I know some of you are about to board a plane already, so I'm sending this out now!
When you get to Guatemala City airport, pass through baggage claim and customs. You will leave the doors of the airport where you will see people behind a barrier waiting for their loved ones to come out. A man should have a sign with at least one of your names. His name is Edgar, and he is the Casa Colibrí shuttle driver. His phone number is 4739-9949. If for some reason you need to call him, ask one of the security guards in the airport there to let you make a phone call and dial just those eight numbers. Edgar's car is a new gray 15-passenger van. He will take you to the lake, on tomorrow's trip only passing through Antigua to pick up other members of our party. If you ask him, he can also take you to an ATM. The total trip to the Casa Colibrí from Guatemala City Airport, without stops and without traffic, is 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
If anything happens that doesn't match the descriptions I've given you or if you feel uneasy at any point, please call me at 4633-5890 (from U.S. phones 011-502-4633-5890). However, the trustworthy owner of the house, David Yates, has told me that Edgar has always driven his guests without any problems.
See you very soon!
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Dress Guidelines
This would be a dress code, but that's a little restrictive, isn't it? "Dress guidelines"
For women: Short dresses (knee-length) or skirts. There are no restrictions as long as it's in good taste!
For men: Suits, sport coats or blazers. Dress shirts with or without ties, as you like.
Weather: As far as we know, these are the predictions. Partly cloudy with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s, chance of showers earlier this week. We are hoping for good visibility! However, it is good to be prepared for different weather situations.
For women: Short dresses (knee-length) or skirts. There are no restrictions as long as it's in good taste!
For men: Suits, sport coats or blazers. Dress shirts with or without ties, as you like.
Weather: As far as we know, these are the predictions. Partly cloudy with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s, chance of showers earlier this week. We are hoping for good visibility! However, it is good to be prepared for different weather situations.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Money
With just a few days to go until the big day, I'm starting with a couple last-minute blog posts about logistical things.
Money:
The Guatemalan currency is the quetzal.
Bills come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. As of January 6, the exchange rate was US$1 = GTQ 7.86. Do it in your head as 8 to 1.
ATM's are pretty common in Guatemala, so I would recommend that you make use of them rather than carrying around large sums of cash. You have to pay a bit in ATM fees, but it's worth it rather than having large sums of US$ being stolen. When you use ATM's, be careful; as everywhere else in the world these days, there is ATM fraud in Guatemala so check out your surroundings for modifications to the machine, cameras, etc. The best is to use ATM's located within businesses. When you initially come into the country, I don't think it's necessary to change money - those of you who are waiting in the airport can buy things in dollars or with your credit card, and I'll instruct the driver to have a bit of petty cash on him in case you need to make small purchases before he can take you to an ATM.
It's common in Guatemala to be charged extra for using a credit card. Those of you staying at Hotel Aurora or D'Leyenda Hotel in Antigua will incur a 10% penalty on your bill if you pay with a credit card. D'Leyenda people, I reserved your hotel by making a 50% deposit in cash so it would be great if you could reimburse that to me also in cash.
Keep in mind when you think about your spending that lodging at the lake is covered, except for those who I've talked to. Breakfasts every day except the day of the wedding are covered, dinner is covered on Friday night and of course the wedding lunch on Saturday. It's hard to tell you how much to budget since much depends on the activities you're going to do and how much you intend to buy.
Any other questions, let me know.
Money:
The Guatemalan currency is the quetzal.
Bills come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. As of January 6, the exchange rate was US$1 = GTQ 7.86. Do it in your head as 8 to 1. ATM's are pretty common in Guatemala, so I would recommend that you make use of them rather than carrying around large sums of cash. You have to pay a bit in ATM fees, but it's worth it rather than having large sums of US$ being stolen. When you use ATM's, be careful; as everywhere else in the world these days, there is ATM fraud in Guatemala so check out your surroundings for modifications to the machine, cameras, etc. The best is to use ATM's located within businesses. When you initially come into the country, I don't think it's necessary to change money - those of you who are waiting in the airport can buy things in dollars or with your credit card, and I'll instruct the driver to have a bit of petty cash on him in case you need to make small purchases before he can take you to an ATM.
It's common in Guatemala to be charged extra for using a credit card. Those of you staying at Hotel Aurora or D'Leyenda Hotel in Antigua will incur a 10% penalty on your bill if you pay with a credit card. D'Leyenda people, I reserved your hotel by making a 50% deposit in cash so it would be great if you could reimburse that to me also in cash.
