Dear Carlos the Businessman,

First of all, let me just say mucho gracias for finding us a bit lost on the streets of Antigua and taking the time to literally stop in your path and ask us if we needed help. I don’t know if you just telepathically knew we were looking for your hostel (Posada de San Carlos) but the thing is, if this were the case, it wouldn't surprise me at all. You have this incredible talent of finding someone that needs help or something that needs attention to fixing and literally the next minute you are there, working on it until it is okay again.

The minute that the terrace got a bit too sunny, you were putting up the umbrellas and the minute it got a bit too dark in the garden, you were lighting the candles. I have never seen anyone so fast on their feet with making sure everyone felt at peace and comfortable in a place which was not their own.

The very first evening, while we were sitting on the terrace probably in a bit of a trance and feeling a bit overwhelmed from the obvious lack of Spanish we knew, you walked right up and sat down next to us with a beer in your hand.

With no hesitation at all, you introduced yourself and proceeded to tell us all about your elaborate plan for the hostel and what exactly that would entail. You even gave us the tour of the terrace, explaining with great animation what your dreams were for the “next phase,” which included a few more bedrooms, a bar, and a hot tub to boot. I am not sure if you do that with all your guest or not, but the thing is, by sharing a bit of yourself, you made us feel so at home and we felt as if we were getting a bit of the “inside info.”

From that point forward, if we needed anything whether it was directions about how to get somewhere, who to take Spanish lessons from, or what to do in the city, you were our man and you never disappointed. You introduced us to your two friends, who became our body guards when we went out at night. You hooked us up with a sweet Spanish teacher, who was so patient with us, even with our lack of sleep, which led to our most graceful state of delusional laughter. More importantly, you shared with us what to do in your city of Antigua.

Carlos, you are a man of many coats, and you wear them all very well. You not only inspire hard work ethic, but you also inspire hospitality. The way in which you have such excitement and liveliness when telling stories makes everyone feel at ease. Thank you again for all you did for us. You will always be our first friend in Guatemala J

Inspired por you,

Kristen