Here is a view from the plane while we are over the Gulf of Mexico .
Click the picture for a larger view.
Not a lot to tell. I spent most of my day in airports and airplanes. I did take a $200 voucher for taking a later plane from DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) to Miami . Even then I had over two hours in Miami . My seat at the back of the plane from Miami to Guatemala ended up a boon, since I was easily able to take advantage of the open rows behind me. It has been a long time since I've had a row to myself. Very nice. |
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Here is a view from the plane while we are over the Gulf of Mexico . Click the picture for a larger view. |
When I arrived in Guatemala City I was a bit nervous that I might have problems with customs due to the gifts I brought, which you have to declare. Fortunately, there was no issue. When I was pointed toward the exit instead of the search/x-ray line, I actually had to confirm where I was supposed to go. For the kitchen I brought an iron skillet and new chef's knife. When I buy gifts for my friends here I always attempt to buy things that are as durable as possible, since they don't have a lot of money and can't just do the American “Buy, Use Throw Away, Repeat” dance. The skillet (which is actually mine from my kitchen) it is nearly indestructible and very versatile. The knife I found also seems very durable. The metal of the blade continues thru the handle (known as the “tang”) and is fixed with four metal bolts. Since they cut a lot of tough skinned melons and squashes, it is necessary. Maria Elsa (the mother of the house) was very happy and surprised. She was particularly surprised with the weight of the skillet. The other gift was a diabetes monitor and test strips. Like printers and toner, the blood glucose monitor is actually very cheap and the test strips (little pieces of paper) are quite expensive. Even though I bought the most economical ones from Walgreens, they are still 50 cents each. My worry is that when they exhaust the ones I brought (which is still quite a lot) that they can't use the monitor. I'm wondering if I can find someone to take them down for me next year.
When we got to Antigua (about 9:30 p.m.) the driver asked if I knew where the house was. I said yes, mostly. I was able to narrow it down to three doors. I was a bit embarrassed, but the doors are very similar and it has been a year. Fortunately the bread store two doors down was open and the lady there knew Maria Elsa and pointed to the correct door, which was the one I had decided on.
It was so good to see Maria Elsa opening the door. Being greeted with old friends makes returning so wonderful.
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