Pre-Trip (hours before I have to leave)

(the map to the right is all of the cities that I will be visiting Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala, Lake Itza, Tikal)

Due to lots of procrastination, I have just now finished packing. My plane for Guatemala leaves in about four hours. I won't be well rested, but at least I will have the essentials.

I have made sure to pack:

1. A mix of clothes, with long sleeves, sweatshirts, shorts and t-shirts. Also I have to make sure to bring a rain jacket and an umbrella! (I will be there during the transition between the wet and dry season, so I'm unsure of what the weather will bring!)


2. BUG SPRAY! I hear the bugs are killer in this area, and I can't stand mosquito bites!


3. My bathing suit for the fun times I am expecting at Lake Itza


4. Good walking shoes, so my poor feet won't hurt after a day of adventure in the Mayan ruins.

Basically I am just packing light. I don't want to have to carry around too much stuff. Also, I'm not bringing anything too valuable. Apparently there is a huge amount of pick-pocketing and tourists are the main target. I will have to be careful!

Now that I mention it, I think I can see my walking shoes sitting by the door, so I better go finish that up so I can get SOME sleep before I head off.

Day 1 (Oct 29)

I have finally arrived at my hotel! It’s about 12:30 and I am completely settled in! The hotel I am staying at, Dos Lunas, is really nice! Its only about 900 meters away from the Guatemala City Airport (which is where I came in) and they offer a FREE shuttle service to and from the airport. It is about 13 dollars a night. Anyways there are nine nice little rooms, and rumor has it there is a delicious breakfast waiting for me tomorrow!

My plan for the rest of the day is to lay low, head into down town, get some good food, then catch up on my sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day!

So I just got back from the local market place and the food is to die for! You can see one of the locals here cooking up a storm. The meals were cheap and delicious. I ate my fill of carnitas, fresh tortillas that I saw made right before my eyes and a TON of chips and fresh guacamole!

Guatemala City seems to be a nice little city. It is the current capitol of the country and is very urban and modern.

I am planning on settling in and watching a movie for the night. I have big plans for tomorrow.

Day 2 (Oct. 30)

Today I am going to see a soccer game in the Estadio Mateo Flores. I am going to see the Club Jalapa play against Club Petapa. Both of the goalkeepers from the teams are the goalkeepers on the national squad so I know I am in for treat. It should be a great game! Just a few fun facts about the stadium: The stadium, which is the largest in Guatemala, was built in 1948 and was named after a long distance runner who won the Boston marathon. The stadium seats 30,000 people. I am a little nervous though because one of the biggest tragedies in sports happened here. There was a human avalanche in the crowd and 83 people died! Yikes! Lets hope that doesn’t happen again!

I'm all settled in for the night again. The game was amazing! It was so exciting, the players went head to head all game, but no goals were scored until over time, where both teams barely squeezed in a goal. They went into penalty kicks and I got to see the Guatemalan National goalies at their finest. Both goalies did an amazing job but Club Jalapa came out on top. I even got to meet Luis Molina, the goalie from the Jalapa team, and he signed my jersey! He was amazing!

After the game I took a bus around town to see the sights (well only some of them). There are some interesting things in Guatemala City. My favorite by far was the Jardín Botánico. It was gorgeous. To get in, I had to enter through El Museo de Historia Natural. The museum, which opened in 1950, has a growing population of exotic bird and mammal species. My favorite part was the butterfly house! I never knew there were that many types of butterflies! Once through the museum, I stayed in the gardens for hours it seemed! Everything was gorgeous! I learned that it was the first botanical garden set up in Central America and that it was currently the largest with 18,000 sq. ft. of beautiful scenery. I opted not to take a guided tour, but simply decided to look around and the beautiful collection of local and exotic plants.

Day 3 (Oct 31)

I woke up this morning, checked out of my hotel, and jumped on a bus headed toward Antigua Guatemala. Antigua used to be the capitol of Guatemala and is filled with historic buildings with beautiful architecture. It was about midday when I got there. The nice thing about Antigua Guatemala is that most of the city is walkable. Barely anything is more than a fifteen minute walk from the Parque Central, which is where I started. It is a beautiful and relaxing courtyard with a huge fountain in the middle. Although the fountain is a re-made version of the old fountain, it was still gorgeous.

After I strolled around Parque Central for a bit, I headed out to see one of the three volcanoes located in Antigua. I went to Volcán Agua, which is south west of the city and visible from most parts of the city. It was a nice scenic hike to get out there (luckily I had remembered to pack my walking shoes). I didn't have to worry about the volcano going off because it has been inactive since the 16th century.

