My mother, Joy, and I are at the Escape Club Lounge at SMF before our flight to Las Vegas on Christmas Eve here.
Since Crumbl closed early on Christmas Eve, I got some cookies for "Santa" the day before with a note from my nephew!
Since Aakash had his first flight a few weeks before Christmas on Southwest, I got him that model plane to build as a gift. I hope he gets a love of flying like his uncle!
Joy and I went to Mizumi at Wynn for Christmas Eve dinner. The Wynn was decorated so nicely for the holidays!
We are posing for a Christmas Eve picture before dinner.
Mizumi at Wynn was so beautiful! The word, Mizumi, means water. They had a beautiful water fall outside the restaurant!
I got a Shibui 10 White Oak Japanese whiskey to start off my culinary experience at Mizumi! Their sushi was delicious!
The scallops were amazing!
We loved the Wagyu gyoza too which had both Kobe and Hokkkaido Snow Beef!.
The food was presented so beautifully also!
This was the lamb chop.
They finished the Yuzu souffle at the tableside with this cream filling.
Dinner was $495 with tip! However, it was worth it! Vegas is pricey after all! LOL.
We got some gelato at the Wynn after dinner too!
The Wynn has a MacLaren dealership inside so we checked out the beautiful cars after dinner.
We rushed over from the Luxor where we were staying for this trip on Christmas morning so we could watch Aakash open his gifts!
He really liked this Mario game I got him.
Joy baked Christmas cookies with Aakash after we opened gifts.
The next morning, we walked to Eataly from Luxor to get breakfast. Joy loves that place!
I had lunch with an old high school buddy, Patrick, later that day at Bahama Breeze.
I got my favorite soft serve, the "cereal milk flavor," at Milk Bar after lunch.
We went to the Bellagio Conservatory later that day to check out the Christmas decorations.
The Bellagio Conservatory is really beautiful this time of the year!
Aakash was overwhelmed with excitement at the Bellagio Conservatory.
We saw the water show at Bellagio afterwards too.
We got pizza with Aakash and my brother after Bellagio at Grimaldi's.
Joy and I went to see Fantasy at Luxor that night. Fantasy is one of the top topless female reveues on the Strip!
They let us take pictures of the final act when the tops went back on. LOL.
A few of the dancers are posing with us here. They have girls from all over the world in the show.
I got Aakash his favorite froyo flavor, Rocketpop, from Yogurtland the next day. He was so excited!
We flew United First from LAS to IAH. Before our flight, we enjoyed the Club@LAS.
We are boarding with Group 1 here!
We flew to Houston IAH Airport in comfort as Joy and I prefer the premium cabin on our trips!
I went with United's scotch offering for the beverage service which was served with warm mixed nuts.
We pre-ordered our dinner on the United app about a week before our flight.
Dinner was pretty good!
The white wine paired well with my dinner selection. Here's to the good life!
Since we had an overnight connection in Houston, I booked the Marriott on site for the night. It was nice to sleep well before our flight to Guatemala!
The business class cabin on United's Max 8 is very nice! United sells their premium cabin to Latin America as business instead of first even though it is the same cabin as first class for domestic routes.
Guatemala City was actually cooler than I expected.
I ordered a cranberry mimosa at first, but then I changed my mind and wanted a Buffalo Trace and Diet Coke. The stewardess made me both.
The crepes were delicious!
Life is good!
As we were landing into GUA, I could see that the city was high in elevation.
Guatemala City is organized into zones. The safest zones are 9 and 10.
We could see locals outside the airport looking at the planes as we landed Guatemala is a pretty poor country so many of these people probably never flew.
As we got into our car service to the hotel, we could see a famous Central American "Chicken Bus."
"Chicken Buses" are old US school buses which are transformed into tranportation for locals. They are called chicken buses since animals often ride them to the market.
We stayed at the five star Westin Camino Real in Zone 10 of Guatemala City.
The lobby was beautiful, and they had nice Christmas decorations.
We are standing by a Guatemalan flag here at the hotel.
We got some Guatemalan Quetzals from the ATM at the hotel. One US Dollar is about Eight Quetzals.
Our room was on the Westin Club level. The furniture was pretty classic.
We were pretty high up so we had a nice view of the surrounding areas in Zone 10 and 9.
I liked this little bar area in our room for some reason.
She was our Guatemalan Hooters Girl!
Although I had a great aged Ron Zacapa Centenario rum, I took a picture of that sign which is for Gallo Cerveza, a local beer.
Joy and I are taking a selfie with our Hooters girl. She spoke English fairly well.
El Pinche is a Guatemalan Mexican chain. Their food was great!
We had a private "Safari style" night our of Guatemala City via this Land Rover.
