And Where is He Off to Now?

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Dear Friends,

Look here, its Carl Beien. I´m realing from a recent graduation from Bucknell University, and fabulous graduation party that so many of you came to! What a blast! It was too hot to drink much of the beer, but for those of you who stayed around till late, it wasn´t to hot for a crazy game of croquet in the park! Whoo Dog!

But alas, I´m not just writing to remind those of you who missed out that you shouldn´t miss the next party. What I´m writing about is that I´ve left the country again. No no, its not the Peace Corps yet, but I have skipped town. That being said, I have every intention of cataloguing my journey to those of you who wish to hear it. And as always, if these letters are just clutter, give me the boot. If not, read on!

So my college room mate, Jin Chen Jou and I landed in Guatemala city not twenty four hours ago. Yes, I´ve been here before. But the charm of the people (and the dirt cheap flights) have brought me back. This time, however, my stalwart companion Lizzie is not with me, neither is her proficiency in Español. I have never before been to a country where I didn´t speak the language and didn´t have a guide. Needless to say, its already been an adventure.

We arrived at Guatemala City airport at 6:30 this morning, and immediately began to haggle for a cab. I´m sure we got ripped off, but that was okay. He offered us 10 dollars to the bus station, or forty to our destination, Antigua, Guatemala´s colonial capital. Well, after a only a bit of fighting, we took his cab to the station, and then paid only another 2 dollars to get here to Antigua. Big discount, and we didn´t even need spanish! Just a bit of well intentioned machismo.

Since then, Jin and I have been up for nearly forty eight hours (as our Red Eye flight kept us awake), we´ve walked miles with our packs on, seen half a dozen colonial churches, bargained for matching bracelets, and are staying in teh back of a travel agency hostel that Lizzie and I patronized when we were here two years ago. Coming back to a country brings back many memories. But this trip is so different (no spanish, no plans!) that it has already begun to take on a different flavor.

Tomorrow we plan to climb a volcanoe roast marhsmallows over molten lava and then make our way to a city on a mountain lake, before we head deep into the hinterlands. Hopefully, we won´t get pick-pocketed, Giardia, or ripped off by flaky turtle guides. What we´re hoping for, is a whole new heap of misadventures to go down in the books, and put hair on our chests.

Wish me luck all, this trip has just begun.

Love,
Carl

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Comments

[Rick Wortley]

Good luck on you adventure!
Carl, I signed up to your blog this time so as not to miss any of you trip reports. Hey, how long do you plan to be gone? Are you carrying a laptop with you or using one at an internet cafe? Where are you going to from Antigua? The roasting marshmellows was a good idea. Love, Rick