Day 1 - Travel

First of all, most of this will be typed on my phone. There will be errors. Fat fingers, ya know? I'm just trying to get words down. 

So, it's 9:30 am. I am in the Mexico City airport. If my return flight is on time and customs is quick, I will head out to the Zocalo via Uber, walk around, and hopefully get some good street food (tacos), people watch, see some art, take some pictures. I'll have an 8 hour layover. 

However, I do not have time for that today so I have a few hours to kill. 

So, I am killing them with a breakfast and a Clamato con Victoria. Yes, it is 5:00 somewhere. I've been up since 2:30 am, so why not?

Here's a poem on my table. 

Dust if you Must

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better

To paint a picture or write a letter, 

Bake a cake, or plant a seed;

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,

With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;

Music to hear, and books to read;

Friends to cherish, and life to lead. 

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair.

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain, 

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind, 

Old age will come and it is not kind.

And when you go (and go you must)

You, yourself, will make more dust. 

-Rose Milligan 

Needless to say, I'm not much for dusting. 😊 

I have done little in the way of planning this trip short of reserving my airbnbs. I have watched the weather. I'm going to see rain and thunderstorms. 

As for how I will spend my time, I may do a volcano hike or two, one near each location I visit. I want to kayak on the lake, hike and explore, do yoga, and read my books. I want to talk to people from different places. I want to eat different food. I want to see birds and wildlife I normally do not see. I want to see old ruins of churches and buildings and admire architecture and take pictures. I want to interact with the indigenous people of the Mayan culture at the markets when I buy souvenirs for the kids in my life. I want to experience this beautiful country with all of my senses. I think I will manage to find things to do in spite of not planning. 

Guatemala City - from the plane - fish eye lens on my iPhone. 

Have you ever gotten out of your comfort zone to find to realize it's not such a bad place to be? 

For example, when you show up to your rental and it's locked. You talk to the neighbor's dog (which is very much in my comfort zone), hear a crack of thunder, and say yes to the invitation to come inside to a stranger's house. I was then treated to some lychee fruit and a homemade zapote Popsicle, yum on both counts, made a new friend, and got some insider's information on where to go and what to see. Oh! And I stayed dry. There was quite a thunderstorm - it sounded like home. So yeah. Not my comfort zone but a reminder that things work out. The universe really is on my side. 

There was a mishap on AirBnBs part but it's all good now. I am here. Meanwhile, I had the neighbor's gate and house keys when I went out for the evening. She couldn't remember my name but she let me use her spare keys and even offered me her spare bed for a nap. She's an ex-pat who has been here 5 years. I've met a couple more people here; we may touch base tomorrow and explore together. 

Lychee. You eat the white part. 

Dinner at a soup restaurant. This is a tipico Guatemalan dish - toasted seeds, chicken, and vegetables with avocado, rice, and fresh corn tortillas. It's called pelican. It was So. Good. And filling.

Ok, I'm done for the day. I've been awake for over 21 hours. I think I'll call it a day. 

Oh, these pictures are all with my iPhone. I'm hoping tomorrow, I can pull out my real canes and get some good ones, weather permitting.