On my previous trip, it was in Antigua where Covid upended my travel plans for the first time.  I had booked my accommodations for El Salvador, the next country I was planning to visit.  The host wrote back to me asking if I was already in the country.  I explained that I was in Guatemala. She wrote back saying that the Salvadoran president had just shut down the borders due to raised concerns over coronavirus and she refunded my trip.  A couple of days later, Guatemala shut down its borders and airports entirely. .  It was at a time when the situation was so new that no one knew what was going to happen.  I didn’t want to stick around for much longer and find out.  With the airports shut down there was no way out.  In the B&B there were two American women who’d learned about the relief flight scheduled to leave Guatemala City into Miami.  The cost was $1000 and it was an airline that no one had ever heard of.  I was skeptical so I didn’t book it. I asked the women who booked it to notify us when they got to The US and they did.  The flight had sold out so they scheduled another.  I bought my ticket.  When I arrived at the airport, I learned that there were two flights that day.  One for those of us who spent an exorbitant amount of money on a less than two hour trip to Miami, and the other for people who had booked a flight to Dallas sponsored by the US Government.  At that point I was just grateful to get back to the US amidst so much uncertainty.  

Back to the current trip, travel fatigue had reached critical mass. I was exhausted, mostly on an emotional level.  Making new connections and forging new relationships, only to say goodbye days later knowing I’d probably never see these people again took a mental toll.  This was going to be my life for the next six years.  What I needed was to establish a home.  Balancing travels with a place to come back to and recharge.

There was a reason I chose to visit Guatemala last on this trip.  I had learned about a Mayan activist who had won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting indigenous rights.  Rigoberta Menchu was well known throughout the country.  I desperately wanted to photograph her for the project.  I called the office of her organization and emailed every contact I could find.  No luck.  If I’d been in a better mental state I know I could’ve made it happen.  My time in Guatemala was almost at an end. I started in Antigua for the entire time.  The burnout was real as I haphazardly tried approaching a few of the Mayan women on the streets about the projects with no luck.  My flight back to the US was the next day.  I had already prepared myself for leaving without the portrait.  I needed rest.  That evening I received a notification that my flight had been cancelled for the following day.  There had been a volcanic eruption and it spread ash over the tarmac and covered the planes.  Would I be stuck in Guatemala again?  How poetic.  I was gifted one more day.  Did I really want to go through the trouble of returning here at a later date? I snapped out of it and took to one of the travel apps I used to meet locals.  I wrote to a few of the people I found explaining my project and asking them to accompany me into town and help me translate as we approached Mayan vendors.  One of the people replied back explaining that he was a photographer himself and loved the project. Not only that, but he knew of a woman who he thought would be perfect for it and offered to take me to her market that afternoon.  At this point I couldn’t help but wonder if I had some built up karma from a previous life.  How was I continually getting so lucky in these last minute scenarios?  And that’s how a volcanic eruption led me to meeting Dalila.

We arrived at an outdoor marketplace.  The stalls were full of artisan crafts, colorful textiles and intricately designed bags.  As we passed, merchants would call out their offerings.  We politely declined their requests as we made our way into the heart of the market. We found Dalila and made our introductions.  She had a weaving area set up in a small courtyard with a fountain.  My gracious guide explained the project to her.  She was sweet with a warm smile and agreed to be involved.  I spent some time exploring the market and found a corridor with good lighting that would serve as a pleasant backdrop for the portrait.  Dalila joined me with a graceful demeanor.  We took the portrait and returned to where she was working.  I set up the paper and paint and she made a simple line, drawing a house and tree on top.  We talked a bit as our conversation was translated.  I told her she was the only participant in the project for Guatemala and she was flattered. After we left, I took my new friend and savior out to lunch.  Without him I wouldn’t have gotten the portrait.  I couldn’t thank him enough.  And with that, I concluded the first leg of this crazy journey.  Eight countries were complete.  Only 188 left to go.  It was time to travel back to The States and start planning for the next portion.  Up next, a European summer.