Guatemala

After flying back to Spain from San Francisco, I had less than 24 hours to unpack my suitcase and then pack it up again, this time going to Guatemala with Miguel.

My mother in law and her sister volunteered to stay with the kids while I went with Miguel on one of his trips. I was excited because it was my first flight with Miguel as one of the pilots in the Airbus 340 and my first visit to Central/South America. Since it was Easter week, a lot of the crew had brought members of their families along. We were to spend two days in Guatemala and then fly to Panama, leave the flight attendents in Panama, pick up another crew and then continue back to Spain. One of the other pilots was Jesus Rosario, a good friend of Miguel´s.

It was an interesting experience. It was recommended that we hire a bus to take us around as a group instead of doing things on our own. We were twenty and we spent the first day climbing up to the lava fields of one of the active volcano (there are 33 volcanos in Guatemala) and then visiting Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala. When we got to the volcano, most of the group went up to the lava on horseback. Miguel and I (plus a couple others) opted to walk. It wasn´t a bad hike, just a bit dusty in some places.

That beer at the bottom certainly tasted good. I have never drunk so much beer in my life. We tried to stay away from anything with ice and of course, tap water. So, what did you order when you went out? Beer. It was called Gallo (which means rooster). It was actually pretty good beer.

Antigua was a surprise. When the Spaniards came to Guatemala, they settled at the base of the volcano, thinking it was only a mountain. After the first mudslide and then a couple of earthquakes, they moved the capital to the current location of Guatemala City (in the late 1800s). The city was abandoned. Only recently (last 40 years) the owners of the stores/houses have come back to bring the city back to life. Now it is UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had lunch at a famous convent and the saw the processions in the city for Semana Santa. The design you see on the ground on the right and on the borders of the walkway on the left are made of sand.

Day Two was a day to relax. Miguel went and met a contact he has at the military base close to the airport. I went into the city with a group of people to a market of local goods. We caught a taxi at the hotel and then caught another one for the trip back. The area around the hotel is safe but we went through some interesing looking neighborhoods... The market was fun and we got back in time for lunch around the hotel. The it was time to pack up the suitcase and go back to Spain.

I had a great time and everyone asks me if I would go back. Maybe some day, but there so many other places I want to visit in Central / South America.....

Madrid-London-Seattle-San Francisco-London-Madrid...without kids!

10 March 2008. It was a beautiful moment. I boarded the plane to Seattle, via Heathrow, with only my green carry on suitcase. I was kid free! I could read my book, watch a movie, sleep and actually eat my meal without having to share my dessert with a kid. It was wonderful!

Miguel was home with the kids and I was on my way to Seattle to celebrate my Mom´s birthday and to attend the Jackson School of International Studies alumni dinner.

The dinner itself was on Friday. My friend, Kara Condon, had snagged us a condo in Seattle for the weekend (friend of her mother´s). The condo was between the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market, a choice location, with a view of Puget Sound and the ferry dock. The dinner that night was a lot of fun. We met up with the other people from our Task Force (which is like a senior thesis) and it seemed that we had just seen each other last week, instead of 13 years ago. Kara gave a wonderful speech and we all enjoyed each other´s company, catching up and laughing about the past.

The next day, Joe Zender, another collegue from our Task Force, brought his boat up from Tacoma, and we spent the afternoon motoring around Lake Union and Lake Washington. It was neat to see the UW from the water, plus we saw the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. We had a wonderful afternoon and have vowed not to let another 13 years past before we got together again.

On Sunday, I packed my green suitcase again (a bit fuller..) and caught a plane to San Francisco to see my friend Teresa Mulvihill-Talbot. It was great to see her and Fabrice and see her life in San Francisco. An extra plus was that I got to be a tourist in a city that I had visited so long ago. The highlight of the trip was our lunch in Sonoma, which is close to Napa Valley. Teresa rented a convertible and we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to the wine country to enjoy the weather, each other´s company and the feeling of freedom that a convertible brings.

Teresa and Fabrice were great hosts. I had a relaxing time, just walking around San Francisco, poking around the shops in their neigborhood and enjoying the idle life of just sitting around, doing nothing and talking.

Tuesday came too fast and once again I found myself at an airport, catching a long flight back to Europe (once again painless without kids....) I missed Miguel and my kids, Spain and my life. It is nice to escape and do something different, but nothing beats a hug from a 4 year old who says "I missed you Mama."