Part Six

We cruised out of Guate on a busy autopista (divided highway), winding down some steep hills. One thing about touring around Guatemala is you definitely test your brakes and power climbing and descending the very steep grades. It is not unusual to climb for 10 kilometres in first gear with no pull-outs or level areas to rest the engine. I always get worried on the really steep climbs when the cooling fan cuts in, you can feel the immediate power loss and with only those four cylinders we wonder if we won't power out on them. Not a pleasant thought. We are happy with the performance of the van though, its gearing ratio is excellent for the down grades, far better than most automatics, and it has make it up all the hills so far without overheating or powering out This says quite a bit if you remember we are in 30+ degrees much of the time!

Anyway, back to our travels. We found the Touricentro Auto Mariscos quite easily thanks to the description in our book. As is usually the case when you have expectations (the author of the book said this was the best place he found in all of Central America),we were slightly disappointed. The grounds and a few of the buildings were under construction, recovering from damage done by Mitch. The park is located between two steep volcanic slopes and heavy rains brought by Mitch (and also helped by some denuding of the steep slope by subsistence farmers) caused several mudslides that killed six people and one slide that came through the park.

The cost to stay there was more than anticipated also, it was $10 each all inclusive (except meals). We were the only campers (something we were getting used to by now) and once we settled in we began to appreciate the place It had a large swimming pool, a wave pool, Jacuzzi, water slides, concrete pads to park on, electricity for the fridge, running water (not potable) and excellent security.

We basically had all the facilities to ourselves, with the exception of the workers, because it was mostly utilized on the weekends in warmer weather. A waiter there, who was mentioned in the book, was anxious to learn English so he chatted with us. He was especially thrilled, as was the owner of the park, to be named in the book. The only drawback of the place was that it was located adjacent to the busy highway that never quieted down. Another night trying to sleep with blaring horns and noisy (or nonexistent) mufflers plus the load preaching and singing of a church across the road.

After a long swim and Jacuzzi the next morning we found our way to Antigua (after finally finding the right road). Antigua was a surprise. It was nestled in a small valley surrounded by volcanoes and was very old and tranquil. We later learned that it was a World Heritage Site so it had to stay the way it was years ago. The streets are all cobblestone, very narrow and undeveloped. What a change from the frenetic pace of Guate!

We found a parking spot on the edge of town in a Lutheran Church compound. It was like a park, with beautiful gardens, large trees and a manned gate from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM. It had no services but we really didn't need any and we negotiated a price of $6 per day. Again, the only drawback was that it was on the bus and truck route (the roads were too narrow for them in the town so they just circled the perimeter) and there were some tumulos (topes, speed bumps) right in front so that accentuated the noise level. Of course, the barking dogs and firecrackers were also there.

The city is small enough that you could walk it all in a day (if you were fit enough) so we just left the van parked and walked everywhere. We signed up at one of the seventy or so Spanish schools that Antigua is famous for. We picked a high end school that was about twenty minutes walk from the church and paid about$20/day each for four hours of one on one instruction. We were given homework also, so we found our time filled with walking and studying. The school also had extra-curricular activities such as walking tours, videos (with subtitles) and special Xmas parades and visits with local families. All in all, a excellent experience that would no doubt be a great benefit in our coming travels.

On our free weekend we drove up to Panajachel, a spot that I had visited on my last trip and had marked down in my mind as one of the most scenic places in the world. The setting is a large lake (actually the crater of a gigantic volcano) surrounded by steep slopes and picture perfect volcanos. Around the lake are 12 villages, each named after one of Jesus's disciples. They can be accessed by boat or some by very rough road. The main town of Panajachel is reached by a tortuous 8 km descent down the crater wall. My years of logging truck driving was definitely an asset here!.

We found a beautiful park on the grounds of a hotel just out of town that we could stay in, it even had a swimming pool. We went into town, wandered around, sat by the water for the sunset and returned to our first quiet night in a long time. In the morning we went the docks where tour guides raced up to us but we settled for one of the many public ferries that plied the waters.

We headed off towards the largest, most popular village and were treated to a slow, enjoyable and very scenic trip across the lake. The villages were famous for their handicrafts and we were treated to their displays without too many pushy sales people. We enjoyed sitting in the market for a while before going back on the ferry. We splurged on a traditional supper, more so for the view and ambiance than for the food. We got back to our camping spot by dark and had a relaxing evening in wonderful surroundings and were in bed by 9:00.

Shortly thereafter, our tranquillity was ruptured by the arrival of a large group of young people who began to set up tents amidst the booming of their car stereos. Surprisingly, it was not rock music but gospel music so we figured they would not be a problem. Wrong! They were having great fun around the campfire, laughing and singing gospel songs and then a preacher began a sermon in that familiar evangelical style. They carried on until nearly four in the morning!! I was very upset but not forward enough (or confident enough in my Spanish skills) to go out to tell them to quiet down so I ended up being more angry with myself than with them. They left fairly early in the morning (no doubt to go to church) so we did manage to get some relaxing and swimming in before heading back to Antigua. It isn't very often in life that you can return to a place and find it as good as or better than remembered, but Panajachel was just that.

We arrived back in Antigua and Diane began preparing to go home for Xmas and I signed up for another week of classes. The church was giving all its employees time off for the holidays so were told we had to find somewhere else to park. The cheapest option, and the one we decided on was a parking lot just one block from the school. It became home for the next 10 days or so. It was surprisingly quiet, being in a residential area with no traffic, it offered no services again but who cared? We had everything we needed in the van (it really was becoming home) and we could resupply water and charge the batteries by going out for a drive now and then. The price was only $2.50/day but we had to park elsewhere for the day, which was not a problem because we just parked outside the school.

