Guatemala

Wednesday 7/4/07 - Departure

Humberto was up at around 1:40 am. I heard him and woke up, but decided not to bother getting up until our alarm went off in 5 minutes. He then said good morning and that our driver was here early (he had been scheduled for 2:00). Craig heard our voices and was jolted awake. He was in a panic thinking that we had overslept our alarm or were late, etc. I explained the situation and we calmed him down after Humberto and I both had a good laugh. We quickly got dressed and brushed our teeth. Humberto and Paulina walked us out to street. It was very nice of them to both accompany us at this hour. we said our goodbyes and waved as the van pulled away. Craig and I were in a somber mood. It was sad to leave, even though we knew we'd be coming back soon. Our driver stopped to pick up a friend of his for company. I slept most of the way to the airport. Without traffic we made good time, and arrived there around 4:10.

The last photo: Aracely's tiny shoe and Steph's large one

We checked in and the United attendant tried to upsell us to 1st class, and when that didn't work, they tried again to get us to upgrade to Economy Plus. We were in no mood for their sales pitch. We seemed to be the first international passengers to go through security, and the place seemed nearly deserted.There were still International OlympicCommittee posters hung everywhere. We learned after arriving home that Putin had been in Guatemala City that day, since Russia had won its bid for the Olympics. We waited at the almost-empty gate. Crew started to show up and one of the employees with a bullhorn startled one of his co-workers. It was quite funny. I waited in a long line at the cafe and bought cheddar Pringles, orange juice, and slices of coffee cake (the choices were rather limited). We ate and then were hand searched before we boarded the plane. I couldn't take my orange juice on the plane so I quickly drank the rest down while I was in line.

Now that they are so adamant about paying extra for Economy Plus, the plane was empty in the front and full in the back. They announced that we could upgrade to Economy Plus onboard if we wanted to pay the fee. After the doors closed, people tried to spread out, and some moved into Economy Plus seats without paying the upgrade fee. Flight attendants spent the whole flight policing the section. We were given pretzels and non-alcoholic drinks, but food was only available for purchase. We thought that this was prety lame for an international flight.

We arrived in LA and proceeded very quickly through customs, as we had no checked luggage to collect. We had a 3 hour layover. We ate some McDonald's for lunch, and then got some more to take on the plane with us, as we knew we wouldn't be fed again. Our flight was at 2:10. Once again, the back of the plane was full and the front was empty, and flight attendants made sure everyone remained in their proper class. Our flight arrived at 10:30 pm, and we went straight to the car. As we drove out of the city, we could see the 4th of July fireworks from the Esplanade. We were home by 11:00.

Please send any questions or comments to steph@craigandstephsvacations.com

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