After that my day came to an end and I checked into my new hotel (another good cheap one!), El Hostal. It was decently cozy, good for it's price* anyways. It was a pretty spot, and had a homey feel to it.

*Most of the hostel style hotels are only about 13 dollars or less a night. If you get into the private rooms its about 20-30 in the cheapest areas. Thats were I tended to stay.

Day 4 (Nov. 1st aka Day of the Dead)

I was especially excited for today because Nov. 1st is a special holiday for Guatemalans. It's somewhat like our Halloween (at least that is what it can be compared to) although it has more of a spiritual aspect to it. It is a day to remember lost loved ones, and honor their memories. Many times people visit the graves, placing objects or dishes of food that that loved one used to enjoy by the grave, and also grabbing some food for themselves and celebrating. Some food that is prepared especially for this day is called fiambre. To me it just looked like a pretty salad, with a mix of lots of different things. It sprung from the tradition of bring your lost loved one their favorite dish. Eventually, all of these things got combined from the different salad, and fiambre was the result. Fiambre recipes vary from family to family and can include anything from deviled eggs to shrimp. It is custom to bring fiambre and share with the other families who have come to the festival.

The other cool part about the festival was the festival of the kites. Many people construct ENORMOUS kites and fly them on this day. The kites signify the souls of their loved ones reaching up to heaven. It was quite the sight to see.

Day 5 (Nov 2)

Today is mostly a travel day. I have tp catch a bus back to Guatemala City early in the morning so that I can make a second bus from the city to Flores. The bus ride is somewhere between 8-10 hours, so I won't have much time to look around when I get there so my plan is to sit back and relax once I get to my hotel. I am staying in Flores, Guatemala, which is in the center of Lago Itza. Flores is a great little town on Lake Itza. It's very laid back, and a little touristy, but thats ok for my purposes there. Tomorow will be a complete day of relaxation!

Day 6 ( Nov. 3)

Today is ALL about relaxing. I spent my time relaxing on the beaches of the lake and working on my tan! Tomorow I've got big plans! I am going to visit the caves and the wildlife reserve!

DAY 7 (Nov 4)

This morning I set out for adventure! my first stop was the wildlife reserve, Asociación de Rescate y Consevación de Vida Silvestre (ARCAS). There were all sorts of animals (parrots jaguars monkeys) but my favorite one was the kinkajou. They are so funny. Here is a picture of one of the babies. The animals were saved from illegal pet situations and are being helped so they can re-enter into the wild.

After that I decided to head out to the caves. The caves are dug out by years of erosion from underground springs and rivers and are really cool! Being the adventurer that I am, I decided against a guided tour and went on in by myself. They have a well lit area that you can travel on, but also a darker part for which flashlights are provided. I couldn't resist. I grabbed a flashlight and explored! When I got back to the hotel, I was exhausted.

Day 8 (Nov 5)

I got up early today so I could catch a bus to Tikal, the home of the famous Mayan Ruins. Everything about the ruins is majestic and glorious. The temples which have an ancient but forceful look are surrounded by beautiful greenery. Tikal is home to what once was the largest Mayan city. Only 30% of the city has been uncovered, while the other 70% is still underground and un-restored. Although most of the ruins are still covered, the city is still humongous and took up my entire day and all of my energy to walk through! The ruins were by far my favorite site so I've included many pictures below, though pictures hardly do any justice to the actual sight of these ancient temples.

Day 9 (Nov 6)

It was another travel day for me. I had to catch the same bus on which I came back to Guatemala City for the plane ride tomorow. I drove all day and then checked back into my original hotel. Tomorrow I will go out looking for a souvenir and then head on home!

Day 10- The last day

So I returned to the market place to look for a unique souvenir to take home. It wasn't too hard to find something, because most of the people in the market place speak English because of all the tourism. I was carrying a bit more money than usual because i was unsure of what I was going to buy, so I made sure to be aware of my surroundings so I wouldn't be robbed.
I ended up buying a Mayan style blouse. To the left is a photo of two Guatemalan girls wearing the blouses and to the right is a photo of the blouse I bought. It was a great end to a great trip! I will always remember it!

Follow Up

Well I am finally home. I am definitely glad to be in my own bed, but I am going to miss Guatemala. All of the hosts of the hostels I stayed at were so nice! And the weather was gorgeous. It is terrible to come back to this Minnesota cold. I was thinking back on my trip and I am so glad I decide to go! The flight only cost around 500, which I thought was a great deal for the amazing country I got to see for 10 days! I would definitely visit again and encourage anyone else to do so. It is SO rich in culture and history, and the best way to learn is to jump into it!