Buenos dias Guatemala. A guest blog by Steve.

Eight days in Guatemala is hardly enough. What can you see in eight days? What can you do in eight days? A lot in fact, but hardly enough. There is too much to do and too much to see. It won’t surprise me a bit if Laura leaves thinking she did a lot, but not enough. I suppose that’s the sign of a lovely country.

I’d by lying if I said I came for Guatemala. If Laura had been in Mongolia, I would have gone there instead. Despite my personal motives, Guatemala kindly decided to take me in, feed me well, provide me with countless adventures, seemingly endless beauty and, quite conveniently, affordable prices.

Arriving in Guatemala, after approximately 16 hours of travel, and several weeks of planning before that, Laura rewarded me with hugs, kisses, and a long bus ride up to Cobán. To be honest, I didn’t care. Having not seen Laura for well over two months, we could have been anywhere, doing anything, and I would have been happy as a clam. On the ride up we decided that we would stay in Cobán for the night rather than continue on to our next destination, Lanquin. The town was a nice introduction to Guatemala. Not too busy, not too touristy, some good cheap food at a small café in the center of town, and a simple, clean room with an innocent looking bedside table with lamp.

Lanquin was a short three-hour bus ride away, and early the next morning we set off. Arriving in Lanquin we set off for Semuc Champay. That is to say, we sat in the middle of Lanquin waiting, and waiting for a bus to take us the 20 minutes to the park. Everyone we asked assured us we were in the right place and that a bus would be by any minute. I don’t know how long we waited, but it was long enough to convince us that getting ice cream wasn’t just an idea it was a necessity.

When we finally arrived at the park, it was well worth the wait. That day, and the next, we swam in turquoise pools made by geological event things, hiked to the Mirador, and looked over the stunning green-blue valley below, explored pitch black caves holding candles for light, and went tubing not once, but twice. I even had the opportunity to jump off a bridge into the river below. The key, I found, not to think but do. Don’t ask questions. Just take the plunge.

The hostel we stayed in was picturesque, the all you can eat buffet was ohh so nice, and the hammock in front of our private hut was essential. And the thrown-like toilet, several steps above the bathroom entrance, made me feel at times like a King, at others like a child.

Antigua was next. Colonial, pretty, overpriced, but fun. Big churches, a variety of food options, and another cute hotel. This was Antigua. Our room had quite a few mosquitos, normal we were told, that our host kindly killed with enough toxic chemicals to make both of us miss our little bloodsucking friends.

From Antigua we hit up ‘the lake’. I guess there is only one. Surrounded by volcanoes, with water vast and deep blue, we stayed at a hotel built into a cliff-face, accessible only by boat taxi, and completely absurd. For significantly less than the crappy Motel 6 would have cost me at the Houston Airport, Laura and I stayed in probably the nicest hotel either of us has even been to. There we met a crew of interesting people, drank wine, ate well, and were merry. Speaking of eating well, although the typical Guatemalan fare is probably inadequate for those staying for a long time, I was overwhelmed by the tastiness of the food we ate. Chicken, guacamole, eggs, blackberries, liquados, street food, and the best Mediterranean style tapas I have ever had, the food quality of our eating was a very pleasant surprise. I could say more about the hotel, but it wouldn’t do justice to our stay. Go and see it for yourself. That’s my recommendation. Laura will be more than happy to bring you there and give you the tour.

Our final destination was Xela. Seeing Laura’s town, spending time in her home, and just relaxing and walking around, I felt like I could stay indefinitely. It was a wondrous mix of our typical Laura/Steve routine and life in a foreign country. It made me realize that Laura and I could do this international thing no problem. Europe, Central America, wherever. I didn’t want to leave and I want to go back now. Sadly for now I’ll work in D.C., but very soon we are going to blogging together, and telling all our friends and interested readers about our adventures in new places with new faces. We just have to do this NYC thing real quick. I can’t wait.