​Although not before a little drama!

The first bit of drama came last night.  We noticed that it was possible that the economy parking lot at O’Hare might be full when we arrived, so it was necessary to investigate external parking garages. Fortunately, we arranged to find a very nice one that ended up being less expensive than parking at O’Hare and it gave us a nice shuttle right to the curb.  I  think they will get my business in the future… much more reassuring and easy than self-parking and being responsible for getting all of our luggage to the terminal.   Between the 9 of us we had 17 checked suitcases and several carry-ons.  Twelve of the 17 checked bags were ounces shy of 50 pounds each, so not that easy to maneuver!!

We flew Copa Airlines which is the national airline based in the country of Panama.  The majority of the passengers were from Central and South America and so the gate agents spoke Spanish by default.   I was pleasantly surprised how much I understood, but fortunately, they repeated all instructions in English.

When we arrived at the ticketing counter there were no agents there. Even though Copa suggested we arrive 3 hours in advance of our flight, there was no one at the ticketing counter until two hours before flight time.  So, that was an hour of standing around I would have liked to avoid.  However, unlike a domestic carrier like Delta, there are only a few flights from Chicago each day and therefore no need to staff the counter all day.  I understand that.

After passing through security in the international terminal,  we picked from the highly overpriced airport meals.  We paid $76 for four cheeseburgers,  fries and sodas.  The fries left a lot to be desired but the burger was awesome.

Our connection was in Panama City,  in the country of Panama.  I thought it was cool to be visiting another country even if it was only for an opportunity to be in their airport for an hour.  Someone had left behind the local newspaper so that made a very good souvenir for me!

The seats were roomy, even for a large person like me!  Sarah thought it was cool that the illuminated ceiling lights were blue and that the overhead bins were slanted and rotated upward to close.  Those features made the cabin appear larger.

The in-flight food was decent.   The fact that there WAS a meal is not to be taken for granted!  On the leg from Chicago to Panama City I had cheese ravioli with salad, a roll and some Lorna Doone shortbread cookies.  On the shorter leg from Panama City to Guatemala, I had a chicken empanada and some dried plaintain chips.

We arrived in Guatemala safely, but unfortunately not unscathed.  Of the 17 checked suitcases, only 9 came off the belt.  Eight checked bags didn’t make it to Guatemala, including five of the seven that are destined for the school, two for Lake Atitlan containing donations  (including the base of the ultrasound machine) and the suitcase containing John and Scott’s clothes!

The airline says they should have our luggage by tomorrow at noon.  I hope so!

We finally got to our hotel at midnight.

After a long travel day, it would ordinarily be difficult to get up early the next day, but I am excited to meet Manuel (our contact at the Canton Rio Camanibal school) and Estuardo  (the eldest son of our friend Victor).  We will have the opportunity to enjoy the company and ride getting to better know the individuals we’ve only corresponded with online!