On the Road at last

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Hola!
Well I finally made it after 28 hours travelling. I though I was having a heart attack in Mexico City airport but as it turns out its only a chest infection!! That airport is bigger than Cork city!! Unreal!

So anyway I arrived yesterday in Guatemala City at around 3pm local time (Its 7 hours behind Ireland). Coming out of the airport was a bit of a culture shock. They dont really have a departure gate, the main exit of the airport serves as that. When I did come out there was about 300 people standing there selling all sorts of shit and other people waiting for there families. Half were Mayan and really colourfully dressed. For every one mayan guy arriving there was about 10 + family members waiting!! It was like a street carnival.

I stayed last night in The Radisson Hotel which is a 4 or 5 star hotel (only one I could book on the way to Dublin to give my parents peace of mind, love ye both!) I had to come to a country with a 50% poverty rate to stay in the best hotel I have ever stayed in!! I litterally slept for about 16 hours.

Today I had get out of there so Im now down town in super dodge land! I got the bus down and missed my stop so ended up going to the end of the line and then had to get another bus back. Im glad it happened though cause i got to see the city, most of which is really really run down and to the westerner dodgey!! I couldnt find the hotel I wanted to stay in and didnt want to ask anyone as I was getting eyes from lots and lots of people. I think im a bit parnoid it being my second day and all. But eventually I had to ask someone. The guy I did ask tried his best but with my limited knowledge of spanish it was like a street comedy. The this 40 something guy came over and knew where the address was and walked me 7 blocks to the front door!! What a guy!!

The hotel Im in now is and old colonial style one with a big court yard in the middle and only cost me about 10 euro which is still on the expensive side of things but thats the city for ya. Itll get cheaper once I head to Antigua and the highlands.

Im going to head to Antigua tomorrow Id say as I dont really feel at home in big cities (you can take the boy out of the country but you cant take the country out of the boy!!) so once im there and settled ill post again.

The last thing is the people. You could pass someone on the street at home, even in the smaller towns, and they wouldnt even say hello to you. Many time I have got the bus frm Galway to Cork and the people who you sit beside wouldnt even say hello. Here though, every person I sat beside on the bus, or passed on the street who made eye contact said hello. Theres alot to be said for it. Personnally I feel sad that Ireland is losing what it used to be famous for, the cead mile failte.

So thats it, Love ye all and caht later.

Adios,
Daithi :-)

P.s I left my ipod in the hotel from last night today and was on a bus down town when I thought of it. Had to get off go back. They had it behind the desk for me. woooops My brother says I get it from my dad. I believe him but thousands wouldnt!!!!!!!

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Photos

Wrecked Antigua!!
The down side of earthquakes!!! But it is beautiful!

Antigua
They wanted to change this street back in the day but the nuns were having none of it! So they built this arch so that the nuns and students could move betweent building with out going outside! Wonderful!!

Lago de Atitlan
My Irish eyes were smiling!!

Comments

[Ben the Yank]

Congrats!!
Daithi!! That's fucking awesome that you finally made it! I'm couldn't be happier for you. As for me I'm tied securely to the ball you saw me leave with. It's not so bad though. Let me tell you, I know you've been down south for a while now but if Guatamala is anything like Costa Rica (and I think it probably is) it's not as dodgey as it first seems. But you've probably already figured that out. I've never met kinder people than south americans. Hope things are going well, can't wait to read more! Ben