Plaza Espana has an amazing fountain from the 1500s. This was in Zone 9 which is also a safe area even at night.
Our Guide took great pictures of us in the low light.
Plaza Espana had these cool tiled benches that the Spanish donated to Guatemala which depicted the conquest of Latin America.
I think that was the Spanish conquistador who conquered Guatemala, Pedro Alvarado.
This modern part of Guatemala City is near the Monumento de la Republica.
I was really impressed with this part of Guatemala City.
That is the Monumento de la Republican.
Our guide took a lot of pictures for us and sent them to me on Whatsapp.
Our next stop was the Tower of the Reformer which was built to commemorate the 100th anniverary of the birth of a Guatemalan President who instituted many reforms.
This tower was built in 1935.
This arch was inspired by the Santa Catalina arch in Antiguar, and it connects the old postal headquarters and communications building. There is no national post office now in Guatemala.
Behind us here is the national palace of Guatemala. This is where the president of Guatemala hosts official state functions.
This is the Cathedral of Guatemala City.
The next day, we went on a tour of Ximiche and Antigua. Our first stop was this restaurant on the highway. They made homemade corn tortillas out of different types of corn by hand.
Guatemala is known for coffee so I had to get an espresso at the restaurant.
The handmade tortillas looked so good that I got one to try.
This is an old Mayan village on the way to Iximche. The traditional Mayan outfits can be seen on those two women.
Iximche was an old Mayan settlement in Guatemala which the Spanish took over and made their capital until they moved it to Antigua.
Disputes between warring Mayan tribes were settled on these ball courts. Sometimes, either the winner or loser would be sacrificed.
Guatemala does not have as many preserved ruins like Mexico or Belize since they lack the money to excavate them.
We enjoyed learning about the Mayans in Iximche from our guide.
After leaving Iximche, we headed to Antigua, which was another capital of Guatemala. Earthquakes are prone to this area, and the city was destroyed several times. This church was destroyed in one of the major earthquakes.
We went to this place for a great lunch in Antigua. They are grilling over wood!
The women are making corn tortillas by hand here.
The finished product was delicious!
The flan for dessert was great!
I liked this old Datsun that was cruising the old stone streets of Antigua.
This is the Cathedral de San Jose in Antigua.
The inside of the cathedral was decorated for Christmas still.
The cathedral de San Jose was also destroyed and rebuilt due to earthquakes. These are the ruins behind the current cathedral.
In the distance is the city hall of Antigua.
This is the mermaids fountain in the plaza of Antigua. Antigua is an UNESCO heritage site.
This is the Iglesia de Merced which means the Church of Merced.
There was a nice nativity scene inside this church.
This is the Iglesia de San Francisco which also has damage from earthquakes.
Here is a statue of Jesus carrying the cross inside the church.
The inside of the church had these cool drapes above the pews.
This is a public laundry in Antigua where women would go to wash the clothes.
This is the famous Santa Catalina Arch in Antigua. It was built so the nuns from the convent on one side could get over to the other side without being seen. On a clear day, there is a volcano visible on the other side of the arch!
These are how the streets look like in Antigua with the old cobblestone roads.
This is the San Juan de Dios Convent and Hospital run by the Franciscan order. The hospital is for the poor.
The inside of Franciscan churches are less ornate compared to other Catholic churches.
This is the palace of the Captains General of Guatemala where the viceroy lived.
Guatemala was known as the Kingdom of Goathemala under the Spanish colonial times. Guatemala stretched from Southern Mexico to Costa Rica.
This is the first university in Guatemala.
We stopped at a gas station to get snacks. Here are some Guatemalan yucca and plantain chips and sweets. They did not have much diet sodas however in Guatemala.
I played a little video roulette at the Senator Casino which was connected to our hotel in Guatemala City. I won on one of the numbers during my first spin!
The Westin gave us this golden voucher to get a free welcome drink during the complimentary happy hour in the bar downstairs. They had a lot of good food and desserts in a buffet style for us too.
We set out early on the next morning to Lake Atitlan which is a large lake created in a volcanic crater that blew its top.
We took a boat from Panajacel to a village called San Juan which is known for producing amazing coffee.
There are some dormant volcanos on the edge of the lake too.
This is the marina in San Juan. It was pretty cool at that high elevation.
Once we got into San Juan, we walked up the steep little road with our guide under the cool umbrellas.
Our guide took us to a store which sold local clothing and other textiles made from homespun yarn. This lady is showing us how they make their yarn.
She is beating the yarn by hand now.
Mayan women are very independent and help contribute to the family's finances by making the textiles.
These tuc tuc are common throughout Guatemala.
We went to the San Juan Coffee shop after we finished our walking tour to try their coffee. This is a coffee tree.
