites. 

Volcano Board & Run

Quetzaltrekkers is a non-profit organization that has activities such as hiking up volcanoes, kayaking, horseback riding, and canopy.  What is fantastic about this organization is that 100 percent of all profits go to after school programs for children in Leon. 

In Leon, there are 14 volcanoes that can be visited with most of them being able to hike up to the top. The best part being that three or four of them are Active volcanoes.  This means that you could be hiking up all happily and then they could erupt.  Some people are reading this with such fear, but the likelihood of that actually happening is slim. It's just risk taking along with a great nice hike out in open air. 

The tour consisted of a couple rookie(new) tour guides.  The tour guides are also volunteers.  One from the Netherlands and the other from French. Of course, I had to nickname my new French buddy, "Frenchie."  And why not name the other one "Dutchie." He was like 18 and just learning about everything- always interesting listening to the fresh chickens speak.  On the tour, there was a girl from Germany, a couple from San Francisco, a couple from England, and me.  It's not shocking to see a German traveling as they always cross my path. They travel like it's nobodies business. She even said she has no interest in settling down and she just wants to travel. Most Germans are that way-travel and then settle down with the marriage and children.
                                                      Frenchie 
Off we went in the back of a truck with bumps and bumps and bumps on the dirt roads through the villages to the Serro Negro volcano. It was really nice seeing the outside of Leon because I was always in the city around the same areas.  When we arrived, he took all our boards out the truck and handed each of them to us.  They were super heavy like twenty pounds or something like that. Dutchie handed it to me and I looked at Frenchie making my questionably disgusted face.


 I absolutely love hiking- one of my favorite activities, but walking up with a heavy board or extra weights just isn't my thing.  


After fifteen minutes, I tell Frenchie I'm tired and he takes my board.  He's super cool and we have some nice conversation so he doesn't mind. As I am watching him carry it and behind me, I take it back from him because I'm the only one not carrying my board.  I'm the tough competitor, not the slow one who can't carry my board. I pick up my pace and move my way up to the front.
                                                Dutchie 


It's pretty steep and the views are beautiful. It's just one big volcano full of volcanic ash and rocks. The full details are in the previous post. 


As for making it to the top, we all did.  We were the first company to go down and us girls were definitely not ready. It looked much steeper than we anticipated. Not to mention I was wearing Keens, which had opening on the side(Really? Priscilla what were you thinking?) I had to open up my shoes to remove stones and ash every ten minutes-ridiculous.  I'm not going to act like I was perfectly brave up there. The girls and I were contemplating walking down.  You could have a wipe out and roll down the volcano- yikes.  We let the boys go first and most of them were pretty slow going down and the one German girl flew down at lightening speed.  She had a board I didn't want. 



When it came to my turn, I was just sitting there thinking about my sledding accident where I fell down on my lower back(my only injury I've ever had and it was minor).  The tourists were all laughing as I was entertaining them with my 10 year old antics.



Off I went down the mountain moving slowly like a turtle and mid way down I gained speed and let myself speed down. The boys are at the bottom with their positive praise and high fives. 
We all walked to the truck to snack on cookies and bananas.  Then he gives us a nice surprise
"Who wants to back up and run down? "
Priscilla. "I do, I do." 

The other girls were munching on cookies and looked up at him like, "Oh no we are staying right here." This means it was just me and the boys- normal for Priscilla to accept the challenge and hang with the boys. 

 It was so nice the second time up as we seemed to have some real discussion and spiritual moments.
I always love just being one of the boys and being strong and tough. That's exactly what I was this time. I was not a scared girl on a board rather I was a strong boy running down with power and confidence-nice.

                                                                                     Running Down Volcano 




For lunch, we at a tomato and cucumber salsa with tortillas. But that wasn't it. He pulled out the beans in a bag. Oh no he didn't! The refried beans in bag were surprisingly good and they were vegan so no complaints by me.

 Sitting near us there were men making the boards shaving off the outside-it's a lot of work and they said they finish one or two per hour.  Also, behind our eating space with hammocks and benches, there were peacocks and ducks.  At the end of our trip, we all got a free shirt and some more snacks. What a great company and cause-so impressed.   
This was such a wonderful reward for my work. It truly is the best motto.  "Work hard and play harder."
              

