...and several more funny things happened after we got there. To me humor is the dessert of life, it should be enjoyed early and often. Here area few tidbits from our Guatemala trip. The night before our trip, Reed got a confirmation from the Westin for our hotel stay April 12-21--2012. Due to a small typo on Reed's part, we would need to wait in the lobby for a year for our room to be ready. Reed e-mailed the Westin to correct the date but, meanwhile, got on line to see if rooms were available there this April. According to their internet site, they were not. Reed's e-mail had not been answered and I didn't relish the idea of getting in at 9 p.m. and trying to find a hotel in a huge non-English speaking city, so Reed had just finished booking rooms at the Crowne Plaza when the confirmation arrived from the Westin. Treat 1.
After a 13 hour day of traveling we arrived at the Westin around 10 p.m. and attempted to check in. I use the word attempted because Reed's company credit card was declined. This has happened before when the bookkeeper has paid credit cards bills, but not necessarily for the card Reed is using. No problem. We whip out our Visa card. It, too, is declined. Fortunately we were checking in at the same time as Carl, the Pilatus expert, who flew in from Boise to assist Reed. He offered the use his credit card. After we got to our room, we realized a large charge from Guatemala might be viewed as fraudulent by the swifter credit card companies and we probably should have called ahead of time to let them know it was okay. We called. Treat 2.
Once in our room all I wanted to do was brush my teeth and go to bed. The toothpaste was in the travel kit in Reed's suitcase, which was locked. The problem was not that we didn't have a key, we didn't have a lock. Some luggage inspector had obviously confused our bag with someone else's and put their lock on ours. So we called for a maintenance man who used pliers and a screwdriver to break the lock off. Treat 3.
The Westin proved to be an uncomfortably fancy place for me so, when Carl returned to the U.S., I booked us a room at the Radisson. The suites there were much bigger and the atmosphere, though upscale, was more casual. I had already informed the Westin that we would be checking out sooner than scheduled, but was embarrassed to tell them why. However, we had to tell the conscientious concierge who was hailing a cab for us where we were going. He was, of course, appalled that we would leave a fine establishment like the Westin for the lowly Radisson, but he gave the driver our destination. The driver turned around and gave us a questioning look. We soon discovered why--the Radisson was two blocks away. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to trundle all our portable worldly goods down the crowded, crime infested streets from hotel to hotel, but I'm sure he wondered why even an American would call a cab to go two blocks. Treat 4.
Both of the hotels we stayed in offered only a buffet for breakfast; it was expensive and way more food than we wanted so we only indulged a couple of times, but at the Radisson buffet, I managed to communicate that I wanted "te decafinado", decaf tea. I was quite pleased with my Spanish skills until the waiter brought me Sanka. When I explained again that I wanted tea, not coffee, he brought three tins of loose tea. I selected a rose flavor and told him that I like milk with my tea. He came back with a tea bag and cup of hot milk to brew my tea in. I tried it, it wasn't half bad, but that was the last time I requested milk with my tea in Guatemala. The waiter probably didn't have many such requests and it was certainly a first for me. Treat 5.
In spite of all the treats, travel is not as stressful for us now as when Reed first started traveling for work. When our kids were at home and money was tight, I could only go if I could fly for free on the company planes. If the departure schedule changed, and it often did, we literally could not afford to buy me a ticket home, even on a bus, so we had to be pretty sure I would have a ride both ways. Anything extra we might spend for traveling would cut into our limited income when the credit card came due, so we budgeted carefully not to exceed what we would have spent at home. I have always been willing to forfeit little extravagances like eating for an opportunity to travel, but it is nice to be at a point in life where I can afford to eat if I want to. Especially the treats.
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