Guatemala City

Well, we have arrived safely in Guatemala city - although haven{t really seen anything of it yet.

Despite my many complaints to all that would listen about our flight going through Miami when I paid more for it not to - it didnt. We flew straight from Madrid to Guatemala. An 11 hour flight that had me so completely and utterly confused about what time it was where, how long we had to go, and what time it would be when we got there, I completely gave up. I now have no idea what time it is anywhere else in the world, and it will probably stay that way, at least for a few more days.

The best thing about waking up in this hostel (dos Lunas - right by the airport, we even got met in a windows-blacked-out car by a nice man called Victor) is listening to the dawn chorus, and not recognising a single sound. I am intrigued to find out what kind of creatures are making those noises outside my window. They sound so exotic and exciting. The weather here is warm, and as I type (7am) the sky is cloudless and the sun is shining. It looks like it{s going to be a really lovely day. From what little I saw of Guatemala City last night in the car, it really does look different. How to describe it? I{m not sure. Lots of low buildings crouching by the road, beautiful trees swaying in the evening sunlight, but also lots of razor wire, indicating that people like to retreat into their fortresses. Indeed, this hostel comes with strict instructions about keeping the gate to the street locked. Nevertheless, there{s something about the place that feels good. I almost wish that we had made some time for a quick exploration of Guatemala City itself - today Victor will drop us at the bus station, and we{ll be off. Still, perhaps we will look around this City in a few months time when our Spanish is great, and we{re feeling generally more confident.

Actually, today is the day I have been dreading for months. We must take a bus from here to the city where we plan to stay for the next 6 months. The journey can be a bit risky, with several buses getting held up by armed robbers, stepping onto the bus to relieve travellers of their valuables in a Robin Hood manner. I am less optimisic about the altruism of those involved here however. Still, there really isn{t any other option (other than hiring a helicopter) to get there, so I will put my faith in my angels and hope that it will all go ok.

I promise that for my next post, I shall work out how to use an apostrophe instead of an {!!!!