Our last update from Guatemala

Well it is currently 3:30 am and I am sitting in the bathroom writing this blog update so as not to wake the rest of the family. On Wednesday we went to our 7:30 am visa appointment, which did not start until 8:45 am. The appointment was not difficult, as we had Jenny the Paperwork Maestro on our team. It was just a review of the documents followed by more waiting and then a quick trip to the window to hear we were approved and could pick up the visa on Thursday at 3:30 pm. Here are Jenny and the kids on the way to the visa appointment.



By the time we left the US Embassy, we were all starving for lunch and we headed back to our hotel and ate at the food court in the commercial area under the hotel. We thought we might go to IRTRA, but decided to save that until Thursday morning. Instead we came back up to the room and worked on the logistics needed to get the hotel room extended one night, change all the flights and book Luis a ticket home.

For dinner we wanted to celebrate so we went to the Nais Aquarium restaurant in the Oakland Mall. Luis, as well as the rest of the family, had enjoyed it when we went there on our empathy study so we thought it would be a good pick. Wow! Luis, Christopher and Caroline had an awesome time. Luis loved watching the fish and could not contain his excitement with the eels, rays, or sharks. Here is a shot of us at the aquarium.



Yesterday we got up and headed to IRTRA. It is an amusement park in Guatemala City. It is undergoing a lot of renovation right now but that did not stop us from having a great time. They have rides, a dinosaur themed play area and a zoo. Here are some shots from our morning at the park.








After returning to the hotel, I headed to the Embassy to pick up the Visa and Immigration Packet for Luis. There were no surprises, the 3:30 pick up time really meant 4:15, but the visa was correct and I could hardly contain my excitement.

When I arrived back at the hotel, Jenny had already done most of the repacking that was needed and we were planning a pizza/movie night with the Return of the Jedi. Although Luis does not understand all of the dialogue, he gets the main storyline and loved the show and the pizza to go with it. With all the excitement of our trip home today and the movie, the kids were pretty crazy, and Jenny and I were too. But we managed to get everyone to sleep by 9:30 or 10 o'clock. Now it is almost time to wake them up so we can catch the shuttle to the airport for out flight this morning. Can't wait to get back into the states with the whole family today.