Feb-Mar 2005

Most of this was written in Coban, Guatemala a few weeks ago, and then
I forgot to send it... As always, no proofreading or second
guessing... I was in Belize for awhile, and am currently in Honduras
and will be heading for La Mosquitia (aka Mosquito Coast) in a few
days, which means no internet... and no roads... and???

There are a few long rants in the middle here, but the ending bits are
a bit faster, so feel free to skip all or none. I won't be offended.
Sections are divided by
"-----"

-----

Well, it seems that I have given up any attempt at making any sort of
coherent essay out of my ideas of the moment. It'll be a paragraph or
so on whatever comes to mind. Sometimes not much comes to mind, so it
might only be a sentence or two. I was also hoping to do weekly
updates, and that was supposed to start almost a year ago! Oops...
Welcome to my second travel note.

-----

Extended stay...
A few days after sending my last big note, I realized that I wanted a
little more time for my trip. This is what happens when I finally get
around to looking at the books and seeing what sound interesting. I
realized that I did in fact want to get to Belize and more of Honduras
on this trip, and that I would be a bit rushed with my current
"plans." I also had the realization that it's much less expensive to
hang around here than in Baltimore or DC - even if I'm sleeping on
friends' couches! Yep, being cheap as I am, it looks as though an
extended stay on the beach will be necessary. I'll be back in the USA
on April 7, just in time to do my taxes and all of that. Now that's
something to look forward to...

-----

Hooray Horray... It's National Marimba Day!!
Ok, so a few weeks ago (Feb 20) was National Marimba Day here in
Guatemala, so what better than a marimba concert in the park in Coban?
The marimba is the Guatemalan national instrument. There seem to be
quite a lot of concerts in quite a lot of parks here, though this is
only the second marimba concert I have been to...

Does the US have a national instrument? An official national sport?
I have no idea. Interesting to note that I have yet to meet a
Canadian who knows that lacrosse is Canada's national sport.

-----

On a somewhat related note, I seem to spend many hours sitting around
in many parks. It is a common practice here, and notable that it
seems to have pretty much disappeared from the suburban USA lifestyle.
I got to thinking about what it means to me after a woman from Israel
complained "there is nothing to do here..."

I was quite enjoying just sitting and watching the interactions of
people of the community. Technically I suppose I was "doing nothing."
The various vendors circled and approached each new face shouting out
and hawking their wares. I watched the ice cream vendors, newspaper
sellers, shoeshine boys and taxi drivers. Certainly there was some
level of competition, but it all seemed friendly. At times there were
clearly there were not enough customers to go around, so a couple of
shoeshine guys worked on eachother's shoes while ice cream vendors
chatted in the shade and taxi drivers seemed more intent on the shine
and polish of their well beaten rides than on finding a fare.
Meanwhile more people from the town filtered through saying hello to
friends and watching the children chase the pigeons. Sit on a bench
for awhile, visit and eventually move on. Repeat, enjoy.

How did I fit into this? Well, I suppose in most ways I didn't, but I
guess I wanted to. After a few days in Coban, I was starting to
become something of a fixture in the park, at least to some of the
food vendors. The trailers selling steak sandwiches for the most part
had given up on me. I don't think they wanted to hear "vegetariano"
again. The woman at the empanada stand was sure to tell me if they
had cheese empanadas on a given afternoon, and the old woman selling
fries from the small cart, well after a few days she gave me
preferential treatment. I was a repeat customer. I did manage the
occasional clumsy conversation with whoever else happened to sit down
on a bench near me, and it all felt great. Nothing to do? Not the
way I see it.

