Traveling is never easy. I tend not to sleep. You are either in a hot or cold plane, train, or bus. Delays can be common. Keep reading for my story of Day 1 - Guatemala and my struggles experienced commuting from Guatemala City to Coban. Check out an upcoming post for more details on how to use the only real public transportation option to get from Guatemala City to nearby destinations.
Before I make my way to Antigua to volunteer, I have 5 full days in Guatemala. I wanted to head north to Coban to do a coffee tour and visit the Semuc Chapey near the city of Lanquin. These cities are 5 and 8 hours north of Guatemala City, respectively. Based on some online research, there was one public transportation option to Coban via Monja Blanca buses. I couldn't find too much information about bus times, prices or schedules online. I did find a private shuttle service via Adrenalina Tours from Guatemala City to Coban for $40 USD. When talking about my options, someone mentioned the shuttle seems like a great secure option. I figured they were probably right, so I did that. Who would have thought the public transportation in Guatemala was almost more reliable than a shuttle service? Not I - but it ended up seeming that way. My instructions from the tour group were to meet at a McDonalds at 3:00PM.
I had about 5 hours in Guatemala City to explore, which I had no real interest in doing. I spent Q50 to enter this park (Parque Arqueológico Kaminaljuyú) with some old ruins. It is used for ceremonies by locals. While I was relaxing at the park, I noticed the temperature dropped and the winds picked up. The forecast said thunderstorms were likely so I decide to head to the McDonald's early before the rain. Silly me, I decided to pretend it already was raining and put on my raincoat and packed rain cover...no rain ever came. Walking in a humid climate with a raincoat is not pleasant. I emailed my sales contact to confirm the location and what to do and told them I was on my way. She told me I can wait inside the McDonalds and the driver would find me. I waited at the McDonald's from 2:15 to 3:30 PM before I called the shuttle. My sales contact informed me the shuttle came and left because they couldn't find me. The driver asked the security guard at McDonald’s if I was there. The security guard said no. I find this really frustrating because they knew I was there well ahead of time. I also was the only white person in the McDonald's and was had my large backpack. The McDonald’s was quite busy for it being the afternoon, so I was near the back with a good view of the entrance to watch for the shuttle. As I was trying not to panic (around 3:45 PM), the sales contact confirmed the shuttle was going to come back for me. I was waiting on the side of the street where she instructed me to go for another 30 minutes. When I called, she told me the shuttle could not find me so they left again. While I have this awesome Google Fi sim that works internationally, I unfortunately can’t figure out how to receive calls yet. No email came through either.
My boyfriend kept joking with me before my trip about how I will not handle it well when a bus is late or never shows up. I tried to keep this in mind while I was waiting for the shuttle anxiously out the window and looking at every person who came into the McDonald’s who may be a driver. Well, neither of us expected this to happen on Day 1 of my trip. While I did cry a little, I did manage to keep myself together for the most part.
If you remember, I originally booked a pretty ridiculous flight by accident to Guatemala. This flight was supposed to land at 4:00PM. So there I was in Guatemala City at 4:30PM standing on a busy street corner near the city center with no means to get to Coban. Don’t forget, I am sticking out like a sore thumb being tall and blonde. This nice family helped get me a taxi to the bus. I didn’t realize until we pulled into the bus stop the taxi wasn't taking me all the way to Coban. I got on the one public transportation option (the Monja Blanca Bus) and was finally on my way to Coban shortly after 5PM. It was a long, curvy and hot ride to Coban. BUT - I was finally on my way. All was almost well until I had a bit of an argument with the bus driver and then taxi driver. I asked for a taxi because I was arriving at almost 10pm at night (women + white + late + gear = not safe). When I noticed we were one block from my hostel, I asked to get off the bus. The driver did not let me. Then, the bus kept driving me to the end where they hooked me up with a taxi. I was still only 3 blocks from my hostel. I swear the bus driver said “Cinco" (5) because I still wanted to walk. In the taxi I got frustrated because I could not locate my Q5. I made the mistake of saying “tengo dinero” to the driver when he was trying to see what is wrong. When we arrived at the hostel I refused to pay him more. The really nice hostel (Hotel Don Juan Matalbatz) worker settled the bill for me. I was near tears by this point because I had been up since 3:30AM, finally made it, and was being taken advantage of. Don’t worry - I paid the hostel worker back this morning.
The guy at my hostel was extremely nice. He gave me my water and checked me into my room. The long day finally came to an end. I took a nice shower and slept.
I’d say this is a pretty rough day of traveling, let alone it being Day 1. My Spanish skills were tested for the first time and failed. It didn’t help I was extremely tired by the time I arrived in Guatemala.
While Day 1 was rough, I’d like to share a quick story about Day 0 (day prior to departure). Since my boyfriend took all my non-trip stuff back to San Francisco for me (gracias novio), I was only left with my trip gear. I put on my sandals, one of my two pairs of shoes, and noticed they didn’t quite fit. They were tight and my toes were sticking slightly over the edge. I didn’t realize this two weeks ago in San Francisco. Around this time I realized I had lost my credit card (likely at the restaurant from Sunday night). When I called the restaurant, they said they did not have my credit card. My mom and I decided to stop by the restaurant anyway since it was near the mall, which we were heading to in order to try and find another pair of Havaianas Sandals (not flip flops - I hate flip flops). The restaurant still didn’t find my card, but took my name and number. We made our way to the mall and every possible shoe store - no luck. Someone suggested we tried Dick Sporting Goods. While we were on our way, I spotted a Nordstrom Rack and wanted to check there as well. Sure enough, we found two end caps of Havaiana shoes!! Yet, to my despair they all seemed to be flip flops until my eyes caught one hook with my sandals near the bottom. Of the 4 sandals on the rack, one was the one size up from my previous pair! Can you believe it? Considering I already have relatively large feet for a women, this was miraculous. Then, we went to REI to look for travel size insect repellent with 20% or higher Deet. Sure enough - they had the Sawyer Insect Repellent I had previously used and wanted more of as well as travel size insect repellent. While we are checking out, I got a call from the restaurant that they found my credit card. All the anxiety from the morning had gone away since I now had sandals that fit, my credit card back, and more insect repellent. So some days that seem down can surely turnaround rather quickly unlike day 1.
In times of disarray, it is easy to panic or cry (for me at least). What I need to remember, is that it will all be okay. Take things one step at a time, one day at a time. This experience is going to come with plenty of ups and downs. At least from here, it can only go up (let’s hope). It’s all about the adventure.