The coffee is being processed here.
They had amazing coffee drinks on the menu at the store. The local Mayan women wore their traditional outfits as they made my drink.
I got a frappe with a slice of flan.
There is a cool view of the umbrellas of San Juan with the lake in the distance as we made our way back to the boat.
After we got back to Panjachel by boat, we went to a local restaurant for lunch.
I had to get the delicious tacos rolled into the homemade tortillas. The Guatemalan tortillas are thicker than Mexican tortillas.
We saw some of the volcanos as we made our way back to Guatemala City.
We saw lots of Mayan women and children on the side of the road in the highlands staying warm by fires and quilting the textiles outdoors.
We stopped in Tecpan for a bathroom break on the way back to Guatemala City. It is a small Mayan village.
This was the large Christmas tree in Guatemala City near our hotel as we got back into town from our long day trip.
This is the view of an active volcano from Plaza Berlin in Guatemala City on New Year's Eve when we had our private city tour.
Plaza Berlin has pieces of the Berlin wall which are seen behind us.
This is a statue of Christopher Columbis which we saw on the way to the historic zone of the city.
We are outside the National Palace here. They call it the avocado since it is greenish in color.
We are entering the Mercado Centro here which is a multi story market in Guatemala City.
Here are some bananas at the Mercado Centro.
The avocados in Guatemala were huge!
They had lots of souvenir shops inside the Mercado Centro also.
This is the Guatemala City Cathedral during the day time. We saw this on our first night too when we had our night tour.
Pope John Paul II came to Guatemala when he made one of the Guatemalans a saint. We visited that saint's tomb in Antigua.
The inside of the cathedral was very nice.
This cross was very famous and is brought out for special days like New Years.
The rotunda inside the cathedral was really cool!
This statue was carried into battle by the Spanish conquistadors when they arrived in Guatemala.
We tried some ice cream at a local chain called Sarita too on Paseo de la Sexta, a pedestrian only street known for shops and restaurants in the historic zone.
Here is a McDonald's Ice Cream shop on Paseo de la Sexta. McDonalds has a dedicated ice cream shop kind of like a McCafe in many parts of Central America.
We went to a Dunkin Donuts too on Paseo de la Sexta to try their donuts. Dunkin Donuts were all over Guatemala.
This is a private church called Igelsia Yurrita. People can rent it out for weddings or other special events.
We went to the Miraflores Mall afterwards which had a Mayan Museum too. They had beautiful Christmas decorations.
The Mayan museum inside the Miraflores Mall was really cool. They had nice artifacts.
Here is another Mayan artifact.
This is where they found some of the Mayan tombs in Guatemala City.
Underneath the mounds were burial tombs of the wealthy Mayans who were often buried with their servants and possessions.
I was surpised at how nice their malls were. Also, they had luxury brands too like Lacoste.
After we got back to the hotel, we went for a walk on the Avenida de Los Americanas, which was built by a Guatemalan President who liked the broad avenues of Paris.
Avenida de Los Americanas has lots of monuments dedicated to the other Latin American countries and their heros. This is one dedicated to Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America.
This monument is dedicated to Costa Rica which was part of the greater Guatemala before.
They had a New Year's Eve run along the avenue too. In the background is the large Christmas tree.
I got some time to use the hot tub at the hotel when we got back from ou walk.
The pool area at the Westin Camino Real was very lush and tropical.
I am enjoying a Caipirnha by the pool here.
The pool area was lit up nicely at night.
The hotel sent up a small bottle of champagne, cake, and a few grapes for us for New Year's Eve.
Joy and I are ready to ring in 2025 at the hotel party here.
They had a huge buffet at the New Year's Eve party with lots of different food stations.
The ceviche stations were really good.
Of course, they had plenty of desserts too!
Here is the pasta station they had set up too.
Guatemalan tamales are wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks usually, and they are eaten on special occasions like New Year's Eve.
They had lots of party favors at each table too. I think the party was about $150 per person. They had lots of the local elites there.
The countdown to 2025 has begun!
Happy New Year From The Roys!
Feliz Ano Nuevo!
We spent New Year's Day in Guatemala City, but I got the stomach bug on NYE so I slept all day. The next day, we had our flight back home. This is the Ron Zacapa lounge at GUA Airport.
My stomach was not back to normal on January 2 still so I could not eat much of the made to order food in the VIP Lounge.
We flew Delta back to LAX from GUA. Of course, I booked first class for us!
Delta's First Class meal service was subpar.
We were offered lots of snacks in the air however.
Our layover in LAX was long enough for me to get a free foot massage compliments of my Priority Pass membership at the Be Relax spa.
