Guatemala Part 1

This blog is a diary of my trip to Guatemala in January of 2008. The first week I was part, very minor, of a dental team from Canada. At the end of our week in Monterrico, I stayed, on my own, for two more weeks.
This is a diary of those two weeks.


Greetings From The lonely Traveller

It was sad to part company, on Sunday, and for the rest of the day I was in a daze. I switched rooms at the hotel, and moved into Tracey and Martha's room. Nicer view, and a working shower. Tracey left 2 cans of beer and her boots. I swear that those boots jumped on my bed at 3 am. I made some travel arrangements with Real on Monday, and spent the rest of the day wandering around A. I came across a road construction, where they were replacing the cobble stones for an entire block. There must have been 100 men working, using only chisels, shovels, and picks. No power equipment. Except for the metal tools probably the same as the Mayas, 800 years ago.

I also switched hotels. Nicer room, and a communal fridge. COLD BEER. Thanks Tracey. I left Tracey's boots with Real, so no wake up at 3, although I had to get up at 3:30 for my 4 am shuttle to Honduras. Long ride, 7 hours, full van. The drive through Guatemala was dreary. We passed several factories that were spewing out dark black smoke. That and the local garbage burning creates a lot of smog. I don't think breathing in Guatemala is healthy.

As we approached the border to Honduras. the pollution decreased, and the scenery improved. Much greener. The border crossing was interesting. You have to pay 10Q to leave Guatemala, and 25Q to enter Honduras.

Copan Ruinas is a pretty little town. The hotel was only 15 US, and had a nice shower and fan. It was hot in CR and very humid, so the fan was welcome. The only problem is that everything is run by a generator, so until the hotel turned it on, no electricity, no water. The owner said it would work in an hour.

I had lunch with 3 of the passengers from the mini van. Interesting mix of people. One was a 40 year old Brit, who had been raised in Sweden, and spent the last 15 years in Thailand. He has a wife and kids there. He is on a 3 month trip through the area. Just drifting. Christine is a Korean girl from New York City. Mustaffah is a Pakistani living in Washington DC. He was in Pakistan when Bhutto was assassinated. We had an interesting discussion about world politics. When you travel with a group you tend to stick to the group. One of the differences when you travel solo, is that you meet some interesting strangers, with fascinating stories. For example Christine told me that the best coffee in the world is in Ethiopia. I guess that's something I might not get to experience. Christine, Mustaffah and I shared a ride to the ruins just outside of town. The ruins are in a beautiful jungle setting. The pyramids aren't huge, but they have some gorgeous stone sculptures. There is also a wonderful museum on site, with English explanations. BONUS.

Copan is a cute little town, very green, lots of flowers. I didn't see any native dresses as in Antigua, but most of the men wore straw hats. I also saw a couple of beautifully dresses, chic women. Reminded me of Spain.I returned from the ruins at about 4. The electricity was on, but still no water. I had to go to the desk and ask. It worked, I could shower, and flush the toilet. The little things which we take for granted.

Wednesday morning was beautiful. Pleasantly cool, and mist over the mountains. As I was walking around town, looking for a cup of coffee I see a young couple that had been on my 4 am shuttle the day before. I walk in and ask if I could join them. They make a very beautiful couple. He is very handsome, and she is just plain beautiful. Maybe I hope some will rub on me. It turns out they are from Spain, one of my favourite countries. We have a nice talk, before I say goodbye.

After breakfast I visited a bird sanctuary where they look after birds that have been injured, or neglected as pets. Beautiful macaws, toucans, parakeets. The birds are well looked after, and the setting was in the jungle, with a stream running through the property. They have over 60 species.

Part of the ticket includes a guide, and because I got there a bit early I had my own guide. I took a tuk tuk back to town. What a ride. I'm sure I didn't lose any internal organs, but I'm also sure they were rearranged. I left Copan Ruinas to return to Antigua at noon. The ride back was much more pleasant. There were only 4 of us, and we didn't have to pay at the border. Everything went well until we hit Guatemala C. at 4. It took one hour to cross the city. The fumes were dreadful, and it reminded me of Dante's Inferno.

I have another 4 am shuttle tomorrow. I'm off to Tikal for 2 days, back in Antigua on Friday. Till then wish me luck. Ralf