Sitting in a Rooftop Bar in a Rain Forest, Drinking a Guava and Rum Drink

The view from the bar on the roof of the Hotel Isla de Flores in Flores, Guatemala

Today was one of those days where everything went wrong and I still ended up where I was supposed to be. But where it is that I ended up is not really some place I ever expected I would be: in a crowded rooftop bar in a rustic hotel in the middle of rain forest in the middle of Guatemala. But here I am. Well, how did I get here?

How? On a turbo-prop plane. But not the turbo-prop I was supposed to be on.

I missed my flight this morning. And what was my excuse? I had in my head that my flight was leaving in the early afternoon so I would have a nice leisurely morning in my hotel in Guatemala City. I'm enjoying my nice leisurely breakfast when I decided to check to make sure my flight was on time and I noticed that ... my flight ... was leaving ... in 45 minutes. There was no chance to make it on time. I hadn't packed or showered.  So I got to the airport when I could. I begged. I looked sad. Sadder than sad. And I bought a one-way ticket for the late afternoon flight to Flores.

So I was able to keep my reservation at the Hotel Isla de Flores.

The place is a bit rustic. But the room does have air conditioning. Which is important. Since tomorrow, the daytime high is expected to get over 100 degrees. The good news? When it is that hot, the relative humidity usually peaks at about 70 percent.

I can see a bit of the lake surrounding the town on all sides. That is if I were to open the window. But given rain forest temperatures, rain forest humidity, and rain forest insect life, I don't expect to open the windows.

And the lake does surround the city on all sides, except for a single strand of a causeway connecting Flores to the mainland. It is festive, with a party atmosphere, just like it was an island. I was hungry after not eating anything since my breakfast interruptus at the hotel earlier in the day.

I ate at the hotel restaurant. I ordered a chipotle cheeseburger with bacon.

And what are those slices of green on top? This is Guatemala and that is avocado. Avocado, food of the Maya gods, is omnipresent in Guatemalan cuisine. Even on a BBQ bacon cheeseburger. And it worked. It was like an extra thick layer of mayonnaise, and we all know how good a little mayo is on a BBQ bacon cheeseburger.

I walked around a little after supper taking in Flores after dark.

I'm not sure if the crowds were out because it was Saturday night (I guess that makes it all right), or if it was the party time of year in Flores, or people were hanging out in a party town to celebrate the end of the COVID era. But the crowds were out.

But I couldn't walk around long because I had to head to the hotel's rooftop bar to enjoy my free "welcome beverage."

I chose the adult option, a guava and rum cocktail that was a bit sweet, but with a bit of a kick. So, after missing one flight, and sitting a good chunk of the day at Guatemala City airport waiting for the next flight to Flores, I found myself somewhere I never expected to be: in a rooftop bar in a party town in the middle of a rain forest in the middle of Central America. Having just eaten a BBQ bacon cheeseburger with a ton of avocado on top.