Flores and Belize

We have just arrived home from our vacation to Caye Caulker Belize with our friends Jennie and Andy. Jennie and Andy arrived at Lake Atitlan and spent a week relaxing and exploring the area with us. We showed them our weekly grocery shopping routine in Panajachel, took them to San Marcos for cliff jumping, to San Juan and San Pedro for exploring, bed of a pickup to San Antonio for Jennie to see how pottery is done there, and up to Santa Cruz for lunch and more exploring. The weather cooperated and it was an overall relaxing week.

It felt amazing to see familiar faces and to play cards with someone other than Brandon (I know he feels the same way). Charlie fell in love with both Andy and Jennie. They would just look at him and he would crack a huge smile.  Life is very different with Charlie and in my opinion, it takes a special person to want to be on vacation with an infant…Jennie and Andy are very special people.

After a week at the lake we set off on our long journey to Belize with a 2-day stop over in Flores Guatemala. Jennie really wanted to go see Tikal and staying in Flores made this possible. It also broke up the trip. If we would have gone all the way to Belize it would have been a 15 hour bus ride…no fun!

We took a 3-hour shuttle to Antigua and spent the day exploring the cobblestone streets. While sitting in the square Jennie got called cheap for not buying something from a woman. Jennie did not like this at all!  Charlie was very popular with all of the children.

After our day in Antigua we took an hour shuttle to Guatemala City in order to catch our overnight bus that left at 9pm. We arrived at the bus station around 7pm to find that it smelled so terrible of exhaust that we could not wait there. It was dark and we did not know the area very well. We finally found a McDonalds (we joked that McDonalds act as a safe haven and are kind of like the embassy) to wait it out in. 

Charlie did very well on the overnight bus. He slept the entire way. The 4 adults did not get as much sleep so when we arrived in Flores at 5am we were very hopeful that our hotel would let us check in…they did! We all took a nap and then went out in the extreme heat and humidity for lunch. Flores is in the northern part of Guatemala: the jungle. It is hot and humid!

The next day we took an 8am hour-long shuttle to Tikal and spent the day exploring the beauty of the Mayan capital city. Brandon and I visited Tikal during our first trip to Guatemala and it was still impressive to me the second visit.

We got up early the next day for our 5am shuttle to Belize City. This was our first time walking across a border and it went very smooth. We got our exit stamp on the Guatemala side and then walked across and got our entrance stamp into Belize. Then back into the shuttle to Belize City to get on the 45-minute water speed boat taxi to the island of Caye Caulker.

We encountered many people along our journey that commented on how brave we must be to be traveling with an infant. I didn’t feel brave at the time but now writing down all of the different modes of transport we took I do think we are kind of brave. Charlie already seems to have a great joy and sense of adventure. He loves all humans and will give anyone a big smile. Can’t tell you how many times we heard “what a happy baby.” Now I just wish the kid would sleep through the night…!!

Our rental cabin sat right next to a swimming pool. It felt amazing to arrive and cool off in the pool.  The Island is very small and people travel it on bike or golf cart.  We spent the week maxing and relaxing poolside. Charlie did his first underwater swim in the pool; he did well! Brandon, Jennie, and Andy went snorkeling and had a great time.

Brandon and I debated much over how we would get home…fly or take the long bus trek back. In the end we compromised and took the 6-hour shuttle from Belize City to Flores, spent the night in Flores and flew out of their small airport at 7am. We arrived in Guatemala City at 8am and were in our shuttle for the last piece of the journey home by 8:30am. Joke was on us as it was a National Holiday and traffic was terrible. It took us 5 hours to get to the lake!

We are home and Kirby and Jackson couldn’t be happier! Charlie is back to trying really hard to crawl and enjoying new solid foods. 

Next visitors are Charlie and Coleen! They arrive on August 4th!

XOXO,

Katie, Brandon, and Charlie