Guatemala Day One

The view of the many buildings and features of Guatemala City I had from my hotel.

I have gotten off my plane and entered the capital city of Guatemala, Guatemala City. After I got off the plane, I took a taxi to my hotel and then went outside to explore the city. The weather outside was sunny, and the temperature was 66 degrees F, perfect for a nice walk. Similar to Chileans, many Guatemalans I walked by spoke Spanish, and also like Chile, there were many different types of architecture like tall office buildings, museums filled with ancient Mayan exhibits, sports stadiums, and many old style Catholic churches. However, these buildings tended to be not as big and fancy as the buildings in Chile most likely because Guatemalans don’t have as much money to spend on these buildings because of basic their economy that has little industrialization. These buildings still had a lot of character and show cased a lot about Guatemala through their different designs, especially the adobe buildings made from tan, sun-dried bricks. The day grew on, so I decided to find a nearby restaurant to eat lunch. Fortunately, I was able to find an English speaking Guatemalan who led me to a popular restaurant and recommended I get the tortillas with rice, black beans, and corn. I soon found the small and basic restaurant that was surprisingly filled to the brink with customers. I then placed my order, and my food soon came out. As right as I took my first bite into my meal, I was astonished how such a basic meal could taste so wonderful. As I started to taste the meal more, I soon realized that the many spices added to the many smaller ingredients like the amazing peppers and tomatoes made all of the difference in making the meal so tasty.

One of the most popular as well as best Guatemalan restaurants I ate at.

After I devoured my delicious meal, I went back outside and started to head back to my hotel. As I walked back to my hotel, I noticed many avid Guatemalan soccer fans were gathered in different stores and restaurants as they cheered on the national Guatemalan soccer team in its matchup against Honduras, one of the team’s biggest rivals. The fans with their baby blue and white Guatemalan jerseys seemed very avid as they cheered for their beloved soccer team in the crowded bar. Finally, I arrived at my hotel again and ate a traditional Guatemalan dinner called Paches, which consisted of chicken surrounded by mashed potatoes. After finishing up yet another amazing meal, I decided to go to bed so that I could be fully rested for my upcoming trip to the Guatemalan countryside the next day.

Guatemalan sports fans at a popular sports bar