Shuttle to Guatemala City

At the last moment, I jumped out of bed and headed down to the water for sunrise photos. The hotel was incredibly quiet at 6:45 a.m. I watched fishermen pulling in their catch, and one waved and called out “adiós” as he left—a perfect little sendoff.

Back in the room, Scotty had already packed, so I quickly got my things together and we went to breakfast. It was excellent. I had an omelette with avocado, cheese, and beans, plus fried potatoes with finely chopped peppers that I loved. Scotty had three large wheat pancakes with blackberry syrup and another syrup that tasted like molasses, along with fruit and two eggs over easy. We both had fresh juice that tasted mostly like watermelon. Sitting on the balcony, it was a lovely way to end our stay at Casa del Mundo.

We walked to Jaibalito to grab drinks for our shuttle, then spent some time relaxing back at the hotel, where we met the founder. An American who came to Guatemala in the ’90s, he built the hotel over time and now runs it with his son. He shared how they treat employees well, even building housing nearby so staff can stay during the week. It was interesting to hear how much thought he’s put into the place.

Soon it was time to leave. Our ferry back to Panajachel was quieter than usual but made several stops along the way. As always, I worried about timing—but we arrived with time to spare. A locked gate slowed us down briefly, and after rushing up the cobblestone hill with our suitcases, we realized we were at the wrong meeting point. Luckily, Scotty reached the driver and we made it onto the van just in time.

Suitcases travel on top of the ferry. This worried us some as the boats go fast, the railings are short in the front of the boat definitely goes up out of the water pretty high.

The drive wound up steep, twisty roads toward Guatemala City. At our Airbnb, the receptionist only spoke Spanish, so after some back-and-forth and a quick call with the host, we got our key. The unit is small but comfortable on the 17th floor. Surprisingly, we could still hear traffic below, but earplugs helped—I ended up sleeping a full nine hours.