Well this is my first attempt at a Travel Blog. I am most definitely no expert at this; however I would like to attempt to share since I’ve always wanted to do this! This is how I travel and my most recent adventure.

A few months back a dear soul sister, Alexa, was sharing she would be supporting a Soul Song Retreat in Guatemala the day after Christmas. Immediately I was intrigued since I was trying to go there back in 2021 on our way home from a month-long Colombia adventure. However, now that I had my experience in this magical land I can see why I didn’t end up going at that time. I wasn’t ready for all the mystical vortex energy this place has to offer.

One thing I want to share first is that I never plan and I don’t do research at all. I signed up for the Soul Song Retreat since it was a full body “fuck yes”; it was going to support my practice in holding space in ceremony and support my soul sis, Alexa. So prior to this trip I didn’t even know where Guatemala was on a map. This is the way I like to roll, full surrender. I take such delight in witnessing the magic that the universe/spirit takes me where I need to go. Highly reccomend it! With that being said, I understand not everyone likes to completely throw caution to the wind and do this; therefore I’lll be sharing about where the universe guided me on this journey.

Our first stop was Casa Kula, Tzunana, Lake Atitlan. Getting to this spot was tricky; I hired a private driver from the airport to take me to Panajachel. I went through a woman named Martha on WhatsApp (+502 3073 0413), the driver was great, we were able to stop at the bank to convert dollars to Quetzal. I was told this was the place with the best rates for conversions; I’d fact check that though. I wished I had converted more money all at once at that time since the atm fees are quite high (49.99Q/$7). A tip about the driving: yes they have uber, but I found a much more affordable, fun option with this app called inDrive. You put in Qs what you want to pay for the ride and they drivers respond with offers for your ride and then you can pick who you want to drive you and you can see their ratings. Its so great; I used it a bunch in Guatemala City and my ride from Antigua to GC. Also, there is a shuttle called Mayo Shuttle I used to travel from San Marcos to Antigua. It was awesome and cheap 150Q/$19. Their WhatsApp is +502 4770 7990; message them and they will help you get to where you need to go from any major city.

Okay back to the fun stuff, so day 1 arrived at Casa Kula that evening for the retreat. The retreat was pure magic, lots of yoga, somatic healing movement, song (of course), journaling/reflection time, we all wrote our own song and performed it at the end. We connected with our ancestral roots, did a temescal, mud bath, plant bath and hiked to a waterfall all while singing together! The lovely Manola, a local chef from Tzunana, nourished us and lead us in a song prayer over the food, everything was was so divinely orchestrated. The place is pure magic, the owners Coby and Ananda will treat you like family and take you around this stunning property, where they grow their own foods, teas and medicinal plants. Staying at this property is a full immersion with mama Gaia, the butterflies and hummingbirds are abundant. I would recommend checking out their website as they offer lots of different retreats all year long, make sure you bring bug spray, I’ll link my fav here: Bug Spray. Also bring an anti-itch bug cream, Headlamp and layers, the temperature fluctuates a lot on the lake (These recommendations apply to anywhere on the lake).

We spend a few extra days at Casa Kula and got to celebrate the New Years at Gaia, which is a magical hub for ecstatic dance in Tzunana. Check it out to have the time of your life dancing.

After our time was up in Tzsunana we headed into San Marcos; boy did I have no idea the magic that was about to ensue here. Out first night we took a recommendation to stay at the Hostel Del Lago. We had 4 of us in a shared room that was so small we had to move our bags out of the way to just close and open the door. It was hilarious, we laughed so hard and made one with the bugs in the room. The Del Lago has lake front yoga that was amazing and free included breakfast that was delicious, if you are okay with less than 5 stars sleeping arrangements then you will be fine. The view here was remarkable worth it to just check out. We only spent one night here and before we headed to our airbnb, I got this strong urge to check out this boutique we passed and had heard about called Dark Side of the Moon. What we didn’t realize is how our whole trip was about to shift after that visit.

As we were walking up to the boutique I was telling the girls about a wild dream I had the night before (dreams were out of this world while I was on the lake). I dreamt I was on a flight with an old coworker and when I saw him I was holding his dog he had been looking for, he was very happy to find his pup. The boutique owner, Anjili overheard the story, she share that the symbolism of the dream meant I had a message for this person and that whenever she dreams of someone she always lets them know, checks in on them as they may want to hear from you. Well I reached out to the old coworker, told him about the dream and pretty sure he thought I was cray, oh well! That conversation lead into 3 hours of Anjili sharing her infinite wisdom of Kink, Therapy, Yoga, Healing, Transmuting trauma and all things pleasure. We were enamored by her wisdom and ability to hold space for us. At one moment she looked at me and said, “You are going to cry?” I was quickly defensive and denied it but within a short time I was crying about some suppressed trauma that was stirred in me.

Us with Anjili in the middle after Orgasmic Breathwork.

