Lydia could barely sleep she was so excited to leave on our trip. Our flight didn’t leave until 4:30pm on the 6th and we had a journey ahead of us... 3 airplanes with layovers in Denver and LA. Two of those flights were delayed and we definitely thought we’d miss our last leg but we made it! 6:00am today we arrived in Guatemala City!

We booked a private transfer from Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan. Our driver Oscar was super friendly and told us all about what it is like to live in Guatemala. He stopped at one of his favorite local restaurants for breakfast.

Huevos Ranchos (eggs in tomato sauce with beans and fried plantains)

Black tortillas with sausage

Atol. A warm plantain drink which was surprisingly good.

Lydia at the restaurant

It was over 3 hours to get to the lake and there were lots of winding roads and elevation changes. Lydia got carsick twice unfortunately but we were prepared with bags specially designed for this issue from Amazon. Luckily she was fine the rest of the day!

Our first views of Lake Atitlan

Lydia was understandably hungry so we went to a restaurant on the lake. We had a few beers and Lydia had a lemonade and hot dog.

Guacamole

We puttered around the town of Panajachel for a bit but we were all pretty tired from our lack of sleep on the plane.

We were then able to check into our hotel and Lydia got to go for a swim.

Hotel room

View from our patio

For dinner we tried traditional pupusas which are tortillas stuffed with various fillings such as cheese and meat.

Giant beer

Lydia had an early night and we enjoyed the patio in the evening.

First impression of Guatemala…it is a bit chaotic. Lots of Tuk Tuks and motorbikes zipping around. It’s also very colorful. Also noticeable…our lack of Spanish skills.

More to come tomorrow as we visit another town on the lake!

Tasted way better than it looks

Missy got a gigantic chocolate pancake

Next we went to the public dock to catch a boat to the nearby town of San Juan La Laguna.

This was an amazingly colorful town famous for chocolate and textiles. We picked up a handwoven cloth that supported a local women’s coop. It took one of the ladies 3 weeks to make.

Trying Guatemalan chocolate. Very bitter.

Beautiful murals everywhere

Sombrero alley

For lunch we had nachos and chicken.

Of course we came back to our hotel for a swim!

We did some more souvenir shopping and Lydia picked out a headband.

We had some tacos and a burrito for dinner. Lydia ate an entire hamburger.

What a great day. We have one more day left on the lake tomorrow!

We went to a restaurant with hipster vibes but really good quality food.

Smoothie bowl for me, chicken and waffles for Nick, eggs and fruit for Lydia.

Next we hailed a Tuk Tuk which Lydia has been excited to ride in (we took them in Southeast Asia she doesn’t remember).

We rode to a nearby nature reserve which offers hiking trails with suspension bridges, wildlife and a butterfly sanctuary.

Spider monkey!

There were so many different kinds of butterflies, we walked around the whole thing twice.

There was also a “playground” with questionable safety standards

Beautiful views on their own private beach!

Throwing rocks as always

We hailed another Tuk Tuk and had them drive us to a popular Guatemalan chicken chain called Pollo Campero. The chicken was cheap and tasty, better than KFC!

We made our way back to our hotel to relax a bit. They had the kids corner open so we spent some time there.

Coloring. She also got this balloon and a goodie bag filled with treats.

Elsa follows us everywhere. This time in Spanish!

Lydia and I went for another swim while Nick went to a nearby bar to try some craft beers.

For dinner we went to a local place for more tacos and to try “shucas” which is a Guatemalan sandwich. Lydia had a cheese quesadilla. \240

We watched some of the Super Bowl on Nick’s phone and called it a night! Tomorrow we leave for Antigua.

We went back to Mister Jon’s for breakfast and had the same meals though Lydia opted for a strawberry banana pancake this time. We even met Mister Jon himself.

We said goodbye to lake atitlan and hopped into our ride with Oscar who took us to Antigua. Lydia didn’t get sick this time (yay!)

Photo courtesy of Lydia

We checked into our Airbnb which has a beautiful courtyard in the middle.

We spent the rest of the day figuring out what we were going to do in Antigua. We sat down at a local cafe, Guatemala is known for its coffee!

The cafe’s are super cool here, this one had an airplane inside.

We ended up just getting a pizza to eat at our Airbnb and calling it a night after a short walk through town. Tomorrow will be an early morning!

This volcano is still active but hasn’t erupted since 2014

There are still hot spots and they cooked us some marshmallows!

Beautiful views of Pacaya and 3 other volcanos in the area (Agua, Acatanango, and Fuego).

We all fell asleep on the ride home and immediately made our way to a restaurant for lunch. They had the chicken cooking right in front of you.

We went back home to rest for a bit and enjoy the beautiful grounds and pool.

We explored Antigua a bit and went to the famous Arch, went to some souvenir shops and got a coffee.