We departed for our
long holiday trip on Christmas Eve with my mother from Sacramento in
2024 in the morning as the usual car service came by to get us at my
house. First Stop - Las Vegas! After a few drinks and
snacks in the Escape Lounge which both my mother and I have access to
with our Priority Pass memberships, we departed for a mid day flight to
Lost Wages, Nevada. LOL. Once we got the rental car, we
headed to my brother's place to see my nephew and drop off a lot of
gifts for him. We let him open one of his gifts too since it was
Christmas Eve after all. Also, since Crumbl Cookie closed early
that day, I got him a mini three pack of cookies with a special note
from him to Santa. He was really excited about that! Joy
and I headed to Luxor to check in after seeing my brother and nephew.
Luxor offered us three comp nights that week since I had my elite
status with MGM Rewards. We were in the pyramid this time.
Joy and I had special dinner plans for Christmas Eve at Mizumi that night. After getting dressed up in a dinner jacket, we headed out to the Wynn for dinner. The Wynn was decorated so nicely for Christmas so we walked around for a little while and took pictures before our reservation time. Mizumi is the Japanese fine dining establishment at Wynn. The inside was amazing! They had a nice waterscape outside the restaurant that made us think we might be dining in Okinawa with the swaying bamboo and large water fall into a small pond. I started off dinner with a $60 Shibui 10 White Oak Japanese whiskey pour over a big cube. They did not charge for the large ice cube however which many of the Vegas fine dining establishments do. LOL. We enjoyed a culinary masterpiece of A5 Wagyu dumplings, Hokkadio Scallops, a few rolls, lamb chop, and a nice Yuzu souffle for dessert. I also got a Nikka from the barrel after my first whiskey. The total damage was $495. Afterwards, we got some gelato at Wynn too. There is a MacLaren dealership inside the Wynn so we checked out those cars as well.
The next day, we left early for my brother's place. My nephew was so excited to open all his gifts! I also got a Santa pez for him and wrote a thank you note from Santa for the Crumbl cookies. He was so happy! Later that day, we had lunch at Red Rock Resort before making some Christmas cookies with my nephew. We got a snack at Hussong's that night when we got back to Luxor.
Joy and I enjoyed breakfast at Eataly the next morning. She loves that place. I had lunch with an old high school friend at Bahama Breeze. I met Joy at Cosmopolitan after lunch to get my favorite soft serve ice cream at Milk Bar. Afterwards, we met my mom, brother, and nephew at Bellagio so we could check out the Conservatory which had lots of cool Christmas decorations. We showed my nephew the water show also afterwards. Then, we had dinner at Grimaldi's Pizza. Joy and I saw the Fantasy, a topless show at Luxor that night. It has gotten rave reviews since it started back in the 1990s. We enjoyed the show a lot.
The next day, we spent most of the day with my nephew before we had to head to the airport for our flight to Guatemala. He was a little sad when we took off, and I felt bad too since he really likes when Uncle Anirban is there. I booked first class for our flight to Houston from Las Vegas. However, I was disappoined with the Premier Access area for United. They only had one agent there. So, we went to the coach area where the common people have to bag their luggage and told one of the gate agents to take care of our luggage. He was very helpful once he saw we were first class passengers. Our domestic carriers really must step it up for the premium passengers! My mom flew home that day too so the three of us went to the Club@LAS to chill before our flights took off. Joy and I boarded with Group 1 as usual being in the premium cabin. This was a 737 aircraft, but United just redid their first class cabin so the seats were pretty comfortable. After take off, I got United's only Scotch offering with some warm mixed nuts. We also preordered our meals about a week in advance. I got the grilled chicken breast with a herbed lemon sauce. The dessert was decent too. Once we arrived in Houston, we took the quick underground subway train to the Marriott which is on site. It took maybe like five minutes to get the hotel. Within a few minutes, we were in the room and ready for bed since we had an overnight connection at Houston Intercontinental (IAH) Airport. I was really impressed at how well planned IAH airport is especially when one has an overnight connection.
We did not have to rush the next day to get to the gate since the hotel was on site. Plus, Joy and I both have TSA Pre check. Our luggage was already checked to our final destination too. United sells their premium cabin to Latin America as "business" instead of first. So, we were in the business class cabin even though it is the same first class cabin on domestic routes. The Max 8 premium cabin was really nice with a divider between seats like they have on flat seats. After departure, I asked the stewardess to make me a cranberry mimosa, but I changed to Buffalo Trace and diet. The second premium cabin attendant already made my mimosa so she brought me both. We also preordered our meals on this flight too. After a pleasant flight, we made our approach into Guatemala City. I could see that Guatemala was very mountainous, and it looked like Guatemala City was built on flat land on mountain or hill tops. Some parts of the city looked really nice while other parts looked like the third world.
