Our big trip

Before departure, there was a lot going on at school and at home. It was especially important for us that everything was clear for our substitute, the apartment was freshly cleaned, and all necessary dressers were cleared out for our subtenant Oli. Man, clearing out and disposing feels good.
Before our departure into the big, wide world, we said goodbye to our super family and dear friends at home with a local beer. For some, the beer on Open Air Sunday was already the 'We-wish-you-merry-Christmas-Happy-New-Year-Drink'.

The journey begins

With the company of Mama and Papa Künzli, we traveled to the airport. We enjoyed our coffee at the airport and thought how nice it is to have enough time at the airport. After Rezi was briefly stopped during a random search, we both wanted to use the restroom on solid ground. As soon as we arrived at the toilet, we heard our names being called on the speakers. Shortly after, a little confused and astonished, we met in front of the toilet and said to each other, 'Now but... it's only half past.' Not bad at all, because we even got a private shuttle directly to the airplane. The flight was long and the food tasted like in a one-star hotel that had somehow bought its one star in a questionable way.

We particularly liked the randomness of the controls at Guatemala Airport. We had to press a button before going out - either a green or a red light will appear. With red, Tourist X had to go through the control, and with a green light, which we had in this 'game', we had free passage. This is also an attempt to bypass corruption at the airport. 'Bienvenido en Guatemala!'

About 15 hours of travel later, we arrived in Antigua.

Antigua and Surroundings

The language school we attended for two weeks was great. Our teachers taught us a lot about the culture, life and of course the language. We didn't have as much opportunity to learn Spanish in the host family because there were seven other students in the same family and we had a kind of 'Casa de Estudiantes'. Most of the time we spoke English at home, but we spent many great hours together.

On the second day, Rezi felt very sick. However, with his miracle cure 'Hausgeist', all worries were soon gone. One 'chötzle' and Rezi was already back to normal the next day.

During our time at school, we met many nice, exciting, and funny people. We liked our fellow students and the many delicious coffee shops in Antigua. While Dési felt comfortable in the city right from the start, Rezi needed some time to sort his thoughts. He had sensory overload and couldn't even process it properly because the air was totally contaminated by stinking two-stroke engines. After a short time in Antigua, we immersed ourselves in the Mayan world and experienced a wedding as models with the indigenous people.

After our language stay and saying goodbye to our fantastic and multicultural extended family, we traveled to Lake Atitlan and enjoyed the time by the lake. Sometimes it's exhausting here because poverty gets to you a little. However, the joy of life rarely falls short here. The people are happy, very loving, open, and helpful.

We will soon return to Antigua and are very excited for Mama's arrival in Guatemala. Our plan is set and the adventures with Mama can begin.

Hasta luego!