Arriving at La Guardia at 4:30 am is interesting. No traffic. Few travelers. Easy passing through security. The Delta sky club opens at 4:45.
My flight to Atlanta was quick. We arrived at 8:15 in plenty of time to get breakfast at the AMEX Centurion club and get to the next gate by 9:30. I was pleased to see old friends and meet new ones.
The flight to Guatemala City was on time. I sat next to a man who was going to work with the locals to encourage better nutrition. The natives are very small people in part due to genetics but also they have very poor nutritional habits. We had a good discussion. As we descended toward the airport, we could see volcanoes peeking above the clouds.
Our group got through immigration quickly and then gathered our own luggage plus 15 hockey bags of anesthesia and surgery supplies. We bring a large amount of disposable items as well as surgical instruments and anesthesia drugs excluding narcotics.
In case I haven’t mentioned this before, the organization for which I volunteer is H.U.G.S. Foundation inc. They cover the cost of flights and hotel stays for all volunteers. Many doctors including me cover their own costs. The rest is all from fundraising. Feel free to contribute.
Our trip from the airport to Antigua was the usual 2 hour stop and go traffic until we were in the mountains.
We checked into the hotel and met in the bar to decide where to have dinner. Everyone was exhausted so we chose a nearby Thai restaurant that is popular. As we walked to the restaurant, we passed a church that was having a wedding ceremony. It’s a beautiful spot. After dinner we all needed to get some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day setting up the ORs and seeing patients. It will be another great week.
The Adventures of Anne 