We arrived late at night in Panajachel, Guatemala…right smack on Lake Atitlan. I walked from cheap hotel to cheap hotel, looking for something that was budget-worthy, and yet had room for all of the kids (including Ethan’s little pop-up tent that goes on the floor). I found this little gem that cost a bit more than I had hoped–but reasonable enough: $450 Quetzales ($57 USD). It was a holiday week, so prices were higher...

Shortly after crossing the Guatemalan border, we found ourselves on simple country roads with small homes scattered here and there. It immediately felt a tad bit more “rustic” than what we were used to in Mexico. Women carried huge bundles of firewood on their head, and people lingered outside of roadside shops. We saw bottle after bottle in front of driveways, indicating that they sold gasoline by the gallon/bottle (yes—they use...

I don’t mean to sound negative lately. Usually my blog posts are about all of the wonderful things–because I admit–most of my traveling experiences are fairly wonderful!  However, our crossing into Guatemala was not one of those experiences. We arrived in Tapachula with the intentions of spending the night and crossing the border into Guatemala first thing in the morning. There are many cautionary tales about this town,...