The Big Goodbye, The Big Hello

Leaving our apartment was the hard part. I thought once I was able to quit my job slinging coffee, the stress would ebb. But it was only the beginning. Packing our loved belongings into boxes was heartbreaking, getting rid of all our junk was frustrating and saying goodbye to our lovenest of two blissful years felt impossible. We were good though. We were strong and after three steady weeks of packing, selling, giving, and not crying, we finally spend our last few nights in a big empty apartment.
Sal wrote a song about the apartment where we stayed so comfortable for so long. And that's when we finally cried. We were good not to cry before that (me especially) it would have opened floodgates. But our last morning his voice echoed through those empty rooms and I couldn't stop myself from sobbing like a little baby. "Are we idiots," I kept thinking, "to walk away from such a perfect, happy, comfortable home?"
No, we're not.
For about ten weeks we'd been formulating the plan to quit the place, and begin making our move into the world. Sal and I are not meant for stationary endeavors and I think we both knew it was only a matter of time before our adventures would begin. Ten weeks feels short looking back, but it was forever at the time.
So it was Monday morning when we got on BART to SFO and took a plane to L.A. where we slept in a fancy hotel, had yummy dinner and woke up early, early, early in the morning to journey through customs. The flight to Mexico City was easy and short, then we spent all day (eight whole hours) in the Mexico City airport, which was like a big shiny mall. I spent the time napping, listening to my Spanish language tapes and watching "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" which made me feel a little dazed afterwards.

It was dark when our plane took off for Guatemala City, and it was late when we go there. I was nervous, because I'd heard that Guatemala City could be unkind to tourists. But it was extremely kind. Sal was feeling lush enough to get us a fancy hotel room at the Grand Tikal Futura, where almost everyone spoke English. The breakfast was amazing, Sal would undoubtedly eat that for every meal for the rest of his life. (Scrambled eggs, fried plantains, refried black beans, spicy sauce and fresh orange juice.)

So we spent two nights at that fancy hotel, eating delicious but inexpensive food and enjoying the ease of Guatemala's newfound obsession with malls (ew). Finally, Thursday morning we got in a big van with several other tourists and began the drive to Lake Atitlan. We stopped in Antigua, which was beautiful, and then trekked up through the hills before breaking down into this gorgeous lake-filled valley.
We were definitely dazed our first few days.
Well, it's Monday now, one week from our big goodbye and I'm proud to say that Lago Atitlan is my new home. I couldn't imagine being anyplace more beautiful and peaceful. The people are kind and friendly and even though I haven't mastered Spanish yet, I'm confident that I'll get the hang of it soon.
Well, I'll write more specifically later. I hope to keep tabs on all the adventures and mini adventures we have. Peace.