Calgary to Denver to Houston to Guatemala City

12.5 hours later we arrived in Guatemala City to an awaiting "Frankie", the shuttle bus driver for Quetzalroo Hostel whom we'd arranged to meet us at the airport. It was a long day - my Kindle tells me I read 87% of "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay (Shannon - I'm thinking 25 books won't be enough for the year!!) in between numerous mini, neck-wrenching naps. We can't complain though, since the flights were booked on points and we had the luxury of a long sleep-in the next morning; not to mention the incredible sunrise-view of Calgary & the Rockies as we took off!

After touring the city for a day and a half, we were struck by a few things:
- GUNS... everywhere. It seems that every entryway, store, bank, and parking lot had a security guard armed with a gun of some type. We met a Swiss girl today who accurately commented that standing near a police officer or guard armed with a gun does not necessarily make you feel safe in this country; it is intimidating & slightly frightening
- The weather is perfect... around 25C during the day and cools off at night to a comfortable temperature for sleeping
- Guatemala City is shockingly clean, maybe even cleaner than Calgary; the cars are spotless but the drivers are LOCO!
- We need to learn more Spanish... 
- WiFi is abundant... it's amazing how easy it is to stay connected. Jody & I have both noticed what a different trip this is from the last time we each traveled in 2005 - gone are the days of overpriced Internet cafe's and sporadic emails
- the 'cafe con leche' is 'muy bien' (and my hair is a perma 'fro)!

We are now in the town of Antigua which is about 40 minutes from Guatemala City but seems like a whole new world. It is quaint and a bit more touristy, nestled in between 3 (inactive) volcanoes with cobblestone streets. We are loving the rooftop terraces with their refreshing breezes and relaxing views.Tonight we made dinner - for $10US we had delicious chorizo sausage, rice, fresh green peas and avocados, a wee bit of chocolate for dessert, and a 6-pack of 'Carta Blanca' cervezas (Dad: aka "SREEB"). Life is good, despite a slight sunburn on my right arm.

It feels like -36C today in Calgary

...luckily the 14 Day Trend on The Weather Network shows an average of +23C in Guatemala City! Just 7 more days until we leave our Calgary lives behind in the Harts' basement and go explore the world for a year.

I've been thinking about some of the things I'm going to miss while on the road like my bed, long hot showers, straight hair and the Centennial year of the Calgary Stampede ... as well as some of the things I won't miss like my daily sardine-esque C-train commute, studying for the CFA exam, and digging out my car after a dump of snow. Of course what I'll miss the most is family & friends so start planning your trips to come meet us somewhere this year!!