Antigua

Antigua, Guatemala is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its cobblestone streets showed us charming views of the colourful city and a touch of Spanish colonial architecture. The bright blues, yellows, oranges, and terra-cotta buildings made me smile. If you know me, you know that I love decorating my home in colour. Colours to me say “Let’s celebrate!”

I called it the City of Hidden Doors because so much life and beauty lay behind them. Doors of all kinds! Small, medium, large, and extra-large doors—brown, blue, and giant-sized. These doors opened into cute cafés, garden restaurants, courtyards with fountains, shops, and accommodations. I felt like Dorothy on the yellow brick road, but with her best friend Jay.

We rented a tiny house in Santa Ana, a suburb of Antigua. It’s a 20-minute walk to downtown, which was perfect. We like finding charming spots outside the main hub. We made few plans. We’d step out of our tiny home, look at each other, and say, “Let’s see what today brings!” That’s how we met people from around the world and loved hearing their travel and life stories. Traveling reminds me that we’re all humans sharing one Earth.

Lac Atitlan

Our bus to Lake Atitlán was cramped. Jay rode up front; I sat in the back with Luis and Paul. Luis, from Mexico City, was a music conductor. Paul, from Wales, was a videographer. Conversation and laughter flowed easily. It was like being with old friends. It reminded me that travel is about the journey, not the destination. It sounds cliché, but it's true.

Lac Atitlán formed 84,000 years ago from a volcanic eruption and is the deepest lake in Central America. When I arrived, I gasped at its shimmering blue beauty and felt a sudden thrill; the surprise of finding something unexpected.

Communities around the lake are reachable by boat taxi. We had fun hopping between towns and enjoying their different charms. Our first night’s stay was in Santa Cruz at the Iguana Perdido hostel. At the family dinner we met a fascinating young woman. She told stories of hitchhiking down from Alaska and nearly dying in a solo back country hiking trip. It's fascinating to hear people's stories. Stories have a powerful way of connecting people.

In Santiago, the lake’s oldest town, we rented a geodesic dome. Perched on a slope above a vegetable garden, it was true glamping. The full moon cast a soft grey light on the volcano and the town across the bay. We enjoyed the grackles’ calls and watched fishermen bring in their catch.

We had a “see what the day brings” kind of day and found the Yoga Mystical Farm, a unique spot with art, cozy yoga rooms, a sauna, and welcoming people. It felt like arriving home.

We circled back to Santa Cruz for our last 4 nights where we had to channel our inner mountain goat. Our room at the Ilse Verde hotel was a long, steep hike up a dormant volcano. With hearts pounding, aching legs, and sweat dripping, we'd look at each other and say, "While we can", meaning we must do this now, because we aren't getting younger. The effort was worth it, as the view from our room was magnificent. Nature has a way to remind me that I am part of a beautiful planet and universe. This is what travelling does for me. It helps me put things into perspective.

The El Mirador

I left Jay at the Yoga Mystical garden to hike The El Mirador with my bestie Ann. El Mirador lies deep in Guatemala’s Petén jungle. We hiked 100 km in 5 days (round trip). It was hard, at times I felt like my feet wouldn’t bring me any further. Other times, I was delirious with walking and my body went on autopilot. The jungle teemed with birds, insects, and loud howler monkeys; they sound like monsters. Puma tracks showed we weren’t alone. The plants were huge and beautiful; some leaves were bigger than me. Most impressive were the massive Mayan ruins, which taught us a lot and reminded us that history repeats itself.

For me, our day at the El Mirador was a spiritual experience. We woke up at dawn to experience sunrise on the El Tigre pyramid. The 360 degrees swept across jungle that spread further than the eye could see. I was proud to think that we had hiked through all that jungle. I thought it amazing that 2,500 years earlier a city of 100,000 had cleared the jungle, and now it was wild again.

For sunset we hiked 13 kms to El Danta which is the largest pyramid by volume and is 72 meters high! Our group sat quietly to experience an awe inspiring sunset. I have experienced many sunsets but this one was, wow! As the sunset colours were replaced by twinkling stars a feeling came over me. A feeling of being connected to something bigger than myself.

This experience ranks as a top 10 experience of my lifetime. The number one experience? Giving birth to my children.

Mazunte, Mexico

Mazunte is a place that we have been coming back to since 2018. We stay at an off grid hut at the end of Mermijita beach. The surf here is strong and I love the sound and its beauty. Our daily rhythm revolved around yoga classes, long walks, nightly sunsets, reading in hammocks and hanging out with friends.

I am happy to be back!!!! I love travelling and just as much I love my community here in Canada. Travelling has a way of making me grateful and see all the beauty around me.