What am I getting at here? Community...
Though I realize that there inherent flaws in any attempt at
comparison of the experiences, I'm going to go for it anyway. In
common USA life, the park is where the kids go to soccer practice.
Later in the teens it's where one goes to find the "bad people" who
have the booze. Yes, for me it was soccer, lacrosse and underage
drinking. Where to go for activities that are not organized or
illegal? Are there places we can gather where we don't have to buy
anything? Places to sit around and wait for something interesting to
happen? Well I guess there are two difficulties - time and place.
It's not just that in many (most?) places the town square has been
replaced by the mall, but also that somehow sitting around is
considered wasting time. That time could be productive... working...
And why is it that time sitting in a park seems to be interpreted as
more of a waste of time and is generally less socially acceptable than
watching television? Reality TV? What about reality? Communities
exist, but they all seem so specialized - interest groups really. I
suppose this is fine, but my interests don't seem focused enough for
this sort of thing. The popularity of the internet is evidence that
we all want to connect and communicate with others, but can't we do it
in person - without pressures, commercial interests, fears and
assumptions? Maybe it's not about selling something. Maybe it's
about communicating and learning. Maybe someday.


-----

I'm not a real doctor, but I play one in countries where prescriptions
are not necessarily required... (Alternate title: I bought some
drugs...)

I was having stomach problems sometime back in Xela, and remembered
that a doctor I had seen insisted that I bring some antibiotics with
me - ciprofloxcin? actually. Well, it worked, so I figured I'd buy
more in case I needed it. Of course drugs are much cheaper here,
about one third the price. I ended up meeting someone who needed them
more than I did at the moment, so I gave 'em away, with specific
instructions - twice per day for three days, etc. Everything went
well, but I still think this will be the end of my medical (mal)practice.

-----

Catching a ride: Another view.

So you're walking down an empty dirt road, having only half an idea of
where you're going. It seems that there is only one road, so this
must be the right one, and according to the compass this should be the
right direction. There has been no traffic in either direction for
almost an hour as the hot sun beats down upon you. A pickup truck
slows down next to you, and the driver signals you to get in. You
notice the knives sitting on the seat between the driver and
passenger. Well, these are more than knives. The blades have to be
at least two feet long! Without a moment's hesitation or second
thoughts, you hop in the back of the truck and you're on your way.

The view from here is spectacular, and of course there are choices.
Sitting in the back of the truck if there is room can be a rough ride,
but good for taking photos. Standing just behind the cab and holding
on to the roof rack gives the best view though, the full 360. The
wind rushes around you, and you duck down behind the cab every once in
awhile to avoid low branches or dust and rocks from vehicles passing
in the opposite direction. A smile is unavoidable. You've never
really eaten a bug until you've done it at 60mph.

Ok, so it occured to me today that many of the things are against what
we are taught in North America. I remember being told it was
dangerous to ride in the back of a pickup truck. I still think that
it probably is? Hitchhiking and picking up hitchhikers are also
activities we are warned against, though I have never had serious
problems with either. Ok, the hippie types can get annoying when you
give them rides, but that's another story altogether. What about
talking to strangers? We aren't supposed to do that, much less get in
cars or trucks with them. Truth be told, I really haven't talked to
strangers as much as I would have liked because my Spanish is a bit
lacking. Ah well. Everyone's a stranger sometime.

Anyway, these things do not seem particularly unsafe when they are a
part of daily life. Riding in trucks with people carrying machetes is
pretty normal. It just got me thinking once again about the many
different attitudes that we have developed, most only on hearsay.
Amazing how many people have told me how bad the city buses are
wherever they live, and how dangerous they can be. Of course when
pressed, hardly any of these people have ever taken a city bus or
Greyhound. Despite the lack of direct experience, unfortunately they
are still somewhat correct. From my experience, most city buses and
Greyhound can be quite annoying though not dangerous. It's good to
try before judging. One day of standing out in the cold for an extra
hour or two does tend to discourage repeated ridership. Of course if
there is no other option... There are plenty of people in North
America who do manage to use public transportation successfully, but
no if they have the means for the luxury of other options. Yes,
believe it or not, a car is clearly a luxury.

