From the Modern to the Ancient

June 17, 2021

Got up early and very sadly left Antigua--didn't see Charlie this morning, which is good, because I would have started bawling. Last night when she was hanging out with me in bed, I kept telling her how much I loved her and would miss her.

Ubered to the airport back in Guatemala City--about an hour and a half away in traffic (only about a $20 Uber, including tip...it costs me more to go to the Atlanta airport which is only 15 min from my house!). Had a bit of weirdness as I tried to enter the departure area and they kept insisting I needed a paper boarding pass instead of the one on my phone. Please explain why a digital boarding pass is available to me if you don't allow me to use it?

So back to the TAG Airlines counter (at least now someone is there), had to check my bag (you have to pay a dollar for every pound over 50 lbs your bag is--I'm 7 pounds over. From there to a coffee shop for a ham and cheese melt with a mocha for breakfast, then (finally) headed to my gate. The barista spells my name Yall...which makes quite a bit of sense.

my mocha has a bib

this chain is WAY bigger here than kfc

I'm a little concerned about getting to my Airbnb in Flores. Flores is an small island, and there are no street names, and no Ubers. I'll need to use a taxi or a tuk tuk (yes they have them in Guatemala) and I never trust either of those, lol. This is also my first time on a propeller plane. It only has 33 seats and 1 flight attendant (who does announcements in Spanish and English)...but they give you a free N95 mask and bottle of hand sanitizer. I'm in row 2 (no first class on a plane this small), and the overhead compartments are really small (they only fit briefcase size bags), which is why they make everyone check their suitcases.

Boarding is super quick so we leave 10 minutes early, and 50 minutes later, I'm in Flores. The airport is super small, so I immediately see where to go to find a taxi. Of course they are coming right up to you to sell you their services, and when I tell the first guy I need to go to the island, he says no one goes there. The guy beside him says "I will." I hop in. His name is Elder, and luckily, he speaks English pretty well (he also works in tourism), and he offered to take me back to the airport early on Saturday, so SCORE! Since there is no Uber, I was worried about finding a taxi or tuk tuk that early.

It only takes about 10 minutes to get to my Airbnb, so I am now an hour early arriving. My AIrbnb host won't be home for another hour, so I head to the coffee shop across the street--Tikal Coffee House & Bar. They also have a pretty good menu (I get a pizza) and cheap drinks (I get a Cuba Libre for less than $2.50). I know I'll be back!

giant menus for a tiny place...owned by australian!

Nadia gets home so I go to check in. This place is a bit less nice than the other two...but clean. Thankfully, it has A/C which I immediately start blasting--it is very humid here in Flores! Nadia is a doctor, so she offers to drop me at a place to get my COVID test on her way back to work. She even helped me fill out my forms (how do I always get so lucky with people helping me out when I travel?) since they were in Spanish.

outside room looking at front door

I catch a tuk tuk back to the Airbnb, and have my results in about an hour! I head out to get some supplies, and notice that the island (which you can walk around in about half an hour) is mostly hotels, restaurants, tiendas and souvenir shops. Not much else to do.

inside the tuk tuk

lake peten...less than a block from my room

view from my roof

cat on a hot tin roof

tikal coffee shop from my roof

I get back and do some laundry and then head back over to Tikal Coffee House to get a veggie quesadilla for dinner, take a shower, and go to bed. LOOOOOONNNNG day tomorrow at Tikal!