That’s right everyone, today is April 15, the last day to enter our Summer of a Lifetime sweepstakes!  Just imagine…close your eyes and envision yourself in Costa Rica…taking a whitewater raft trip down the Pacuare river, riding waves at surf camp, learning Spanish, teaching English to beautiful little Costa Rican children and making improvements to a mountain community.  All of that – FOR FREE!  Enter tonight by midnight!!! LAST CHANCE!!!!

Don’t just learn Spanish or French, live it!  Classrooms aren’t necessarily the best way to learn a language.  Try living it with an ARCC for a language immersion adventure and be inspired by the people, places, and cultures you engage in.   Take an ARCC language immersion adventure to Costa Rica/Guatemala, Spain, or France and work hard and play hard as you learn the language, embrace the culture, and engage in the amazing adventure opportunities these destinations offer!

This summer, you can be a part of an ARCC adventure by traveling with us to one of these enchanting countries, and drastically advance your Spanish or French language skills.  Take classes taught by native speakers, and become more confident with one of these widely spoken languages.  Whether you are nearly fluent in Spanish or French or have never taken it before, you will be placed in a learning environment at the appropriate level which will help you advance your personal language skills.  Return to school next Fall with a new passion for the language and clear understanding of the people and places that speak it!  

Experience the Fun! ARCC Language Adventures balance hard work with hard play.  Each program spends time in a classroom learning the language, and time in the communities, markets, and plazas putting what we have learned to use.  When we aren’t spending time mastering the language, we are spending time experiencing the adventure based fun these destinations offer!  Whitewater raft through the Alps, surf the coast of Costa Rica, or windsurf in the sparkling waters of Spain, and experience the splendors of the country that will be your home for the summer.

Read and see pictures from the  Language Adventures here:
Testimonies from Spain
The Splendid Sights of France
A Glimpse of Guatemala Language

We promise, join ARCC for a summer and it will change your outlook on the world, and enhance your ability to communicate in it! Find our more about our Language Adventures here
http://adventurescrosscountry.com/program.cfm?TripCategoryID=2.

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. 

The town of San Juan was my favorite in that it is quite a small town – less then 2000 people – many of whom have organized themselves into cooperatives to work together in order to bring visitors to their small town.  They have several weaving collectives, where the women weave the famous Guatemalan colors, not only do they do the weaving but they also make the dyes from natural sources, for example the orange color is from carrots.  They showed us around and had the plants for each color growing right there. We also visited a collective where they make medicines from plants and an artisan gallery with amazing paintings. 

We were treated to a delicious lunch of a traditional bean soup served with mini-tamales followed by a traditional Guatemalan chicken dish, with rice, vegetables and of course the handmade tortillas that were being made right in front of our eyes.  The desert was sweet plantains in a chocolate mole sauce. Yum!

See some photos from the trip on our Facebook page!  Become a fan and get updates and deals on our 2010 trips.

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. 

We had a good overview of Guatemala from above.  Farms abounded and the terraced hills spoke the agrarian lifestyle that´s still very much alive here.  As we were landing I tried to ask my seatmate (an old woman who looked uncannily like my neighbor from back home) what was being grown, but she was busy muttering prayers under her breath!  ¨Thank God!¨ she exclaimed as we landed, and I couldn´t agree more.  We were finally in amazing Guatemala…

“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.

Our Bedouin lunch was spectacular….best meal in Egypt according to Zach.  We were all seated on cushions in the shade of a large thatched 3-sided building.  A light breeze wafted through as waited for lunch.

In the background, live Arabic music played on traditional Bedouin instruments.  We were served the obligatory sweet tea to start, followed by grilled chicken, Kofta (Egyptian sausage—delicious!), grilled vegetables and of course pita bread and hummus.  Our groups will spend 3 days with the Bedoins deep in the desert.  It will be an amazing experience for our teens.

Things we’ve seen and heard:

• A lone camel purposely walking down the streets of Dahab, apparently heading home on its own.
• Egyptian mini bus drivers need special training and papers to drive American and British citizens.  Seems the government is extra cautious that nothing untoward happen to these nationalities.
• The most frequently heard language in Egyptian Sinai is Russian. They arrive by the chartered planeload.
• The beaches along the Sinai Peninsula are 4-5 miles wide and hundreds of miles long.
• Egyptian Airlines seat row numbers start at row 20 and get higher.  Who knows what happened to seat row 1-19.

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.

A common pilgrimage in this part of Egypt is to climb to the top of Mt. Sinai to watch the sun rise.  (As a quick review for those of you who haven’t read the bible recently, Mt. Sinai is the mountain Moses climbed to receive the 10 Commandments from God. ) We caught the late bus and drove through half the night to reach the base of Mt. Sinai around 2am.   Our small group of international travelers was assigned the team name “Alaska”—that way if we got separated in the dark, our guide would simply yell “Alaska” and we’d head in his direction–and we started the 2 ½ hour trek to the top.

