How haunting

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Some people are just not satisfied with what the ordinary and sane have to offer Xela: salsa lessons, both the kind that you cough up a Quetzal for and the free kind taught by eager young local "teachers,"the buoyant Pasaje Enrriquez with its endless number of drinking and fry-eating alternatives; creamy, melty, seratonin-augmenting Dona Pancha hot chocolate. No, good food and company isn't enough: some people need the thrill of the unkown, the unwelcome, that which will leave them scared s!%tless.

And Xela really does have something for everyone. As with many places in Guatemala, Xela´s long and at times chilling history has left a legacy of haunted areas. Adventure junkies, please read on for some of the most bewitched areas in the fair town.

1. The cemetery. Yeah, I know, how obvious--a haunted cementery. It´s almost a cliche, and a bad one at that. Still, it´s worth a shot--it´s really large, and neighboring houses often complain about hearing the sound of crying children throughout the night, and not the kind of crying children I work with--they´re not complaining about their classmate stealing their princess eraser. The cries from the cementary are reported to cut right to the bone with their utter despair. Yikes. I live pretty close to the cemetery and haven´t heard anything, but I think I´ve gotten pretty militant about blocking the sound of tiny infuriated voices out, so it might be a worthwhile venture for those who haven´t.

2. Xela used to have a well-developed subterrenean system before they upgraded to the kind of cutting-edge public transport system which is entirely dominated by minivans shipped in from the US when they're too old to pass inspections even in wink-wink-nudge-nudge Mexico. (In all seriousness, though, not sure i would want to use a metro system in Guatemala, what with the earthquakes and landslides and lack of building-standing-upness here). Much of the metro system has collapsed, but what´s left is apparently the most haunted place in Xela. More than a few young, family home-bound couples with romantic notions have slipped into the tunnel for a night of fun...and never returned. And the firefighters sent after them, not so much on the returning front either. So, in other words, adventuring into the tunnel pretty much ensures a mysterious and untimely disappearance. Have fun kids!!

3. There's a house near 3rd street with 15th Avenue that's absolutely beautiful; an old Victorian painted a crisp white with mint trimmings, wrapped with a perky fence. It's well designed and maintained, what could be considered a true treasure in Xela. It goes without saying that such a place is haunted, and no one has dared pass the gleaming gates in many years. Oddly, and creepily enough, people living in the area report seeing curtains move in the windows with people moving them. So if you´re looking for a place to crash entirely for free, there is an option!

Of course, these are just some of the ghost-rich areas in town, but there are more. Personally, I think the idea of haunted houses is a fun one, but I´d rather concentrate on what I know to provide a good time: good drinks, good live music, and lots of not clutching my blanket at night out of fear.

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