SONTECOMAPAN

Great weekend to end my trip to Mexico. :) We spent 3 days in Sontecomapan (an island near Veracruz) at Rancho Los Amigos - one of the coolest and most enjoyable places I've ever been (www.losamigos.com.mx). Though it was SUPER hot and humid (yes, worse than Atlanta), I had a great time being adventurous and nature-y with my LBAT peeps. I'll explain further:


No technology. Our entertainment consisted of reading in hammocks, kayaking, hiking, swimming, etc. Though the heat was nearly unbearable for me, all these activites were still a blast. No computer or phone for a while was liberating.

Camp style. We stayed in little cabins and all shared a community bathroom. The occasional frog joined us... No air conditioning (obviously), no makeup, no complaints. We even woke up at 5:30am one morning to see the sunrise. Sadly, it was overcast and we couldn't really see anything...

Fresh food. Every meal we ate was made completely fresh, from mangos picked from the island's orchard to fish caught straight from the lagoon. It's always refreshing to know that your food has literally no perservatives.

Culture. We got to experience El Temazcal, an ancient Mexican ritual of natural cleansing by means of an outdoor sauna. We sat on the sand in what looks like an igloo made out of bamboo, surrounding a pit where burning volcanic rocks were placed and then covered with water to create a vapor. I'm sure you're thinking that sounds relaxing, but it was actually quite exhausting after 45 minutes inside. However, we distracted ourselves by singing numerous ancient Aztec songs and "shouting out" our anger. Quite the experience, I must say. Aside from the Temazcal, we were also presented with another Mexican ritual: dancing however you'd like... while blindfolded. I will admit that I peeked out from under my blindfold almost the entire time to avoid bumping into the other 15 people. (I'm a bad enough dancer as it is WITHOUT a blindfold...) It was pretty fun, though I still don't completely understand the concept. No inhibitions, maybe? We'll go with that.

Only 2 more days until I'm home again! I've had so much fun being here again this summer, but I'm so excited to see my family and unwind for a few days. Then it's off to Peru! :)


"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5