Mitul Shah
Guatemala
last day. in antigua again, waiting for shuttle to the city. feels weird but excited to be back in nyc
solo travel good cus it allows u do cooler shit and more opportunity for being with locals
solo travel bad cus no one to capture u doing all the cool shit or anyone to share the memories with
in my opinion, the abuela in the cocina cooking each meal one by one isnt a bad thing
more time to relax, spend with ur friends and yourself
i was in antigua for two nights in preparation for the hike but i hurt my shin pretty bad on nye and had to postpone.
it was my first time seeing a doc overseas.
i had a few options, stay in antigua until im better, go to el paredon a beach town, go livingston a caribbean town.
i decided to gun it overnight to livingston and glad i did. the culture is notably different and there’s not many tourists
it’s 2026. i’ve spent the past few days just hanging around in san pedro on lake atitlan. i miss the heat and sun of el salvador but it’s nice to be here.
nye was perfect. all i wanted was to spend time with people im familiar with, watch the fireworks over the lake, share a kiss, do some fireworks myself and just hang out. it was all of that.
and im happy!
today i’m in guatemala! a rather uneventful day- i could have done a better job at planning but i think this time (aka 2 days) to take things slow and rest and get over a cold is important.
wanted to grab bus for 830am, but it was full so catched 11am. meaning i was up from 630am and did mostly nothing for half the day.
the tiktok rot is extremely evident on busses. i watched a lady scroll fb for five hours straight, and kid next to me on tiktok.
arrived in guatemala city, the plan was to be in lake atitlan but being dropped off in a random parking lot with little battery and no data (completely forgot i bought an esim for this case) and no cash - i didnt have the energy to figure things out. esp considering i was alone. very different to how i was travelling in colombia with someone.
not all hope is lost though. i met two brown folk and we went to an indian restaurant where the owner was so excited to see us. he shared gifts and took large interest in us. it was a great experience
also nice to have different food for the first time in twonweeks
got my beard done in a street full of brothels? for buck 50
spent the day searching for colones but no luck
scammed and spent $1 on 1 lempira and felt like an idiot but we will live
got some nice souvenirs for home
had an extremely eventful day
tmrw we go guatemala
everyone is happier. im happier. community is always important. capitalism is great but also horrible. tiktok is rotting the world. you should care more. you should approach everyday with a zen mind. always optimize for fun.
some quick notes as i havent been updating this as much as id like. i rly need to improve the mobile experience.. onwards:
el salvador has been the safest country i’ve been to. i feel safer here than nyc. there has been countless things ive done or have happened where i would have been either robbed or dead in most latam countries
travelling latam is fun because you’ll likely travel with same people for weeks on end, as there’s only two routes.
life should feel like a never ending adventure and travel is best way to accelerate that
my back feels exhausted
street food here (beyond pupusas) has been rly good
this is not a popular country, so tourists are appreciated and welcomed with open arms
people here stare a lot and i love it. i always stare back and we smile (note: not sure if because im tourist or how i look)
the freshness of fruits in latam is unbeatable
some other things that aren’t necessarily related
people from privileged backgrounds complaining about the quality of developing country are my least favourite; it seems to be more people this trip than less
the mayan villages have incredibly beautiful people. i’m in constant awe
america’s influence on the country has made people obese, it’s a shame
very ethnically ambiguous, can easily pass as south or south east asian
El Tunco was a great time and I kinda wish I didn’t leave, I could have spent a few more days. Made some good friends and had some incredible food
I’m in Sal Salvador now and wow it kinda sucks, not what I was expecting out of a city. I’ll likely to leave towards Santa Ana tonight but not sure how much time I’ll spend.
I’m doing this a bit differently this time, I have one bag with a stowaway. I’m not taking my laptop and I’m not taking my big camera.
Significantly lowering the weight, and less things to worry about. Solely my Fuji should be enough, and I’ll make it work.