Day 1

Our Guatemala adventure started at 4:00am when our group met at Hartford/Bradley Airport. Two flights later, we were in Guatemala City on a sunny, breezy afternoon. We were greeted at the airport by our host Rosa, translator Archie, and driver Carlos. After loading into our transport, we pulled out into the afternoon traffic in the Guatemalan capital. An hour or so later, we stopped for a bite to eat at San Martin, an upscale restaurant featuring a mixture of local dishes and American classics. Refreshed, we hit the road for our journey to Xela (aka Quetzaltenango). This trek took us to well over a mile elevation, through the mountains and clouds, and back down again to the second largest city in the country. After checking into our hotel, the students made a quick stop at Xelapan for a light snack.

Time to recharge our batteries (literally and figuratively) ahead of our first hospital visit in the morning.


-M. Rust