Mom's thoughts on Guatemala!!

Mom's ANNUAL POST!

In the winter months it's sort of been a tradition for us to go someplace warm for a few days with friends. We've been to Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. And our only criteria used to be a warm, all-inclusive resort. It was just easier when you're traveling with 10 -12 people. Well, times have changed and the last two years we've chosen to visit Kelly in Guatemala with our adventure-loving friends, Carmen and Roger Beggs. We're lucky to be not only be able to visit with Kelly but also to experience more of the beautiful country where she is living. Last year we went to Antigua and Lake Atitlan (still my favorite place) and this year we went to Antigua and Tikal (the jungle!) Yes, I was somewhat - O.K. - very apprehensive about going to the jungle. It wasn't that I didn't want to see the ruins. It was just that I wasn't all that excited about spending the night at the Jungle Lodge. Maybe it's because Bobby kept calling it the Monkey Inn! Anyway, on Monday morning at 4:00 AM we were picked up by our shuttle in Antigua to go the airport in Guatemala City for our short 40 minute flight to Tikal. And once I got there there was no turning back. We had a great guide named Reuben for our three hour tour of the jungle and the ruins. Reuben certainly did a mean howler monkey imitation and really got them going up in the trees! We climbed two of the temples and had beautiful views of the dense jungle. And the weather couldn't have been better - perfect temperature and low humidity. So far - so good!

We had a very nice lunch in the dining room and now we were off to check into our rooms. They were built in the 60's and 70's to house people who were there to excavate. Now I'm sure there has been some renovations but they're still sparse - bed and bathroom and that's it. Our first room had more moths in it than I am fond of (where were they coming in and what else could get in?) so we changed to another room which was much brighter and the only wildlife I was able to discover in that room was one little lizard. I grew up with lizards in Florida so that was no problem to me. We were told we would not get electricity until 6:00 PM so we were off to the pool to relax. Carmen and I made a margarita run and the bartender said he'd charge us for them later - hey, now this place doesn't seem all that bad! We were exhausted from our 3:00 am wake up call so we called it a night around 9:00 and crawled in under our mosquito net that surrounded our bed.

Sometime during the night the globe on the ceiling fan wiggled its way off and came crashing to the ground! When I explained it to the man at the front desk using my best Spanglish I found out the "boom" is "boom" in any language!! The conversation went something like this - I said "ceiling fan" and twirled my hand around like a fan. He said "si". I said "globe" and formed a round shape with my hands. He said "si". I said BOOM, dropped my hands on the counter and he said "Aye!!" with eyes as big as saucers! It was hysterical! Anyway, I think I got my point across. The next day was taken up with visiting the museum on site and just relaxing until we left to return to Guatemala City. I can truly say I was pleasantly surprised by the whole "jungle" experience.

And as always, it was GREAT to spend time with Kelly. It is so evident that she enjoys her life there and that this is where she's supposed to be. We met her third grade class and her friend Alison who works in the orphanage there. She is doing some truly amazing work with her girls.

Thanks, Kelly for another WONDERFUL time in Guatemala. And as for the jungle! Well, let's just say that I've checked it off my bucket list!

By the way, to anyone who is reading this. It really isn't hard to comment on Kelly's blog and it really means a lot to her to know that people are keeping up with her. Just click on the comments and it gives you directions to log in - it's easy - REALLY!!!!