Teen Travel Blog

Lago Atitlan is an incredible freshwater lake situated in the highlands of Guatemala and surrounded by three cone shaped volcanoes.  It is quite the picturesque scene, the water and the volcanoes, the jungle around and of course the incredible colors of the Guatemala weavings all come together for an amazing image. 

We arrived to the town of Panajachel – called Pana – and met with our local guide Pablo, who promptly took us to the local boat dock to catch a boat to the surrounding towns.  The lake has 12 little towns or villages around it and each is unique in its own right.  Read the rest of this entry »

Ellery & Brian are now in Guatemala, scouting a 2010 adventure!  Here is an update we received from Brian yesterday:

Hola from Guatemala!  Ellery and arrived yesterday after a long but pleasant journey.  The flight was a red-eye and we woke to the dawn breaking over a picturesque landscape below.  The Gulf coastline was flat and marshy here, the ocean invading to form lagoons.  As we flew further inland, the coastal flatlands gave way to steadily rising hills, reminiscent of Hawaii in both their steepness and vibrant foliage.  Eventually the hills showed their true origin, as volcanic peaks appeared, cresting the ridgeline.  There were several calderas, collapsed craters that had filled with murky wáter.  We even saw one that must have erupted in the recent past, as the forest below was drowned in its now-cooled lava, bare except for a few adventerous plant colonists, its cráter adorned only with a few wisps of cloud.  Read the rest of this entry »

“The camels are not cooperating…there will be a delay.”  Those were the somewhat nerve racking words we heard as we were waiting for our camels to transport us to a Bedouin camp for a traditional desert meal.  Seems they were being a bit ornery and needed a little extra prodding to start their journey.  We finally climbed aboard the creatures and headed out of town into a desert canyon.  Riding was surprisingly easy….cross one leg in front of you around the horn and control the camel much like a horse, relax in the saddle and sway along with its hypnotic gate. Read the rest of this entry »

After a great visit to the city of Luxor, a much quieter version of Cairo with broad boulevards, a beautiful walkway along the Nile River and the staggeringly huge Karnak Temple, Zach and I flew to Sharm El-Sheik, perched at the southern tip of the rugged and mountainous Sinai Peninsula.  Flying in over the Red Sea, we could see miles and miles of turquoise blue waters, perfect for SCUBA diving.  It is easy to see why the Red Sea is reputed to be one of the best diving locations in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out the latest photos from Scott and Zach from their scouting adventure in Egypt.

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Street crossing is an Olympic sport here.  Crosswalks are pretty much nonexistent, so it is not unusual to see people walking across 6-8 lanes of speeding traffic.  Imagine standing on the lane lines on an interstate highway while cars whoosh by at 60mph on either side of you and you’ll get a sense of what it is like to cross the street in Cairo.  It basically becomes a game of chicken:  can/van/truck vs. pedestrian.  Obviously a vehicle wins, but there is big trouble for the driver if a car hits a citizen so things have struck a nice balance.  To cross the street, we’ve found it best to tuck behind a local and do exactly what they do…works like a dream.

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Today was what scouting an ARCC trip is all about.  Arranging to see the Pyramids, Sphinx etc. is easy and people willing to take you to see them abound.  What makes an ARCC program different is getting off the beaten path…seeing and doing things that your normal visitor to Egypt will never see.  Getting ‘behind the curtain’, if you will, and experiencing a country in a very different way than others experience it.  This is where contacts, connections and good old fashioned legwork are critical to putting together a great ARCC program.

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Zach and I are in Egypt putting the final touches on ARCC’s 2010 Egypt Service Adventure.  We have met up with Debs and Fiona who have spent a great deal of time in Egypt and have been working hard putting the pieces in place for the ARCC Egypt trip.  We met up with Debs and Fiona upon our arrival in Cairo:

Much as first time visitors to Paris scan the horizon for the Eifel tower, Zach and I were doing the same for the Pyramids.  Suddenly they appeared looming behind a wall of brick apartment buildings.  You see, in 3000 years of development they haven’t been able to slow the crawl of suburbia from encroaching on the world’s most famed monuments.
However, as we approached these giants with our driver and local “Egyptologist” Mohammed (you expected any other name?), we emerged from the chaos of Cairo/Giza into this most serene (dare I say “oasis”) of settings, with 25 million people to the east the Pyramids and zero people and the open desert to the west.

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Today we were inspired by the radiant smiles of the children of Meserani Ju Primary School.  We learned about the fascinating culture and history of the Masai people.  We explored the Masain museum and were so fortunate to be the first group of visitors to wear traditional Masai clothing.