Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Antigua = more laughter than I thought was possible.

Just another beautiful day in Guatemala with Ashley. This morning we headed to Salud y Paz, so Ashley could experience Camanchaj. I had so much fun showing Ashley around and having her see everything and meet all the students and staff. She had actually already met a lot of the staff when we were in the market in Chichi. We have a huge team in this week, so it was cool to show Ash what a busy day at work is like. Between the school, the clinic being open so their are patients and vendors everywhere, and the team being there I think she got a good sense of what a typical day is like at work here. Loved showing my new world down here to her.

After being at work for about 2 hours we got a ride with one team's bus driver to Los Encuentros where we caught a shuttle to Antigua. We arrived to our hotel (casa del parque) around lunch time then took a tuk tuk to Hotel Casa del Santo Domingo to eat lunch. This is one of the most beautiful hotels (if not the prettiest) that I've ever been in. When I was here in August we ate lunch at this hotel. It is an old monastery with ruins that has been turned into one of the best hotels in Guatemala. After lunch we walked around the grounds which are beyond beautiful. Like it was in August it was set up for a wedding which I think would be such a beautiful and cool place to have a wedding. I told Ash that I had heard that it was $100,000 to get married there which she couldn't fathom. Next we found ourselves looking for the front desk to ask for wedding information. Next thing I know we are sitting in the wedding planner's office planning a wedding (yep... Get excited). We had decided on the way to the meeting that we needed a good story that wasn't just "we are 2 girls without boyfriends that think a wedding here would be beautiful". Ash decided that we should be sisters and asking about information for our brother's upcoming wedding. You see he had backpacked here many years ago and had always dreamed of having his wedding here and was about to get engaged. It seamed like a good plan.

However, when we sat down for the meeting (yes you can laugh at us) I completely ruined it. You see when we sat down the planner asked for some information, so she could give us an appropriate price quote (and here I was thinking we could just get a pamphlet). First question she asked was "whose getting married?" to which Ashley replied Parker Cragg (this is where I started giggling a little). Next question was "what is his phone number and email address so I can contact him?". Now this is where I LOST it. I mean I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard and I tend to be a person who laughs a lot. Ash started giving the planner Parker's number and I literally got up and left the room I was laughing so hysterically. The thought of this lady calling Parker and giving him information for his upcoming wedding was too much for me to handle. I can't even explain how hard I was laughing. I was standing in the hallway and a man came out of his office to ask if I was ok because I was sitting on the ground in the middle of the hallway with tears down my face. After crying laughing for a few minutes I got myself together enough to go back in. I was wrong. The second I opened the door and walked in I heard Ashley planning the drink menu with the planner and immediately got back up and ran back out laughing. Ashley told me later that she explained to the lady that "I hadn't gotten much sleep and was delirious". Again after sitting on the floor crying for another few minutes I went in and Ashley was sitting there alone. The lady had gone to get her business card and Ashley and I died laughing. The planner came back in and said she would email Parker all the information he needs for his upcoming Spring 2013 wedding. Really though however hard you are imagining me laughing times it by 50 and that's where I was. Ashley and I almost fell over each other walking out of the office we were so hysterical. It has to be one of my favorite cousin moments ever.

After we planned Parker's surprise wedding we walked to the Jade museum. We both found out what our Mayan signs were and shopped around. By the way my Mayan sign is Ajmaq that is the sign of the sinner and dead and I found out last week that the name Kelly means war. What the heck?!? Mom and Pa what were y'all thinking??

Next up we just spent a few hours walking around Antigua. We walked to the mail square and to some of the beautiful churches they have here. We also went to a couple of cool flea market type places. It was such a gorgeous day here to be walking around. We then decided that we would take a tuk tuk back to the hotel because we had no idea where it was from the square. We ended up walking around for about 20 minutes because we couldn't find a tuk tuk. Finally we got one and after riding around for a few minutes he let us out and told us to walk a few stores over and we would be there... Wrong. Next after awhile we finally got another one and he drove us around for awhile before again he just let us out and told us to walk a block and we would be there. We got out of the tuk tuk laughing and with Ashley yelling that she was boycotting tuk tuks. Luckily he was right and after walking down a block that he could have easily driven us to we finally made it back to the hotel. Here is the hilarious part. We discovered that the hotel was about 4 stores away from the main square in Antigua where we had been standing lost forever. :)

For dinner we walked a few streets over to a restaurant called Fonda de Calle (I think). It was really cool because the kitchen was in the same room we ate in, so you could watch them cool your food. It was another meal filled with laughter. I'm so glad Ashley is here to experience all of these amazing moments with. I mean come on who else could I plan a fake surprise wedding for Parker with?

Now we are back at the hotel about to fall asleep. We have a shuttle picking us up at 4:00 AM, so we can get to the airport in Guatemala City for our 7:05 flight to BELIZE!!!
I didn't bring my computer with me, so I can't upload pictures until I get back to Pana on Sunday, but if we have Internet at our hotel there I'll keep you updated.

Hope you enjoyed our hilarious day!

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