  

La Paz- Peace

La Paz in Spanish means " peace." What is great about this trip is the amount of peace from strangers. 

In the Middle East, Africa, and Asia- peace is interrupted with....


*Someone thinks you're pretty
*Someone who wants to sell you something,
*Someone who wants to talk because     you're American
*Someone who wants to be annoying,
*Someone who wants your attention
*Someone who thinks they love you
*Someone trying to lead you to accommodation 
*Someone called a "Taxi Driver!"

Perhaps, I am just referring to the high levels of annoyance and No peace in Egypt and Morocco.
Regardless, this post is to give recognition to these peaceful countries: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua- Belize is not quite at the peaceful level of the other three, but it's pretty good.
  
La Paz, peace, is one of the most beautiful things a traveler could ever be given. The fancy resorts, the expensive food, the big tours-nothing compares to this one word-peace.  

It's significant to mention the fact that I do look Latin American so people may not bother me as much, but I did not see this happening with other tourists nor did I hear any complaints from Anyone. 

Also, people who knew I was American still did not annoy me. They allowed me to have the peace I deserve. What kinds of peace? The physical, mental, and spiritual peace that human beings deserve, especially during travel.    These people were not trying to manipulate you with money(yes few occasions). They did not follow you around when you were shopping. They did not holler at you, make inappropriate gestures, or treat you like a dog.  They don't fall in love in 5 seconds(well most of them;) People are just nice, honest, love to laugh, love to smile, keep you smiling, and they are genuine. They don't sugarcoat themselves. 

It must be said that all these countries are primarily Christian except for Belize(league of it's own).  The Christian religion believes in respect, peace, and love. It's not a culture that supports such negative behaviors in public. 

There could be a whole study done with many different factors, but overall I am just beyond thankful for La Paz. My appreciation overflows from my heart to have these times to ride my bike, sit on the beach quietly, read a book in peace, write in a café day by day, church, and taking a hike. People will engage in conversation, but they know when to stop-this is the crucial part. They know when to give you the peace you deserve. They could keep talking, bothering you, or asking you questions, but they "Stop." They let you have La Paz.
                                  

 Thank you to these beautiful countries for being respectful of your visitors, for being kind, for being patient, for listening, and providing help. This is what makes people visit your country again and this is what makes tourists spread positivity to others. 

AMEN

Filling the Stomach

The second part to the sharing of the food involves the physical component of filling the stomach.

From Guatemala to Nicaragua, there was constant food distribution to bus drivers, street workers, kids, homeless, etc. It was a responsibility that was sent down to me and I had to take it. This does not mean I was starving because I always had enough to eat, but I took more recognition to those who didn't.

In Leon, I surprised myself with how concerned I actually was with these street people eating. The people in the church were being fed three days a week.  There was space for more people in the church; therefore I tried to inform those who were on the streets.  A couple of them followed through and others did not show up, which is expected for this population. 

Clearly, just informing them of the food distribution was not enough. After 7pm, there were many homeless hanging out in the church square.  Instead of just giving to anyone, I tried to target those who are truly suffering and in need. 

After sometime, there seemed to really be no sensor because I just felt so bad.  I had to do something for these people.  I had to fill their stomachs(friend).
As much I would like to take credit for this expression, I cannot because it came from my Turkish friend. He was good looking, tall, and thin with some possible ribs showing. One day walking on the beach, I said, "Why don't you eat more?"

He said, " I just eat to fill my stomach."

This was what I was doing in Leon, I was trying to fill people's stomach buying them street food whether a tamale, chicken and rice, fried foods, pizza etc.  If someone had an empty stomach and I knew about it, it was my responsibility to fill it. These moments where I buy food for myself and I just give it away. Priscilla does not do that, but the holy spirit does.  It gives and gives and gives to those who need because we don't need all that we're given. I don't need to run around looking for the perfect meal rather I need to eat some gallo pinto and call it a night.

