Some of my teammates and I decided to celebrate Guatemalan Independence Day weekend in Antigua. We left Saturday morning and headed to the lineup of chicken buses. As I stepped onto my first chicken bus I had no idea the adventure that I was about to experience. The bus would whip around the steep mountain hills, honking to announce to the world that it was on a mission. At each bus stop down the mountain more and more Guatemalans would join us for the ride until we were sitting 8 or so across with people standing in the aisle. We watched Spanish music videos and made up story lines to match the weddings, love and lost themes as a way to take our minds off of our own current loss of person space. After the bus hit another car, was held up by a parade and hours more of speeding, we were finally at our stop to transfer buses. We maneuvered through the crowd on the bus as they squeezed into each other as an attempt to give us space to walk.
It was not until I was safely off the bus that I realized that my wallet had been stolen—my debit card, ID and money—all lost. In all my travels, I had never had anything taken from me; so I was shaking and shocked when I realized that it happened only a couple days into the World Race. I was incredibly thankful to have such a loving group of people with me. They immediately comforted me, prayed over the situation and then we were off to the next bus. This bus was fuller than the last bus and we barely all were standing in the aisles before it took off. I think one or two might have been in the doorway. A couple more hours past and we finally were in Antigua.
I have never stayed in a hostel; so I was surprised when arriving at the hostel was like finding a mini oasis! The bunks were nice, the linens were clean, a rooftop sitting area that looked over the city and a snack table with coffee and goodies. Suddenly the fear and overwhelming feeling from the trip to the city washed away.
The next few days were filled with taking in the charming city, getting to know my teammates better and spending quiet time with God. The city was packed for the holiday weekend—full of excitement and joy. Every so often groups of people would run by with torches to celebrate their independence—blowing whistles, hitting horns and cheering. I don’t know someone could not fall in love with this place.
When the city center became really packed on Saturday, we wandered away from the sound of marching bands to roam the quieter neighborhood streets. We searched markets, stores, many leather bags and even a chocolate museum. Nic lead the way to a path to hike to a place that overlooked the city. We danced, walked in the rain and watched the continuing festivities.
The ride home was still busy; but I was better prepared this time around. After a man gave up his seat so Katy and I could sit, I was able to lay my head on the seat and reflect on our weekend away. I am so thankful for my team. I knew I was safe with them and that I would be taken care of if needed. Even though the trip started out rocky; losing my wallet did not cause the weekend to become a bust. I am so happy that it did not affect our time. I may need to stay on a stricter budget now; but I am so thankful that I have food, lodging, clean water and a fantastic team to share this journey with!
