Guatemala: Day 1

While in Seattle, I happened to stumble upon a journal that I kept while I visited Guatemala back in the summer of 2004. I went to Guatemala to take part in an archaeological dig headed by Earthwatch, a non-government organization. As it turns out, it was not the best way to get the knowledge of how to or how not to do archaeology, but I think the experience outside that scope paid for itself.

Here I'm going to write out the journal exactly as it appears on paper. If I see fit to include an explanation or to complete an abbreviation, I will put it in [brackets]. I will start this first post with Day 1:

Guat Day 1

Thoughts: Met a cool Danish chic on the way to Dallas [who] works for some chemical company on [Carillon] Point. Live in Queen Anne. She does abstract art on the side using acrylics, cotton, coffee, tea, and roses. They have a cool texture to them and are mostly from natural materials... Slept from Dallas to Guat. Young, boring couple next to me.

Guatemala City is somewhat like Cairo, [Egypt]. It gets tourism but still has that slummy look to it. Forgot to mention: Dallas Airport definitely had a Tejano flare. Dunno if that's for tourism, or that's just the way it is. Back to Guat... First person I encountered was Polito holding a "2 Lunas" sign, my hostel['s name]. He reminds me of a darker Sancho Panza, a short, round man who has trouble breathing, but is very friendly nonetheless. I think he's my opposite[: he] speaks fluent Spanish and can understand but not speak English. I spoke some Spanish with him on the ride to the hostel. I asked how many blocks (cuadras) away the hotel was. He mistook me for asking how many rooms the hostel has (cuartos). Apparently my Spanish is kinda shitty. But what I did learn from it is that Guatemaltecos say "habitaciones" vs. cuartos. Once I got to the hostel I met the front desk chic. Her English was surprisingly good and I think I only heard one or two errors or things worded oddly. That's more than I can say for myself. Caught her name once, but I can't remember it now. Something long and starting with a P -- maybe Penelope(?) Anyway, a very friendly person answering all my questions. Oddly she reminded me of an Indian (India) but is full-blown Guatemalan. Maybe from Trinidad/Tobago or something(?) [The majority of the population in Trinidad and Tobago have Indian ancestry but the state language is Spanish.] She was cute, nonetheless. Met a guy from Riverside[, California], Sergio, and his buddy going for a masters in Mayan cuevas at S. Illinois. They both shared 2, 1 litres of Sol cerveza. The Illinois guy looked pretty drunk but I guess Sergio can hold his liquor. So the 4 mentioned people [the 2 guys, the driver, and the hostel owner] conversed in Spanish for most of the night. We all hung out in the small lobby. I enjoyed listening to them talk, although I probably catch about 60% of what is said or can't put the words together quick enough. No, I take that back, maybe half of the time, like Sergio having a run-in with a bad Guatemalan cop who jacked his watch at gunpoint. Crime is bad here. I guess no one really goes out after dark save the hoodlums. So I assume there's no real nightlife. "Penelope" said she likes Europe because you can walk around. That's pretty sad to not have that liberty. Surprisingly, she's been places, all over Europe, all over Mexico, Ecuador, and even places in the US I've never been to i.e. NY [which is not true anymore]. Overall, [Guatemala] is treating me well so far. I got my hiking backpack in one piece and getting to the hostel was no problem. Tomorrow I have to exchange cash then hop on a bus to Antigua[, Guatemala]. Hopefully it's worth it. "Penelope" recommended Antigua over [Guatemala] City, however I want to go to Ixchul and Popul Vuh museums sometime. Hopefully I can get it in on the 25th before I meet Kaplan [head archaeologist] at that airport at 11 am. Shouldn't be too hard. Although I gotta walk through the shittiest part of town to get to Popul, I think.

Hasta.