Once we landed into GUA, it took us a little time to get our luggage even though we had priority tags on them from United. LOL. I guess the baggage handlers in GUA did not understand English. After we left customs, it took us sometime to find our driver for the car service I arranged. The arrivals hall was packed with lots of Guatemalans wearing their traditonal Mayan outfits. Like people had told me, I noticed the Guatemalans are very short people. I could probably play basketball in their country. LOL. The car service took us to our five star hotel, the Westin Camino Real in Zone 10 of the city. Zone 10 is the safest area of Guatemala City. Our hotel was near the Swiss embassy.
After we checked in to our Westin Club level room, we headed out to Hooters for snack. The Hooters was walking distance from our hotel, and since it was daylight, we felt safe enough to walk there. Overall, the Guatemalan Hooter girls were pretty. I tried a nice Guatemalan rum at Hooters. Then, Joy and I went to a Mexican chain restaurant called El Pinche next door for some delicious tacos. On the way back, I called an Uber to take us back the few blocks since it was getting dark. We were told not to take the white taxi cabs in the city.
We had a private night tour booked for that first night. A vintage Land Rover arrived with a private guide to take us to some cool spots within the city. Our first stop was Plaza Espana which is where a water fountain from the 1500s was located. Originally, the Guatemalans destroyed and buried the fountain after independence, but with the help of the Spanish government, they later rebuilt the fountain once they found it and made the area around it into a nice park or plaza. This was in Zone 9, which is also a safe area. We felt really safe there even if we did not have our guide with us. The plaza had these nice tiled benches which told the stories about of the conquistadors who claimed Guatemala for the Spanish crown. After taking some great pictures there, we went to a modern upscale part of the city by the Monumento de la Republica. Our guide had great night vision on his camera so he took lots of nice pictures of Joy and me. Next, we saw this mini version of the Eiffel tower called The Tower of the Reformer which was dedicated to one of the Presidents of Guatemala who introduced lots of democratic reforms. Then, our guide took us to the historic zone where we saw the National Palace and Cathedral as well as a cool arch that connected the old post office and telecommunications buildings. This arch resembles the famous arch in Antigua, and it was built by a dictator/president who loved the number five so there were five little arches in the structure. He also built the National Palace which has five unique elements too in some of the design. After doing some shopping at a local market near the National Palace, we were dropped off at the Westin.
Our tour guide for Iximche and Antigua arrived at the hotel the next morning to pick us in the van. It was about two hours to Iximche, the old Mayan city which the Spanish took over and made their first capital of Guatemala. Part of our route was on the Pan American Highway too from Guatemala City. We stopped at a restaurant off the highway to get coffee and a snack. Guatemala is known for their coffee so I got an espresso. Also, I saw this one lady making fresh tortillas over a wood fire oven. The tortillas were made of different kinds of corn and thicker than Mexican tortillas. So, I asked to get one to try with some local hot sauce. I was pretty impressed with the flavor. Afterwards, we made our way to the Mayan city. Guatemala does not have as many well preserved or excavated Mayan sites since their government lacks the resources to do so. Mexico and Belize had much nicer Mayan temples than Iximche. However, we saw elements typical to Mayan towns including a ball court where disputes were settled between warring tribes.
Afterwards, we headed to Antigua, and on the way we saw one of the active volcanos that was erupting. Guatemala is part of the ring of fire. So, they have lots of volcanos. Once we got to Antigua, which was the next colonial capital of Guatemala, we found a great place for lunch. They were grilling meats over wood in the front, and some Maya ladies were making fresh tortillas too. After a nice lunch and dessert of flan, we set out to explore the UNESCO city. There was a church near the restaurant which was damaged by one of the many major earthquakes that hit Antigua. Being in the ring of fire, earthquakes are very common in Antigua. That is why the capital was moved to Guatemala City after one of the major earthquakes which leveled the city. Our guide took us around to the numerous churches all over the historic city. We also saw the palace of the Captains General or administrator of Spanish Guatemala. In the plaza, we saw a cool fountain which had lactating women. We also saw an old public laundry which is still used today by locals to wash their clothes. The most famous landmark in Antigua is this arch which connected a convent to a garden so the nuns could go between the two places without being seen. On a clear day, one can see the famous volcano in the distance, but it was too cloudy.
That night, we went to a local taco shop for dinner near our hotel. Afterwards, I played a little video roulette at the casino attached to our hotel. I ended up hitting one of the numbers and was paid out by one of the casino attendants in person.
