The "Getting There" Part

I love everything about traveling except the actual traveling. I’m talking about the part where you’re hauling around more over packed bags than you have arms for and all the waiting that generally has to occur. While I couldn’t wait to get to Guatemala, I was definitely a little grim-faced when I departed for the Las Vegas airport Saturday night. I felt like I was preparing for a personal war with airports- they could not break me, I would not get stressed. Really though, I could not have asked for a smother travel experience. My first flight was a little delayed. However, that left time for a conversation with a slightly inebriated man from Texas who kissed my hand in farewell. I was definitely going in for the handshake but oooooh well, it was an experience! All that matters is I made it to Guatemala and I am so grateful my luggage arrived, customs and immigration were a breeze, and finding my ride was as easy as walking outside!

My super nice driver’s name was Hugo, and he was in charge of delivering me to my language school in Antigua. We didn’t talk too much during the hour drive from Guatemala City to Antigua, but I didn’t mind. I kind of just wanted to watch out the window and take in the country that is going to be my new home for this year. First impressions:

• Very green and lush. I immediately thought of the Jurassic Park movies and would have been relatively unphased if some dinosaurs just happened to pop out alongside the road.
• Hilly and mountainous. Hugo said standard transmission is preferred here because of the terrain. Not that I’m planning on driving much, but I’m so pumped I learned how to drive stick before I left just in case!
• Definitely a “developing” country, about on par with Bali and Fiji. Lots of tin roofs.
• Stray dogs all over the place. The dog lover in me is going to have a hard time not wanting to pet them this year.
• Presence of military/security forces evident. I saw a fair amount of intimidating men with big guns just chilling on the side of the road.
• Cultural! I saw ladies in indigenous garb balancing massive baskets of who knows what on their heads just casually walk on the street. HOW COOL IS THAT?
• When I inevitably get tired of beans, rice, and tortillas, it will be okay. There were lots of American fast food chains to turn to in times of craving crises.

I had no idea how Hugo knew where he was going because street signage didn’t really exist off the main highway, but he certainly knew his way around. Once we reached Antigua, he weaved deeper into the local streets. I started to get SUPER nervous about my lodgings- I had no idea what to expect. We finally stopped in front of “Casa Bella”, and it is actually the cutest thing and perfect! I’ve got my own room, it’s clean, and there’s plenty of drinking water. What more could I ask for? To top all my good fortune off, my hostess, Flor, is so sweet and nice to me.

I also really like the layout of the house, which is quite different from any residential home I’ve seen in the United States. What makes it so unique is the third floor, which is really just a rooftop patio/terrace kind of situation. The third floor has a large skylight in it, except there is no covering! So, the second floor has this fenced off area where the skylight drops down through it, and on the first floor there is a cement area with plants underneath the skylight opening. The whole thing gives the house a very open feeling, lets in tons of light to all stories, and brings the outdoors in. I’m looking forward to the rain so I can just sit in the living room and have it fall down through the skylight. Oh, I forgot to mention three volcanoes ring the area and I can see them from the roof! I’m a happy camper to be safely settled in such a great place.

Third floor/terrace

Second floor- my room is the farthest door!

First floor