Keep in mind when you think about your spending that lodging at the lake is covered, except for those who I've talked to. Breakfasts every day except the day of the wedding are covered, dinner is covered on Friday night and of course the wedding lunch on Saturday. It's hard to tell you how much to budget since much depends on the activities you're going to do and how much you intend to buy.
Any other questions, let me know.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Gifts part 2
Hi friends!
For information about gift-giving, please see my Gifts post dated December 14, 2011. If you choose to not bring a gift to Guatemala (options #1,2 or 5), that's completely fine, but I would like to ask you to bring a card. Per Guatemalan custom, there is a part of the wedding in which the guests individually give their gifts to the couple and present-opening at the end with close family. If you don't physically have a gift, the card will give you something to hand to us at the indicated moment and something for us to open later.
Thanks, and see you very soon.
For information about gift-giving, please see my Gifts post dated December 14, 2011. If you choose to not bring a gift to Guatemala (options #1,2 or 5), that's completely fine, but I would like to ask you to bring a card. Per Guatemalan custom, there is a part of the wedding in which the guests individually give their gifts to the couple and present-opening at the end with close family. If you don't physically have a gift, the card will give you something to hand to us at the indicated moment and something for us to open later.
Thanks, and see you very soon.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Gifts
It's weird to write about gifts I'm going to receive, right?
These are the things to take into account about gifts:
These are the things to take into account about gifts:
- Your presence is the most important gift. It is by no means necessary to give a gift.
- If you would like to give a gift that you would rather not take to Guatemala, please send it to my parents' house and they will give it to Patty and me when we move to the U.S. in the future. Their address is:
- If you would like to bring something to Guatemala, you are welcome to bring it and present it at the wedding reception.
- We are not registered in any store.
- If you would rather contribute to a Guatemalan charity, that's great. Talk to me and I'll make a recommendation for something probably local from Esquipulas Palo Gordo or anything else you're interested in.
Still more questions? Send me an e-mail.
77 Glen Summer Rd.
Pasadena, CA 91105
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
La Casa Colibrí
La Casa Colibrí (the Hummingbird House) is the site for our wedding on the 14th of January. We are hoping to have as many of you stay there as can fit, but we won't know how we stand until the RSVP cards are in. As I mentioned in a previous blog, there are plenty of other places to stay in the area, and we will try to coordinate those in the most convenient way. Those of you who received special instructions about lodging should stand by them; I will let you know if there are any changes, which I don't foresee.
Here are some photos of the house:
La Casa Colibri Website
Tentative Schedule of Events
Here is a tentative schedule of events for the wedding weekend so that you can plan your trip and your vacation days accordingly! You are welcome to come to as many or as few of the events as you like, but try to budget some open time to see sights as well - once you get here, you'll realize that there is plenty to do.
Monday, January 9
All day - Day to visit Esquipulas Palo Gordo (town where Patty & I live)
Tuesday, January 10
All day - Day to visit Esquipulas Palo Gordo (town where Patty & I live)
10:45 pm - Parents' flight departs from Los Angeles - Delta Flight 457
Wednesday, January 11
5:24 am - Parents' flight arrives at Guatemala City - Delta Flight 457
Mid-morning - House-arranged shuttle (free) from Guatemala City airport to La Casa Colibri (3 1/2 hours)
Noon - Phil arrives at La Casa Colibri
Thursday, January 12
5:00 pm - Celebration for the American guests
Friday, January 13
2:00 pm - Patty's family arrives
3:30 pm - Wedding rehearsal
7:00 pm - Rehearsal dinner
Saturday, January 14
10:00 am - Day guests arrive
10:00 am - Wedding ceremony
12:00 pm - Wedding reception
4:00 pm - Day guests leave, wedding festivities may continue
Sunday, January 15
12:00 pm - Patty's family leaves
12:00 pm - Bride and groom depart
12:00 pm - One return trip to the airport
Monday, January 16
2:00 pm - Second return trip to the airport / Guatemala City
Tuesday, January 17
