Curvas Peligrosas!

Our team arrived safely and on time in Guatemala Sunday evening after traveling in from Italy, Spain, the U.K., Canada and points all over the U.S. We enjoyed a restful night at the Radisson in Guatemala City and after bonding over a wonderful breakfast, we boarded a big white bus to head up the mountains of the Quiche region. We thought the trip was going to take about 3 hours, but...

Dangerous curves...these two words summed up a good portion of our first full day in Guatemala. The diesel bus chugged slowly, but steadily up the steep and winding mountain roads that we estimate were at a 45-degree incline. At many points we encountered hairpin turns and signs that warned of "Curvas Peligrosas". It became even more interesting as the highway we traveled entered the small town of Chi Chi. The streets were more like narrow alleys cutting through the heart of town. Several turns were very tight and harrowing for a full size charter bus to navigate. The driver skillfully made the first tight corner, but the next one presented a formidable challenge of a narrow 90-degree turn, uphill, on a bus loaded with thousands of pounds of cargo. After many attempts to make the turn, the bus stalled. Our group's solution was to get off the bus in order to lighten the load and hopefully make the turn possible. Success! We re-boarded the bus and were on our way to Quiche, but not without first encountering more "curvas peligrosas."

SIX bumpy hours later we finally arrived in Santa Cruz del Quiche, got off the bus and pulled our many bags down a narrow cobblestone street to our very quaint and lovely hotel.

I think I can......I think I can... I think I can I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN! I DID!

OneSight volunteers seen lining the sidewalks of 'ChiChi' encouraging the bus driver around an imposible turn.

The day ended with great food, team bonding and excitement for our first clinic day.