Hey Everyone,
I first want to say that I can't believe I´ll be getting on a plane in roughly 32 hours to return home to California. I think I'm still in denial. While I´m sad to be going, I think I'm also ready. Ready to be living out of a drawer and not a backpack that has to be packed every 3 days. Ready to sleep in a familiar bed, pee without hovering, and shower without sandals. Ready to eat and drink without having to worry about the results that could come from it... That being said, I'm terribly sad to be going. It's going to be so strange returning to a "real" life after all of this. All of the realities of growing up that I'm not ready to face. The responisbilities that I don't want to accept... they're all waiting for me back in good ol Humboldt County, CA.
So we arrived in Flores, Guatemala after a tediously long and crammed bus ride. Our first chicken bus in Guatemala, we experienced a hellfire and brimstone preacher, a man selling some kind of vitamins, and a guy who "needed knee surgery" claiming he had learned how to work, even though he seemed to just be begging on the bus to Lindsay and I. I think it was the most cozy bus ride yet as well, full of characters like a crazy old man with his fly down, who wouldnt stop staring at me, a woman who I'm fairly sure thought I was possesed by the devil, and a flock of men who were mezmerized by my bracelet making.
We spent that night and the next day just relaxing in Flores at the Hostal Los Amigos. On the morning we tried to go to Tikal, we went to the ATM to pull out some money, and to our dismay, it wouldn't work. Frustrated, we headed to the shuttle stop and changed our reservation by an hour, and grabbed a TukTuk to the main land to use a different ATM. Problem was, every single ATM was the same brand, no matter the difference in bank, and none of them would take our cards. After an hour of driving to ever ATM in greater Santa Elena, we went back to the island, a bit panicked. An indeavor to pull some cash out of the ATM turned into us being stranded in Guatemala with no money, stuck in our hostal for 4 days, because it just so happened to be a national holiday, and though Visa could wire the money in, we couldn't pick it up.
After being stranded at the hostal for days, we finally got access to a little cash, payed off our outstanding tab we had running, and made it to Tikal. Tikal. The most beautiful man made creation I have ever seen. To hike through the jungle, and suddenly come upon a monsterous structure, made with such care and attention to detail, was like nothing I've ever experienced.
There were several tempels you could climb, but one, Temple IV, took you above the tree line. From there, you could see the tops of several temples, peeking above the trees, and a view of the jungle towards Belize for miles and miles.
After Tikal, we returned to the hostal to wait for our night bus to Antigua, and watch the election. We sat glued to the tv with at least 20 others from around the globe, crossing our fingers for Obama. I realized how truly important this election was to the rest of the world, how greatly we effect the lives of not only ourselves, but the entire earth. We had to leave at 9, but things were looking good for Obama.
We got on our night bus, curled up, and slept the 9 hour bus ride to Guatemala City fairly undisturbed. When we transfered to our shuttle minibus from our charter bus, eager to hear the news. We saw the paper sitting in the front seat of the shuttle. The conversation went something like this:
Me- "Dude, there's a paper in the front seat!"
Lindsay- "I think I see something about Obama!"
Me- "Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Oye! Por favor, pasame el periodico!"
On the cover read "VICTORIA POR OBAMA!"
We screamed, we danced, and we generally freaked out all of the other passengers and the driver!
We arrived in Antigua at 6am. We ate some breakfast, and found a place to stay called The Black Cat (El Gato Negro). We had to wait a bit for the room, but that was alright. We ended up sharing bunks with 2 Australian guys, who seemed cool for about the first 4 hours, and after that, was all down hill. They were without a doubt, the worst roommates I have EVER had in a dormroom at a hostal. Rude and loud, the would burp fart and leave their trash lying around. One liked to have phone sex with a webcam on his laptop in our room... Seriously, what the hell!? After 2 nights of being woken up at 3 am and other various times, being jumped on drunkenly, and being called darling and angel and having referenced to my tits made constantly, its an understatement to say we were relieved when they left.
We went out the other night to a place called Café No Se, advertising their illegal Mezcal (that actually isnt illegal anymore). It was a cool joint, and we went with some friends from hostal Los Amigos that we were reunited with that day ( A Britt and a Quebequaz dude). Lindsay and I each ordered one shot of Mezcal, one flavored by leeche, and one cinnamon. When Lindsay tasted hers she couldn't stand to drink it, so I was left forced to take both of these shots. Mezcal is like tequila, but a different kind of Agave, and its smoked underground for 4 days, like a pig at a luou. It was strange as hell to take a shot that tasted like a bbq. Later we went dancing for a bit. Nothing too monumental.
Antigua is beautiful, but expensive and full of tourists. At this point we're just kind of sitting ducks, out of money, out of things to do, just waiting for our plane home. I think that someday I'll come back to Guatemala though, because it seems to be a beautiful country full of fantastic people. I hope to be back to explore more soon.
Entonces, I probably won't be writing again before I return home. But without a doubt this was a trip of a lifetime. I´m so happy that I've seenw hat I've seen and done what I've done. So to all of you, Salud!
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