We had to leave our hotel bright and early the next morning for Lake Atitlan. This large lake created by a volcanic crater is a popular attraction in Guatemala. We went on the Pan American Highway again as we departed Guatemala City for Panajacel. From Panajacel, we took a boat across the lake to the village of San Juan. On the way, we could see three dormant volcanos on the edge of the large lake. San Juan had a cool steep walk from the primitive marina to the top of the hill which was lined with colorful umbrellas. Our guide took us to a coffee shop to show us where we should all meet up when we had free time to explore the village. San Juan is known for great coffee! Our guide took us to a textile shop where local Mayan women sell their hand made items to help support the family. Mayan women are quite independent and make woven goods to help support their often large families. We saw a demonstration of how the yarn is made and spun into blankets and other items. Afterwards, Joy and I walked around the village and ended up at the coffee shop to try the coffee and get some tasty flan. We also checked out several souvenir shops too before we took the boat back to Panajacel. We had lunch at a restaurant in Panajacel before heading back to Guatemala City. Lake Atitlan was farther than Antigua and Iximche so we were pretty exhausted when we got back to our hotel. So, we just ordered room service pizza for dinner.
New Year's Eve was the next day. We had a private tour guide for a half day tour of Guatemala City. Our guide took us to Plaza Berlin first which is known for having pieces of the Berlin Wall. From there, we saw the active volcano, Fuego. Afterwards, our guide took us to the historic zone where we went to the National Palace first. From there, he took us the Mercado Centro which is a multi story large market. They sold everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat as well as souvenirs. Then, we explored the Cathedral of Guatemala City. Inside, they had a famous statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus which the conquistadors carried into battle when they came to Guatemala to conquer the land for the Spanish crown. We also explored a pedestrian which had lots of restaurants and shops nearby. I was surprised to see Dunkin Donuts there so I had to try it. We also tried a local ice cream chain called Sarita. Our guide also showed us a famous privately owned church as well as the Tower of the Reformer. Then, we went to a nice mall called Miraflores which had a museum dedicated to Mayan artifacts. They found several burial sites of wealthy Mayans around Guatemala City so they preserved some including this museum. I was impressed with the mall since they had many luxury brands including Lacoste. There is a wealthy class in Guatemala who live very well. Overall, I was surprised not to see as much poverty as the liberal media says there is in Guatemala. I think the left imbelishes the truth about Central American poverty to try to get Americans to accept illegal immigration. That will not work now since we have President Trump again! Illegals need to be deported back home. They have no place here in our country!
After getting back to the hotel, I went to the pool area to enjoy a refreshing drink and use the hot tub. The hotel ended up sending a small bottle of champagne, cake, and some grapes for New Year's Eve to our room. Joy and I bought tickets for the New Year's Gala at the hotel that night. The tickets were cheaper than what we paid in Colombia last year, and it looked like most of the guests were locals. The Guatemalan elites were all dressed up really nicely for the fancy party at the Westin.
Joy and I had special dinner plans for Christmas Eve at Mizumi that night. After getting dressed up in a dinner jacket, we headed out to the Wynn for dinner. The Wynn was decorated so nicely for Christmas so we walked around for a little while and took pictures before our reservation time. Mizumi is the Japanese fine dining establishment at Wynn. The inside was amazing! They had a nice waterscape outside the restaurant that made us think we might be dining in Okinawa with the swaying bamboo and large water fall into a small pond. I started off dinner with a $60 Shibui 10 White Oak Japanese whiskey pour over a big cube. They did not charge for the large ice cube however which many of the Vegas fine dining establishments do. LOL. We enjoyed a culinary masterpiece of A5 Wagyu dumplings, Hokkadio Scallops, a few rolls, lamb chop, and a nice Yuzu souffle for dessert. I also got a Nikka from the barrel after my first whiskey. The total damage was $495. Afterwards, we got some gelato at Wynn too. There is a MacLaren dealership inside the Wynn so we checked out those cars as well.
The next day, we left early for my brother's place. My nephew was so excited to open all his gifts! I also got a Santa pez for him and wrote a thank you note from Santa for the Crumbl cookies. He was so happy! Later that day, we had lunch at Red Rock Resort before making some Christmas cookies with my nephew. We got a snack at Hussong's that night when we got back to Luxor.
Joy and I enjoyed breakfast at Eataly the next morning. She loves that place. I had lunch with an old high school friend at Bahama Breeze. I met Joy at Cosmopolitan after lunch to get my favorite soft serve ice cream at Milk Bar. Afterwards, we met my mom, brother, and nephew at Bellagio so we could check out the Conservatory which had lots of cool Christmas decorations. We showed my nephew the water show also afterwards. Then, we had dinner at Grimaldi's Pizza. Joy and I saw the Fantasy, a topless show at Luxor that night. It has gotten rave reviews since it started back in the 1990s. We enjoyed the show a lot.
