Antigua

Flying back from Tikal we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went to Antigua for the day. I LOVED this little town. It's like a little old Spanish town with a beautiful monastery and old court house building. It seemed "higher class" for sure with everyone dressing really nicely and the center town square being full of people eating ice cream and listening to marimba music. We stopped in a variety of stores and I kept trying on shirts in hopes to find one that fit… however… Guatemalan sizes don't get longer...they just get wider. I needed them longer since they all seemed to hit just below my belly button, which doesn't work for me hahha. We ate a restaurant there and stocked up on some banana bread (that we would all love on the 12ish hour bus ride up to the Polochic) at a recommended bakery- Panaderia Luisa. You could smell the bread as you started walking down the street and if I lived there, I would probably visit that store everyday until I’d tried all …I don't know..20 flavors of bread?! It was an amazing little shop.

We saw some adorable girls selling scarves. They spoke very good English and one even said, “business is business” when we discussed pricing- adorable. I purchased a painting (yep cross that off my list) from the actual artist himself whose name I still don’t know. He was sitting outside painting and had several recently completed photos next to him. I found one and bought it. He showed me the place across the street from us that inspired the painting (though he changed some coloring). He was so nice and a little shy, but incredibly talented. I’m so so excited to have this little gem. I love it and it will be displayed some where prominently in my house.  I also have to say that Antigua has a “Chocoalte Mueseum”…umm.. HELLO! Antigua is now on the list of one of my favorite places on earth! You could see (and make) the chocolate in all stages from the cacao bean to actual little squares. Super super tasty  chocolate ….expensive..but delicious. 

From there we met up with our group at The Barcelo Hotel (stopping briefly at a store to purchase some oreos, Ritz, and a couple 3 liter bottles of Pepsi for Tom to survive the wilderness. I grabbed some gingerale…just in case hahah). We were introduced that night to everyone and played some ‘get to know you’ games while eating dinner. We discovered that there were two Natalies, 2 Erins, 2 Kristins, 2 Andrews, 2 Scotts, 2 Megans, 1 Laura, 1 Lauren, 1 Charlene and 1 Shailene…umm though most don’t have the same spellings. Anyway, it kinda made things confusing for awhile but I love Natalie Burton, whom I met several years back in Arizona. She’s amazing and I’m glad I got to know her even better on this trip (and I didn’t mind that sometimes people would say, “Hey Natalies where is this or that?” haha). The next day we left on our adventure to the Polochic Valley- La Reforma to be exact….next post =)

Tikal

Tikal, the city of the Mayans (which apparently doesn't mean anything about corn like some say but means something along the lines of "I found it" by the man who "discovered" Tikal- they aren't really sure what the people called themselves). Tom, Rachel and I flew into the Flores airport, then drove by truck, to the park. We stayed in the Jungle Lodge, which had even nicer accommodations than I expected. We had hot water and a fan and everything. The little things you enjoy but never think to expect in foreign countries. =)
I enjoyed our little bungalo, very good location and food, though they totally stick it to tourists (price wise). Example 1- Tom and I decided to get some ice cream one night....well..they 'couldn't' make change so Tom ended up paying six dollars (yes that's six US dollars) for two tiny things of ice cream. I shall go down in history as being Tom's most expensive ice cream date ever for what we got (side note- what's funny is that Tom used to buy me ice cream all the time and bring it to me when I was having a bad day. In fact that's one of my first and very best memories of him...me crying to him on the phone about a really bad day week and my freshly spilled ice cream (no joke) and him showing up five minutes later with a half gallon of it for me. He tells me regularly I should eat more of it because I'm too skinny haha). 
We got to Tikal pretty late at night and discussed with the front desk the possibilities of doing a "sun rise" tour instead of a day tour. We found out the sunrise tour happened at 4:30 and decided it wasn't worth it. Don't get me wrong- seeing the whole valley from Temple #4 at sunrise would've been breathtaking, but we'd been traveling all day, were hot and tired and knew realistically it wasn't going to happen. We met 3 girls (Charlene, Bree and Erin) there who would be on the trip with us later and though we only had a limited interaction with them there, I knew they'd be fun girls on the trip, which was proved correct.

