We had a leisurely breakfast watching the volcano erupt. The students had only been at the hotel in the dark so they loved the view. Luis took our group photo with the volcano in the background. He, Isabel, Stan , Chad , and I discussed ways to help advertise their spectacular, but out of the way, establishment. We shot a few fotos for their website.

We bid farewell and headed down to the coastal highway to head east to Panajachel. Eleven km down the road, Stan realized he had left his hearing aid at the hotel. His van went back for it while the rest of us hunkered down in a restaurant and drank sodas and beer. A few ate some lunch. After the other van returned, we continued down the highway, in the heat through the sugar cane fields, frequently getting caught behind large cane-hauling trucks. The day was much hazier than it had been a week earlier so we didn't see Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua. Atitlán and Tolimán emerged from the clouds as we climbed the pass. The vistas of the lake were hazy but incredibly beautiful nonetheless. At one of the miradores, I was approached by a cute 9-year-old indigenous girl named Brenda. She drove a hard bargain and got me to buy a little doll for Q5. She told me that she speaks Cak`chiquel. It also uses matiósh for thank you.

We wound our way down to Panajachel and went directly to the Hotel Monterrey. The students instantly fell in love with the place. It really hasn't changed much in the past 30 years.

Stan , Chad , and I walked into town. I did some shopping but burned out quickly. We ate dinner at La Terraza—a second floor balcony establishment overlooking the bustling street. The food was great. The three of us talked about everything.

Back in the street, we ran into some students and went out to the Panarock Café for live music and drinks. It was fun and not too loud. We left around midnight. Seven of us took 3-wheeled taxis back to the hotel. Ryan talked one of the drivers into letting him drive the taxi once we got to the hotel. The two of them took off.

When they returned Ryan, Zack, Maulik, Jessica, Kim, Kristi, and I got the guard to unlock the gate to the beach. We stood around and talked until a little after 1:00. Kim selected the wrong lottery number and had to go dunk herself in the lake. With that and the cool breeze, we all went back to the hotel and went to bed.