Guatemala Part 1 — Guatemala City to Puerto Barrios

Crossed into Guatemala and, unknown to us when we booked it, our Airbnb ended up being in Guatemala City’s tallest building. The view from the unit covered the whole city with volcanoes lined up on the horizon. Not a bad way to be introduced to a country.

The building came with its own entertainment — a giant red slide out on the amenity deck that Enzo claimed immediately, and a pool that he blessed with his usual arms-out pose. That was about all the exploring we did though. No time for the city itself because the next day was a driving day. On the way out we happened to pass the new Guatemala City LDS Temple, so that’s two countries in a row where we drove by one without planning it.

The drive to Puerto Barrios was supposed to be shorter. Between the rain and about ten thousand trucks it took 7 hours. We broke it up with a stop at a little riverbank spot along the road — food stalls, palm trees, river coming out of the hills. Ate baleadas: thick handmade tortilla folded over refried beans, eggs, cheese, and avocado. Cheap and they hit the spot.

Puerto Barrios itself is a working port town on the Caribbean coast — cranes and container ships on one side, a malecon with a big PUERTO BARRIOS sign on the other. Enzo posed in the heart. The boys ran the pier behind a wall painted like a whale shark, wind bending the palm trees sideways. There’s also a bronze Monument to the Migrant near the old wooden hotel — a guy with a backpack and a glowing red heart cut out of his chest, covered in the names of locals who left. Heavier than your average town square statue.

Next up: what we actually came to this side of Guatemala for.

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