The next day, we spent most of the day with my nephew before we had to head to the airport for our flight to Guatemala. He was a little sad when we took off, and I felt bad too since he really likes when Uncle Anirban is there. I booked first class for our flight to Houston from Las Vegas. However, I was disappoined with the Premier Access area for United. They only had one agent there. So, we went to the coach area where the common people have to bag their luggage and told one of the gate agents to take care of our luggage. He was very helpful once he saw we were first class passengers. Our domestic carriers really must step it up for the premium passengers! My mom flew home that day too so the three of us went to the Club@LAS to chill before our flights took off. Joy and I boarded with Group 1 as usual being in the premium cabin. This was a 737 aircraft, but United just redid their first class cabin so the seats were pretty comfortable. After take off, I got United's only Scotch offering with some warm mixed nuts. We also preordered our meals about a week in advance. I got the grilled chicken breast with a herbed lemon sauce. The dessert was decent too. Once we arrived in Houston, we took the quick underground subway train to the Marriott which is on site. It took maybe like five minutes to get the hotel. Within a few minutes, we were in the room and ready for bed since we had an overnight connection at Houston Intercontinental (IAH) Airport. I was really impressed at how well planned IAH airport is especially when one has an overnight connection.
We did not have to rush the next day to get to the gate since the hotel was on site. Plus, Joy and I both have TSA Pre check. Our luggage was already checked to our final destination too. United sells their premium cabin to Latin America as "business" instead of first. So, we were in the business class cabin even though it is the same first class cabin on domestic routes. The Max 8 premium cabin was really nice with a divider between seats like they have on flat seats. After departure, I asked the stewardess to make me a cranberry mimosa, but I changed to Buffalo Trace and diet. The second premium cabin attendant already made my mimosa so she brought me both. We also preordered our meals on this flight too. After a pleasant flight, we made our approach into Guatemala City. I could see that Guatemala was very mountainous, and it looked like Guatemala City was built on flat land on mountain or hill tops. Some parts of the city looked really nice while other parts looked like the third world.
Once we landed into GUA, it took us a little time to get our luggage even though we had priority tags on them from United. LOL. I guess the baggage handlers in GUA did not understand English. After we left customs, it took us sometime to find our driver for the car service I arranged. The arrivals hall was packed with lots of Guatemalans wearing their traditonal Mayan outfits. Like people had told me, I noticed the Guatemalans are very short people. I could probably play basketball in their country. LOL. The car service took us to our five star hotel, the Westin Camino Real in Zone 10 of the city. Zone 10 is the safest area of Guatemala City. Our hotel was near the Swiss embassy.
After we checked in to our Westin Club level room, we headed out to Hooters for snack. The Hooters was walking distance from our hotel, and since it was daylight, we felt safe enough to walk there. Overall, the Guatemalan Hooter girls were pretty. I tried a nice Guatemalan rum at Hooters. Then, Joy and I went to a Mexican chain restaurant called El Pinche next door for some delicious tacos. On the way back, I called an Uber to take us back the few blocks since it was getting dark. We were told not to take the white taxi cabs in the city.
We had a private night tour booked for that first night. A vintage Land Rover arrived with a private guide to take us to some cool spots within the city. Our first stop was Plaza Espana which is where a water fountain from the 1500s was located. Originally, the Guatemalans destroyed and buried the fountain after independence, but with the help of the Spanish government, they later rebuilt the fountain once they found it and made the area around it into a nice park or plaza. This was in Zone 9, which is also a safe area. We felt really safe there even if we did not have our guide with us. The plaza had these nice tiled benches which told the stories about of the conquistadors who claimed Guatemala for the Spanish crown. After taking some great pictures there, we went to a modern upscale part of the city by the Monumento de la Republica. Our guide had great night vision on his camera so he took lots of nice pictures of Joy and me. Next, we saw this mini version of the Eiffel tower called The Tower of the Reformer which was dedicated to one of the Presidents of Guatemala who introduced lots of democratic reforms. Then, our guide took us to the historic zone where we saw the National Palace and Cathedral as well as a cool arch that connected the old post office and telecommunications buildings. This arch resembles the famous arch in Antigua, and it was built by a dictator/president who loved the number five so there were five little arches in the structure. He also built the National Palace which has five unique elements too in some of the design. After doing some shopping at a local market near the National Palace, we were dropped off at the Westin.
