Our First Off-The-Map Adventure
Tuesday, October 31st, 2006I don´t even know where to start. Just the past few days have given us so many stories… try we must.
Crossing the border from Mexico to Guatemala was a study in complexity. We hired a van to smooth the border crossing, having learned that the several steps necessary were not at all easily navigated. Boy, were we glad we did. Before leaving Mexico, you have to sign out. The Mexican immigration office is well-kept, the luxuriously wide roads relatively free of trash, and the people confined to buidlings or sidewalks. From there, you drive 4 km into Guate. The road narrows and fills with people, trash, and rain water. There is barely enough room for the van to pass through, and had our van not taken us directly to the Guatemalan immigration office, we might still be at the Mexican border.
We had planned on meeting Zil (our friend from college) in Huehuetenango, which is a small city that is off the tourist trail (compared, at least, to every where we´ve been so far). It´s far enough off the tourist trail that while arranging our transport, we had a difficult time convincing the van driver that we were headed to Huehuetenango. We ended up in a van full of people headed to hotter tourist spots like Xela, but Huehue was on the way and no one objected to our paying the same price for a shorter ride. Imagine our surprise when our van driver pulled up next to a tire shop on the highway, announced that we were in Huehue, and left us and our bags by the side of the road. Everywhere we´ve ended up so far has been accompanied by a Lonely Planet map… this was not. Half and hour later and $11 U.S. dollars poorer (a ridiculous sum in Guate), we found ourselves in Huehue. It was our first off-the-map adventure, but we made it through and met up with Zil that evening.
The next morning we found our way to a chicken bus (an old recycled American school bus) to Todos Santos. The trip from Huehue is about 20 miles, but it takes three and a half hours. The last hour of the drive is on a dirt road. Todos Santos is a very small Mayan Villiage full of people who speak Mam. All of the men and boys wear the same outfit of red striped pants and blue and white striped shirts while the women and girls all wear the same skirt and shawl. It´s pretty incredible. At first I thought it was like nothing I had every seen, until I realized that when you´re walking the financial district of San Francisco or Mid-town Manhattan, the uniform is a dark business suit. This one is a little different becuase it involves red striped pants… the idea is basically the same.
We´re off for a hike in the local hills — our map is drawn on a napkin and involves directions like ¨when you reach the place where it seems like no one should be able to farm broccoli because it´s so steep, turn right.¨ Thankfully everyone here seems willing to help out lost gringas on their way south.
Even though there´s so much more to say, we´ll have to cut it off here. Stay tuned for more.
-Sarah and Megan
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