Sights and Sounds: Suzanne's Summer in Guatemala

Home again

2009-08-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to come home after traveling solo thru Guatemala and Honduras.

3 weeks of living out of a backpack, sleeping in hostels, forgoing hot water, and riding crazy chicken buses gives you an incredible appreciation for the luxuries of home.

I'm grateful for the incredible experiences and the lovely friendships I've made along the way.

Not only will I always have a family in Guatemala, I now have friends to visit in Columbia, Argentina, and Mexico.

Miles away from the Upheaval in Honduras

2009-08-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am SAFE in Honduras and NOT near Tegucigalpa or the Honduran/Nicaraguan border. I visited the Copan Ruins in Honduras despite a travel adivsory. There have been some conerns given the protests and riots brought on by supporters of the ousted President Zelaya. That includes attacks on journalists and even the Red Cross.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL3722931

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106767232

I head back to Guatemala today.

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Following the coup in Honduras on June 28th and Honduras President Zelaya being ousted from his country, there have plenty reports of unrest and riots in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. The US State Department put out a travel advisory.

In Guatemala, several travel agents I approached about booking a bus to Honduras to visit the Copan Ruins told me they cancelled their trips. But, after a few attempts, I found someone who would take me. I'm so glad I made it here to Honduras. Thousands of miles away from the unrest, it's a quiet place here in the town of Copan. People continue to work, go to school, travel.

They follow the news but it's hardly affected their daily life.

***
But I did bump into a few American volunteers living in the more interior parts of Honduras. They consistently had a curfew. House arrest often lasted from 8pm until 6am which often made travel very difficult. Those volunteers where just happy to get to Guatemala.

The road from Chichicastengo to Xela is one long rollercoaster ride

2009-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Monday...

Heading home to Xela from Chichicastengo was frightful in the rain. Fast and furious driving, exceptionally curvy roads, and lots of passing on blind curves. I don´t understand why there aren´t more crashes the way they drive. I´ve decided NO MORE chicken bus rides in this Western Highlands area.... after this past weekend.

Thru Antigua or other parts of Guatemala might be an entirely different story.

···

Sunday...

The bus drivers up here in the mountains are CRAZY. I say a little prayer, close my eyes, and hold on tight whenever I sit up front behind the driver. Often times, it´s like a roller coaster ride because the windows are open, the front door is NEVER closed and the wind whips through that school bus as the driver drives super fast on the curvy, narrow roads. Oddly enough, there aren´t any crosses and rosaries hanging from the rearview mirror or anywhere in the buses like in Mexico to ensure a safe trip.

Everytime I get off a chicken bus, I tell myself that I won´t do that again, but then I think about my budget and there I am back on another darn bus. It´s the difference of paying $1-$2 for a 3 hour ride on the chicken bus or paying $35 bucks each way on a tourist shuttle.

The price of getting to the U.S.

2009-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

A bottle of water costs 5 Quetzales in Guatemala ($.62).

You can get to the U.S. illegally on foot with the help of a ¨coyote¨ aka smuggler for 50,000Q. That´s about $6300.

From Mexico, you can cross the border illegally with help from a coyote for about $4000.

I can´t tell you how many people I´ve talked to on the chicken bus who are back now in Guatemala after being deported from the US. And, they´re willing to make that costly and dangerous journey again to the U.S.

How much can you survive on?

2009-07-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

The minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25 hr.

In Guatemala, as mandated by law, the farmworker makes a minimum of 60Quetzales per day. That´s less than 8 bucks for 8 hours of work.

Now, try feeding a family of 6 in Guatemala if you only make 8 bucks a day as a farmworker. A pound of meat costs $2.50.

Chicken buses and day-long highway shutdowns-- a way of life

2009-07-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

What was supposed to be a one-hour trip one-way on the chicken bus ended up taking 2-3 times as long. Loved the chicken bus the first time. Maybe even the second time....that is, if we didn´t stop for everyone, their mother, and grandmother. And, if I wasn´t sitting on someone´s lap. On the way back, someone was sitting on my lap...until it was time to change buses. (more on that later).

It was good ride and a good experience. When I could see out the window, it was an amazing view. And, when somebody´s chest wasn´t in my face and I wasn´t balancing on the edge of the seat (meant for 2 people but instead seated 4), it was a good time.

I did hear animals on our bus... not chickens, but dogs.

SO, mi maestra and I headed to the San Francisco de Alto Market an hour away from Xela. 30 minutes in, we soon learned that we had to stop, get off the bus, hike it for about a mile to another bus.

