small world she said: 2009-10-11

Given the impossibility of foreseeing where and when I can blog next, remembering the dates of places we've been is more than a bother. So no more dates. In fact, the self-inflicted pressure and urgency to post is also more than a bother. It might prove an emotional hinderance to the long-term enjoyment of this trip. Nah. But it might come down to one post per country. Here we go...Guatemala!

It starts with empty wallets. Stepping foot in Guatemala with literally zero cash after spending our last on the exit fee from Belize (part of which we could dodge since the customs agent probably sensed our exasperation and waived the 7 belizean dollars more we didn't have, to pay their useless "conservation" fee), we took a taxi to an atm in the nearest town, then drove back to immigration. The visa you buy here takes care of travel through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Those were unecessary details.

Tikal, El Remate, Lake Peten, Guatemala

Oh Tikal. My personal favorite of the Mayan ruins we've visited so far. Even after getting bitten/stabbed/napalmed by a "conga" ant, as the rusty dagger of excruciating poison infiltrated my bloodstream and pulsated through my leg for the ten minutes that felt like a merciless eternity, I couldn't help but thank the lord (or Sun god) for allowing me to witness such beauty.

On our way to food and internet, we caught a soccer game by Lake Peten

Our first quintessential Guatemalan meal: rice, fried chicken, beans, tortillas

Antigua, Guatemala

The "chickenbus" wasn't the jalopy ranchero truck crammed with perpetually startled chickens and Guatemalteco cowboys that I had imagined.

Artesan collective near the center of Antigua

Pacaya Volcano

An active volcano near Antigua and a rewarding hike. After squeezing past flatulent horses and outstreched tree branches along narrow, steep trails, we roasted marshmallows to perfection atop the seething lava crevices and wished we brought hotdogs.

Lago de Atitlan