Thursday, August 24, 2006

Rip Van Winkle and Antigua

So we got here and slept about 18 hours. Then we figured out where "here" was... Antigua, Guatemala. I semi-consciously remember getting off the plane and taking a shuttle straight to Antigua at 6am yesterday morning. It was really reasonable for an hour shuttle ride ($20 for two people), we had the whole thing to ourselves, and our driver was courteous and agile. It is important to note that the shuttle costs 20 times what a bus ride would have cost, but it´s SO much nicer to ride inside the vehicle instead of outside like a lot of the passengers we saw on "public" transportation. At least on the first day.

Guatemala City was a blur. Antigua is INCREDIBLE. There are three volcanoes bordering the view at all times, huge ruined churches, an incredible central park, and rows and rows of shops, hotels, courtyards and anything else you can imagine behind brightly colored doors and stuccoed walls. Pictures will be forthcoming. During the day, you can look through the open doors and see fountains and plants and people enjoying food, but at night when the doors are closed you have no idea what lies behind. Take our hotel, for instance. An incredible open courtyard with ferns and big wooden columns and lazy sunlight drifting through during the day... and an unmarked door at night. Very unmarked. We walked past twice, then asked the guy watching the door of our hotel where our hotel was. Our Spanish is still coming up to speed, so we tried to conjure images of the beautiful courtyard and lush plants with our hands. He looked at us like we were crazy and rang the buzzer. Home!

It´s been a bit of a blur these last few weeks, so we´re doing everything we can to rest up and catch up. I described the experience to Emily like being put in a sack, beaten with a stick, and waking up in another country. It was actually a lot more pleasant than that, but we were tired at the time.

We want to say thanks before we get too deep into our trip. Family and friends coming out for the wedding, the incredible times we had leading up to the wedding, and the support and love we got before we left were all very humbling. We´ve been marveling at the deep relationships and love we´ve felt from all of you. Know that you are all in our prayers and that you are the ones who have made much of this adventure possible. THANK YOU!

With that, we are off to explore Antigua, get our feet under us, get our bearings, and get some Malaria pills.

Love you all -

Ryan and Emily

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great to hear from you guys! Excited about your adventures and eager to know more. You are in our thoughts and prayers every day.
We love you!

Anonymous said...

Holy Northwest Sandles Batman! I can't believe how fast it all happened. I am so excited and jealous for your big adventure. I hope you're getting lots of time to rest and see everything. Keep the blogs coming...I'll be reading every...single...one. :) Love you guys!!