Our tour guide for Iximche and Antigua arrived at the hotel the next morning to pick us in the van. It was about two hours to Iximche, the old Mayan city which the Spanish took over and made their first capital of Guatemala. Part of our route was on the Pan American Highway too from Guatemala City. We stopped at a restaurant off the highway to get coffee and a snack. Guatemala is known for their coffee so I got an espresso. Also, I saw this one lady making fresh tortillas over a wood fire oven. The tortillas were made of different kinds of corn and thicker than Mexican tortillas. So, I asked to get one to try with some local hot sauce. I was pretty impressed with the flavor. Afterwards, we made our way to the Mayan city. Guatemala does not have as many well preserved or excavated Mayan sites since their government lacks the resources to do so. Mexico and Belize had much nicer Mayan temples than Iximche. However, we saw elements typical to Mayan towns including a ball court where disputes were settled between warring tribes.
Afterwards, we headed to Antigua, and on the way we saw one of the active volcanos that was erupting. Guatemala is part of the ring of fire. So, they have lots of volcanos. Once we got to Antigua, which was the next colonial capital of Guatemala, we found a great place for lunch. They were grilling meats over wood in the front, and some Maya ladies were making fresh tortillas too. After a nice lunch and dessert of flan, we set out to explore the UNESCO city. There was a church near the restaurant which was damaged by one of the many major earthquakes that hit Antigua. Being in the ring of fire, earthquakes are very common in Antigua. That is why the capital was moved to Guatemala City after one of the major earthquakes which leveled the city. Our guide took us around to the numerous churches all over the historic city. We also saw the palace of the Captains General or administrator of Spanish Guatemala. In the plaza, we saw a cool fountain which had lactating women. We also saw an old public laundry which is still used today by locals to wash their clothes. The most famous landmark in Antigua is this arch which connected a convent to a garden so the nuns could go between the two places without being seen. On a clear day, one can see the famous volcano in the distance, but it was too cloudy.
That night, we went to a local taco shop for dinner near our hotel. Afterwards, I played a little video roulette at the casino attached to our hotel. I ended up hitting one of the numbers and was paid out by one of the casino attendants in person.
We had to leave our hotel bright and early the next morning for Lake Atitlan. This large lake created by a volcanic crater is a popular attraction in Guatemala. We went on the Pan American Highway again as we departed Guatemala City for Panajacel. From Panajacel, we took a boat across the lake to the village of San Juan. On the way, we could see three dormant volcanos on the edge of the large lake. San Juan had a cool steep walk from the primitive marina to the top of the hill which was lined with colorful umbrellas. Our guide took us to a coffee shop to show us where we should all meet up when we had free time to explore the village. San Juan is known for great coffee! Our guide took us to a textile shop where local Mayan women sell their hand made items to help support the family. Mayan women are quite independent and make woven goods to help support their often large families. We saw a demonstration of how the yarn is made and spun into blankets and other items. Afterwards, Joy and I walked around the village and ended up at the coffee shop to try the coffee and get some tasty flan. We also checked out several souvenir shops too before we took the boat back to Panajacel. We had lunch at a restaurant in Panajacel before heading back to Guatemala City. Lake Atitlan was farther than Antigua and Iximche so we were pretty exhausted when we got back to our hotel. So, we just ordered room service pizza for dinner.
New Year's Eve was the next day. We had a private tour guide for a half day tour of Guatemala City. Our guide took us to Plaza Berlin first which is known for having pieces of the Berlin Wall. From there, we saw the active volcano, Fuego. Afterwards, our guide took us to the historic zone where we went to the National Palace first. From there, he took us the Mercado Centro which is a multi story large market. They sold everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat as well as souvenirs. Then, we explored the Cathedral of Guatemala City. Inside, they had a famous statue of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus which the conquistadors carried into battle when they came to Guatemala to conquer the land for the Spanish crown. We also explored a pedestrian which had lots of restaurants and shops nearby. I was surprised to see Dunkin Donuts there so I had to try it. We also tried a local ice cream chain called Sarita. Our guide also showed us a famous privately owned church as well as the Tower of the Reformer. Then, we went to a nice mall called Miraflores which had a museum dedicated to Mayan artifacts. They found several burial sites of wealthy Mayans around Guatemala City so they preserved some including this museum. I was impressed with the mall since they had many luxury brands including Lacoste. There is a wealthy class in Guatemala who live very well. Overall, I was surprised not to see as much poverty as the liberal media says there is in Guatemala. I think the left imbelishes the truth about Central American poverty to try to get Americans to accept illegal immigration. That will not work now since we have President Trump again! Illegals need to be deported back home. They have no place here in our country!
After getting back to the hotel, I went to the pool area to enjoy a refreshing drink and use the hot tub. The hotel ended up sending a small bottle of champagne, cake, and some grapes for New Year's Eve to our room. Joy and I bought tickets for the New Year's Gala at the hotel that night. The tickets were cheaper than what we paid in Colombia last year, and it looked like most of the guests were locals. The Guatemalan elites were all dressed up really nicely for the fancy party at the Westin.