7:20 am - Parents' return flight departs from Guatemala City - Delta Flight 458
10:46 am - Parents' return flight arrives in Los Angeles - Delta Flight 458
Monday, January 9
All day - Day to visit Esquipulas Palo Gordo (town where Patty & I live)
Tuesday, January 10
All day - Day to visit Esquipulas Palo Gordo (town where Patty & I live)
10:45 pm - Parents' flight departs from Los Angeles - Delta Flight 457
Wednesday, January 11
5:24 am - Parents' flight arrives at Guatemala City - Delta Flight 457
Mid-morning - House-arranged shuttle (free) from Guatemala City airport to La Casa Colibri (3 1/2 hours)
Noon - Phil arrives at La Casa Colibri
Thursday, January 12
5:00 pm - Celebration for the American guests
Friday, January 13
2:00 pm - Patty's family arrives
3:30 pm - Wedding rehearsal
7:00 pm - Rehearsal dinner
Saturday, January 14
10:00 am - Day guests arrive
10:00 am - Wedding ceremony
12:00 pm - Wedding reception
4:00 pm - Day guests leave, wedding festivities may continue
Sunday, January 15
12:00 pm - Patty's family leaves
12:00 pm - Bride and groom depart
12:00 pm - One return trip to the airport
Monday, January 16
2:00 pm - Second return trip to the airport / Guatemala City
Tuesday, January 17
7:20 am - Parents' return flight departs from Guatemala City - Delta Flight 458
10:46 am - Parents' return flight arrives in Los Angeles - Delta Flight 458
Friday, October 28, 2011
Welcome to our wedding blog
Welcome to our wedding blog!
This is the first of what will be many posts about Patty and me, our wedding and Guatemala. Our hope is that many of you will have the opportunity to attend our wedding at La Casa Colibrí in Santa Catarina Palopó, Sololá, Guatemala. In doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate with us that “the two will become one flesh,” (Mark 10:8), celebrate our lives up to this point and our new life together and also get to know Guatemala, which is an absolutely stunning country which has been formative for me and, of course, is the home of my fiancé Patty.
Where is Guatemala? Many Americans I speak to talk about Guatemala knowing more or less where it is, but I can tell too that they don’t know exactly. So don’t feel bad if you can’t exactly remember .
The good news is that Guatemala is, on a world scale, extremely close to the United States. There are non-stop flights from:
• Miami (2 hr 15 min, American Airlines)
• Atlanta (3 hr, Delta)
• Houston (2 hr 45 min, Continental)
• Los Angeles (4 hr 30 min, Delta, TACA)
I actually live closer to my permanent home in Los Angeles now than I did when I was studying at Brown!
Where is La Casa Colibrí? La Casa Colibrí is located on a beautiful lake, Lake Atitlán, which is one of Guatemala’s top tourist attractions. Listen to what the author Aldous Huxley had to say about the lake:
"Lake Como [in Italy], it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing."
The lake is located at 1,562 meters above sea level, or 5,125 feet, giving it a temperate climate despite its tropical latitude. A few miles north of the lake, at the Inter-American Highway, the elevation is 2,400 meters (7,896 feet) and a few miles to the south, in the department of Suchitepéquez, the elevation is 730 meters (2,400 feet), creating a spectacularly sloped and mountainous terrain which surrounds the lake on all sides. The crown jewels of the lake, however, are the three volcanoes on its southern side, Atitlán (3,535 m – 11,598 feet), Tolimán (3,158 m – 10,361 feet) and San Pedro (3,020 m – 9,990 feet). Nine large towns and several smaller villages circle the lake, each with their own culture, indigenous dress and things to do for the visitor.
The wedding itself will be outside the town of Santa Catarina Palopó at La Casa Colibrí, a beautiful home overlooking the lake. Please check out the website La Casa Colibri. Unfortunately, we don’t have room for everybody to stay at the house, but the lake is a major tourist attraction and there are many places nearby where you can stay at any budget, from hostel to five-star hotel. More on that later.
For those who are interested in travelling around Guatemala, there are tons of amazing natural and cultural wonders to see. If you look on the Internet, you will find plenty of information about the following visitor highlights:
• Antigua Guatemala
• Tikal
• Quetzaltenango
• Volcán Tajumulco
• Volcán Pacaya
• Semuc Champey
• Ixil Triangle
• Todos Santos Cuchumatán
• Río Dulce and the Caribbean Coast
• Monterrico and the Pacific Coast
• If anyone is interested as well, I can hook you up with Sustainable Community Tourism Peace Corps Volunteers who can take you to their extremely interesting, beautiful sites which are off the tourist beaten path.