After 30 minutes of hiking through rugged boulder-strewn canyons in the pitch dark (and frequent calls of “Alaaaaaska”), we suddenly started hearing these strange guttural sounds.  Instantly dozens of huge “boulders” inches away from us all started growing…and moving…and swaying.  In the ambient light we realized we were hiking through a Bedouin camel park and we were in the midst of hundreds of camels….none too happy to have us get so close.  It was all a bit surreal…Egypt, Sinai, Moses, Camels.

Our arrival at the summit was punctuated by the chanting of monks, a strong reminder that this was one of history’s and religion’s most sacred sites. The sunrise was spectacular.  It was stunning watching the Sinai desert come to life far beneath us.  All in all, a very mystical experience for a couple of pretty cynical guys. 

Things we’ve seen and heard:

• You drink tea with every meal, negotiation, meeting, and get together.  We were even offered tea when we were buying goods at the little knick-knack shops.
• Rule of Negotiation in Egypt.  Once a price is given, counter with 10% of that price and then be pleased if you end up at 60-70% of the original price.
• Camel carcasses litter the desert.  Sad to see them along the sides of the desert roads.
• Karnak Temple in Luxor is so massive and huge that St. Peter’s in Rome would fit inside of Karkak. It was build by the pharoahs to dwarf the common man…and it does.
• An airport security screener sound asleep with his head resting on a roll of toilet paper resting atop the X-ray keyboard.  We had to wake him up to pass security.

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

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=127358&id=48114747508&saved#/album.php?aid=127358&id=48114747508&ref=mf

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.

We spent Thursday night exploring the local souk or street market.  Thursday night starts the weekend in the Muslim world and it was absolutely NUTS!  The souk was jam packed with thousands and thousands of Cairo’s citizens, all tightly crammed in the rabbit warren like streets and alleys as they shop, explore, bargain, shout, and enjoy the start to their weekend.   We’d often be stuck in pedestrian gridlock, packed shoulder to shoulder with everyone pushing with no one moving at all, when suddenly there’d be a commotion ahead and one, or two or three delivery boys with teetering dollies topped high with 100 lb. bags of rice or spices try to muscle through the impossibly tight wall of bodies.  Shouting, cajoling, pleading would follow and somehow they’d get through…but it was all pretty crazy.

I love trains, and train stations, in developing countries.  We took the overnight train out of Cairo to the city of Luxor.  In Egypt, there are 2 types of trains:  the Locals train and the Tourist train, but everyone leaves from the same station. The Cairo train station is a wonderful mix of people, sights and smells.  The platform is a buffet of local color with men dressed in long flowing robes and the women in gowns and headscarves, all waiting for their train.  It is hard not to imagine how different this commute is from all those parents waiting to take the train home in Chicago or New York.

One of the most frequently asked questions prior to our visit was “How safe is Egypt”?  I can honestly say that I’ve never felt safer than on any other trip I’ve made.  We’ve been in slums, out late at night, traversed Cairo and Luxor by foot and I never once felt threatened, never had a hard stare from anyone, never even felt nervous.  I’m not sure if it is a Muslim thing or an Egyptian thing ….probably a bit of both.  Stealing is very “bad form” in the Muslim world.  Plus, Egypt’s largest employer is the police force and “tourist police” are
everywhere, the Egyptian respect for authority keeps everyone on their best behavior.

Though I’m always concerned about petty theft when traveling in developing countries, it doesn’t seem to be an issue here. Egyptians won’t steal from you, but they will figure out some way to come between you and your cash….they just do it upfront and face to face, instead of snatching your purse.  Egyptians are notoriously good at business and negotiations….whether it is the kid selling trinkets on the corner or the hotel clerk trying to sell you a trip to the Pyramids.  Even though they won’t pick your pocket, it sure seems like they have after you’re done negotiating with them.

Some things we’ve seen:

• Many Egyptians drive at night with their headlights off unless absolutely necessary.  They think it saves battery life.
• The desert culture persists to this day, even in Cairo.  Shops are open early in the morning and are closed in the middle of the day. They reopen late afternoon and stay open well into the night.  It all stems from the pre-air conditioning days when desert people did business during the cool hours of the mornings and evenings.
• There was an Egyptian guy on our flight that was “Mr. Fashion”…all duded up…and wearing bright orange soccer cleats.
• Flying over the desert it is odd to see a major highway suddenly disappear into sand, only to reappear 4-5 miles later.
• If you are going to buy a camel, get a Sudanese one….they are much more robust than the Egyptian models.