For dinner we went to a nicer restaurant and tried some typical Guatemalan dishes- pepian and jocon, both were tasty but nothing we’ll be rushing back to eat again. Lydia had another cheese quesadilla.

We still have one more day to explore Antigua tomorrow!

We ended up going to a cafe after to have a coffee and plan the rest of the day. The roads are all made of rock which makes it a bit treacherous to get around. It’s also interesting to watch them repair them.

Rocks, hammers and mortar

Lydia walks a bit but ends up on Nick’s back most of the time

Next we visited a few souvenir shops and a local market. Lydia picked up a coin purse to hold all her “lucky money” from Chinese New Year.

Lots of delicious fruit we didn’t buy

For lunch we stopped in at a local place for the “menu del dia” (menu of the day) which was chicken today. It includes soup, main entree, dessert and drink. For all of us it only cost $11.

It was hot today so we ended up back at our place for some rest and a swim.

Post swim Froot Loops

Before dinner we visited the Covenant de Santa Clara ruins. There was a massive earthquake in 1773 which destroyed the city. Antigua was actually the capital before the earthquake but the devastation caused people to leave everything behind and move to Guatemala City. There are some ruins all over the city, however this former covenant has some of the best remaining. Lydia could have spent hours here running around. She was pretending she was a princess in her castle.

For dinner we went to a taco place for birria tacos, tostadas and another quesadilla for missy. This might have been my favorite meal yet, so good!

Lydia snuck a quesadilla away before I could get a picture

Lydia kept insisting “it’s a lovely day for ice cream” so we caved and got her some!

In case you’re wondering, she wanted a “unicorn ponytail”

Tomorrow we hop on a plane to a new city!

After that we cooked some breakfast and went to the Guatemala museum. Surprisingly Lydia really enjoyed looking at the artifacts.

She insisted on a pic with this painting

Princess crowns

Beautiful views overlooking central park

It was sadly time to leave Antigua, Oscar picked us up and drove us the the airport. There we took a 1 hour flight to Flores, a small island town.

View from above

We got in just as the sun was setting. Interestingly the water gets really high, flooding the roads.

Flooded roads

We didn’t eat lunch and were starving. We ended up getting some burgers from a top rated restaurant on the water.

Flores seems like a beautiful city but we’re only here for one night! Tomorrow afternoon we go somewhere new!

Cup of delicious oatmeal

Bowl of fruit and toast

Burrito & Huevos Ranchos

We weren’t sure whether they celebrated Valentine’s Day here but it turns out they actually go bigger than they do at home. Multiple places had displays and valentines-themed events.

It is HOT here. So much hotter than the last two places. Lydia worked up a sweat dancing. We spent the rest of the morning wandering the colorful streets. We also visited a lovely cafe on the water.

Of course we had to get a picture by the pink house

For lunch we went to a beautiful place on the water.

View from the restaurant

Spotted a lizard!

Next we hailed a Tuk Tuk to the airport where we met our shuttle that took us to Tikal.

We are staying in the jungle! Our suite is pretty neat and they have a pool which we enjoyed in the afternoon. For dinner we ate at the restaurant of the hotel.

Tomorrow is our earliest start yet for a sunrise tour. Wish us luck!

After the sun came up we wandered around the complex for a couple of hours. Tikal is the biggest Mayan ruins in the world so it was super interesting to wander around and learn about what life looked like for this ancient civilization.

We saw more spider monkeys, tucans, and parrots!

After exploring we went to a super local place for breakfast. Pretty sure the lady cooked our food over a fire.

After breakfast Nick headed back out to explore more of the ruins while Lydia and I relaxed by the pool.

Photos from Nick’s adventures

Only he would run into someone he knew in the middle of the Mayan jungle in Guatemala

For dinner we went to a restaurant off-resort. There are very few restaurants in Tikal but this one was decent.

We then packed and put Lydia to bed. Nick and I enjoyed some wine we smuggled in as it’s super expensive for everything here! It’s another early morning tomorrow as we make our way back to Guatemala City.

She requested a pic with her gummy worm

A short 45 minute flight and we were back in Guatemala City. Our flight home actually leaves at 2:00am but we decided to book a hotel as a place to rest for the day. We found a great rate at the Barcelo and even got an upgrade to a room with a balcony!

We gave Lydia the option to go to the zoo or stay at the hotel and swim. She chose to swim. The pool was fantastic, nice and warm! Plus it had a huge hot tub.

After our swim we went to a artisan market for some last minute souvenirs. We ended up getting some art and Nick found a bow tie.

Driving a Tuk Tuk

At the market

For dinner we had to have tacos. These might have been the best ones yet!

We put Lydia down and enjoyed some drinks on our balcony. Wish us luck as we wake up our girl for our long journey home!