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Published: September 6th 2007
I went from Coban to the Biotopo de Quetzal. This was set up after some bloke called Mario Dary campaigned fro such a cloudforest reserve to protect the endangered bird. He was murdered in in 1981 after upsetting powerful timber interests. The quetzal itself is one of Guatemala´s symbols featuring prominently on its flag. It lends it´s name to the currecny, perhaps because the bird was sacred to the Maya and their feathers were used as currency. Killing one was a capital offence and they were the spitritual protectors of Mayan Chiefs. Jake decided to tag along as well.
After a little haggling we got a room for 50Q each. The hotel, whilst basic, had extensive grounds and a trail which took in a river and some small waterfalls but there were loads of mossies. I wanted to walk upstream but getting splashed meant my repellent washed off and mosquitoes and these huge flies landed on my arms all the time so I headed back pretty shgarpish.
In the night I woke up feeling bad with diarreah and a fever. A little before six the boy woke us up to see the quetzals. I felt rough and Jake was in a bad mood for some reason - he had imagined mosquitoes all night or something. We got up anyway and after fifteen minutes or so we saw one in flight and then sitting in a tree. They are green with a red underside. We went back to bed and that was the end of the quetzal experience. I packed very slowly, utterly exhausted, and caught a bus from the side of the road.
I slept on the two buses all the way to Antigua. We changed in Guatemala City which is an absolute dump. We got in and found any old place as far as I was concerned, on later inspection it proved to have some nice colonial trimmings and green vines in it´s courtyard. I wnet to bed until 7am the next morning waking periodically and taking paracetamol to control my temperature.
Antigua is a beautiful, cultural place. I had seen rivers of mud running down the streets as we approached the bus station and wasn't particularly impressed but when I woke up keen to eat, drink and exercise a bit, had a hot shower, shaved and styled my hair, I found it to be quite spectacular. I first saw a big church, La Mercad, with an impressive facade, the detail picked out in white. I walked around a bit and glanced up to fgind myself looking through an archway (that had originally been part of a convent so that the nuns could pass between the two sides of the establishment without being polluted in the street) at Volcanoe Agua, standing just to the south of the city. It was the least clouded I have seen it in all my time here and I was astounded by the beauty of the scene.
In the main plaza, where the government buildings that ran the whole of Spanish Central America and Chapas in Mexico until 1773 when the city was destroyed by an earthquake and the current capital was established, there were a load of school marching bands assembled. After a while they began playing and marching off around the square and the town. While I waited, two small boys shined my shoes, or rather painted over the dirt on my trainers.
I went back for a rest and Jake confessed he was an alcoholic. I should have guessed really, I knew he was off all the drugs he used to be on. We moved hostal to a cheaper one where I had another rest before heading for a cafe where I spent much of the afternoon, alongside a wander around the cathedral - nothing all that remarkable, only a fraction of the huge original had been restored after the earthquake - I went in the ruins.
I met Jake back at the hostel and he reasoned out all his options for what to do next. I'd heard it every place we'd been to, so give him a rather abrupt character assessment and told him I thought he would do whatever I did and not decide. This gave him the kick up the arse he needed to make up his mind.
I got up on the Monday, a week after I'd left Flores, determined to do something with my day. In theory Jake had a similar resolve as it was his last day adn he even contemplated climbing the volcano. I wandered around a few more churches and stuff whilst Jake spent several hours deciding how exactly he was going to get back to Belize. He is a very indecisive man, bless him. I was still very tired and come 4pm there was nothing I wanted to do more than watch the simpsons movie which I did whilst eating pasta and veg. It was quite good. I had moved to the Jungle Party Hostel to be around more people and there I watched Die Hard 4 whilst Jake stressed about leaving and then left. He has been a good travel buddy and an interesting person with lots of good stories. His grandmother and mother seem to have known or dated numerous famous Americans that I'd never heard of for example. I have quite enjoyed is moderate hippy persepctives as well. I think he was the most beautiful, interesting moderate hippy I have ever met. I can't help thinking that I've been a bit short with him these last few days when I haven't been too well and I wish him well for the rest of his trip.
On the forth I was ill again. I'll spare you most of the details but there was vom in the morning, poo in the afternoon and tired all day. I watched the Simpsons Movie again in the hostal and went for a dinner of a small amount of bread with a kindly German girl who I subjected to my appauling conversational abilities. It was perhaps just as well that I didn't say much as her face showed some considerable shock every time I did. The rest of the day I slept. I don't think I needed to sleep that much it was just the least boring thing to do. At night I watched another film called To End All Wars. It was good.
Yesterday I felt much better, I even had a burger for breakfast. I had been wondering whether the previous day had been a relapse or what and it worried me. Once I got out and about I realised I still wasn't right and and set about finding a laboratorio medico where they test you for about one pound fifty. The results came back showing nothing which is frustrating but I feel even better today and am on antibiotics so I hope that will help.
In the afternoon and evening I had just the good time that I had needed. I had bumped into Laura who I had volunteered with and we met up for a drink and a beef, cheddar and gravy sandwich - wonderfully British. In a second cafe I had an orange strawberry, vanilla and cinnamon drink which will HAVE to be repeated sometime. NICE!
Laura met Greg when she gave him Reiki. This may sound like a STI but is actually a process of healing through the laying on of hands that laura was learning. He is a Brit ex-pat who owns a cafe here, I had met him earlier. He met up with Laura, who was staying with him, and I was about to say my goodbyes when he invited me to his amazing house. It was absolutely beautiful and immacuately kept. He wanted to test his new surround sound so I watched yet another film, The Thomas Crown Affair. Then there was takeaway Chinese. What's more there was PG Tips. Imagine all this in Guatemala, it was very strange but very pleasant and I didn't like the thought of going back to my hostel.
Every Wednesday at some venue or other in Antigua some old man from the Buena Vista SOcial Club plays the drums and sings with a Guatemalan band so we went along to watch. I knew nothingof the BVSC except the name and I recognised some of the songs but they were fantastic, he was a wicked old man with huge strong hands. I shook one when we went up to meet him because Laura was a big fan. He did some fantastic drumming. Almost as interesting was watching the salsa dancing, Antigua is a centre for learning it. I even had a dance myself, although I must admit my salsa wasn't up to much.
Having done something properly fun, I feel reinvigorated and so this afternoon I am going to climb an active volcano.
Corr that was a long one.
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James Mitchner
non-member comment
Terrible blog
Maybe not such a terrible blog...but you sound like a complete douchebag. The sheer volume of your complaining and simpering through the dialouge of your essay was astounding. Real proud of you for getting out of your own country, but I am always quite in disbelief when someone of your disposition belly aches his way through the trip. Just glad I wasn't there with you.