Well that was the beginning of many hours we spent nestled inside the arms of this beautiful woman. She holds space unlike anyone I’ve witnessed and I’ve been in therapy since I was 17. I can feel the depth of work she’s done and I knew she was the person to hold space my depth of trauma. Boy was I right; I had the opportunity to do a 3 hour intensive therapy session with her which incorporated a number of modalities; IFS parts work, inner child work, anger therapy so much release happened I ended up purging off her balcony and she held me while I processed some deep parts that were hidden, life changing experience to move through that level of emotions without plant medicine. That session changed me, I am so grateful for her and all she is doing. Go see her if you are in town, tell her and Doe I said hi. https://www.anjilirussell.com

One of our first events in San Marcos we did a Mayan Cacao ceremony with Izaias at Lava Love. It was the longest cacao ceremony I’ve been to, lasting 5 hours, also the most impactful. We sat around the fire were able to pray together, offer blessings to the fire, listen to Izaias and his families profound wisdom. Highly recommend if you are in town.

We had the opportunity to do two Lotus Ceremonies with the @Lotus.Alchemist Illup Gravengaard one at Gaia on NYE and a more in depth one at the Temple for Umbilical Arts, @_Ixbalam. Ceremony is a beautiful way to try all the colors of the rainbow in different lotus blends that he personally curates blends of tinctures and shares an accompanying fragrance with each. The ceremonies involved meditation, live music and soulful connection, must do!

Morning Yoga at Eagles Nest. The view is so worth the hike up, its quite a trek; I think you can take a tuk-tuk but I prefer the challenge of hiking. The yoga was mediocre, it was hiphop/twerking yoga, which wasn’t exactly my jam. The view was incredible and the breakfast was so delicious, I had the avocado toast. The yoga instructor mentioned she had just done a sunrise hike with Henry and it was an hilarious Rastafarian tour guide and an incredible experience. My spirit nudged me that it was all systems go for that. I got Henry’s contact, what’s app +502 5236 7172 by noon we were set to depart the next am at 4am for the sunrise hike with Rastaman Henry.

We were picked up for the Indian Nose sunrise hike in a tuktuk at 4:15 in San Marcos and shuttled to the new town where we got on the shuttle to the Indian nose trailhead. It was pitch-black when we started the hike so not much to see on the way in, bring a headlamp. Henry is absolutely hilarious and loves himself more than any human I’ve met, will make you smile. he shares lots of fun facts along the way like how there are 37 volcanoes in Guatemala and 5 active. We hiked for about 40 mins to the summit where we had fresh made coffee and bread while we watched the sunrise next to the erupting El Fuego, which I get to meet unclose and personal in the near future, spoiler alert :). (Recommend taking a time-lapse, it come outs so cool with sunrise and the volcano eruptions.). At the top Henry takes some epic photos for you and the group and then you hike down and will be back home by 8 - Excellent way to start the day!!

We did some serious shopping in San Juan and had some solid laughs trying to barter in English. We had so much fun in San Jun we forgot that the last boat shuttle back to San Marcos was at 5 and we missed it by about 30 mins. We worked our magic and by magic I mean money to get a someone to take us back. Note the boat shuttle times if you don’t want to have to spend extra dinero.

San Juan shopping negotiation fiasco

Happy Dance for successful negotiations over $5.

My last morning in San Marcos we went to a little pool party at Kula Maya and enjoyed the pool and live music, stunning views! Then the last adventure was a slumber party love fest at Mystical Yoga farm. This was an all day affair, the boat left San Marcos at 1pm and we arrived at the farm at 2 to the most magical welcome ever. The whole crew was singing, drumming, hugging and welcoming us, it was the best. We were welcomed in and given a tour of this beautiful property where every nook and crevice is adorned with spiritually uplifting quotes. Such as:

“ If you can’t figure out your purpose figure out your passion . For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” Virya

The day at Mystical Yoga Farm was action packed with yoga, sound healing, the largest Cacao ceremony they had ever had, temescal, singing circle, delicious foods and my favorite part - the most incredible star gazing. I asked to see a shooting star if I’m on the right path and within minutes I saw the most incredible one I’ve seen, thanks universe.

Food in San Marcos: El Buho was my favorite, get the Mushroom wrap or the Pad Thai. The Circle Bakery has the best carrot cake I’ve ever had in my life. Nectar has an amazing buffalo burger as well as Amolo, we found out they have a buffalo farm in Antigua. We had a nice dinner at Vida while they had open mic live music. Zen Eats was yummy too. One thing to note is put on your patience cap when it comes to restaurants here, they take their timeeee.

Recommendations for San Marcos

The next day my new friend Damany and I took the Mayo shuttle to Antigua and it was so easy and cheap. I stayed at a cheap airbnb called Hotel Las Piletas, wasn’t the nicest but worked for $45. I spent the day walking around taking it in looking for the best things to do on my last day. The best shopping I found was Mercado Municipal De Artesanias, Nim Po’t and Cafe and La Merced. Most of the vendors in these shops are all selling the same things, make sure you shop around a bit for the best prices.

The next day was my most epic adventure of my trip and maybe my life, hiking Acatenango.

Recommendations for Anitgua

A little background before I share about the hike; I first heard about Acatenango the day I landed in Guatemala, my friend Ryan messaged me on instagram and asked, “Knowing you, you’re hiking Acatenango?” I hadn’t heard of it but was immediately down the google rabbit hole looking at insane photos of a erupting volcano and headlines saying “hardest hike of my life” and “I almost didn’t make it.” Perfect, I’m in.