Well if there is no other option two things seem to happen.
1) Service is generally better - less expensive, more complete and
more reliable.
2) Even if 1) isn't really true, it sure seems that way when you can't
think about getting into your car.

At times I have lived without access to a vehicle, and it does take a
bit of adjustment. I can't make many stops on the way from place to
place, and I do quite a bit more walking. My recent thinking is that
this isn't so bad. At first it seems impossibly difficult, but then
the lifestyle adjusts. I tend to plan better and actually waste much
less time. Most of the time it seems that I am going places I don't
really need to go. On the bus - or waiting for the bus I read the
paper. I have no stress in traffic, and sometimes when I feel like a
nap... well that's better on the bus than when driving... Sometimes
it's hard to keep that in perspective when waiting out in the cold
rain though.

Why am I thinking about cold rain and snow waiting for a bus in
Baltimore or Detroit? I am in Guatemala facing entirely different
public transportation realities. Buses are entirely overcrowded,
there is no snow, and somehow buses and other options seem to appear
more often than scheduled. Riding in the back of a pickup or on top
of a bus or van, now that's what it's all about. Yes, I have been
riding on top of buses also... I'll post photos when I'm back...

-----

Ok, that's the end of the long rants... more fun from here on out.
Really.

-----

Breakfast here is relatively standardized. Eggs, black beans,
tortillas and fresh cheese with coffee for about $1.00. It's quite
good actually. I have been eating at the little counters and sheds in
the markets and near the bus terminals. It's about the same food as
in the tourist areas for usually less than half the price, and it
makes me work on my Spanish. People are friendly, though often
surprised to see a gringo here...

-----

Women balance baskets with all kinds of things on their heads and walk
to wherever they are going. I have seen a basket of watermelons, a
bashet of chickens (live) and many other things. Balancing without a
basket is perhaps more impressive though. Long stemmed flowers are
nice, but the most impressive were two women walking in Xela each with
216 eggs on their heads?!? Yes, that's a stack of six (6x6) pallets
of 36 eggs each. Every once in awhile they would steady the load with
a hand when turning to look in a shop window or talk to eachother, but
usually they didn't. Yeah ok, try that one. 216 eggs balanced on
your head. The men carry heavy loads balanced on their necks and
shoulders. The gringos carry heavy loads in expensive backpacks...

-----

Of boats, waves and lifejackets... and tires...

I have been riding on a lot of small boats. Like the buses and
trucks, they are loaded way past capacity. Every once in awhile I
count the number of lifejackets. It is much easier and faster than
counting the number of people. It's kind of like looking at the tires
on the buses and trucks. Not a good idea.

-----

Fabulous Migration of the Bluebird...

This was going to be the big epic tale of this note, but I think I
have written enough already! Ask me... maybe some other time.

-----

Hello sportsfans...

Xela Super Chivos(Super Goats) =3, Jalapa (tigers?) =2.

Ok, so that's my report on the futbol (uhh... soccer) game that I went
to. I secretly wanted the visiting Jalapa team to win for two
reasons. First, their mascot was much cuter, and managed to carry out
very cat-like movements in the confines of the costume. Quite
impressive. Secondly, I felt bad for Jalapa, as they were having
various bottle rockets and fireworks launched at them throughout the
game. Trying to achieve a decent corner-kick while worrying about
being hit by an explosive seemed challenging. I'm really not much of
a spectator of sports, but this was definitely an interesting experience.

-----

Cheese Fries! (or Poutine for an exotic Canadian evening)

Even though I haven't had a home in a few years, I do get homesick.
It comes out at strange times and in strange ways. In Coban I wanted
cheese fries from American Coney Island in Detroit... A day or two
later I was quite comfortable with the fries sold in the park -
garnished with catsup, mayonaise and hot sauce. Hey, that's how they
do it here. Now I'm homesick for Coban...

-----

That's more than enough for now!

All the best,
-n


Note... The opinions expressed in this note may have changed by the
time you read this. Who knows...