It only took about 22 hours to book my airplane ticket, research some guesthouses, have a last minute drink with a dear friend and pack my bag before I was off to Guatemala. That’s a new record for me. I’m pretty proud of it, even if there is a footnote that I had made up my mind in the previous 48 hours.

The point of my holiday was to get away, relax, unplug, mentally recharge and enjoy my solo travels. Next time I’m going to schedule relaxation time to start in the mid-afternoon, and maybe consider not making all final preparations at the last minute.

I had a 5:15 am (yes, airplanes do fly at that time despite what I previously thought) fight to Atlanta for my connection to Guatemala City. After cramming the necessities into my backpack and making sure I took out the garbage before I left, I think I had about 90 minutes of unsettling sleep. When my alarm went off at 3:15 in the morning, I had no idea what the strange buzzing sound was. I walked directly into my door not once, but twice and now understand what real vertigo is like.

I jumped into the shower only to find myself with a handful of shampoo wondering where it came from and what I should do with it next. I’m not even remotely kidding on that one. But with a minute to spare I was packed, my bags sat on the curb and I was ready for my taxi. Only problem is that he had to stop for smokes and came rolling up a half-hour late.

I guess it can’t always be perfect.

Through the advice of several savvy travelers that had spent some time in Guatemala, I decided to forgo Guatemala City in favor of the smaller town of Antigua. One of my advise-giving friends spent quite some time in Antigua and spoke very highly of it. When I asked her what other places she visited, I was met with hesitation. Apparently, they have some pretty good “smokes” here too.

Baggage claim was easy, customs was a breeze, ATM conveniently located in the airport to pull out some local currency (Quetzales – Q: about 7.60 Q to the US Dollar). When I left the terminal I wasn’t harassed by any taxi drivers, touts, extra terrestrials or anyone else trying to sell something. I looked back to make sure I had landed in Guatemala. I took off my pro-traveler face and put on my lost-puppy look in hopes that some taxi driver would come up and see if I wanted to go someplace -- took about 30 seconds after that. I negotiated a ride directly to Antigua for $25 US. It’s only about 40 kilometers, but I wasn’t ready to deal with the chicken bus system or crammed mini-bus, so it seemed like a good investment.

It was at that point that I started to wonder if I could get a refund on tuition for my college Spanish classes. I took 4 years in high school and 3 semesters in college of Spanish. By all academic standards I was supposed to be fluent by the time I finished. Something went horrifically wrong with my language recall and I found myself going back to the universal language of grunts and pointing. My broken Thai is better than my Spanish these days. Maybe I ought to eat at Chipotle more often to improve my skills (and waistline).

We made it to the city in about a half-hour where I found a small guesthouse off a quiet side street for only $16 a night. That’s high by some standards, but the room was cute and the staff was friendly. I can find someplace cheaper another day.

I dropped my bag and set out to explore the tiny colonial village. With her cobblestone streets, cracked sidewalks and color washed plaster walls; I can understand why someone would want to stay here for a long time. I’ll save you the complete history lesson, but will offer up these quick facts: was one of the great cities of the Spanish empire, former capital of Guatemala, tons of earthquakes, churches and a healthy nightlife.

The highlight of my first day was finding The Bagel Barn which not only served up a great latte and plain bagel with a smear of cream cheese, but it also had free Wireless Internet access. That’s just about the strangest and most unexpected things I’ve ever encountered in my years of traveling. Not to forget that giving an Internet-guy free wireless in the middle of a third world country is like tapping crack right into his veins. Oh thank you, Bagel Barn. Thank you. I need a hit.

I’m spending today exploring the city, getting my obligatory traveling haircut experience and wandering the market. I’m tentatively planning on hiking up one of the surrounding volcanoes tomorrow – although the horseback ride to the rim sounds a bit more fun and a wee-bit less strenuous. I’m going to chat about it and seek advise from the young gal that runs my new guesthouse. She lived in Stillwater, Minnesota for a year not so long ago. This planet is getting far too small.

As I sit her in the central park on a beautiful day, flanked by four young Guatemalan boys, I wonder what life would have been like 50 years ago. No computers, no Internet, no convenience of modern bathrooms. Then again, I’m also wondering if my sudden cravings for Bagels aren’t just one of Pavlov’s experiments. Damn them!