The housekeeper at my b&b made this delicious Gallo pinto(rice, beans, and hot peppers) and they were kind enough to share it with me.  This was all I wanted to eat every night was Gallo pinto and avocado if I could find it.  Instead of getting fish or something with some different sides, I gave myself Gallo Pinto and fed the street.  This was not a big sacrifice because I loved, loved Maria's gallo pinto. 

This may seem noble to those who believe that giving food is the solution.  Those who believe its "a nice thing to help out." This is something that more tourists could be doing independent of any organization.  It´s not a commitment for them, but it is one for me.   With the amount of tourists that come in, the streets could be fed if they each one gave food once a night.

Of course, there are those organizations who are working with the homeless population to decrease poverty. But when I am walking 
the streets all I saw were hungry eyes and empty stomachs, the street poverty will always exist in one way or another. It´s easy to purchase some food and sit with them.  Try to have a conversation and if you can´t-sing them a song, make them laugh, let them tell you a story, etc. 


Among the Guatemala and Nicaragua night visits, I had some regular customers that I had to attend to, especially those who touched my heart. 

There was one who walked around with ugh boots and had no awareness into who I was and why I gave him food.  He just enjoyed it and filled his stomach-important.  

There were two older ladies who always smelled like cigarette smoke and they had no teeth. They would always smile and with that I had to always give. 

There was a beautiful older man who always slept near the fountain, there was a lady who wore a bright yellow rain coat, and there was a blind man.....

Lip to Lip

My apologies for those who thought this post was about something romantic and sappy. It's definitely neither of the two.

When it comes to "Lip to Lip," this expression I have coined for someone to close their mouth.  This girl had her mouth running with no respect for anyone. The two guys she was with did not even say a word. 

She did not want my advice so I sat in the front and said nothing to her.  Of course I used my sarcasm talking to the guys saying, "I'm so sorry that you guys have to stay up so late because people are unprepared." She didn't say much because she knew she was in the wrong.  The drivers are suppose to drop you off at one location not run around looking for a place all night.  They are actually doing you a huge favor driving around and wasting gas looking for a place for you.

The icing on the cake was that she didn't want to spend money so she had to stay at a $6 budget and she wanted breakfast too...Wow.   
No consideration or caring to the fact that it's now 1145 and people need their sleep.
After five places, she finds one that suites her needs. It's a complete dump and looks like they would have bed bugs. I wouldn't stay there if someone paid me.  Clearly, the guys had no say and they were just following her lead(her poor boyfriend). 

Clearly it was not time to connect with the cute Argentinian after all this drama.  "Bye, nice meeting you..." There goes another cute Argentinian guy yikes!

I purposely made myself the last stop. Could you imagine if I had to stay with her in the same place?
She would never spend $20 a night so that wouldn't happen.

At this point, we had another parking guy in the car who was helping to find places. Apparently, the drivers don't know there way around Leon.  This old man is a complete angel and I was so appreciative to him.  He was just helping from his heart(not for money), but I gave him $5. You have to reward those who do good in a humble, kind manner. Why?
Because you want them to keep on doing it...

Moral to this adventure:

Be good to people and they will be good to you. 

Viva Nicaragua!

     

 
When people think of a bus in Central America, they think of a "chicken bus." A chicken bus is a school bus that is overcrowded and sometimes stores chickens on the top of the bus.  This is the cheapest bus to take and usually it's available for short routes.  If you take it for longer routes, you have to transfer at least 3-5 times. They are really made for locals who need them, but tourists who travel with no money also use them(do not support these kinds of travelers).

A step up from a chicken bus would be a tourist bus or shuttles bus, which is what I used for traveling over the border to Nicaragua.  Of course this trip was focused on mission work and helping others maximum time.  If I was taking a boat and 4 buses and 3 days to get somewhere, this would be a waste of time.

Usually, I do not like booking the big tourist shuttles, but this was my smartest move on the trip.  After taking a morning boat from Roatan(nothing like the first ride to the island), I arrived at the La Ceiba port.  I had a man with a sign waiting for me(I never get these luxuries, but I  love it when I do). Of course, he was standing with the sign upside 
down smiling, but I got the message.  From this point forward, I was on my way to Nicaragua on a small, clean gray van.  direct bus to Nicaragua. 12 fun, relaxing, entertaining, spiritual, and interesting hours. 


