March 19-20, 2026
We had an hour to kill in Flores in the afternoon before going to the airport. We had lunch in non-remarkable restaurant located on a floating dock, then walked around a bit near the seafront. Flores primarily exists these days as a jumping off point for Mayan ruins like Tikal, and yet it has a population over 45,000, ten times the size of the town I grew up in. The neighborhood around the restaurant was charming, and we even saw what appeared to be a working pay phone, something I haven't seen in years.
The Mundo Maya International Airport, just outside the city center, is very small--one small cafe, one large seating area, and one shop. Still, it is Guatemala's second-busiest airport.
I tried to get Bob interested in the birds flying around inside the terminal, but he wasn't buying it.
It was our first time, and probably will be our only time, on TAG Airlines (TAG = Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos):
The flight was short and uneventful. We were met at the airport by a driver who took us to our hotel about 30 miles away in Antiqua. (We had been told NOT to stay in Guatemala City.) The traffic was horrid and the drive took almost two hours.