A major nationwide protest had cut-off a major intersection called Cuatro Caminos. Traffic was backed up 15-20 big rigs deep in each direction. People were protesting the government´s decision to cut health benefits to the indigenous population. The President had taken the equivalent of $50,000 from the Department of Health´s Budget. People were also protesting the exorbitant price of electricity that residents in the rural villages had to pay.

So we walked and walked and hopped on another chicken bus which then proceeded to stop every 5 minutes until we got to our destination. It was about the same on the way back. Many many stops and a crazy ride in between.

Thank goodness for the back door on that school bus--the emergency exit--- and all the drills we did in grade school.

The very first Catholic Church ever built in Central America

2009-07-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

It had to be here... The very first Catholic Church ever built in Central America.
The San Jacinto Church in the tiny town of Salcaja was started in 1496 and finished in 1502.
It´s an unasuming little place with some original paintings and an ornate altar. But, that´s it. No inscription, no mention, no posting indicating its historical signifcance. Even stranger, no one is outside selling postcards, miniture models, or trinkets....Gotta work on that p.r.

Chicken buses

2009-07-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

No. There are no chickens on the so called ¨chicken buses¨ in Guatemala. They´re actually old school buses from the U.S. shipped down to Guatemala, painted, and used for mass transit. Why they´re called that, no one really knows. Even the locals don´t realize that´s what they´re called.

Perhaps it´s called that because people are packed in a bus like a chicken. Either way, it´s a wild ride with tons of stops. I took my first one on Wednesday to the town of Salcaja.

Life and lessons in Guatemala

2009-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

My teacher, Senora Leticia, tells me that she notices the economic downturn´s impact on Guatemala in a number of ways. Banks here are receiving fewer money orders from the United States. According to news reports, money orders used to be the third biggest source of income for Guatemala following exported goods. That´s no longer the case.

The Wall Street Journal has a great breakdown on the issue.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123722318175744001.html

Workers, illegal or legal, often send money home to family in Guatemala via money orders. Now, instead of sending money orders, some workers are actually returning back to their home country because they can´t find work. Senora Leticia says as the US has sent or deported as many as 1000 Guatemalans back to their country via plane.

She says there´s an estimated 3 million Guatemalans living in the US right now.

''''

Ms Leticia knows a man who paid 40,000 Quetzales (equivalent of $5000US) to get to the US from Guatemala with the help of a ¨coyote¨... a smuggler. We were talking about the price of getting to the US for better work opportunities. The man traveled thousands of miles and by the time he got to the US, she says his toes and feet were so torn up he was on bedrest for nearly a week. She says that was devasting for that man considering that every day is crucial in repaying that astronomical debt. The man was only able to work for 3 months before immigration caught him and he was deported back to Guatemala. He still has to repay that debt. According to Ms Leticia, the man was talking about trying to make that trip again...

***
There are a remarkable number of cars here (compared to other Latin American countries I´ve visited)... the cares are newer and bigger too. I´ve spotted quite a few Toyota Rav4s, Toyota pickup trucks, Altimas, Jeeps... as well as luxury cars... BMWs. It´s strange to think that as poor as Guatemala is as a country, this particular city seems to reflect otherwise. Sra. Leticia says much of it comes from öld money¨ and people who are wealthy because of family money. Still not sure how that works....

***

Good to spend some time with some young students. My housemate/fellow exchange student invited me to join her class where she volunteers afterschool. The students ranged from 5 to 15 years old. The program offers them extra tutoring. And, for some students, this is all the education they may get after working in the fields all day.

Many of the people who come to Guatemala come to: learn Spanish, to do missionary work, and/or to volunteer. Many volunteer with a non-profit. Many combine Spanish immersion programs with volunteering at local schools.

Using your head

2009-07-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Why do so many women use their head to carry: baskets of flowers, bags of rice, a folded up scarf they don´t feel like wearing? It´s always a wonderful photo opportunity. The first time I saw that, I was with Ryan in Oaxaca, Mexico. The little lady was shorted than me, carring a basket full of red flowers on her head. It was....a Kodak moment.

To think, all the gals in the U.S. balance books on their head to help them with their posture.

Before I go, I should just try and balance a basket. The heavier, the better says my teacher. It´s gotta be heavy so it´ll stay put on your head.

School starts. The lesson: life, politics, the press.

2009-07-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, school starts. I don´t recall ever being so excited about classes beginning.

