El Vago en Suramerica

I just got back from Tikal, and once again, Im in Antigua.

I had an interesting time on Christmas. I went out with Tanael, and two Chapines (Guatemalans) I met in Xela, to a party with loud music and dancing around several fires… suffice to say, I was there quite late. On Sunday, there were unfortunately no parties at all, so I spent the evening talking with 2 very cool people from Denmark in my hostel.

Also, beginning on Sunday, I got fairly sick and my stomach was extremely upset. I was feeling shitty until Tuesday, spending lots ot ime in bed and trying to chill out as much as possible. I was in no condition to travel at this point, and it kind of screwed up my plans to go to Tikal and then Honduras. I decided to fly to Tikal, so that I would be able to avoid the long, uncomfortable bus journey in my unstable condition.

My friend Tanael and i had planned to buy plane tickets to Tikal on Wednesday morning from the Travel Agency, so that we wouldnt risk buying the tickets but missing our flight. Unfortunately, the travel agencies dont open until 8:30 or 9:00… We took a shuttle to the airport anyways, hoping to find a cheap flight around 10:30. There was only one option however: leave in the afternoon, spend the night in flores, and fly back the next evening. They cited us a price of something like $215, far too expensive for my limited budget. Tanael decided decided he would go sometime after New Year`s, but without that option, I decided to take an overnight bus that evening. We spent the rest of the day wandering around Zona 1 of the capital and then chilling out in the Tikal Futura mall/bowling alley/concert venue, a major hangout for well-off teenagers from that part of town.

The bus was OK, though I was a bit angry that the tour company charged me so much for what turned out to be an average-quality bus. I could easily have just gone downtown myself and purchased a ticket for the best-quality bus at the station for the same price. I had to wait several hours in the station, which was dirty and crowded, and in a dangerous area. When I finally got on the bus I had to sit beside a lady with big bags on her lap, making it impossible for me to get out of my seat and use the bathroom. Nevertheless, I slept well and got there without incident.

My day in Tikal was spectacular. I arrived in Sta. Elena at 6:30 am, and got on a bus for the ruins at 7. I slept most of the way there, but for the few instants I was awake I met the girl sitting next to me, coming from Guatemala City. When we arrived, I met her two friends also, sisters around 25 years old. We stuck together through the day, and one of the girls acted as a guide because she had been there before. The ruins were really amazing, big and dramatic and detailed. The site is enormous, so much more extensive than any of the other ones I`ve visited. We were there from 7 until 3. At this point, we got on the bus back to Flores, a little city on an island in Lake Peten Itza where the girls were staying. We relaxed a bit, as we were all totally exhausted by the long day. I bought a bus ticket for an 11 pm return to the capital, and then we took a short boat trip, watched the sunset, and went out to dinner. It turned out that they were terrific company, absolutely wonderful people who I was very fortunate to have the pleasure of meeting.

I didnt sleep so well coming back, and upon our arrival I proceeded to get a bit lost in the capital… at least it isnt so dangerous at 7 am. I did see some new parts of the city, however, and eventually made my way to where i could catch a bus to Antigua. When I got back here I slept several hours, brought my laundry to the laundromat, and got a haircut.

Things are all going well. I decided it wouldnt be worth the long trip to Honduras for New Year`s, so here I am still in Antigua, and that really isnt a problem. I couldnt be any happier right now. I think ill go to El Salvador on the 1st or 2nd, and I cant wait to get to a new country again!

Happy New Year`s, yàll!
Love,
Dan

The title is the best Reggaeton song ever. I love it.

I somehow thought I had updated more recently than the last entry. I kept feeling like nothing new had happened, but i guess in reality its been a fair amount of time and ive been all over the country since the last time i wrote.

At the moment, I’m in Xela again. I came back to visit Maria, the closest thing I have to a girlfriend, before I head to Antigua for christmas. I am actually going to return to Antigua this evening, because it is quite cold here and I dont have appropriate clothing… last night it got rather uncomfortable. I drank to stay warm, but that just made me unbelievably tired. In any case, this is a nice city and it is fun to go back to a place that you already know fairly well. Yesterday evening i ran into another local friend, and it was cool to see her after several weeks traveling around the rest of the country.

So I went to San Pedro, a town on Lake Atitlan, with Tanael and his girlfriend Carlota, about a week ago. The lake is a gorgeous place, surrounded by volcanoes and lush green forest. The journey there was incredible; we took chicken buses, and arrived at the lake just before sunset. To get to San Pedro you have to take a boat across the lake, so the sun was setting as we got on board.

We only stayed in San Pedro for 2 nights, though, because despite its beauty, it was somewhat boring during the day. There are five things you can do there in the daylight hours: take a hiking tour, a horseback riding tour, rent a kayak, take drugs, or buy bread. The only one of these activities in which I participated was buying bread. The town is unbelievably full of gringos, and there is almost no contact with the locals there.

