Free Coffee!

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Hello everyone!

I´m sitting in an internet cafe connected to my hotel that offers free coffee, though they charge for donuts. We´re in the coffee capital of Guatemala, Coban. I hope to pickup a pound of first class coffee for three dollars tomorrow, come over for a brew!

We´ve had ups and downs again while we have been traveling these few days. We left the little town of Panajachel for one that was supposedly less touristy. There we were followed around by a ¨greeter¨ who helped us ¨find¨ a hotel (for which he was paid a commission, thus raising our price) and then wouldn´t leave us alone until we hired hiim to take us up a mountain. Yes we needed a hotel, and yes we needed a guide. His name was Pedro, and he made the situation much more about the money than I would have prefered. However, he did find us a wonderful hotel with a big lakeview window and a crazy paintjob for 5 dollars a night. And he spent so much time with us that once we named our rock bottom price for his guidance up that mountain he was almost forced to accept. Unfortunately he mooched lunch and a ride back, asked for Lizzie´s water bottle and then had the nerve to ask for a tip. Needless to say he was not my favorite, he wouldn´t even let us take his picture (so I snapped one while he was hiding his face.)

After the idyllic scene by the lake we made our way to the old capital of Antigua. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site, filled with ruined churches. Some nice travelers warned us that the businesses there pay for ¨protection ¨ from the local gangs, basically old Chicago style mafia. We also heard stories of someone getting shot in broad daylight in a crowded market. We didn´t stay in Antigua long.

We did stay long enough to see the Pacaya volcano. Whoa! Talk about something so dangerous they´d never let you do it back home. We were standing on the volcano´s side with flowing lava not three feet away. Some people were poking it with sticks. Those sticks caught on fire. It was incredably dangerous, but we did it anyway, and we loved it.

After a night in Antigua we took a bus to Guatemala city where we caught another to Coban, where we are now. Lizzie, the magnet for crime was again pick pocketing. This time on a bus. A man sat next to her, and in very close quarters let his jacket fall over her bag, which she was holding tightly on her lap. Little did she know under that jacket the man was cutting into the front pocket of bag and also unzipping it so as to maybe steal her chapstick. Luckily she caught on to him and pushed him out of her bag. He didn´t get anything but her bag does have a scar. This Guatemala is quite a place.

So now we´re in Coban. We are concerned that we are moving to fast and not resting enough. We plan to head out to ¨the eight wonder of the world¨ after we check out this coffee farm. We´ve had two robberies in less than two weeks. Pray that be our end. We are also discovering how hard traveling like this can be. But we´re learning and having a wonderful time. Thanks again for listening, and I´ll be home soon to hear the stories I know you all have for me.

Love,
Carl

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