One-on-one instruction rocks...but it also is draining. I was so light-headed by the time I was done today. Could be because it was 5 hours of pure conversation. This after a 45 minute written test. I enjoy the speaking but I never knew how much I forgot about grammer until that darn test. I thought I was good in Spanish grammar as well as conversation. Now, I wonder if I should just hop on the plane and go home. Just kidding. I marked intermediate for my level. The instructor said I needed to change that to advanced-- whatever that means. Hopefully, not more homework.

I have a more mature teacher compared to some of the college-age teachers--Senora Leticia. Had a blast describing to her the current issues in the US economy and politics. Talked to mi maestra about the foreclosure crisis, Obama´s TARP program, the health care proposals, and then she talked to me about how often Guatemala is exploited by the big governments and countries. She also talked about discrimination of women, especially indigenous women. She talked to me about the corruption in Central American governments.... ie the President of Guatemala and his alleged involvement in the assasination of a lead attorney. We also talked about the power of the press.

I talked to a newspaper vendor this morning. He says the Guatemalan press isn´t good anymore. He says they withhold too much information, the truth...perhaps in service of the government.

Mi maestra says TV media here really reports so little...it´s the radio and talk radio that dare report the news about the President´s alleged role in that murder. And, sometimes the newspapers will report corruption in the government.

Honestly, in totalitarian states or authoritarian regimes... the press are at the mercy of the government. If reporters are jailed or threatened to be killed, or killed... than they can´t really report what needs to be reported. It seems like the media are either controlled by the government... or in the US they are sacrificed because of the bottom line. Others just don´t get the time in newscasts or space in newspapers to report matters.

Yum... street food.

2009-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

I´m a sucker for street food!! I just got here and already, I´ve eaten a handful of things on the street--- pupusas and another thing that looks like a mini tostada--something called ganaches. I was really tempted to get some corn with cheese and hotsauce but I decided to take it easy.

I was so good last time and didn´t eat anything off the street in India. No samosas. Nothing. That´s asking a lot of me, but the horror stories of getting sick in India are indeed very true. It's simply inevitable. But beyond India, I will try just about anything on the street.

Xela--the town-- is nice. Small. Kinda like a mix between Oaxaca and Gudalajara and Cuzco. Oaxaca is sweeter with its Plaza de Armas and the little street vendors. Xela has cobblestone streets just like Cuzco and Oaxaca. Compared to Guadalajara, Xela is much for colorful. But, the town square on Sunday night here really reminds me of Guadalajara´s.

There are some tourists here--mostly foreign students. I came here to avoid them, but I´ve been told, this is still much much better than Antigua in the summertime--in terms of getting the full immersion experience.

Had a beer tonight and sat by a big open window with grill on it. Watched people across the street at the town square...couples walking hand in hand, kids playing ball, families getting ice cream. It´s Sunday night and everyone is out. Earlier in the day, it was sort of a bummer because EVERYTHING was closed---cafes and bars included! I was walking around for blocks and blocks and blocks wondering where everyone could have been.

Monday will be awesome.. I hope to get up early before class and walk around town to get the morning vibe. Uggh. Class starts at 8am. Fortunately, all I have to do is walk downstairs. I´m staying at this guesthouse tonight (the same place where the school-cafe is) because they couldn´t find me a family yet. But, they reassured me I would need to pay the $6 cost for the evening. $6. that´s how much my stay is for the night! Wow. More money for street food....

Getting to Guatemala

2009-07-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Got here to Guatemala City last night. My plane was 4 hours late out of Miami but it didn´t matter in the end because I was in Business Class and had an amazing meal plus a huge bowl of chocolate ice cream to boot.Got in a 1am.

No sweat getting to the hostel. But honestly, it´s all starting to look the same--arriving at 1am in India, China, Mexico City. I will say it´s been a little while since I´ve: been a solo backpacker or ¨shared a dorm room¨ in a hostel. 3 beds to a room. And, this one was co-ed. Shared bath. Fun. Interesting. It´s really based on a trust factor.

My 1 roommate headed out at 530am. I got to ¨¨meet him¨when he woke up. He´s an engineering student who was in Guat for about 3 weeks with ¨Engineers without Borders¨. He didn´t speak any Spanish. OK. Can we say ¨brave¨¿ The poor guy was dropped off in the middle of the bus station in a somewhat dangerous part of town not knowing where he was or why he was dropped off there.

Anyway, I am a morning person and any concerns or preoccupations about ¨how dangerous¨ Guatemala City is by night--most of those concerns quickly fade by 5-6am as the city wakes up.

Off I go to the bus station and a 5 hour bus ride to Xela.