Guatemala 6/17/2025 |
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 Photo Gallery June 17PrologueWe were excited to visit Guatemala this year, as there have been two births since we visited last summer. Our goddaughter Aracely's daughter Elsa Aracely was born in October, and Vanesa's son Daniel Emiliano was born in April.My birthday falls on Juneteenth, so I get it off from work. This year I would be turning 50. We decided that it would be fun to schedule the trip so that I could celebrate my 50th birthday on the 19th, we could celebrate godson Ian's 10th birthday on the 22nd, and we could celebrate Humberto's 54th birthday on the 30th. Humberto said that with all of the birthdays and the fact that we hadn't gotten to see many of the extended family members in the past couple of years, we would have a party on Saturday the 21st. There would also be a Mass at the San Francisco church dedicated to us for our birthdays. We decided to buy business class flights. Flying takes a lot out of Craig with his MS. His legs lock up, and he has a hard time being comfortable. Business class allows us a more comfortable airport experience (being able to make use of lounges), ensures that we are fed, allows easier bathroom access, and allows us to spread out and relax on the plane. We fly less often than we used to (we take fewer, longer trips rather than many short ones per year), and it makes the experience a bit easier for Craig. Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - ArrivalLuckily we didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to catch our flight. The Logan Way car picked us up at 9:30 a.m.After checking in at the airport and going through security, we went to the American Airlines lounge. We enjoyed sandwiches, and Craig had some clam chowder. Our flight took off on time at 1 o'clock. We had Bailey's to drink and had a fruit and cheese plate that we had pre-ordered online. When we landed in Miami, we spent our layover in the lounge. Since Craig uses a wheelchair in airports, when we arrived at the lounge, the wheelchair attendant dropped us off and we scheduled a time for someone to pick us up and bring us to the gate. They came to get us right on time, and brought us to board the flight. The flight took off on time at 6:30 p.m. We had Bailey's to drink once again, and short ribs and macaroni and cheese to eat. We arrived in Guatemala City and went through immigration and customs and picked up our luggage. We had to fill out our customs paperwork online using the airport wifi. I rented a luggage cart, and we went outside to the curb to get picked up. I had sent Humberto a message telling him that we were coming out of the terminal. Once we did, I lost my wifi access, so we weren't sure exactly who would be meeting us. It's a busy area and Humberto couldn't just wait with the van. So he had dropped off Yoselin and Eddy to meet us. Once they met up with us, they called Humberto, and he drove the van over so that we could hop in. It's always a bit of a shock to see the kids for the first time. They have all grown up so much! Yoselin is about to turn 23 and Eddy is 16. They hadn't eaten dinner, so they stopped at the McDonald's drive-through to grab a quick bite. We had eaten plenty between the airport lounges and the business class flights, but we were very thirsty so we each got a Fanta. The drive to Panajachel takes at least 3 hours, and Craig was exhausted after a long day of travel. He laid down on the bench seat of the van to try to get some rest. We arrived in Panajachel at midnight. We almost didn't recognize Santander Street as we drove down it so late at night. It now has fairy lights strung overhead. We got to the house and were greeted by Paulina and Ian. It was nice that Ian wanted to stay up to say hello to us, especially since he had school tomorrow. We had wondered how he would react to us. For a couple of years of his childhood, we had been unable to visit due to COVID, so he had less exposure to us at an early age than the other kids had. but he was excited to see us and even greeted us in English. We chatted for a few minutes before retiring to our newly painted room (with a brand new bed) for some much-needed sleep. I would need to wake up early to work in the morning, as Guatemala is two hours behind the Eastern time zone. |
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