I spend sometime looking at different options for tours up the volcano and I found one that said provides jackets, gloves, hats and meals and it was $193, so I booked it. For a one week my ticket said pending until two days before they canceled my ticket saying they can’t do the tour for one person, ultimate let down. I ended up finding a group tour on Viator via Get your Guide that provided, jackets, hats, gloves, meals and transportation, all for $49. I was nervous; this seemed too good to be true, but was I wrong, viva Ruta Ideal!

They picked me up in the morning at 9ish, we went to their “office” to get the jackets and meals. I was able to leave my suitcase there while we went on the hike. It was another 45 min drive till we got to the trailhead. We had the opportunity to rent poles at the base and one of our tribe members was lucky enough to meet someone coming down with them, so maybe you’ll get a pair for free from a kind soul finishing. I paid 50Q to rent them, it was so worth it for me and my patellafemoral knees. First bit of the hike is like a straight incline, like no mercury black volcano slippery pebbles rocks ascent. I seriously under estimated this bad boy. I thought it was prepared with the hikes I do around LA, but this was way more intense and the elevation was higher so double whammy.

We started around 11am and it’s fully exposed and very hot the first part, so I reccomend wearing layers, I wished I wore shorts and wished I didn’t bring 3 pairs of pants. I over packed and my bag was too heavy, when we were about halfway up I paid the tour to shuttle my bag, 200Q. It was a total cop out, but I was miserable and they were able to throw the bag in a truck so they didn’t have to carry it the whole way. That was a huge relief and I was able to start acutally enjoying socializing with the group. I loved meeting all the different people in our Wolf pack, as we were named by our tour guide Luis. We kept laughing and saving our name was Tortuga, Turtle Team since we were slow. It was a brutal hike and most definitely not for the faint of heart. We got to the campsite at 4, which was these large 5 person tents that we got to get situated for 40 mins and then we had the option to hike over to El Fuego. They said it was 300 meters and it didn’t feel like that, we got to to el Fuego at 6 right while the sun was setting, it was so magical.

Watching the volcano erupting in front of us was one of the most incredible experience of me life. A moment of pure exhilaration, awe and reverence for the magnificent that is this life. How fleeting it all is, how it could end if this baby blows right now, how it is like this is every moment and how impermanent it all is. My whole body felt electric witnessing this majesty of El Fuego. We stayed in awe for about 40 minutes and watched her erupt about 3 times and it got so cold from the wind I was ready to get back. We hiked back which was a massive undertaking as we had to go back down and then go back up again to our campsite, it was 2.8miles and 1,548 elevation gain round trip to the campsite. We got back around 8:30 and we were starved! Spaghetti sautéed in butter and tomatoes was delicious.

The next morning we had the option to hike for sunrise up to the the top of Acatenango. I woke up at 4:30 after barely sleeping with as massive headache, the eruptions are so loud and one was so massive it shook out tent and the door flew open, the dogs were barking all night and one of our neighbor were playing loud music in the middle of the night, so bring headphones! I started the hike with the gang and made it about 30 minutes and I needed to turn around. I am pretty sure I had elevation sickness and we were going straight up, I needed to go back and rest. We rested for a bit and hiked down at 8. It was soooo slippery on the way down, I fell a few times, do not reccomend wearing old worn out sneaker with no grip, you’ll be ice skating like me. It was actually harder on the way down since your whole body is trying to stablize the whole time. We were all done by 11ish and home in Antigua by 1.

A victory shower at Tamarindo Sapphire Room (Last Airbnb) was so satisfying; washing the volcano ash from between my toes felt like such an accomplishment. I was daydreaming about where my victory meal was going to be, at this point I hadn’t had a good meal in Antigua yet. I found this place called Rainbow Cafe that was so yummy and perfect (linked above). Then I met my two new Canadian friends to go check out Hobbitenango. We went to the Office in town and they have a package with the ticket and shuttle for 95Q. We got there at 4 and found out they close at 6, we decided to go check it out even though they recommended having at least 2 hours to see everything. My new friends were turbo like me, so I knew we could see this place in 2 hours.

The shuttle ride up is about 25 mins. We got to explore everything within 45 mins. Its like an amusement park for adults, we took tons of fun pictures, did archery, axe throwing, played bags, Jenga, all in time to make the 6 o’clock shuttle. It was perfect. I had my last meal at PorQue No and it was delicious and an experience, I loved our waiter Allan, he was also a tour guide for Acatenango the night before too. We bonded and he shared some of his epic shots with his fancy not iphone. Grateful for that connection.

The next day I went to explore Guatemala City for a day and they highlight there was the 5 course meal I had at Diaca. It was an such an experience, all the ingredients are locally and ethically sourced. They only use male fish to cook with, so they don’t disrupt the population. Such wonderful food, staff was like family, ambiance was beautiful too. A must do in GC.

Loved Guatemala! I can’t wait to get back and explore more - Love and blessings until then :)

Guatemala

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