We uploaded some photos from our trip to our Facebook Fan page.  Check them out at http://tinyurl.com/ykfgqjr. 

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.

Finding a local contact, or  ‘expeditor’, is critical whenever we work on a new trip.  Because Debs has been working here for years, she introduced us to her guy in Cairo:  Remy.  Remy is a logistical genius and can get anything done you need.  He is always smiling, always has a kind word, and can be trusted implicitly. He is married to an American girl so he understands our western fanaticism on things like timeliness, reliability, cleanliness and safety. Having someone on your team like Remy, both when scouting a trip, and when you have
groups in country, is absolutely invaluable.   We have “Remy’s” all over the world: Tenzin in Tibet; Russi in Fiji; Thiemo in Tanzania; Lynn in Thailand; Rafa in Costa Rica; Costas in Greece; Damon in Ecuador; Kendra in Belize; etc.

Our task today was to check out a number of local Egyptian orphanages to see if there might be a good fit for ARCC groups arriving in July.  In my experience over the years, orphanages fall into 2 categories, those that just want your money and those that really appreciate the benefits of having loving, caring American kids in their facility for a few days, helping out in any way we can. Today we were fortunate to find 2 that are overjoyed with having ARCC come stay with them this summer.

Our visits to an orphanage are always a curiosity.  The typical routine is for the head of the organization to bring you into her office, and serve you sweet tea or juice.  You make the prerequisite small talk, try to explain the impossibly foreign concept that we would like to bring groups of American teenagers to their orphanage in July.  In the meantime, word is out that some “strangers” are in the building and a constant flow of teachers, workers and giggling kids are peaking their heads around the office door to get of glimpse of the visitors.  Anything new in a place like this is a welcome diversion to everyone.

After the formalities, we are invited upstairs to see the kids…the door opens to a colorful room with 10 adorable 2-3 year old tiny jewels all dressed in jean jackets and corduroys, peering at us from behind the skirts of their headscarved teachers, no doubt all wondering who these strange looking light skinned creatures were.  Pretty soon Zaid, a precocious little boy leaps out and grabs Zach’s hand.  That breaks the ice and shortly all the kids are running around, smiling, laughing while we just melted they were so cute.  The language barrier proved non-existent as we cooed away in English and they babbled in Arabic.  No one minded a bit.

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.

The Pyramids themselves are spectacular and a well known ancient engineering marvel.  By far the most interesting aspect of our visit was crawling deep into the tombs via narrow passageways (definitely not for the claustrophobic) to emerge into the tombs deep underground.

At one point it was just our small gang of 4, sitting alone for more than 10 minutes in one of these burial chambers..with only a single, steep narrow passage between us and the surface–and air and sun and light– hundreds of feet above.  It was eerie and we felt pretty special having such a sacred place to ourselves.

A snapshot of Cairo:  The streets are a chaotic jumble of cars, trucks, minivans, donkey carts, and camels (yes, camels!) all racing for their intended destinations, and all ignoring road signs, traffic lanes, and each other.  Yet the drivers are mind readers, seeming to anticipate the moves of dozens around them, and all move in unison.  I have yet to see even a fender bender.

Along the roadside are traditionally dressed men and women wandering the dusty shoulder burdened with goods, the  women often balancing whatever they carry high on their heads.  Frequently a camel will rumble by loaded with bags of grain or autoparts or whatever.

The food here has been fantastic.  Freshly baked (still hot!) pita bread with hummus, babaghanoush  (eggplant spread), tahini and richly spiced kebabs of chicken, lamb, beef and sausage.  Sweet or hibiscus tea accompanies every meal (as well as the ubiquitous coke and pepsi.)

Egypt has been infected with world cup (soccer) fever the past few days. Last night was the huge grudge match vs. evil Algeria…winner qualifies for the world cup, the loser stays home.  The evening match was all anyone could talk about for days.  Egyptian flags flying from cars, people wearing the national colors of red, black and white.  In the U.S.,  this would all be punctuated by a good tailgate party.  But here, as non drinking muslims, their sports euphoria is strictly fueled by nationalism and sweet tea.

At 7pm the streets were packed with crowds seeking a view of the game.  As bars are almost nonexistent, people were crammed on the sidewalks outside of television shops, watching the game through the storefront windows.  Coffee shops installed tvs and had people craning their necks around corners to get a view.  Just as the game started, the city became quiet, the teeming streets emptied of cars and everyone focused in on the match.

Alas, Egypt lost 1-0 to the hated Algerians.  Fortunately there were no storefront windows broken or cars overturned by angry mobs in the streets.  Instead people wandered home muttering the Middle East’s universal salve to all unwanted outcomes:  Inshallah (It is God’s Will…)

Stay tuned for Part II of our adventure!