Fears & First Impressions

Nothing quite beats the feeling of sitting in an airport lobby, eating questionable sushi as you worry about what’s to come. That’s what I did as I waited for my flight, seated next to my boyfriend Jordan, who had no worry on his mind whatsoever despite me voicing every fear that popped into my head.

After weeks of preparation it was finally time to depart for Guatemala, and despite my excitement I was a nervous wreck. In between bites of a California roll I mused about the dangers of traveling at night, our inability to speak Spanish and the rain that was slowly beginning to cascade around the Houston airport. I was scared of flying, too.

Despite my fears we boarded our six o’clock flight and off we went. While gazing from the plane’s window, Jordan’s hand clamped tight to mine, I began to relax and become excited. We arrived at La Aurora International Airport around 10 p.m., just in time to see the city lights from the air.

One of the safest (and cheapest) ways to travel in Guatemala is by Uber, which we took from the airport to our hostel. Thankfully, our Uber driver Fernando spoke English and we had a lovely conversation with him about what to see in the city. His advice made our drive quick and comfortable.

Guatemala City is separated into 21 zones ranging in safety and experience. The metropolitan zones, nine and 10, are where most of the tourists can be found and are generally considered the safest in the city. However, Jordan and I wanted to see the “real” Guatemala, so we decided to stay in the Capsule Hostel in zone one.

The stark contrast between the rich neighborhoods of zone 10, where the airport is located, and the poorer zones could be seen even when covered by the darkness of night. As we passed through each zone, bustling city life was replaced by quiet neighborhoods. The buildings in these zones were different, housing more people in less space (think apartments, but on one floor and spanning blocks) and less taken care of. These small shops and houses were colorful and less uniform than those in richer zones, each displaying vibrant paint to distinguish themselves from others housed in the same area. I found the colors charming.

When we arrived to our hostel, we noticed that the doors were locked and we only could gain entrance by buzzing for the nighttime receptionist. As we looked around, waiting to be let in, we saw that most of the shops and hostels near us were protected by thick padlocks or electric buzzers.

Once inside we found the private room we had booked only had a twin bed, which was too small to fit the both of us. So, we opted for the traditional bunk bed set up in which we were given two very private sleeping quarters separated into capsules, each with its own lamp, locker, fan and curtain.

The lobby, which Jordan and I sat in before going to bed, was set up like a garden. We could hear the noises of the street, as there was no roof to the lobby, and it was nice having a bit of ambiance. Once we decided to go to sleep, the capsules completely blocked out the noise of the lobby and made for quite comfortable beds. It was wonderful and made my first time in a hostel a pleasant one.

But the real exploring didn’t come until the next day, when we ventured out of our hostel for the first time since arriving 🙂