Antigua is very safe (or as safe as any CA place can be) because it brought a tremendous inflow of foreign dollars into Guatemala and the government put security high on the list. They did not tolerate crime and their presence was everywhere. It was an excellent place to be for a while, a mix between the old, exotic and the new. Most services could be had for a price but you also could subsist on nearly nothing if you wanted to.

I appreciated my time alone at Xmas even though it had its times of loneliness. A quote I read the other day went something like this "Loneliness or being alone is the way by which destiny endeavours to lead man to himself". I was quite comfortable with myself and did not find it necessary to seek out companionship, which was surely there among all the travellers, if I desired.

On Xmas morning I took a drive into Guate to explore, locate some embassies, and generally find my way around (and out of) the city. As expected traffic was very light (remember that at midnight everyone was letting off firecrackers) and it was the ideal time to drive around.

In the afternoon I decided to drive to the coast to see the ocean. It was a wonderful drive, the road being surprisingly good most of the way. They had just finished building a toll freeway that cut down the mountain to the plains below. The road descended 1500 metres is only 40 km and the climate changed from the cool of the highlands to the heat and humidity of the coast.

Within two and one half hours I was in San Jose, a small town set beside a major commercial port. The town was extremely busy, it being the holiday destination of many Guates, and by that time of day (about 3:30) many were hot and drunk. As with a lot of coastal towns, I was not impressed with the cleanliness or attitudes of the people and did not feel too comfortable there so I explored north and found a Radisson Resort Hotel on the beach that allowed me to park and view the beach. The sand is all black from the volcanoes and the surf was big enough that swimming was out of the question.

The clerk at the desk said that I could park for free provided I use some of the services, such as the restaurant, so I happily set up camp, looking forward to a relaxing weekend. However, it was not to be. When the night manager came on duty (about 7:00), he came over and apologetically told me that I could stay there for a modest fee of $50 US! The rooms there were $200 US so it wasn't out of line as far as they were concerned but I told him that it was unacceptable to me and that I would leave. He asked some of his employees, upon my request, if they knew a safe place to park and they said in front of the Municipal Hall on the main street in San Jose as it was well lit and the police station was close by.

Of course by this time it was pitch dark and I had limited options as all the other hotels I had seen earlier that day were overflowing with the Guate crowds so I cautiously drove back to town and parked where suggested. I sat out on the street for awhile, getting a feel for the place and chatting with people who were sitting as I or were just passing by. It was a good way to practice my Spanish and get some local info. The corner I had picked was occupied by a couple of prostitutes, or so I was told, and the street had heavy pedestrian traffic many of whom were extremely intoxicated.

Apparently, a lot of refugees form El Salvador have migrated to the area, and contribute to the high crime rate. They were not well liked by the locals. Tiring of the constant flow of people I moved inside the van and tried to get some rest. I had not put the top up so that I was unobtrusive as possible, ha, ha. The night was noisy and I did not get much rest being quite paranoid after all the horror stories told me by the locals and seeing all the drunks and I know how drunks sometimes don't do rational things. Anyway, it was a good opportunity to sit with that fear, to watch it and to explore what could happen. It was 35 degrees that night, with high humidity and no air flow, needless to say, I didn't need my sleeping bag!

The next morning I drove down to the next town thinking I would go to the beach for a while but that town had been damaged by Mitch so that the streets were all impassable and anyway the beach could only be reached by taking a launch across the canal and I wasn't comfortable leaving the van there. The other option I explored was taking the ferry to another town that was supposed to be quite nice but the cost of the "ferry" (a small barge with an outboard ) was more than I wanted to pay with no guarantee that the next town was no better than this one so I rumbled around some back road, getting hot and dusty, and decided to head back to Guate and the Touricentro Auto Mariscos.

This turned out to be a great decision and I really enjoyed the rest of the weekend. Again, I was the only overnight camper, but the place was overflowing during the day as the weather was excellent. It was another chance to practice my Spanish by chatting with people. They were all very impressed with the van and I continually gave tours throughout the day. Eduardo, the waiter who was learning English brought over a list of 150 verbs in Spanish and English and we spent three hours that evening (after he had finished work) helping each other with pronunciation. I began to appreciate how difficult English is to learn.

The night did not seem as noisy as I had remembered, perhaps because I was so tired. Only the gospel singing bothered me. In the morning, as I was first there, I had the pools to myself for a while, it was great! The hot showers and clean washrooms were also a treat as it had been about two weeks since I had last had a shower and the sponge baths were wearing thin.

I stayed until 1:00, getting the most I could for my $10 and spent the time studying. For the first time I was able to see that it was possible to communicate with people , even if only on a superficial level, and my vocabulary memorizing (I had made up hundreds of index cards) was beginning to pay off.

I made my way back to Antigua via some backroads that I had discovered on one of my battery recharging drives and settled in for a couple of days of classes before Diane returns. The next day I was rudely brought back to reality by my teacher who seemed to be speaking far faster this week and focussing on past tense grammar that I had not studied as much as I should have over the weekend. That is where I sit today, frustrated again but knowing that it will all work out.

We plan to stay here until the new year, figuring that it would not be a great time to travel, especially in El Salvador so we will use some of the time to go into Guate and get visas for Nicaragua and see what it is the best to go about getting me a new passport as mine has only three pages left that are not filled with stamps.

Part 7