Saturday, July 07, 2007


el bano personale


pics of the hostel

lake Atitlan, street in panajachel and a building in antigua








July 4

I had sleeping on the mind as I boarding our flight to Guatemala at 1:10 a.m. The Airbus was quite comfortable from what I remember. Customs was also a breeze. Walking out of the airport, we were met by large crowds of extremely short and dark Mayan people feverishly waving at their incoming loved ones. Old men and women in cowboy hats and traditional Guatemalan garb was just the sight I expected and wanted to as my first in the country. It was soon after that I was hit with the realization that “I was in Guatemala” and this realization prompted me to whisper a little prayer of thanks for safe travels and this special opportunity. After another 3 hour wait at the Guatemala airport, our driver arrived with a sign reading “Aaron Bizcara. I would be lying if I said the thought of being kidnapped never crossed my mind as we were carelessly driven about the cities and country side of Guatemala. After an hour of scary driving, we found ourselves in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua is a good sized town with architecture resembling a capital city, which it was at one time. From there, we continued our 4 hour shuttle ride through little mountain villages and farm lands. This country is very fertile, green mountains and valleys as far as you can see. Our first sight of Lake Atitlan, where we would be for the next 6 weeks, was one I will not easily forget. A massive turquoise lake surrounded by 3 enormous volcanoes covered in dark green vegetation. Arriving in Panajachel felt like finishing a marathon. There were feelings of relief and disbelief of where we made it to. Our school is tucked cozily away in a forested lot. The lady helping us with our accommodations was extremely nice and had a strange way of making me feel very comfortable as I spoke. After freshening up in our super awesome hostel room which we are paying 10 dollars a night for, we hit the town. We enjoyed our first meal at a restaurant dedicated to the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” and enjoyed our first exposure to night life in Panajachel.

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