Construction of the retaining wall in our Compala, Guatemala community is coming along nicely thanks to the support of Adventure Life and their awesome grant program. We're 10 courses high on our way to 20! In the photos you only see about five courses because the rest are buried underground. We've just received a group of students from George Washington University here this week and they're going gangbusters. I'm not sure these pictures do justice to the scope if this project!
The "pinchazos" are essentially tire-changing places and they are where we collect the donated used tires.
We're also proud to announce that we now have ten full-time Guatemalan green builders. Ranging in age from 18 to 35, this group of locals work onsite Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.
They work on all aspects of construction, from pounding tires to creating elaborate designs in our plaster finishes. The key to spreading this method is community buy-in; thanks to the generosity of folks like you, we're able to contribute to education and employment in Comalapa!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.