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Published: March 6th 2007
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Chicken Bus Fleet
We believe that Punky Brewster and Oral Roberts are in charge of converting old US school buses into "chicken buses": the primary means of traversing Guatemala. Saturday, February 23
Crossing the border from Mexico to Guatemala in the hot afternoon sun, we left the cool comfort of the Mexican bus system for the colorful “chicken buses” of Guatemala. Once the yellow school buses of the US, chicken buses have been spruced with paint jobs and usually more than a few “Jesus is my pilot” type stickers. The bus we took from the border wound its way through beautiful mountains, stopping to pick up and drop off passengers along the way. The bus starts out roomy but after a few stops, people are sitting three across each seat. We took two buses and spent the night in Xela before our final chicken bus delivered us to San Pedro La Laguna.
We both liked San Pedro right from the start. What’s not to like? In the western highlands of Guatemala, the town lines the blue Lago Atitlan and is surrounded by volcanic mountains. The locals are very welcoming and the backpacker/neo-hippie culture means good food, coffee and fruit smoothies.
Tuesday, February 27
In San Pedro, you can throw a stone and hit a Spanish language school, which is one of the reasons
there are so many foreigners here. The one that we selected has a lovely campus set on a hill. The classrooms (hut-covered tables) are scattered in a garden with views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes. The school also happens to have an activist bent. They give a portion of the tuition to community projects and take seriously the responsibility of educating their foreign students on Guatemala’s history and present reality.
My maestro, Ruben, teaches history to 7th-graders in the evenings. In San Pedro, children can attend school in the mornings, afternoons or evenings, allowing them to work and go to school. Ruben says that 15 years ago, it was difficult to get parents to send their children to school at all. He says that 15 years ago, everything was different. From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala, suffered a violent civil war. In 1954, a US-led overthrow of the democratically elected president resulted in the installation of military rule and led to ongoing conflicts between the army and guerillas.
Military attacks against indigenous communities resulted in mass killings and disappearances. Ruben’s uncle was “disappeared” about 20 years ago and the family still has no information about what
God is the Co-Pilot
In case of rapture this bus will be unmanned - but there is a backup plan. happened to him. One catholic priest in San Perdro is fighting to find out what happened to the disappeared during the civil war. They are working to uncover a mass grave near the town. The process is slow, but Ruben feels that eventually they will know what happened to his uncle and have some justice.
Like the majority of Guatemalans, Ruben is Mayan and in accordance with ancient predictions, he believes that the year 2012 will bring a new era for his people. One national hero that inspires hope for this era is Rigoberta Menchu. A campaigner for human rights during the civil war and recipient of the Noble Peace Prize in 1992, Menchu recently announced her candidacy for president. If elected, she will become the first Mayan president in Guatemala's history. Dave’s maestro, Luis, noted another positive sign for Guatemala: accustomed to only receiving guns from the US, Guatemala now gets shipments of books and educational materials from its powerful neighbor.
Thanks to the school, we also watched two very interesting movies about Guatemala and I would recommend them both: Discovering Dominga and La Hija del Puma. Discovering Dominga is an HBO documentary about a
Jaclyn's backpack travels the world
Notice the tender loving care and complete concentration Dave bestows on the pack. Thanks Jaclyn! Guatemalan girl who was adopted by a US family when she was 11. As an adult she returns to Guatemala to face her past. It is incredible. La Hija del Puma is a drama based on a novel about Rigoberta Menchu. It’s not great cinema, but it is a moving story. We watched it on our laptop on the patio of our hotel. We were quickly joined by 4 people who worked at the hotel. Dave bought cokes for everyone and it seemed surreal to be sitting in beautiful San Pedro, watching a movie depicting atrocities from the not-so-distant past with four people dressed in traditional attire and who lived through those events while all of us sipped on coca-colas.
Sunday, March 4
We arrived in Antigua yesterday on a direct shuttle from San Perdro that must have set the land speed record for covering that distance. Our driver whipped through the highlands making daring passes on two-lane highways. Antigua makes a great first impression: lovely colonial architecture, colorful houses and churches all surrounded by impressive (and still active) volcanoes. A great place to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary!
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Gaelen
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Shorts!
The thing about embroidering the shorts is the best thing I've heard in awhile. What happens if their house catches on fire and all the clothes get burned? Is the husband not allowed out until new embroidering on new shorts can be done? What about for formal occasions? Is there a cottage industry of people who sell pre-embroidered shorts for wives who do not like to embroider? I'm pretty sure this would be the only thing I would be able to think about if I was there.