We woke up at about 6ish hoping to possibly see the sunrise in the park on our own, but the sun was already up so we slept for a few more hours then went to breakfast.
Around nine we met "Charlie" (real name Carlos), who was our tour guide. He's a wealth of knowledge and I'm so glad we got him! He was actually born in Tikal, which is incredibly rare since they take the mothers out of the park and into Flores when they are about 2 months from delivery (he was premature), yet he'd traveled the world, speaks 4 languages, and got his degree in engineering from a college in Florida. I loved his accent though it took my awhile sometimes to figure things out if I got hung up on a key word in a sentence (like the word nutritious- he would say this is "new-tree-us").

He knew so much about agriculture, religion, medicine etc etc and shared it all with us in Tikal. He showed us plants that could numb your mouth (for dental purposes or pranks haha) or how the flowers would "hide" if you touched them on the grass. He even said, "Let me tell you what the Mormon's think" when I asked him about Quetzalcoatl and was actually right, though he doesn't personally agree. He made it fun but also very educational. (total side note- there are sooo many things about this tour and this area of Guatemala in general that made some stories in The Book of Mormon come more to life for me. I can totally see how people can get lost and never found for generations in these jungle areas. And the "watchman on the tower" yeah... that took on an entirely new meaning. Tikal was great for helping me bring the scriptures to life in my head a little more. 
Charlie also pointed out that some things "Just are cultural" that can't be explained and don't necessarily need to be- some things just "are". He said, "There are things about Rachel that just make Rachel, Rachel. You don't say, 'Oh Rachel did this because it has this deep meaning'. No. You say, "heh that's just Rachel" and the Mayans were like that as well." Historians never say that ya know, and I liked that! I asked why some temples were built taller than others, and I'm sure some historians would say "because this symbolizes the sun and this the moon" and sometimes they might be correct, but as Charlie pointed out, sometimes it's just the "ego" of the time and one ruler saying, "My temple is bigger than your temple" and that's that. Charlie proved he's pretty "all knowing" about Tikal so I knew when he gave us those answers, he wasn't just making excuses.
It began to rain, at the end of our tour, and for reasons I can't explain, I had left all my rain gear at the hotel. Tom, being the gentleman that he always is, gave me his rain coat. I think he enjoyed the rain actually (it was warm), and Charlie was going with out a coat as well so they both were feeling "manly". We ran up Temple #4, only stayed there briefly to see the view (which may I say was actually breathtaking!), and then ran back down. We experienced our first ride in an overcrowded truck on the way back to the hotel, but it was fun. I love love the rain and especially warm rain...in the  jungle...while seeing amazing things haha.

Charlie also thought that Tom and I were dating and when we clarified that we aren't, he insisted we should be. He made Tom kiss me (on the cheek people) in front of Temple #1 because "you have to have a jungle kiss." None of the pictures are great because I kept laughing. Tom and I totally don't have that kind of a relationship (don't get me wrong- Tom gives the best hugs ever and I (no joke) thought, "I need a Tom hug" when I was stressed before this trip- I got several and needed them). At parting, Charlie said goodbye to Tom and Rachel and then looked at me and said, "I think Tom is the one. Trust me. He is a good man. You should love him." Then he hugged me goodbye. Well, sorry Charlie...I highly doubt Tom is my "one" (though I love him dearly), but he did possibly find his wife on this trip, and will have to name his first daughter after me but then again I'm not gonna blog gossip....

After dinner Rachel and I did some zip lining right outside the park. Tom is afraid of heights (like actually being up high not just falling which is slightly different) so he declined, though he reportedly bonded with some of the workers while waiting for us. I've been ziplining in Hawaii before (this was Rach's first time), but this was so much more fun. They let us go upside down AND "super man" style. It was amazing! Best ziplinging ever!