I will post a schedule of activities soon, but the wedding party will occupy the house from Wednesday, January 11, leaving on Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Day). If you are interested in coming to Esquipulas Palo Gordo, San Marcos, Patty’s home and the town where I have been living for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I would love to show you around, but you should plan to do it before Wednesday the 11th, as I will not be there immediately after the wedding ;-) Before you reserve your flights, e-mail me at PhilipBurns77@gmail.com so that we can coordinate.
That’s the general overview for now. In the coming days and weeks, I’ll expand on each of the topics I’ve mentioned here so that you can plan your trip to Guatemala for our wedding. Patty and I thank you very much for supporting us!
This is the first of what will be many posts about Patty and me, our wedding and Guatemala. Our hope is that many of you will have the opportunity to attend our wedding at La Casa Colibrí in Santa Catarina Palopó, Sololá, Guatemala. In doing so, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate with us that “the two will become one flesh,” (Mark 10:8), celebrate our lives up to this point and our new life together and also get to know Guatemala, which is an absolutely stunning country which has been formative for me and, of course, is the home of my fiancé Patty.
Where is Guatemala? Many Americans I speak to talk about Guatemala knowing more or less where it is, but I can tell too that they don’t know exactly. So don’t feel bad if you can’t exactly remember .
The good news is that Guatemala is, on a world scale, extremely close to the United States. There are non-stop flights from:
• Miami (2 hr 15 min, American Airlines)
• Atlanta (3 hr, Delta)
• Houston (2 hr 45 min, Continental)
• Los Angeles (4 hr 30 min, Delta, TACA)
I actually live closer to my permanent home in Los Angeles now than I did when I was studying at Brown!
Where is La Casa Colibrí? La Casa Colibrí is located on a beautiful lake, Lake Atitlán, which is one of Guatemala’s top tourist attractions. Listen to what the author Aldous Huxley had to say about the lake:
"Lake Como [in Italy], it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing."
The lake is located at 1,562 meters above sea level, or 5,125 feet, giving it a temperate climate despite its tropical latitude. A few miles north of the lake, at the Inter-American Highway, the elevation is 2,400 meters (7,896 feet) and a few miles to the south, in the department of Suchitepéquez, the elevation is 730 meters (2,400 feet), creating a spectacularly sloped and mountainous terrain which surrounds the lake on all sides. The crown jewels of the lake, however, are the three volcanoes on its southern side, Atitlán (3,535 m – 11,598 feet), Tolimán (3,158 m – 10,361 feet) and San Pedro (3,020 m – 9,990 feet). Nine large towns and several smaller villages circle the lake, each with their own culture, indigenous dress and things to do for the visitor.
The wedding itself will be outside the town of Santa Catarina Palopó at La Casa Colibrí, a beautiful home overlooking the lake. Please check out the website La Casa Colibri. Unfortunately, we don’t have room for everybody to stay at the house, but the lake is a major tourist attraction and there are many places nearby where you can stay at any budget, from hostel to five-star hotel. More on that later.
For those who are interested in travelling around Guatemala, there are tons of amazing natural and cultural wonders to see. If you look on the Internet, you will find plenty of information about the following visitor highlights:
• Antigua Guatemala
• Tikal
• Quetzaltenango
• Volcán Tajumulco
• Volcán Pacaya
• Semuc Champey
• Ixil Triangle
• Todos Santos Cuchumatán
• Río Dulce and the Caribbean Coast
• Monterrico and the Pacific Coast
• If anyone is interested as well, I can hook you up with Sustainable Community Tourism Peace Corps Volunteers who can take you to their extremely interesting, beautiful sites which are off the tourist beaten path.
I will post a schedule of activities soon, but the wedding party will occupy the house from Wednesday, January 11, leaving on Monday, January 16 (Martin Luther King Day). If you are interested in coming to Esquipulas Palo Gordo, San Marcos, Patty’s home and the town where I have been living for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I would love to show you around, but you should plan to do it before Wednesday the 11th, as I will not be there immediately after the wedding ;-) Before you reserve your flights, e-mail me at PhilipBurns77@gmail.com so that we can coordinate.
That’s the general overview for now. In the coming days and weeks, I’ll expand on each of the topics I’ve mentioned here so that you can plan your trip to Guatemala for our wedding. Patty and I thank you very much for supporting us!
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