Rocking that *International* Paradise

A bunch of small villages ring Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and each has its own flavor and reason to visit.  Some are tourist-free, some are transportation hubs (of lake traffic only), some tout themselves as yoga retreats, and some are hotspots for backpackers.  A friend of mine has been telling me about the glories of San Pedro, one of the towns which draws backpackers, for some time now, and Amy was itching to return after a very short visit in December.  So, when presented with a 3 day weekend in March, Amy and I booked a room with a view of the lake and set off to explore what San Pedro has to offer.  After a beautiful 3 hour drive, we left our car in an overnight parking lot in Panajachel and took the public boat across the lake to San Pedro.  We stepped off the boat and set out to find our hotel on foot.  When we asked for directions, we were told, “first street…left…about an 8 minute walk.”  When the first street came to a dead end with no ...

I’ve been to plenty of formal dances in my lifetime.  Prom, weddings, “band formals,” homecoming celebrations…I’ve been there.  But there’s something about the word “ball” which makes an event infinitely more special.  Last weekend, I attended the British Ball at the home of the British Ambassador to Guatemala.  It’s a fundraising event, and every year a large group of teachers from my school buy tickets and partake in a night of dressing up, eating good food, and lots and lots of dancing.  It was my first year attending the ball, and I was supremely excited.  I was lucky enough to borrow a stunning gown from a friend.  In the afternoon, Steph and I went to a salon and got our hair done.  Then we returned to my house with Amy, and the three of us spent the next several hours modeling various shoes, getting dressed, and putting on make-up, all while blasting music throughout the house.  There’s nothing like some good girl bonding...

Some weekend activities you plan and look forward to for weeks.  Sometimes, the plans fall into your lap the day of, and the day turns into one of the best in a long while.  Saturday afternoon, I was invited to hang out at the rooftop pool of my friend Chris’s new apartment building.  So I grabbed my towel and sunglasses, and approximately half an hour later, I stepped off the elevator onto the 15 th floor and into the sunshine to be greeted by my friends and a spectacular view of Guatemala City.  I crossed the wood floors, took in the view of comfortable patio furniture, the bar, the fire pit, the hot tub and the infinity pool overlooking the city skyline.  After shedding my outer layers, I dipped my toes into the pool to find it to be heated .  I am not sure I recall the last time I had the luxury of a heated pool.  We spent the entire afternoon floating, laughing, soaking, lounging on the patio beds and basking in the sunshine, sitting...