One other note about Tikal....I had been warned about howler monkeys  but I had not pre-googled them to know what they would be like...um...let's just say that at 3:30a.m. my first morning there, I awoke to that sound. My first thought (strangely) was about the dementors in Harry Potter and that "Some one is getting their soul sucked out!" Yeah....then I kinda woke up more, and I recorded them on my phone (couldn't get my recording to post). It actually freaked me out at first, but then I found it very cool, and was excited to experience that in the jungle instead of on youtube or at a zoo. I highly recommend Tikal to everyone. It's a little expensive and out of the way, but it's a must if you go to Guatemala....and ask for Charlie when you get there!

Travel to Guatemala/ Guat City

It only took me 30 years, but I finally did it... I threw up on a plane! I took my malaria pill without food (hello?! did I learn nothing in Kenya?!) which is no bueno. When the stewardess walked by, and I gave her the bag she said, "We aren't even moving yet?!!" ...that's right...I threw up before we had even been taxi'd out hahah. I told her it was my malaria pills, but I don't think she believed me. She returned with a super sized barf bag "just in case" and gave me ginger ale right then and there (which was very tasty thank you). I wasn't sick though and felt better after the pill was expunged.

Rachel, of several previous posts fame (Kenya and camping in Zion) was my faithful travel companion. She's fabulous, funny, relaxed, and has a lot of out of country experience, so I was glad to get to go with her. She is a great listener and leader. She's also the one, who introduced me to the SHe group in the beginning (Thanks Rach!). She moved to Salt Lake City right when we got home from this trip, but I will miss her and will hopefully get to see her soon again.
We flew through Chicago, then Houston, then into Guatemala City (that's right- we wanted to see the US before departing it), but hallelujah through it all our luggage made it! YAYA! Rachel and I had our luggage lost in Kenya last year so we were overjoyed to see it made the journey successfully. There was a minor incident with me thinking I lost my cellphone that made an airport lady mad at me, but then the journey began.
We met up in the Guatemala City Airport with my friend Tom.  He and I met in Arizona over 8 years ago, and I heart him. I honestly felt, I think, inspired to invite him on this trip and after it all, I can say I think he was one of the key players in making this trip a success for the group. Originally I just thought he was perfect for it because #1 he's a guy, #2 he's single, #3 he's LDS, #4 he speaks Spanish (which I benefited from tremendously since mine is limited) and #5 and perhaps most importantly he's a physician's assistant (PA), but I realize now how much his personality and his overall character was needed on this trip. He considers himself a "high functioning introvert," but you'd never know it. He's friendly with everyone and puts everyone at ease. I was excited to do pre-travel with him and Rach.
We spent a few hours in the afternoon after arrival touring Guatemala City. I have to say that it's incredibly clean, which I didn't expect. A lot of foreign countries have a major litter/trash problem, but not in any parts of Guatemala I saw.

We paid a taxi driver for 3 hours to drive us around and asked him to take us wherever he thought was cool. They have a lot of fast food restaurants that we have (he called Taco Bell rubber and I personally think it's an atrocity they have a TB at all) as well as a Payless, Radio Shack and Walmart (another atrocity).  We went to the temple first (no we didn't do any work in it so I can't officially count it. We were super tired and knew we'd probably sleep through a session. I also realized in Vegas I forgot my recommend but had numbers of my bishop to call and told my bishop I might in case we got there and they needed to speak to him) and our taxi driver bought himself a Bible in the Visitors Center while we walked around. Then he took us to downtown to the City Center Market. We did a little shopping, but I kinda just price checked to see what to expect throughout the trip. Then we went to an art gallery and a school.
We decided to stop and eat at Subway before returning to the airport. Rachel and I just got out of the car, and not speaking much Spanish, didn't realize that our tour guide had said he'd wait in the car. Tom said, "No no. You're coming in. We're buying you lunch." Our tour guide didn't know what to get (Tom said it's highly unlikely he'd ever been there because there's no way he could afford it. Tom also told us his crazy work hours afterward, and it made me feel so sad he's away from his family the majority of the time just to provide for them) so he got what Tom and I both got, and honestly I think it made his day. It made mine as well to think something so simple could make someone so happy! And yes, Subway smells like Subway even in Guatemala. We then flew to Tikal...my next post =)