Two Backpackers

Hard Working Children of Guatemala

| by Aracely on September 19th, 2024 | 9 Comments » | Central America, Guatemala, Reflections

I have only traveled to a few Latin American countries prior to arriving in Guatemala twenty-one days ago.  In 2024 I spent ten days in Costa Rica, in 2024 seventeen days in Ecuador (my country of origin), in 2024 eight days in Dominican Republic and in March of this year Jason and I spent six days on the Argentina/Brazil border for a visit to Iguazu Falls.

Shoe Shining Boy

Although those trips were relatively short and touristy, I feel as though I did get a glimpse, as small as it was, of the culture, people, and economic situation of those countries.  One notable and emotionally memorable observation for me was seeing children begging in the streets.  After spending twenty years living in the United States this is not something we are accustomed to seeing, or at least we can agree that it’s an extremely rare occurrence.

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Guatemala’s Travel by Numbers

| by Aracely on September 3rd, 2024 | 19 Comments » | Central America, Guatemala, Travel by Numbers

Here is a few fun statistics of our first week of travels in Guatemala.

Miles traveled: 250 miles

Hours in a bus: 21

Unidentified Criter #1 found in our bathroom

Number of hostels stayed in: 4—The hostels we’ve stayed in have been quite nice and comfortable.  El Portal in Semuc Champey was the most picturesque, but the walls of the bungalows are not sealed from the outside so you are guaranteed to sleep with a few critters.

Things lost: 3—Clothes liner, carabineer and pillow case.  We forgot them in Semuc Champey.

Mosquito bites: Aracely 13; Jason 0—I came to the conclusion that mosquitoes don’t bother Jason because he’s got hairy legs.

Cold showers: 2—I have been pleasantly surprised with shower water temperature.  Shower water pressure on the other hand, has been very low most of the time.

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