Journey to the ruins of Guatemala

In March of 2024, it was time to make my way to Guatemala. I was traveling again with acouplewithoutborders.com. So many of my students at school are from Guatemala. They would always share how much they were missing home. I couldn't wait to visit and share my experience with them. My trip was timed perfectly with my Spring Break from school. I flew in a day earlier than the rest of the people on the tour, so I could explore a little on my own. I'm always trying to test my bravery. I arrived in Antigua in the middle of the night and caught my ride to my first hotel. It was a confusing check in with the language barrier, but we figured it out together. He was asking me to place my breakfast order and it was 2 am and I didn't understand it at all. I can tell you, if I had high school to do over again, I would have taken Spanish instead of French.

Robyn of A Couple Without Borders arranged a hotel stay for me and it was beautiful. I had a nice private room at Casa Antigua Hotel. I had about 3 hours of fitful tossing , turning and jumping at every little sound. My anxiety was at full peak when I could finally see the sun rising. Then my next challenge would come. I was starving and it far surpassed my anxiety. I got dressed and decided to do some bird watching while I waited for my breakfast. When she asked if I was eating on the rooftop, I was excited to check it out.

The rooftop was the perfect choice. I followed the spiral staircase outside of my room and was rewarded with the best view. I was the only one up there and I was able to eat with my little friend, I called Oreo. He was great company but truthfully, he scared all the birds away.

After breakfast I decided that I didn't want to waste the day. I needed to be brave. It took a lot of pep talking and I peeked outside the iron gates. The street was filled with people and music. I convinced myself I was just going to walk to the corner and right back so I didn't get lost. When I got to the corner, I wanted to go to the next corner. That went on and on until I realized I had spent over 5 hours just walking through Antigua. The streets were so full of life and people., I felt completely comfortable and safe the whole time. There was a market going on in the square and it was a feast for the eyes and nose. Beautiful cloths and fresh cut fruit, flower bundles and ice cream. Whatever you could want to eat, it was available.

The Guatemalan people are so beautiful. I would consider myself a nature photographer but I wanted to capture their beautiful faces. I didn't like the idea of just taking their picture without asking permission. My friend Erica taught me how to say "may I take your photo?" ¿Les puedo tomar una foto? Some would say yes, some would ask for money and for some, it was a flat no.

Just down the block from my hotel was the most beautiful Starbucks I had ever seen. There were beautiful hand painted murals covering every wall. Once inside it opened into a beautiful open courtyard with water features and so much seating. I ordered a Dragon fruit drink and settled in for some people watching. While I was sitting there, three young girls came walking through selling their wares. A bracelet, a change purse, etc. They would walk up to each person and they would negotiate the prices. Once someone paid they would walk out into the hallway and hand the money to someone, I'm assuming was their mother. Then they walked back in and tried another customer. These girls had to have been no older than 6 or 7. It was shocking as well as sad.

I went back to my room to drop my bag and look up a local place to get some lunch. Antigua Brewing Company was right across the street. https://www.antiguabrewingco.com  This place was so cool inside. Lucky for me I'm completely comfortable sitting and eating alone but I always get some looks like “poor lady has no friends”. I ordered the grilled chicken cesar salad and it hit the spot. I had a few more hours to kill, so I decided to head back to my hotel and pack up and see if I could check in to my next hotel, right across the street.

When I got to the hotel, my room was not ready but they took my luggage and said to feel free to explore the hotel. They had complementary water infused with fruit, which I loved, and some fresh baked bread with butter. Hotel Meson de Maria was equally as beautiful and much larger.

The rest of the tour group arrived later that night and after introductions, we set out for a long walk to grab dinner at Maxan. To be honest, I was dead on my feet. I didn't want food, I just needed sleep. I'm so glad I decided not to skip dinner to rest. While having dinner we could hear music and voices outside. When we got to the doorway, we were able to witness an Easter procession through the street. The locals were celebrating Semana Santa "Holy Week". The parade consisted of people of all ages chanting in prayer, there were brass instruments and music, and large floats carried on the shoulders of the people. The floats each had a religious statue of some sort. I felt immediately moved and honored to be able to witness a small part of their celebration. It was amazing to see and while I wouldn't consider myself religious, I do believe in the power of belief and faith. I didn't take many photos because it felt disrespectful to photograph them during such an important time, but I have one video and its still gives me chills when I watch it.

I woke up really early and headed to breakfast. I was so grateful for a good nights sleep. There were just a few of us that were heading out to explore today, so we loaded into the van. Our first stop was San Cristobel El Alto. We found a Ferruginous pygmy owl and couple other lifer birds for me.

Our next stop was Finca El Pilar. It was a long causal walk through the forest. I was able to see some new hummingbirds and such great new flowers I had never seen before. Because of the water sources in the area, it was also a great place for me to find new species of butterflies. It was literally my favorite type of exploring. It was slow and casual and filled with things I had never seen before. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Cerro San Cristobel. We did more birding than eating for sure. From this restaurant you can see the 2 volcanoes in Colombia, Fuego and Acatenango. It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the hotel to rest and pack our bags to head to our next destination.

As part of the tour we were doing a local exploration and cultural walk. I had already toured the town and again was going to skip. I learned my lesson this trip that not many things should be skipped. I bucked up and I was grateful for it. We went to Iglesia de la Merced. The Church and Convent of La Merced is a Catholic church located in the city of Antigua. The architect Juan de Dios Estrada was in charge of its construction from 1749. The church was inaugurated in 1767. We able to tour the whole church and I really appreciated the history we were told. The intricate details were amazing.

