On the afternoon of Christmas Eve 2025, Indranil and I landed in Guatemala at La Aurora International Airport, completed all the international arrival formalities (immigration, baggage, customs) and came out at the arrivals hall, looking to get a shuttle transfer from the airport to Antigua Guatemala. We hadn’t pre-booked the transfer and decided to wing it upon arrival, which turned out fine.
From one of the shuttle transfer counters in the Arrivals area of the airport, we purchased our seats in a shared minivan to Antigua Guatemala. The man selling this service told us that we would have to wait a few minutes more as he was waiting for two more passengers to fill the van. So, we moved to one corner and found us a bench to sit.
I sat at one corner of the bench while Indranil stood next to me. The man seated next to me moved a little so that Indranil could also sit.
We thanked him, and then a conversation followed.
(The entire conversation was in Spanish but I’m writing the English translated version of the same).
“Where are you from?”, he asked.
“India. And you?”, I replied.
“I am Guatamalteco.”
“Which part of Guatemala are you from?”
He explained, “I am from Guatemala City. I came to the airport to receive a friend who will be landing this afternoon in Guatemala by the Frontier flight.”.
“Is this your first time in Guatemala?”, he asked us.
“This is actually our fourth time in your country!” We excitedly told him the places that we had visited before, explaining that the previous ones were short trips, each focusing on different parts of Guatemala and different experiences, and this time, we would be staying for longer and traveling slower, planning to experience more of Guatemala.
“Where are you going now?”, he asked.
“Antigua Guatemala”.
He pointed us to a shuttles-transfer counter and said that we could book a transfer from them. We confirmed that that’s exactly what we had done and now we were waiting for the shuttle to be ready for departure.
He suddenly asked, “Have you tried Tamales?”
Amused with this question, we answered, “Yes, but in Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia. Not yet in Guatemala.”
“You have to try Tamales in Guatemala”, he recommended.
We smiled and nodded.
He opened his backpack, as he said, “Do you have any packet? I have 2 types of Tamales, one regular and another colored. But I only bought 6, so I can give you one of each type, and both of you can try both types of Tamales by doing half and half. Heat the Tamales before you eat them.”
What did he just say? It took a few seconds for us to process his words.
This man was offering to two strangers and foreigners (us) who had just arrived in his country on Christmas Eve, two different types of Tamales, the Guatemalan traditional dish that is a MUST in every family celebration of Christmas in Guatemala, from his own personal kitty of Tamales that he had bought for himself and his folks. For real?
“This is so kind of you!”, I said.
“No, no. Thank you. We will go to Antigua and try Tamales.”, said Indranil.
The kind man smiled and said, “But those Tamales won’t be the same as these!”, insisting on getting us his Tamales. He started shuffling the two types of Tamales in his plastic bags so that he could put one of each in a separate packet for us.
In the meantime, our transfer vehicle was ready for departure and we were being called. As we picked our bags and got ready to proceed to the exit gate to get to our transfer vehicle, the man packed our Tamales and handed them to us.
Startled at the whole situation, we thanked him again and again. We couldn’t figure in that moment what else to do.
We didn’t ask for his number. We didn’t even remember to take a photo. On the way out, I just managed to ask his name. It’s “Edmundo”.
What a memorable welcome we received to Guatemala! What a kind gesture and what amazing hospitality by this man!
Our hearts full and our faces beaming with joy, on the way from the airport to Antigua Guatemala, we kept talking about this whole Tamales experience, and how we missed asking for Edmundo’s contact or taking a photo together, and we wished we could thank him properly.
But Christmas already felt a little more special, even far away from home.
The next morning, on December 25, in our Antigua Guatemala “home”, we had breakfast with those two Tamales, half and half of each kind, as recommended, along with coffee. It felt we were truly soaking in the Christmas celebrations the Guatemalan way!
Now, the universe and the internet, here is a question for you:
Do you, by any chance, know this wonderful kind human from Guatemala City who was present at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City in the Arrivals area on December 24, 2025, between 1:30-2:00 pm local time?
He was waiting in the Arrivals hall to receive his friend who was scheduled to arrive by a Frontier Airlines flight. His name is Edmundo and he was wearing a blue fleece jacket that afternoon and was carrying a black small backpack with him.
If you know this man, please help us connect with him so that we can thank him properly for the Tamales, and his wonderful gesture that made our Christmas in Guatemala special.
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