Arrival!

Just a quick little "I made it safely, I'm not dead" post. No pictures today, sorry!

I never cease to be amazed at the ease of airport security/customs in other countries. No matter how many times I travel, I find myself leaving hours of wiggle room just in case I’m stuck waiting in lines. One method that really, truly works though is refusing to let anyone check your bag. The flight attendants will always word it very carefully, so it seems as if they’re going out of their way and it’s so nice of them to do- “If you bring your carry-on luggage up to the front desk, we’re willing to offer complimentary checking to your destination!”

And they tried, hard, to get my backpack. I stubbornly declined, even placing it in their little metal box to prove its size. I’m glad I did, because eight hours later a Guatemalan customs officer stamped my passport without any questions, and hardly a glance, while the rest of the passengers were still waiting for their luggage.

Normally, I don’t mind lines. But my flight landed at 7:20PM and I knew that shuttles to Antigua, a small colonial town about 45 minutes away from Guatemala City, stop running regularly at 8:00PM, so I was in a bit of a rush. Not to mention, I wasn’t too keen on walking around alone, with a backpack, after dark. Believing that I would run short on time, I was shocked when I was dropped off in front of my hostel barely more than an hour after my plane had landed.

This sort of system, where very few things are planned in advance, suits my sporadic and spontaneous personality well but has its drawbacks. I like having the ability to wake up in the morning and decide what I want to do that day, knowing that I can walk into any tour agency and set up a shuttle on the spot, for very little money. But if that shuttle just happens to be full, and sometimes they are, you’re pretty much out of luck. Hotels and hostels work the same way!

The point is, if you’re coming to Guatemala, or Central America in general, be prepared to not have plans. Embrace it! It will get a bit stressful at times, but you’ll also have some of the most incredible adventures and experiences that no guidebook could have ever shown you. 

-Kaelin