The end of Earth Lodge and the Beginning of Antigua

N and I have officially finished our stay at Earth Lodge on the side of a mountain outside of Antiqua, Guatemala. That place is AWESOME! I will post some pictures later (I actually went to a market to buy a USB cable then left it in the room when I went to the Internet Cafe..)

The bathroom.

N and I stayed two nights in the Earth Lodge Treehouse room. This isn´t some room at the same level as the trees, it is actually a room built into an old oak tree. While laying in bed you reach off to the side and put your cell phone and keys on a table that was screwed into the side of the tree. Across from the bed is an entire wall that is a plate glass window looking out across a huge valley with the volcanoes in the distance. As someone who grew up in the mountains, the view was astounding.

Look at how manly I am!

While not rocking a treehouse (both figuratively and literally) Earth Lodge has a lot to offer. Smoothies made from fresh fruit, the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich I have ever eaten (pan fried in a pool of garlic butter), crazy and friendly hippies, dogs and cats to pet, and some really interesting people to talk too. In front of the main lodge area you can lay in a hammock and read a book on the edge of the mountain, hike through local corn fields to the top of the mountain, or just sit outside and play pictionary with random strangers.

My attempt at an artsy-fartsy photo.

Each night at 7pm is the family style dinner. Everyone files into the main lodge area and sits around the tables and an absolute ton of food is distributed. Most of it is local cuisine but they also bring out some recognizable dishes (garlic bread or rice) for the less adventurous of us. Both meals I ate there were delightful and I actually found that there is a type of squash I enjoy (at least while fried up with butter and onions) and when tomatoes are fresh and lightly grilled I will eat them all night long. 

A bit of the inside of the cabin.

If you are considering a stay in Guatemala you will be doing yourself a favor if you stop by Earth Lodge and stay a few nights. Be warned though, this isn´t a 5 star hotel. You will be roughing it a bit, there are things like giant tarantulas wandering around, and you won´t find a bathroom attached to the room you are sleeping in. I made it without being molested by wildlife and I bet you can too.

The view from just about any point in Antigua

Now that we are done at Earth Lodge we got a ride down the mountain and are currently in the city of Antigua. Antigua is a pretty touristy place but pretty fun so far. All the roads are cobblestone and every building is painted a brilliant shade of color that has no bearing on it´s neighbours. There are people everywhere walking, talking, making out, and wearing some very beautiful and bright clothing.

If you look closely the water shoots out of the statues tits. ALL the fountains in Antigua shoot water from tits.

Its not sexy unless you do it in public.

We haven´t done too much since getting in besides chores and eating giant sandwiches (picking up a SIM chip, banking, etc.) but we did get to visit the local market. HOLY CRAP! The market is intense. You will be walking along a narrow hallway where every good, food, and thing you can imagine is being sold. Of course you can barter with the good natured mercantiles and they seem to enjoy the activity (although I am pretty sure I have over paid for everything I bough there). I picked up a switchblade for 10 bucks (you never know when you have to stab someone), and I managed to buy a belt since walking around a city with one hand holding up your pants makes you look like a pervert.

I have to say that so far I am loving Guatemala. The people are nice, everything is super cheap, the food is wonderful, and the scenery is beautiful. I hope people visit!

All I wanted to do was eat that sandwich and she made me take a picture...

 Mmmm Sandwich

(Todays Rant Begins Here)

TRAVELLERS CHECKS SUCK! Do not ever buy, use, think about, talk about, wonder about, or consider using travellers checks. I spent a grand total of 2 hours of my day today sitting in banks while people attempted to turn my travellers checks into money while ATM´s that will accept my debit card flash wondrously behind me. One lady told me she could only accept 3 ($100 increments) had me sign them, then told me the line was busy and to come back 3 hours later. We did so only to have her tell me she still couldn´t call them (American Express) despite me, not 10 minutes earlier, turning in some travellers checks at a bank down the road. That bank, of course, only took 2 of my checks... So now I have 3 useless travellers checks (you can only cash them in if you sign them in front of the person you are giving them to) and no Quetezales (the local currency).

Seriously, what is the fucking point of these things? It costs 1% of your total to buy travellers checks and international banking fees on a debit card are 1%. There is literally no point to travellers checks. AND to top it all off N told me not to buy them so now I have to start my marriage off by admitting she is right! This can´t bode well...

I think tomorrow I am going to call American Express and told them they were all stolen so they will deposit the money back into my checking account so I can use my debit card. Just don´t tell N...

(Todays Rant Ends Here)

Traveling to Guatemala and getting to Earth Lodge

Nitivia (hereafter referred to as N) and I left Reno, NV at a wonderful 7am in order to get on our 9am flight to San Francisco, then Houston, then Guatemala.

Little did we know that clouds are a barrier to planes so we were unable to take off from the Reno airport until 1pm. Of course we missed our flight to Guatemala so we ended up staying in Houston! On the plus side we got to fly between San Francisco to Houston on a new 767-300 with our own TV's with touch screens that we got to pick our watching pleasure for free (I watched "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Pineapple Express," both movies you should check out).

(Begin Rant)
United was kind enough to tell us where we can find a phone to book hotel reservations but despite our missing our Guatemala connection due to their incompetence as well as the weather. We would have been able to fly out on another flight if they had announced the one were were on was delayed (at 1pm when we boarded it was still listed on the board as EARLY), or had enough people working the counter (1 person for the 50 re-bookings they had to do) we could have re-booked on the direct flight to Houston and made our connection. So don't fly United they are not only incompetent but rude. When I mentioned the board still had the incorrect information and gate listed and maybe they could change it or announce flights were being delayed over the loudspeaker the United "Customer Service" Representative told me to "mind your own business." N and I actually had to help an old Guatemalan man find the right gate and get on the plane because they wouldn't...
(End Rant)

What can I say about Houston.

Yeah that about sums it up...

We managed to get a whopping 5 hours of sleep and began day 2 of the journey at a sweet-ass 5:45am (apparently when I asked the hotel booking lady on the phone to give me a hotel close to the airport that means 45 minutes away...) Security was nice, the gentleman groping me was courteous and had a nice firm grip.

Our plane managed to take off (flying through clouds today, I guess they fixed the planes can't go through clouds problem overnight). Surprisingly enough it actually only takes 3 hours to get to Guatemala which was pretty sweet.

Once we got to Guatemala we got a shuttle to Antigua and managed to convince the shuttle driver to drop us off at Earth Lodge even though that wasn't part of his job description (it's amazing what money can do for you).

Earth lodge is wonderful. We are staying in a literal tree house which is amazing. You know what the most amazing part is though? I met another IO psychologist here! I haven't run into another IO psychologist outside of a conference yet in my life but I go to a lodge with 30 people in the middle of nowhere Guatemala and HERE IS ONE. I told her to get me a job but I don't think she is going to do that...

This is our treehouse we stayed in. That first building was our bathroom and the building in the back is the actual place we slept!

We took some pictures of stuff but there isn't any way to upload photos here (I think the internet is carried down to town by a guy and a mule). Once we get done with out day of food, relaxation, and making the tree sway we will be heading down the mountain into Antigua where N assures me I can get the SIM card for my phone and an internet connection where we can upload a few photos for ya'll.

Update! Photos of EarthLodge:

The view of the back of the mountain.

This is the actual lodge portion of EarthLodge. In here we ate, drank, watched a movie, read books while it rained, and enjoyed the company of other travellers.

The view from our treehouse.

The view from the lodge. In the back are volcanoes. The one on the right is active and while sitting on the porch you could actually see it belching clouds of volcano spunk into the air.