Finally arriving in Vista Hermosa in Guatemala City, Shesita and I started looking for our hotel.  She had a meeting at 8:00 am at the university, and we both had one at 11:00 am.  Like in any other major city, traffic can be heavy and chaotic first thing in the morning, so a hotel and taxi ride rather than a long commute from a friend’s house seemed the best option.

Unfamiliar with the area, we opted to use Google maps, but we struggled to find the entrance into the neighborhood of the hotel.  Finally, after turning around to head the right direction, we asked a security guard.  He indicated where to go, but once we got in the neighborhood, we still couldn’t find the place.

Not to worry. Shesita’s iPhone with a GPS app could help out.  According to the app, we needed to cross back over to the other side of the boulevard.  Venturing back out in traffic, we found our way across the congested road and followed directions to enter a gated community.  As I fumbled to give them my driver’s license information through their automated machine, the guard asked our destination.  We told him the name of the hotel and he opened the gate and waved us through.  Circling around the neighborhood, we found the street, but no hotel.  Looking back at Google maps, we decided the app didn’t work and drove back into traffic to cross back to the other side.

This time, we got smart, we would call the hotel.  We forgot the day before there were two different numbers, but after some time we found the right one.  The woman said they had been awaiting our arrival.  Shesita told them we were a little lost and could they give us directions from our current location.

“Vista Hermosa?” the woman asked “We’re in Tecpan!”

Tecpan?  Why would we book a hotel in Tecpan, nearly 2 hours from our destination?

The woman assured us there was another hotel in the area and gave us the name and number.  Shesita called the number.  “Sorry, wrong number, but I can give you the right one,”  said the person on the other line.  Great, so Shesita then called the new number, but we got the same response.  We tried a third time, the same response.

Frustrated, tired, and hungry, we agreed the hotel probably didn’t exist.  Now what?  We had been driving for over four hours in traffic and it was nearly 7:00 pm.  Traffic  was at a standstill.  We had thought by now we’d be resting in our hotel room.

Shes started looking up hotels on her iPhone, but the internet dragged along, kind of like the traffic.  I called some friends, and they confirmed there were no hotels in the area we were in and recommended we head back towards downtown.  Another friend agreed to help and make some phone calls for us.  In a few minutes, he called back with a reservation for the Howard Johnson.  At 8:00 pm we arrived at the hotel, thankful for a place to sleep and a restaurant to get something to eat.

Despite our hunger and fatigue, we laughed at our adventure.  We knew the meetings the next day held big possibilities.  We weren’t about to give in to frustration and despair, but thanked God for the adventure and a great place to stay.  As it turned out, the hotel’s location was ideal for travel to the university, our meetings went well, and we eagerly await what lies ahead, trusting His leading.

Tips:   Confirm the addresse the next time you book a hotel online.  If a hotel mentions a farm in the advertisement, it may be a clue your hotel is not in town.  Check the address.