For some time I have been looking forward to exploring Guatemala & Honduras. It has been two years since I last shot photography in Latin America, I was a teaching photography for National Geographic Expeditions in Ecuador, and I had been dying to get back. Traveling throughout Latin America is always a unique experience. The cultures are ancient and mystifying, the land is rough and wild and the trips are always full of adventure. Sarah Maddocks, my girlfriend, accompanied me on this trip, as she does with most of my photography travels.
Day 1: Arrival
After a short layover in Dallas and a relatively quick plane ride, Sarah and I landed in the sprawling metropolitan capital known as Guatemala City late in the night. Although I never like to make set plans, I arranged for a vehicle to pick us up and take us to our hostel for the night. Guatemala City, like most major capitals in Latin America, is a dangerous place. Many parts of the city are over run with gang violence and two gringos walking through the streets at night, might just attract the wrong kind of attention that I usually enjoy throughout my travels.
As our vehicle pulls up to what appears to be a checkpoint with two armed guards, I suddenly become more attentive. I soon realize that we are not entering a military zone, but the protected neighborhood where our hostel resides. Oh it is good to be back in Central America. The owner of the hostel is friendly and the rooms are relatively clean…
we even have an almost luke warm shower, a very sought after amenity in this part of the world. We eat our egg, ham and cheese sandwiches that were provided to us and fall fast asleep. Tomorrow we head to the picturesque town of Antigua, the old capital of Guatemala.
