Guatemala...Day 2

Monday April 28
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Let me begin by saying that I was completely prepared for sub-par hotels, restaurants and restrooms in Guatemala. In fact, I was disappointed to find out that we would be staying in a nice Radisson rather than in a corrugated tin lean-to. This is a third world country after all.
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When my flight was cancelled due to mechanical failure on two different planes, and when I had spent 12 hours in an airport terminal due to those failures, and when I spent half an hour circling over Cuba dumping fuel to avoid a burning inferno in case of a crash landing... wanting to sleep in a decent hotel just doesn't seem to be asking for too much. Does it?
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We could tell that the room was a bit on the funky side, and turning on a bunch of lights seemed like a bad idea. Since the air barely worked and the circulation was at a minimum, Mark and I slept in two separate beds.
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Thanks to my friend Nyquil, I slept well. When I woke up around 9:30, I thought it would be a good idea to open the door to the balcony and let some fresh air in. As I turned around to head towards the bathroom and a cool shower, I glanced down to see that I had spent the night sleeping on this:





Now, had we been in Guatemala when I made this discovery, I would have thought it a bit yucky, but I would not have been ill or angry. BUT, I was in AMERICA, in Miami, and I'm sorry, but I just expect a little better than stained sheets. Oh, and my pillow also had the same stains on it. So, my bedding was not stained (a stain would imply that someone had actually washed the sheets), no, my bedding was soiled and then left unwashed when the bed was remade. Unfortunately, in a hotel that I hadn't paid for complaining would have gotten me nowhere.
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Obviously, I wasn't able to eat anything prepared in the kitchen at the hotel, so Mark and I called for the shuttle and told everyone that we would meet them at the airport.
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We made it through security, checked our luggage and had a nice brunch at a Cuban restaurant. Afterwards, we headed to the gate and settled in for our 5 hour wait. By this point, my attitude was much improved. I read a book, Mark read the paper. We played a game of Scrabble (oh, how I love my travel scrabble).
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After everyone else arrived, we all spent the next hour wandering around the terminal spending the food vouchers the airline had given us. Peanuts, chocolate, bottles of water, cheese fries and Starbucks...lots and lots of Starbucks.
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Twenty minutes before our flight was scheduled to board, an announcement was made that it had been delayed twenty minutes. After all of our delays the night before, this was not a good sign. So, we gathered into a large circle and prayed. Within 3 minutes of our prayer, another announcement was made...our flight would be boarding right on time...and it did!






The flight was blissfully uneventful. I took a few shots of the clouds through the window. Later, when I previewed some of the pictures, I found this:



The shadow of our plane against the clouds, encircled by a rainbow. Thank you Jesus for your protection, a hedge around us, just as we had asked for!
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After having our passports checked, retrieving our luggage and wandering through the maze of heavily armed guards, we pushed our WELCOME carts outside to wait for the missionaries and our bus.


Remember how I had been expecting a tin lean-to instead of a hotel? Well, my ideas on our transportation were along those same lines. I had envisioned a converted school bus with no exhaust pipes or air conditioning and our luggage tied on top. Instead we had a luxury tour bus...cushy seats, cold air, luggage compartment underneath, and huge windows to look out.




We had to stay at a different hotel than we had originally planned for the first night. I hate that I didn't get a picture, but believe me when I say that it was NICE. Check-in was a breeze, our room was large, the bathroom was gorgeous and the sheets were pristine.
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After settling our things into the room, we met with the missionaries, the AIMers, and the rest of the group for an overview of the trip. We learned what not to eat...anything from a roadside vendor, any fruit we didn't peel ourselves, unrecognizable meat, etc. We also learned about pick-pockets and thieves and the safest place to keep money...a little in your purse or wallet in case you were held up, more in your bra, and emergency money somewhere "creative".


We also had our first Guatemalan meal.



At 11 it was off to bed. We had to be up, re-packed, fed and on the bus by 8:30am.