As previously mentioned, when it comes to Priscilla being on a bus, it's nothing like the average journey.  With kindness and humor, I establish rapport with the driver and the assistant driver.  If they need assistance with something, I like to help them and be a part of their team rather than grouped with the tourists.  On this van, there was a communication mishap, i.e. I misunderstood what they said in Spanish. His friend disappeared when we went in the van therefore I thought the front seat was open. He told me to, "Por favor sientense."   He said his friend is not driving and not here.  

Shortly, I looked in the back and see his driver friend sitting in the back with the tourists.  Immediately, I offer to change seats, but of course Sam says, "No problem." It's a hot day outside and I have the AC blowing directly on me and I get myself comfortable.  Felipe(driver) are content up there while he is telling me about his children and family.  He tells me that Sam is his brother and I say, "No way." They look nothing alike and I think they are joking until we make a stop at his Mom's house.  I had no idea where we were and made a comment before asking when to stop at a bathroom. 


Felipe says, "Come on in. You can use the bathroom here."


At this point the tourists must think I am a relative(or at least I hope they do) because I do feel kind of bad.  They weren't asked if they needed to use the bathroom. They also were not offered a big hug and a tamale by the Mom. 

The house was lovely and in the back they had a few hammocks up staring out into lush green trees and mountains in a distance.  It was an experience I would have liked to have in Honduras-a homestay. 

I hopped in the front again and his brother jumped in the back. Usually, if there is an extra space I sit in front, but not when there's another person who sits there...? We were having this three way conversation and all eight of the  tourists just sat there like zombies.  They were all half passed out or just not interested in making any conversation. 

Being a real diva, I nicely asked when we would stop somewhere so I could eat.  After that request we made a stop at a gas station that had some hot food.  This time the tourists get to come out and get something.  We all picked a snack and drink and the driver paid for it. This was something I had never seen before as I am used to snacking on almonds for 10 hours. These guys were buying us breakfast?
This was quite a pleasant surprise and clearly this was a great company(owner was also extremely kind). 

Of course, everything had meat so Priscilla was sad and then the nice lady wanted to make me something with cheese, but I didn't want something fried.   At this point, the tourists are probably shaking their heads like, "Oh this girl."

Walking up and down the aisles, I'm so hungry and one thing catches my eye....Snack packs. Honduras has snack packs and they sell them individually. I bought a couple them with intentions of eating them in a few minutes.  Sometimes it feels good to see something from home. Perhaps this is why so many tourists buy pringles, doritos, snicker bars, and Coca-Cola. 

After another few hours of driving, there must have been a storm and we got stuck in front of some damaged trees. Finally, the tourists speak and then the ball is rolling. They are from Germany, they are traveling(Germans are always traveling more than any country), and they enjoyed the beach in Utila-blah blah nothing exciting. With this conversation, I smile and decided to lay down and get comfortable- I have my travel blanket and the extra space in the middle with the AC blowing. It's quite comfortable and they must be envious in the back as they are complaining they can't feel the AC.  When I woke up with my eyes barely open, Felipe says, "You are a special person, really special." Then he gives me a big smile.  What a way to wake up...what a way to wake up.   

We stopped for lunch and I sat with the drivers. I bought them both a Cadbury bar. When I ask about their work schedule, they say they both work six days a week just going between La Ceiba and Leon (12-14 hours). They sleep for a 5-6 hours and go back and do it again. It amazes me how people can drive such long hours whether-truck, car, taxi, shuttle.  Sam did the whole NYC cab driver thing and said that he would never do it again. Felipe was perfectly content living in Honduras and had no desire to travel to USA.  It's interesting because there are those who never want to visit and those who want to try out the American dream.  Many of them I meet end up coming back to their home country. They can say they have been there and done that and move on with life.  Truly, these guys were humble, sweet guys. They were so impressed with my work and my kind personality.  




When you are good to people, they are good to you in return. I often share my food with the drivers and bus workers and we sit and chat it up at the stops. I remember in India I met the nicest kindest, bus driver and conductor. We stopped the bus to share some local fish and fries.. They had this bean soup too that was so good. It's almost always such a pleasurable experience with the local bus drivers. 

