Guatemala 6/29/2019 - 7/13/2019 |
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Saturday, 7/13/2019 - DepartureWe got up, showered, and packed our last minute items before joining Humberto and Paulina for oatmeal, coffee, bananas, and orange juice at 7:30. We said goodbye to Paola, Aracely, Eddy, Yasmin, Vanesa, Humberto, and Paulina (Yoselin was at the office and Ian Ivan was still asleep), and got into the van bound for Guatemala City.On a Saturday morning, we weren't expecting much traffic, but we left early anyway (8:30 a.m.) just in case. We stopped at Katok (a restaurant which also sells local food items) to use the restrooms. We also bought some of their delicious hot sauce to take home with us. There are also local craft vendors set up in the entryway to the restaurant. One vendor was selling papier mache Mayan dolls. I have two such female dolls, but I had never seen a male counterpart. I couldn't resist buying one to add to my collection. We packed the hot sauce safely away in our checked luggage and continued on to the airport. It was a good thing that we had left so early, as we hit a lot of traffic and didn't arrive at the airport until 12:10 p.m. We had splurged on business class tickets. We departed at 2:28 p.m., and were treated to warm nuts, Bailey's, salad, chicken with caramelized onions, cauliflower mash, and a white cake with strawberries. We arrived in Miami at 6:40 p.m. and had an absolutely wonderful wheelchair experience. We breezed through Global Entry, and there wasn't even a line at security. We know that Saturday nights are notoriously busy in Miami, but apparently our timing beat the usual rush. Our departure was at 9:30 p.m. On this flight, we were in first class. Our flight attendant Alma was incredibly attentive. There was no meal on this flight, but we were served warm nuts and double shots of Bailey's...followed by a gooey warm chocolate chip cookie. Alma brought extra warm towels when she saw us wiping/licking molten chocolate off our fingers, and helpfully shone her flashlight into my bag when I was putting something away and the cabin was dark. We arrived in Boston at 12:30 a.m., collected our checked luggage, and caught a cab home. As the driver pulled into our driveway, we saw a bunny in the grass. Then we noticed a deer next to our shed, and he froze in the headlights and then headed back towards the woods. It was the first time that the driver had seen a wild deer. While we had planned to return for our annual visit the next July, COVID-19 would put those plans on hold. As of February of 2021, we have still not been able to return. We look forward to being able to travel and visit our compadres again! |
 Hasta pronto, Lago Atitlan  Papier Mache Mayan dolls at Katok See all photos from this day |
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