Alvaro, David, and I joined with a guide to go to the Canopy Tour Tikal attraction, first thing in the morning. It was right outside Tikal National Park, not long from our hotel. We hoped to locate more wild animals on the way there, but we weren’t lucky enough to see anything.

I finally got to have some beauty sleep at Marriot-Guatemala City Hotel, after spending the last few days with Sam’s family. At 4 AM, I woke up and got ready for my flight to Flores, Peten (a Guatemalan state) with David and Alvaro.

Good Morning! Do you smell that familiar aroma of coffee? I certainly am, especially when you’re at a resort like the Filadelfia Coffee Resort & Spa! It certainly was a perfect morning for me, as I got to see more of Guatemala’s coffee industry.

My sixth day in Guatemala started off with a heart-breaking moment, that of leaving Sam’s family, whom I had come to know very well while staying with them during my time in Antigua. I’ll always remember them and Marco very fondly for their great hospitality.

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains of Totonicapan. We left the house once again for the day’s assignments, and met a Deaf Mayan, Jom, in Xetul, San Cristobal. He welcomed me as if I was an old friend of his.

Today was an especially anxious day for me. I was about to get my long-hoped for chance to see a real coffee farm, with some Deaf workers present. I couldn’t keep myself in suspense any longer, and got up at 5:45 AM, waking up the rest of the crew in the process of realizing my dream.

I woke up to a beautiful Guatemalan morning, at 7 AM, despite the low-flying clouds coming through the mountain range. It was such a gorgeous day for a drive! Hitting the road, we saw how windy it was and enjoyed the view from the car as we drove to Quetzaltenango, well known as Xela, from Antigua.

Buenos días! (Good Morning in English) It was great to start the day with a delicious Guatemalan breakfast, cooked by Alvaro’s mother. Everything was homemade – fried plantains, refried black beans, fresh squeezed orange juice, scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes and fresh baked bread! The food was so delicious, it practically melted into my [...]

Here I am in Guatemala! What made me want to come here, and explore the very country that was once home to the Mayan Empire? Gustavo, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, attended our Denver DeafNation Expo last September and approached me, mentioning that he had been following me around the world.

Make a descent with Joel Barish of No Barriers into an ancient world of spine-chilling mystery and incredible wonders, as he explores “The World of the Mayans” in Guatemala, only on deafnation.com!