Hola Guatemala

And just like that I am in Centro América, Guatemala City to be precise. My flight was uneventful as I slept most of the way. I ignored the guy next to me. His shirt was unbuttoned to the waist displaying a not attractive and not what you could remotely describe as a six pack torso. He did have a nice hat though. Quite a few male passengers were wearing big hats. 
Interesting that in a country where women dress conservatively here was a guy with his gut on show to everyone. Yuk. 
I woke from my nap but kept my eyes closed so I didn’t have to see sideways and for some reason couldn’t help but think of the amount of plastic I had consumed in my short stay in the US. Everything in the hotel came in a wee plastic bag, even at breakfast the cutlery was all plastic (and each piece in a plastic bag) and the paper plates were plastic coated. None were marked as recyclable. They obviously didn’t get the memo.   
I don’t think I mentioned breakfast either. Choices were limited. Coffee from a pump vacuum pot, imitation fruit juice, cereal with milk in individual plastic pots, a choice of a couple of foul looking hot things and waffles. The make your own sort where from a pump pot you fill a plastic coated paper cup with your choice of flavours, tip the contents onto the waffle iron, rotate the iron, discard the cup and in a few minutes you have a waffle which you can smother with any of a number of toppings, all which come in their own plastic disposable pots. 
A plastic spoon is there for you to remove the waffle into your plastic coated paper plate.Paper cups coated with plastic were available for anyone that wanted coffee or juice. No thanks to both. I’ve had breakfasts in some really odd places but this one took the cake for not only the worst but the least environmentally friendly.  I didn’t finish the waffle as they told me there was a free seat in the shuttle if I wanted to leave earlier than planned. I was on my way. 
I digress. My window seat let me have a birds eye view as we flew into Guatemala City. From above I could see how hilly the terrain was and it looks like the city has been built on top of those hills which have  had the tops flattened off. Huge suburbs perched on flat land bordered by verdant valleys which in some cases were traversed by winding motorways. Quite unusual and from a distance beautiful. As we got closer I could see that some of the developments were nothing more than shanty towns with hundreds of flat roofed huts. Something like 75% of the residents of Guatemala live below the poverty line. 😢
Our plane touches down and suddenly people pop up out of their seats and start grabbing luggage out of the lickers. Hey guys wait till it stops. The crew ignored it so maybe its the norm. 
To enter Guatemala you need a completed customs form bearing a QR code. I did my form before I left but it seems most people didn’t so as we made our way to immigration there were bunches of people doing them on and holding up the queues. Total chaos, but thats why I love developing countries. I sneaked through found the immigration queue which was actually quite short so zoomed through. My suitcase was waiting next to the conveyor belt. Quite different to my priority labelled bag coming off last in Houston. 
Bag and QR code in hand I joined yet another queue along with many more fellow travellers and waited. By this time I had been on the ground 35 minutes and my ride only waits 45 minutes. In my broken Spanish and Mr Googles help I managed to communicate with him and made sure he waited. 
Amidst the chaos in the queue I spied a sign saying Foreign Passports. Like a rat up a drain pipe I changed queues and was at the front of the line in no time. 
Leaving the terminal I could see at the back of a carpet of people a sign with my name but it took a while to manoeuvre my way through the throngs of people to my ride a very pleasant Jose who had the brains to park his car right next to the terminal. 
The crowd waiting for people to alight was huge but everyone was in good spirits and balloon sellers mingled with the people selling their wares. It was noisy, packed and full of colour. Already I love it. 

It was a short ride on a great wide road to Hotel San Carlos. We arrived and the security guard opened the gates to a huge courtyard in front of a beautiful beautiful old grand restored house. Inside it was even lovelier, just like home. The lounge/bar area opens out to a pool and an ornate staircase up to the rooms. 

This is one of the ‘luxury hotels’ of Guatemala City. Luxury it may be but at around $100 a night not at all out of reach for us. 

My standard room is delightful with everything I need including a super comfy bed that sits about 2ft off the ground. Arthritic joints made it difficult to climb up but it was worth it. I know that because I’ve already had my first nap. 

Guatemala city has a reputation for not being the safest place in the world. It also has a reputation for not having much worth seeing so with those things in mind I am using the time to chill in my room until tomorrow when I go to Antigua and commence my volunteering. 

My home for the next week will be in a home stay and anyone that knows me also knows how much I hate staying with other people.  I hope that is the only challenge I encounter, but on the plus side I hope that experience will give me a chance to practice my Spanish and get a glimpse into the traditions and culture of the people I am staying with.  I will get to meet them tomorrow.
Dinner time. The restaurant in the hotel is bijou, 4 tables, but an extensive menu of local and other dishes. Tap water here is not drinkable so that rules out salads that may have been washed in tap water so back to unhealthy eating and my choice of Pollo Freir con salsa de meil y mostarda. Fried chicken with honey mustard dressing accompanied by my complimentary bebida (drink). Jamaica Flower Horchata, a Hibiscus fruit drink which is delicious and refreshing, hints of cinamon and a sweet/sour aftertaste. Yumm. Horchata is enjoyed throughout Central America with each region having their own variation of the basic; sugar, water and spices. I look forward to trying the other options. My chicken was unremarkable but filled a gap but the crepes that followed, (despite being french in nature) were delicious. My horchata devoured I ordered a ultra smooth vino tinto, tempranillo this time, which I am enjoying in my room as I write. So far I have managed to understand and converse in short sentences in Spanish, already I am feeling a little more confident. By tomorrow I will be well rested and ready to take on the world. Bring it on. 
Here is a bit of information about Guatemala that I pinched from the volunteer notes. 

Location

Bordering Mexico and Belize to the north and Honduras and El Salvador to the east and south, makes Guatemala the true gateway to Central and South America. A multiethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual nation, Guatemala is ruled by a democratic elected government and congress. Famous for its majestic volcanoes and pristine mountain lakes, the country also offers the visitor an opportunity to explore verdant tropical rain forests, black volcanic beaches, and lush, towering mountains. Guatemalan history dates back to the time of the ancient Mayan civilization and volunteers can explore numerous archaeological sites throughout the nation. Tikal, the Mayan capital during the classical period, is often described as one of the most spectacular, yet mysterious wonders of the world. Guatemala was founded in 1524 as the capital of the Spanish colonial government in Central America. Many cities and towns (such as Antigua where our program is based) still maintain a colonial Spanish ambiance, offering many sites from the era of The Conquistadores. Guatemala itself offers a unique volunteer abroad experience. While Guatemala struggles with some of the economic and social issues as other developing countries in Latin America, the strong presence of indigenous culture and popular movements provide for a unique experience.

Demographics

Mestizos (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and Europeans comprise 59.4% of the population and Amerindians comprise 40.5% of the population (K’iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q’eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6 %, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1%). Most of Guatemala’s population is rural, though urbanization is accelerating. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism , into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship. Protestantism and traditional Maya religions are practiced by an estimated 40% and 1% of the population, respectively. Although the official language is Spanish , it is not universally understood among the indigenous population.

Señor Google can tell you more : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala#:~:text=The%20name%20%22Guatemala%22%20comes%20from,the%20Cuate%2FCuatli%20tree%20Eysenhardtia. 
I’m excited to be meeting more people and learning more about how they live. More to come as my immersion continues.