Perhaps You Need a Little Guatemala

Moving from one adventure onto the next! 

This is the beginning of my journey through the villages of Guatemala providing medical care to those who have none.

Let me start from the beginning…. When we first decided to go to Belize we were immediately met with an obstacle: how do we get from Belize to Guatemala? At first we decided that we would fly from Belize back to the states to meet our class so we could travel down as a group to Guatemala. The idea sounded perfect, except that being in Belize for 1 month followed by an immediate return to Central America in less than 24 hours looks like a drug run. The last thing we wanted was to be held for questioning while the remainder of the class was sitting at the gate waiting for us to board the plane. Instead we decided to take a flight from Belize to Guatemala.

Walking onto the runway to get on the plane! 

There were no easy flights between the two countries. The only option available for us included a transfer in El Salvador before arriving in Guatemala. El Salvador is past Guatemala on the map, so logistically it didn’t make sense. The other downside of this flight was that it was scheduled only two times a day and the earliest arrival was 3:00 PM or the other option was 9:00 PM. Since the Wagner group arrived at 1:00 PM in Guatemala and our flight did not land until 3:00, Karilyn and I decided to arrived the day before to relax for a night in Guatemala City.

Immediately upon our arrival, we saw vast differences between the city centers in Guatemala and Belize. In Belize, the houses were dilapidated, littered with trash, everything was coated in a fine coat of dust from the unpaved roads, and kids and dogs wandered the streets dirty and unbathed. It was difficult to distinguish between a restaurant, a hotel, a shop, or someone’s home in Belize because they all looked exactly the same. In Guatemala City, we were shocked to see beautiful bright colors, clean streets, and chain restaurants (Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, etc.) lining the streets. There was no evidence of trash littering the alleyways and I only saw one stray dog. The other immediate difference I noticed between Belize and Guatemala is that Guatemala is in the mountains! Houses are built right into the mountain and winding roads bring you up and up the mountainside until you reach your destination. From high elevations you can see thousands of tiny colorful houses and greenery below. The entire taxi ride I was dying to jump out and walk through the streets to meet the locals and explore the city.  

This city looks just like home! 

The houses are built right into the mountain

A little higher into the mountains 

We booked a night at a beautiful hotel in Guatemala City. This hotel was very different from the Easy Inn with it’s luxurious rooms, the pool, and gardens. We had expected it to be a nice hotel, but had never dreamed to stay at somewhere so beautiful! We both decided to indulged and go all out on a nice dinner for our last night before we met up with the rest of Wagner. 

Gorgeous view over the city

 

Heading to Dinner 

The next morning arrived where we finally had to meet up with the rest of the group. I think I was most excited for this first day of this Guatemala trip because it meant that Karilyn and I finally got to talk and interact with people other than each other. Don’t get me wrong, we had so much fun in Belize and there were only a few times we wanted to kill one another, but knowing that there would be 23 new people to talk to and share stories with us was quite exiting. Thankfully, all worked out perfectly and we arrived at the airport at the same time as the group. Instantly we got asked all about our month away from home and our time at rotation. We shared stories with the group and caught up on events back at home as we started our three-hour journey to Lake Atitlan, where we would be staying for our trip.

The journey through the mountains on the way to Lake Atitlan was breathtaking. We traveled in a large bus that I never imagined making it up the side of a mountain. We traveled up and up and passed through so many different villages. Each one was filled with different colors and houses, all of which looked so inviting and they all begged to be explored. While the villages were directly in front of us, in the distance we saw more mountains and volcanos, some of which are still active and had smoke coming from the top. 

Traveling up

We stopped at the top of the mountain to enjoy the view

This view was everything! 

The entire journey, I couldn’t help but notice all of the people walking on the side of the road. Men carried 2-3 shovels, a bucket, and other tools in their arms as they walked back to their home after a hard day’s work. Women carried baskets on their heads filled with fruits or other goods from village to village to sell. Babies stood next to their mothers on this narrow road, barely escaping the side of the van, laughing and running to their next destination. Everyone walks in the mountains of Guatemala. I have so much respect for these people who have to travel uphill for miles between villages. I could not imagine the effort it takes to be able to travel in that manner. Even though these people are walking uphill, in the sun, and with dead weight strapped to their body, everyone was smiling and seemed to be enjoying their day. It was an incredibly humbling moment to witness.

Waiting 

Babies strapped to the women's back

The worst photo, but notice how all the women carry their goods on the top of their head while traveling uphill 

We finally arrived at our hotel and there are not enough words to describe how beautiful it was. The hotel is located at the base of Lake Atitlan, a lake formed as a result of a volcano eruption hundreds of years ago. It overlooks surrounding towns, the mountains, and you can still see an active volcano in the distance. Watching the sunset over the mountains that first night was breathtaking and you felt so small being amongst so many gigantic landforms. I have never been to a place located within the mountains, but after laying my eyes on Guatemala I knew this would be a place I would have to come back to again in my life. There are way too many villages and towns to be explored to only spend one week time in this beautiful country.

The view from the hotel overlooking two volcanos 

Part of the hotel contains Botanical Gardens

The pool, where we spent a lot of time when we
weren't at the clinic

Day one of this Guatemalan adventure has already been incredibly rewarding. I know that once we venture into the clinics for the first time tomorrow, the experience will only get better.