Safe arrival in Guatemala!

A quick post tonight to let everyone know that I made it safe and sound to Guatemala City!

I need to be up bright and early tomorrow morning to enjoy a homemade breakfast in the garden at the B&B I am staying at, go on a mini tour of Guatemala City and then hop on a bus over to Xela-- which is a 4 hour ordeal that as I have been warned, may involve mud slides. All in all, it sounds like a fab first day in Guatemala. Tomorrow evening I will be meeting up with Beth, which is also incredibly exciting.

A huge shout-out to the one and only Gabi Moskowitz for graciously driving me to the airport this morning. Not only did she get me to SFO with plenty of time to spare before my flight, but she also rationally and calmly drove me to the San Bruno Best Buy when I realized just minutes away from arriving to SFO that I left my camera USB at home... Oops! $20 and a minor freak out later, the problem was solved. Thanks Gabi, I love you mucho!

Speaking of friends...

I already made 2 Guatemalan friends today and so far, I really like the people here. First there was Fernando, the man sitting next to me on my flight from Houston to Guatemala. We chatted the entire flight and truth be told, after all the information he relayed to me about Guatemala-- I don't know if I need tomorrow's tour afterall. In addition he showed me pictures of his family on his iPad and also showed me a clip from Star Wars that was filmed in Guatemala-- not totally necessary, but awesome in any case! When we parted at the airport, I stuck out my hand to give him a sincere handshake and rather than that he gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek, as if we were dear old friends. I instantly felt welcome in Guatemala! Next I met Gilda (who owns the B&B I am staying at tonight). She picked me up at the airport (sign in hand that read RAQUEL Kamen... I am guessing I will likely be called Raquel for the next 5 months) and took me home after a stop at a scenic viewpoint over looking the city lights and a visit to an ATM for me to take out some good ol' Quetzals. I am now in her kitchen, on her laptop and looking forward to seeing the gorgeous garden outside in the morning light. Gotta love Gilda.

Well, that wasn't a short post in the end. But honestly, when is any story I share short-- let alone that of an epic adventure.

Buenos noches y'all!