Palo Alto to Quetzeltenango Guatemala

This is my second trip to Guatemala and the Celas Maya Language School in Quetzeltenango.  For a description of my first visit, in early 2018, click here.  In this trip I flew from San Francisco to Mexico City to Guatemala City (with a side visit to our Punta Mita condo), and then by buses to Xela (as Quetzaltenango is called by the locals).  Here are my notes of this trip.

Apr 19 - 22, 2018: Palo Alto to Esquipulas, Guatemala 

• I Left Nancy Packer’s apartment at 4:30 AM: plenty of to catch my 9:05 AM flight to Puerto Vallarta, right?  Think again. First: couldn’t figure out how to change at the Millbrae station from SamTran to BART.  It would have helped if there was some info at the station.  Next: after getting on the BART train to the airport, I had to pay more during the run - and only cash was accepted.  Next: once on the airport shuttle, I noticed my airline Virgin America) was mentioned twice on the map inside the car; naturally, I picked the wrong stop.  And because it was early, and only one-half of the shuttle was operating, I had to ride around the entire route to get to the proper stop.  I got to my flight on time, but only just made it.  

• Such a relief and pleasure to arrive in Mexico.  I headed straight for the restaurants near the buses and had a terrific shrimp dish, then a bus ride and walk to the apartment, which looked great.  Had a swim, lazed about, binged on Narco and Surviving Escobar.  

• One minor scare: Nancy had checked herself into the Emergency Room at the Stanford Hospital, and when I caught up with her, she wouldn’t tell me why.  I later learned from son George that she had had a bad reaction to something with nuts in it that she ate.  

• Met with Betty the next day (gave her an outfit for her 3-month-old baby boy), and covered the very few items that needed attending.  She is a treasure.

• Next day, out by twelve (next renters due that afternoon), bus back to the airport, another great meal at the same restaurant (this time Taco Marlin), then about 8 hours until I get on my flight to Mexico City - and another 8 hours until my flight to Guatemala City.  I had chosen as always the cheapest flights, and guess what?  You get what you pay for.  And I’m now carrying my Osprey backpack full of hiking gear (so I can go straight to the CDT from Guatemala) as well as my small backpack.  

• Never mind.  A taxi across town to the bus station, a five hour bus ride through hot weather and unattractive, dry country (best part: three successive bus vendors with peanuts, cut up fruit, and bottled water), and here I am at the Hotel Real Santa Maria, Esquipilas, Guatemala.  Despite the heat on the way, the weather here is just right: cloudy, cool.  The giant Basílica de Esquipulas is right around the corner (with its famous El Cristo Negro).  I visited it, and pretty much had the place to myself.  More interesting is the City Grill across the way, which Lonely Planet says has the best steaks for miles around.  We’ll see...

• Oh, by the way: the WiFi is great at this hotel.  Like I said, You get what you pay for...

• One potential downer.  My plans are fluid, but right now sound like: Esquipulas > Copan > Livingston > Rio Dulce > Lanquín (?) > Quetzeltenango.  But due to check in next Sunday at Celas Maya.  And the rain may spoil the Rio Dulce trip.  Decisions, decisions..

Apr 23, 2018: Esquipulas, Guatemala to Copán Ruinas, Honduras.

• Late, lazy start after a nice breakfast: very crowded minibus to  Chiquimula, then an even more crowded bus (took a photo of the interior, with four guys hanging off the open door) to the Honduran border at El Florido.  No line at customs & immigration, another short hop to Copán Ruinas, and here I am at the very cool hotel / restaurant ViaVia at $10 a night (!)  A new country!  (but so far it feels just like Guatemala.)

• Walked around the cobble-stoned, steep-streeted town a bit, then popped into the Museo Regional de Arqueología Maya - nice stuff, especially the hieroglyphs: these (and the stelae) are what Copán is famous for.  No photos though: I was the only visitor, and watched like a hawk.  In fact, I haven’t spotted any tourists yet.  I may have Copán to myself tomorrow.

• Good WiFi here - but only near the bar (smart move, hotel owner).  Called Caren on WhatsApp - she’s having troubles with her crew: he doesn’t respect her.  Big surprise: the guy is young and from South Africa.  We agreed that a woman, a couple, or an older guy would be a better choice. Watermaker still not fixed: apparently the work done by Terry in Grenada, using $600 of new parts, was a shambles, and must be redone, with newer parts.  Ah the boating life.

• To get to Quirigua: back to Chiquimula, then Rio Hondo and Hiway 9 to Los Almates.  Then bus to Puerto Barrios. 

Apr 24, 2018. Copán Ruinas (Hotel ViaVia)

• Didn’t sleep well - stayed up late reading Keith Richard’s autobiography.  OMG what a life he led.  Then switched this early morning to biography of Teddy Roosevelt.  OMG what an amazing guy.  

• Then a 20 Lempiras tuk-tuk  to Copán, for three hours of hot trudging around, with a handful of other tourists around.  Great stelae, not very special pyramids, except for a nice ball court.  Lovely grassy grounds.  Best was the adjacent Museo de la Escultura de Copán, with the entrance imitating an entry into the underworld, and a complete reproduction of a temple found in its entirety inside another temple.  Maybe two other visitors in the museum.  What a contrast from the other Mayan biggies.

• Now relaxing at Restaurante Asados Copán with a piña licuado and some really good carne asado, watching the Roma-Liverpool football match on the TV.

Apr 25, 2018. Copán Ruinas to Puerto Barrios

• A day of travel to Puerto Barrios, a real shithole.  Began with minivan #1 to the border, #2 to Chiquimula, #3 to Rio Hondo, #4 to Los Amates, and a tuk-tuk to the ruins of Quirigua, with its enormous stelae, one of the three World Heritage sites in Guatemala (the other two being Antigua and Tikal).  The stelae have been separately recognized by UNESCO as a Memory of the World.  I saw two other visitors at the site.  Those stelae and other stone monuments which were not protected by roofs were wrapped in plastic, including one believed to be the largest stone-carved monument in the Americas.  The largest stelae is 11m long (3m of it underground) and weighs 60,000 kg.  Officially founded in 426 AD, as a vassal city to Copán.  Once owned by The United Fruit Company!

• Back on the road with another tuk-tuk to the main road, and minivans #5 & #6 to Puerto Barrios.  And every one was full (took a photo of one with the side door open and 4 locals hanging on).  Stayed at Hotel Lee for $8, which, although the cheapest hotel in my travels so far, was still overpriced: tiny room, no soap, no towel, broken TV, cockroaches, and right next to the main road used by trucks entering and leaving the port.  I had dinner first at Restaurante Safari, “The town’s most enjoyable restaurant” (Lonely Planet), and tried the local Garafuna specialty, tapado (seafood soup, with fish, shrimp, clam, crab, all cooked in coconut).  Too much trouble to eat, but I took a nice picture of it with a fish staring up out of the broth.  Once again, I was the only customer.

Apr 26, 2018.  Puerto Barrios to Livingston.

• Short launch to Livingston, where two Garifuna guys latched onto me, drove me by tuk-tuk to the exotic Hotel African Place, and talked me into a Rio Dulce tour - it was ok (hot springs, some bird life, a fairly average tropical gorge - am I becoming too blasé?), and I had a nice time afterward at a seaside bar with some of their Garifuna friends, but surprise, they tried to hit me up for more money at the end, spoiling an otherwise good day.  

• Livingston has an interesting mixture of Garifuna (originally from St. Vincent), Maya, and Indian folks, and Garifuna / Jamaican reggae, but I got sort of bored with the town after awhile - and the heat didn’t help much.