The following morning, we had an early shuttle to take us to the airport where we were catching flight to Flores Guatemala. A short one hour flight and we had arrived. This part of our trip would be more nature based and I was excited to hopefully see my first primate. On this trip, I indeed had another guide that definitely looked out for me as well as the others. His name was Herman and he was a great kid. He had a passion for photography and I loved listening to him talk about how he got started in being a guide and he had such a vast knowledge of all the critters we were meeting.

We arrived in Flores and it was hot, like hot hot. We had a 3 hour car ride to get to our boat which would take us to the island. The drive felt like forever. We would stop and bird the whole way along the sides of the roads and across many fields. I'm not going to lie, I'm no good in the heat. I don't eat properly and because I don't like peeing in public, I also don't drink enough as well. By the time we got to the boat, I was feeling weak and light headed. It was a short boat ride and I really just wanted a cold drink and to lay down.

Our home for the next couple nights was at a biological station called Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas. I loved my room. I was told there would be multiple insects and geckos all over. They let me know that the geckos were there to eat the bigger things that bite and that they were beneficial. Everywhere we stayed in Guatemala our beds had insect cloths we had to wrap ourselves with every night for protection. I still felt like things were going to eat me and were climbing all over me.

I took a walk early the next morning and had my first encounter with the spider monkeys. Everyone else was calling them the poop throwers but I was so loving them. I stood on the path and watch this one juvenile monkey resting along the branch and we made eye contact for a few moments. It was one of the most moving moments I have ever had in nature. Spending time in nature and having an animal stay in your presence, be in a moment with you and not leave is a gift. I will always be grateful for these moments and I always thank them for their time.

Scarlet macaws (Ara macao cyanoptera) are a threatened species in Guatemala. Researchers estimate that there are only 150–200 remaining in the country. The fact that we were able to see them in the wild was pretty darn cool. They were on a protected island and it took a short boat ride and a very long hike to get to see them.

It was about half way through this day that I began to feel so sick. I was light headed and weak and so hot. Guatemala was experiencing a heat wave. It was well over 100 degrees and the humidity had me so sick. We were all starting to feel the heat and called for our boat to come to get us. When we got back to Las Guacamayas I headed straight for a cold shower. I sat down in the shower and I was dry heaving and at one point I blacked out or passed out. Either way, I opened my eyes and the fear set in. I had no phone in the shower with me. Considering it took a three hour car ride, then a boat ride to get here. I knew no medical personal were coming to save me. I got out of the shower and immediately went to find the people I was with. They advised me to increase my fluids. Luckily I had also brought liquid iv with me so I just started pounding that.

By the time everyone was heading out for a night boating tour to look for owls, I was feeling a little better but still not myself. We were able to find the Agami Heron and few other cool birds but the heat and the smell of the gas from the boat was making me much worse. We had a big walking day the next day and I was thinking of skipping it all together.

I was for sure suffering from heat exhaustion. We had to pack up and head to our next destination in the morning. I had a headache, sensitivity to light, and I generally felt like crap. I was still drinking tons of water but I just wanted air condition in a dark room. We had a long drive to our next destination and I used my sun shirt to block the light in the car. We were having lunch at a place called Captain Tortugas. They had the most delicious fruit smoothies. In fact I had 2. I put a cold water bottle down my shirt to control my body heat. Again, I'm not made for the heat. It was refreshing and relaxing and the view was so good. I really enjoyed my liquid lunch and the ice cream that followed while we waited for out drivers.

We had a short drive to Tikal National Park. We were staying at the Jungle Lodge. There was no A/C but we did have a ceiling fan. There was only power to the rooms for certain periods during the day to save on electricity. It was this way everywhere we stayed in Guatemala

As soon as we got there I could hear the howlers monkeys. I could hear them everyday at Las Guacamayas but never got my eyes on one. I turned the corner and had the most amazing close views. There were pretty high in the tree, so the challenge was to keep the camera up high enough to get the shot. I was rewarded with the best 20 minutes to just observe them and be in their presence. Later on I would also see a spider monkey.

After a half-way decent night of sleep, I was trying to get myself prepared for our day ahead. The heat was still so oppressive, but I had decided to be in the moment and not sit in the room. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see some new amazing things. While we waited for our timed entry into the national park, we took a nice walk around the lodge and I was able to see some lifer birds and also beautiful plant life. The coatimundis were adorable and I loved the way they played with each other.

The trek to Tikal would be about a 5 mile round trip and I was really struggling mentally to psyche myself up for it. I didn't want to hold anyone back and I didnt want to get any worse. Herman was kind enough to carry multiple bottles of water for me to lighten my load. Liquid IV and water saved me on this trip, I swear. Tikal National Park is most famous for its Mayan ruins. It’s one of the most significant archaeological sites of the ancient Mayan civilization. To be able to visit was truly something very special to me.

Tikal was the last step in my Guatemalan adventure. We were hopping a flight back to Guatemala city and then home. I was boarding my flight at 5 am. This trip was important in many ways for me. I stayed alone and explored Antigua, I stayed in 4 different locations, I saw my first primates in the wild, I added multiple lifer birds to my life list, I beat the heat, and most importantly, I was brave and made the choice to stay in it every day. I never quit and I came home with amazing stories to tell and a few great pictures I'm proud of. This was a long one and I loved it. Thanks loves. Until next time.