We were finally making some headway into Leon at 10:30 pm and 70 percent of people knew where they were going. For example, when you arrive by bus late at night you should be prepared and have a few addresses for places to stay.

Unfortunately, coming in late many hostels were booked. People did not book ahead and planned on them having space.  I had researched places ahead and found a B and B that was not commercial and touristy a mile outside the center. It was truly perfect and I kept it a secret from everyone BUT I did help those tourists who were nice. I went in and set up a four bed room for four of them because they only had one big room left.  


Manager, "Are you the tour guide?" 

"No, I'm a tourist helping out."  

"Oh that's nice of you." 

"Sure." (Thinking of the drivers and how tired they are).

With this room situation, I figured they could change it over tomorrow because it was too late to be looking door to door.  This lovely couple from England were so thankful and  went on board with two other girls. 

Off we went the next place where one guy was dropped off.  Now there were three left-a cute Argentinian guitar player and his two friends(boyfriend and girlfriend). 
This Black girl had a serious attitude problem and when I asked her if she wanted to take the room she said, "I don't need you to tell me what to do. Would you just 
                 

                              To be continued......

Along the way......  

        Sipping water out of bag 

        Aguazul-only and best water

They Crave YOU

Sometimes Volunteers are completely unaware of how much they are craved. They are desired by those less fortunate who truly need their attention. Within their basic needs, there is a high need for acknowledgement and attention. There are so many people who are hungry for a simple exchange that can be done in just 15 minutes or less.  The elderly in my first organization craved attention- just a smile or short exchange could make their day. When I sat and had lunch with them, they were so thankful verbally and by expression.












With all the volunteers there on a daily basis not one person could go sit with them? 



In Guatemala, it is often the kids who get the benefits, assistance, and attention from volunteers.There is a respect for the elderly in the culture, but the NGOs are not focused on serving elderly rather adults take priority. All they can really provide is food to meet that need, but what about the acknowledgement of their being? They get lonely and often need a friend or just someone to sit with them.  



In Belize, the MH community is another population who is desiring that attention. The children and the youth especially crave someone to come and spend time with them. With Monkey Bay, they have so many volunteers coming in on a regular basis from the US, Europe, and even South America. Unfortunately, everything has its structure to follow with non-profits and there is a conflict in interest.





















Most kids don't have an interest in community projects with social work so you can't force them, but it's a shame that so many people come in and not one can just go play a game with them or read a story. If they could just take a walk over to the other side... They would see children who just want your time.  Children who want to get to know you and learn about where you are from. They are human beings, just like you, on the other side.  They are living in poverty, but receiving a financial donation is not what they need. .

Give your time and love tourists- not your photo shots and your wallets. They don't bite they are just humans....

At the end of they day they just Crave You.
 PRIS 

Mormons, Versace, and Tikal

When a local tells you about Tikal, you see a big smile on their face and their eyes open up wide.  They are proud of their countries history and incredible archaeological attraction.  At first, I was hesitant and not sure if it was worth going. Was this just a tourist attraction that people check off the list? Getting there does take time and money, maybe I should skip it?

Straight off the bus into Flores, I made the decision to go and boy am I glad I did! The drive from Flores to Tikal is a bout an hour and is full of horses, sheep, corn fields, coffee farms, and acres amongst acres of lush green fields. The driver and I made friends and we were making jokes while the locals were sitting in the back sleeping. You think I would be sleeping after my bus adventure arriving at 7 am, but I was ready to explore.

Usually tours start between 4am and 6am for the sunrise tour, but I was there at 10 leaving limited English tours. My driver talked with some people and found me an English tour with a great tour guide named Versace( that's my name for him because he was a Guatemalan version of Versace with his slim physique, nice, hair, and nice features.

On this tour, there was a family of 4 from Utah, a Chinese mother and daughter from California, an older couple from Cuba, and then there was me.   At first, I did not have much interest in the touristy group, especially the kid who was falling asleep in the beginning of the tour. The tour guide noticed this behavior as well and said, "Now's your time to go take a nap in the car before the 4 hour tour begins." Our tour guide was so cute, so funny, and so full of knowledge. He has been a tour guide for over 40 years and he is still running on a full tank of gas full of passion and wisdom. 

