Getting up at 4:00 a.m. is never pretty. But today, it was a little easier getting out of bed at that hour. I’m excited about the DecembeRadio trip to Guatemala. It’s a country I’ve never been to, I’ll be hanging out with some great people, get to meet and work with new and no doubt interesting people, and encounter new and challenging experiences. We leave the house at 4:45 a.m. to get me to the airport for the 6:00 a.m. Continental flight to Houston, the first leg of the trip to Guatemala.
The changeover in Houston is smooth, with time for a quick barbacoa breakfast at Papasito’s and a hot tea at Starbucks. The three hour flight to Guatemala City is a little rough at times, but otherwise goes well. I started Anthony Bourdain’s book Nasty Bits on the way, and two quotes in the preface couldn’t ring truer for me. The first is a quote from a friend of his that says, ". . . the more he travels, the less he knows. And I know what he means now. Seeing the planet . . . you are constantly reminded of what you don’t know – how much more there is to see and learn . . ." I couldn’t agree more. There’s something learned in travel that I’ve yet to experience any other way. That first-hand experience just makes me want to do it more.
The second quote says "Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And, in return, life-and travel-leaves marks on you." No doubt, those marks have been left on me. My hope is that I will leave some marks of my own, marks that won’t be about me, but marks that will hopefully impact the lives of others.
Getting under the clouds and approaching the city, I am immediately impressed with how green the countryside below me is. Even the mountains and volcanoes are covered in a jade green, meeting the blue-green in the trees that cover the city. We land at 12:30 p.m. While exiting the plane onto the jetway, the warm air hits me - far different than the chilly temperatures in Nashville. It’s tropical here and high in altitude, about 4,700 feet above sea level.
The concert promoter, Ronny, and his cohort Andrea meet me just outside the gate. That’s right, not outside immigration and customs, but near the gate. I can tell right away before hearing him say a word that Ronny knows what to say when and how to get things done. We head to baggage claim, watch the belt go around for several minutes, then inevitably determine that my suitcase didn’t make it. Apparently the plane was too heavy, and not everyone’s luggage got to come along. The person at Continental’s desk said maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow it will arrive. My plans have instantly changed to include a shopping trip this afternoon.
We are to pick up two others in our party arriving from Knoxville, but their flight is delayed. We leave the airport to go run an errand in the meantime. Now seeing the city for the first time, it has some of the familiar architecture and feel of other Latin and South American cities. One of the differences, though, becomes apparent as we move into a different neighborhood for Ronny’s errand. Guatemala City is divided into numbered zones. Each zone has it's reputation regarding safety. I can sense the what that is for this zone. We pass a small mechanic’s garage on a side street. Standing out front, in the same uniform as the guys working on cars, is another guy with a pistol-grip shotgun slung on his shoulder standing watch over the front of the garage.
We circle back, pick up Mike and David from the airport, and head to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. After checking in, the three of us catch a shuttle to a local mall so I can buy a shirt, deodorant, and underwear for tomorrow. I hadn’t planned on buying clothes, so I hadn’t bothered to learn any nouns in the language related to the subject. Thank goodness for decent charades skills. When it came to the underwear, however, I could only pull up my waistband out of my jeans and point. That did the trick.
We dined at the popular Pollo Campero fried chicken joint. They're all over the city. It was indeed very good. We had to cruise by McDonald’s after that for a now-nostalgic-North-American/now-current-Latin American dessert specialty. Remember when McDonald’s used to deep fry their apple pies, all light and bubbly crispy? Well, they still do in Latin and South America. Ah, the good old days.
Back at the hotel, I get some work done, then meet Ronny and Andrea at 7:15 p.m. for a run to the airport to pick up DecembeRadio and Stephanie from Compassion International. Now I get a laminate pass as well to go with Ronnie and Andrea to the gate area. Ronnie’s good, no doubt. After getting the guys and fortunately all their luggage, we put all of them on a bus to the hotel except for Eric. We steal him and head to the Marriott in town for a meeting with the production crew providing sound and lights for the show at El Shaddai church on Friday. With Ronny speaking in Spanish, then translating for us, we meet with Eric, Elizabeth, Juan, and Luis, all of whom are working on Friday’s show. This supposed-to-be-short meeting stretches to an hour. It’s now after 10:00 p.m., we haven’t eaten yet, and we’re beat. Still, we decide to make one more run to the airport to check for my bag before heading to the hotel. Nothing.
Finally back at the hotel, we have dinner in the hotel restaurant. Expecting little, we are surprised by the very tasty food served on a buffet here. Fresh cut bisteca is basted in some oil and spices, then cooked on an open grill to order, along with chorizo, eggplant, green onions, and potatoes. Refried black beans, caramelized plaintains, toasted pumpkin seeds like none I’ve seen at home (these are very light and crispy), along with other great items, make for one very welcome meal. The array of desserts were delicious and sweet, much closer to what we have at home than what is served in neighboring Mexico, which usually have little sweetness.
Now, back in the room, having washed my socks in the sink and hung them to dry (I knew there was one more thing I should have purchased), it’s time to close this day at 1:15 a.m. It’s another short night of sleep, having to be up in four hours to go with DecembeRadio to a radio interview.
As tired as I am, I’m thankful for this first day here. It’s amazing to see what God does in bringing us together with people we would never expect to meet, in places we may never expect to go. I have no doubt this week will leave it’s mark on me, and am hopeful we’ll leave a mark on this place.
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