Guatemala - Part XXI

Saturday, July 4th - travel home day 1

The trip home would take me from Guatemala to Panama to LA, CA before reaching Nebraska on Sunday, July 5th.  But, before I could leave, we Americans had to celebrate our Independence Day.

I'm not a fan of firecrackers, but boys will be boys.

Nothing bonds a father with his sons like blowing things up in the street next to someone else's house early in the morning...
especially in a foreign country over a different country's independence.

Once the neighborhood was good and awake, a driver, navigator, and a couple of my friends climbed into the van to take me to the airport...after taking a moment to take a group picture of those of us who happened to be present at the time.

And this isn't even all of us!

I left Guatemala City with an invitation to come back any time.  My first flight dropped me in Panama City with approximately a four-hour layover.  I wandered back and forth through the airport, stopped long enough to eat some awesome ribs and french fries (con una cerveza), and then it was time for the long flight back into the U.S.

Taking pictures of the interesting cloud bank and caught some of a river.
I might have still been above Panama.

Lightning as seen from inside the plane.
I took video too.  You should see it sometime!
It's far more impressive than the still photo.

You know you've been in the airport too long with too little sleep when you start taking selfies with the outlet by which you've camped.

Suffice it to say I made it back home safe and more or less sound.  I would go again given the time and money (and nowhere else unexplored) to be.  I still have some pretty impressive ruins to see and a sponsored child with whom to stay in touch.  But I am very glad to be back in my home with my doggie, going to my church, speaking English, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

But I am already thinking of where to go next!  Now that I have a passport, I might as well use it, right?