That night I did find a good party. I went to the two bars I already knew, and as I expected, they were packed with gringos, and there as not a single guatemalan in sight. I then checked out a bar that had been empty the previous night, and it was full of guatemalans from the capital. I was the only gringo there. The bar was awful; they played the song gasolina 3 times in a row, but everyone loved it. Afterwards we had an afterparty in a hotel, and once again i was the only gringo. In these situations, it is extremely easy to meet people, and i had an awesome time.

We went back to Antigua, making a stop on the way in Panajachel. In Antigua, I met some friends from the previous week, and then met more of their friends, so that now i feel fairly well known in the city. It is cool to be able to go out alone, assuming you will see people you know later in the evening. I always feel better leaving a place having met local friends than leaving like just any other tourist passing through.

On Saturday I went to the capital with a friend from California, and we stayed with the same girl as before. She is incredibly hospitable and friendly, and once again I had a wonderful time there. We (the Californian and I) met two of her friends, and they drove us all around the city. I went again to the center, but this time also to some of the main nightlife zones, which were packed with people after dark. I saw enormous american-style shopping malls (the only thing missing was americans) and fancy hotels. We drove to a gorgeous lookout point above the city, and ate dinner in a restaurant overlooking the sea of lights below.

Going out on Saturday night was lots of fun, way better than the nightlife anywhere else in Guatemala. There were few gringos around, and everyone was good-looking and there was fun music and loads of variety in the different locales. I was with the Californian, the two guys who had been driving us around, and their two other friends. We had so much fun, yelling and dancing and going crazy.

On Sunday we went to a soccer game, which was probably the highlight of my time in the capital. It was the biggest soccer game of the year in Guatemala, with the two best teams from the capital, the Cremas (whites) against Municipal (Red). My friends were Crema fans, so we went into the side designated for supporters of this team. Upon entering the stadium, it became clear that the whites were drastically outnumbered. It was the home stadium of the red team, so at least 3/4 of the seats were in the red section. Though the stadium never filled up, it got close, and the entire game we were looking out into a sea of red on all sides.

Apparently, Municipal has won the last several championships, and though the teams were equally competent, we were still cheering for the underdogs. It seems that this has made many of the white fans a bit more radical, and they were cheering nonstop during the first half, everytime we got possesion of the ball. During halftime, things got crazy. Somehow lots of people managed to sneak fireworks into the stadium, and a number of white fans were throwing fireworks into the red section, cheering whenever they managed to hit somebody. Other drunk fans were running to the fence and yelling at red fans and throwing coins at each other. Riot police came, they kicked some people out of the game, and the violence subsided somewhat. When the the players came back onto the field, everything calmed down and people began to focus more on the game than on each other.

Ten minutes from the end of the game, red scored a goal. After this, white began to play terribly, and red scored again. Crowds of white fans began to leave the stadium, but we waited until the end of the game. It was a huge celebration for the red fans, and it turns out that we had chosen to cheer for the wrong side. Instead, some white fans took to ripping up chairs from the stadium and throwing them towards the field. Luckily I was with my guatemalan friends, and they knew what to do in these situations, where to sit and when to leave. We got out perfectly fine, but it was a wild show. Since the game Ive talked to lots of Guatemalans who refuse to go to the stadiums because of the violence. Nevertheless, Im glad I went.

The next day I took a bus into the countryside, to the department of Santa Rosa. My family back home got me in touch with a family who lives in a small town called Teocinte, so I stayed with them for two nights. I met the whole family, all wonderful, hospitable people. It was great to experience such a contrast from the noise and danger of the capital to this tranquil, quiet village. Also, it was cool to be in a town that hasn’t seen tourists for SIX years. On tuesday I went with the family to pick coffee beans, up in the hills 45 minutes from the town. It was a lot like picking blueberries or something, except that you cant eat the coffee beans. I picked a fair amount, but then i went for a walk with a kid from the family with whom i was staying, and we got a bit lost. (not REALLY lost, only kinda. The kid knew his way around.) We ate lunch together, then resumed picking. It was a cool experience, though i know i wouldn’t want to do it every day. 6 am – 4 pm is a long day, and you are on your feet the entire time. I also got covered in mosquito bites, because i didnt think to wear a long shirt. Later that afternoon I saw the coffee distillery, where they separate the beans and prepare them for export.

The next day, I got up early and headed to Xela. And here I am.

I think I’m going to spend the New Year in La Ceiba, Honduras, which will mean a bit of a sprint after Christmas, up to Tikal and then across the border. Its fine though, I can deal with lots of bus travel.

If you dont hear from me again, then I wish everybody a Merry Christmas.
Love,
Dan

P.S. I wrote this entry yesterday, but was unable to publish it. As it turns out, I was unable to get a bus back to Antigua last night. I arrived at the bus station at about 5:30, and there were no more buses at that time. I was extremely frustrated, but I had no choice but to remain in Xela another night. I spent most of the evening reading and relaxing in my hotel room. The issue of transportation is quite a big difference between Mexico and Guatemala. In Mexico, buses run through the night, and they are usually comfortable and offer a fairly smooth ride. In Guatemala the buses are packed full of people, are old and sometimes dangerous, and run only during the daytime. It is far cheaper to travel in Guatemala, and a far more interesting experience, but it can really complicate things if you are running on a tight schedule.

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