A Guatemala Glitch
Picture this: It's the evening of January 5, 2016. One of my New Year resolutions was to limit my time on social media. But the Facebook addict in me was relapsing. I stumbled upon a post in my travel group about a $124 roundtrip ticket to Guatemala from DC. I started to look through the comments with no intent on purchasing. I tend to not travel during the school year because I am a single mother. Most flight deals are off-peak times or last minute. However, this one was working for Memorial Day dates. I scurried over to Orbitz and booked a flight for May 27 -May 30 with Copa Airlines. The next step involved me texting everyone I knew in DC with the link. My friend, Perry, was the only person able to grab a ticket. Flight deals sell out fast. There is no time to contemplate or debate.
Everyone in my travel group who successfully got a ticket joined a separate Facebook group to discuss logistics. Through that, I was able to find someone to share an airport shuttle, plan group activities, and meet some great people while I was there. It was one of my best trips still to this day.
Lodging
Perry and I decided to share lodging and found a place on Airbnb. We stayed in Antigua, Guatemala at The Alice and Guillermo House .We paid about $213 for 5 days (he arrived on the 26th). The accommodations were okay. It is a third world country. It was clean which is my basic requirement. The location was convenient except at night when it was pitch dark. The host was a real sweetheart. My mini photoshoot (thanks to Perry) was actually taken on the property.
Activities
On Saturday, we had a large group take a cooking class at La Tortilla Cooking School. It was $45 per person. Not often do you get to experience a room full of black Americans in another country. We had a good time as this was a perfect time to meet everyone in person. We bonded over cooking, eating, and drinking unlimited amounts of wine.
On Sunday, many of us went on tours outside the city area. I chose Adora Tours' Lake Atitlan Tour. It was $60. This was an unforgettable experience. The landscape was incredible. The photo with me aligned next to La Nariz Del Indio (the mountain) was on this tour. The people in the villages were exceptional. Watch me turn cotton into thread with the Mayan women in this video .
Clubs and Resturants
Antigua has a lot of bars and clubs. The liquor is also cheap. Which is why I can not tell you the names of these places. And do not pack heels!!! Antigua is full of cobblestone. I wore TOMS all weekend.
I did go to a restaurant named Fridas several times. Its name and decor are paying homage to Frida Kahlo . All I know is their food and drinks are bomb. I usually don't eat well when I travel because I am a picky eater. Fridas' has this avocado margarita that I never knew I needed in my life. It was amazing and I had several of them.