DAY 44a
Week 7
ANTIGUA GUATEMALA ~ Getting My Bearings (Sacatepéquez, GTM)
Saturday April 27th, 2019
TODAYS MILEAGE – 1,858 miles / 2,990 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 19,591 miles / 31,529 kilometres
My flight arrived just on 1PM at Guatemala City’s Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, at which time I spent just over an hour clearing Immigration and then another 15 minutes navigating the crowded Arrivals hall in search of my pre-aranged transfer service.
My final destination for the day would be the adjoining town of Antigua Guatemala, that according to my transfer driver, on a good day would take under an hour - give or take.
Today wasn't my day it seems, as it took just over 2 hours in bumper to bumper traffic to cover the 40 kilometre (25 mile) journey. Not that I had any dramas with it, I just took it all in from the co-pilots seat, while picking up parts of the drivers and his girlfriend’s conversation, as he decided to bring her along as well.
I got my accommodations sorted and hit the streets with the intention of securing some of the local Guatemalan Quetzales (GTQ) currency, which currently runs 5.35 to the AUD or 7.645 to the USD. This turned into a bit of a mission as either the ATM’s would only allow a maximum of 200 GTQ - if they had currency available ..... and that’s if the ATM was working at all. The bank was a no-go as it had a queue for Africa at 15 minutes to closing and I didn't have my passport to proceed with any transaction. In the end I settled on taking what was available - 200 QTC’s, and will sort it out on Monday.
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