With this tour, there is such a sense of mystery and wonder that touches you in a special way.  It's like the Mayan spirit is still living there and they are teaching you about their past world. The ritual ceremonies, how they built, how they cooked, lived, worked, and most importantly what they believed.  When you are sitting in a forest with hilltops next to you consisting of underground pyramids. a mysterious chirping sound, and just pure moments of silence-you wonder about what used to exist.  It was so long ago yet when you see the tubs where they bathed, the  stones used for ritualistic activities- it's as if you can imagine a life from long ago. It's incredible and the work never stops with archeologists studying and discovering more and more each day. 

With all these gigantic pyramids came steps and with steps came climbing and with climbing came views. It was so fun climbing towards the top and viewing the lush, green forest from above while searching for the other pyramids below.  

The tourists ended up providing a great dynamic I spent time getting to know the mother and the kids. She has a total of 4 kids-two boys and two girls.  The reason for their trip to Guatemala involves an invitation from her son, Jake, who is a missionary for the Lordes Saints Church of Jesus Christ. He is just 20 years old and has been living in Guatemala for over a year sharing the word of God with others and learning Spanish.  He was such a lovely, lovely person and it was so refreshing hearing him preach the word of the Lord. He demonstrated such interest in getting to know me and praised me for working in my purpose of the Lord-such meaning behind these interactions-such meaning.  The one who was falling asleep in the beginning of the tour happened to be his brother.  

His brother became my "Pequeno Amigo"-Little friend. 

Side note-- I use this term with those kids who I become friends with and develop a close connection.  I treat most children as little adults, which is why they connect so much with me. I give them respect and act as a friend who wants to l earn about them, have fun, make jokes, but they are aware of the boundaries.  This Pequeno Amigo's name was Taylor(all names changed for confidentiality purposes). He reminded me very much of a client I had from Beverly Hills.  We used to read together, hike together, swim together, and of course learn together. We worked together mainly on his social skills and ability to transition between tasks. 

Anyways, Taylor and I were walking through the forest together looking for snakes and any kind of animals we could find.  We  did end up seeing  a few different snakes(not anything huge),  howling monkeys, all kinds of birds, bats (eww), and a possom (eww).  We were really hoping to see a bear and when the guide asked us to choose between 2 routes. We chose the complicated one going through the trees and jungle thinking we could increase our chances to see a bear. Our guide was on the hunt for a Toucan bird(the Fruit loop bird) because I  really wanted to see one in it's natural habitat, but it didn't end up happening.  

Since Taylor was a kid, of course he loved to run and hike all over. At every temple we would run up the stairs and I would follow behind him.  My excuse was I was dehydrated and old and everyone just thought this was hilarious as I acted like I was out of breath(really no-soy fuerte).  On the last one, I said, "Okay, I'm not running this time." And then I ran up ahead of him. We raced up about 8 flights of stairs and I was trailing right behind him, but on the last flight I threw in the towel. I couldn't have him lose in front of his family so I just let him win;) We walked around top of the temple sticking our noses into the closed off sections wondering what was inside. 

When it came to the temple with the bats inside, I trailed behind him and when I heard one I ran out with my hands over my head. Bats are not something I enjoy being in a close quarter with at all!
Clearly it as some great entertainment for everyone and I just decided to wait outside.

It was so great exploring with this family as they just had such a young spirit.  The parents had such curiosity and interest to learn about the history of everything.  They also had a daughter who was doing missionary work in Fiji and another daughter doing similar work.  I told the mother that she must be so proud to have kids doing such wonderful things and she did not seem to think much of it.  It was nice seeing such a wonderful, Mormon family.  People have such stereotypes about Mormon's, but this was the nicest, coolest family.  When Jacob shared their rituals and customs with me, I realized that I was mostly living a Mormon life with my current behavior and active beliefs. It does not mean I am going to conform to being a Mormon, but is always interesting to learn about different peoples' beliefs. The strength of religion and family unites them. I have the religious component and can't wait to have that family unity they have one day. 

It was so nice spending time with them because I felt like I was a part of their family taking a trip with them. It's truly nice having a close-knit family and I admire it and it is a wonderful thing.