Friday night we stayed at the Park Hotel outside the town of Coban. It was by far the nicest place we stayed, and interestingly the cheapest.
They have beautiful landscaped grounds, complete with ponds and a small zoo.
We spent Saturday morning visiting the town of Coban, the largest town in the region.
Coban's town square.
We visited this interesting church where we observed Mayans worshiping.
We spent Thursday night at a place called El Recreo near the small town of Lanquin. We had to travel 11 km on a dirt one-lane road to get there. It was at a lower elevation and very hot and humid. 
We spent Friday morning at a delightful place called Semuc Champey. It consisted of a half dozen pools of crystal clear water in the jungle. It was gorgeous.
We spent the morning swimming and exploring.
Most of the river flows into an underground cave, while a small portion flows on top of a limestone 'bridge', creating the pools.
It was the clearest water! And a beautiful turquoise color. The kids decided that it was one of the best places we've visited in Guatemala.
Thursday morning we ate a breakfast of cereal and milk in our cabin before heading out for the day.
We visited the Biotopo del Queztal, a preserve for the endangered queztal, Guatemala's national bird. There was a nice gravel path through the rainforest.
We saw some tropical flowers. We saw little wildlife - but lots of mosquitos!
There were two pretty waterfalls. It was a very nice hike.
Then we headed to the small town of Lanquin. We saw some incredibly rugged and beautiful scenery along the way. Mountains covered with tropical vegetation, small wooden huts scattered here and there. We decided this is one of the prettiest areas of Guatemala we've seen.
The first night we stayed in two cabanas at a place called Posada Montana del Quetzal. Pictured are Buddy (fellow ORI volunteer who went along with us), Nick, Alisha, and Emily.
The first afternoon we hiked along a trail near the inn, through a "real" rainforest. The path was muddy and slippery.
Emily, Alisha, and Nick (with his backpack of camera gear)
We were rewarded with the sight of this beautiful waterfall at the end of the trail.
Emily and Tony
La Senda has very nice facilities. This building includes team housing, living quarters for the director's family, and a few school rooms.
This is the school. Only 19 children live in the home, but 125 children from the surrounding area attend the school. Notice the "dust bowl" play area. Tony and Maria got coated in dirt. I'm glad I don't live here!
Charlie took along the jump rope, which is always a hit.
We handed out hygiene bundles and school kits. As always, the children were delighted with their gifts. The children are so grateful for so little, so happy with toothpaste and shampoo. We also treated the children to Dominos pizza for supper. It arrived on the back of a delivery motorcycle, which is what all restaurants use for carry-out down here - easier to maneuver through traffic. 
Fifteen-year-old Dorcas befriended Maria. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that all the children in this home speak English, most fluently. It was nice to be able to really communicate!
On Friday afternoon the kids colored Easter eggs, outside in our carport. OK, some big people colored a few, too.
Tony was very proud of his green egg.
A bit later in the afternoon we all headed to the nearby town of San Jose Pinula. We spent an hour and a half walking around town looking at the colorful alfombras (carpets) on the roads. 
Most of the alfombras were made from colored sawdust but a few, including this one, were constructed of pine needles, colored bark, and flower petals.
Most of the alfombras were not yet finished, and it was interesting to watch the people working on them.
They mark lines on the road with chalk, throw on sawdust, spread it with their hands, and smooth it with wooden scrapers. Then they add the pictures on top using wooden stencils. They keep it moist by spraying it with water; I suppose to keep it from blowing around.
About half of the alfombras had a religious theme.
Many children were proudly helping. It looked liked lots of family groups were working together, and everyone was in a festive holiday mood.
Some of the alfombras incorporated fruits or vegetables. We even saw one that used bread.
These beautiful alfombras didn't last long. They carpeted the route of the Catholic church's procession and were trampled underfoot later that evening. Their sole purpose is to be walked upon.
