Central America #1

To complete my exodus from the horrible, hideous beast that is myspace, I'm posting my travel blog from Central America last year. May I present my once largely unavailable travel blog:

Most of my photos from central america are available on my facebook page: www.facebook.com/people/Fritz_Huie/547943243

~Post #1~

The Trip

So getting here was no picnic, but I can't complain. When we arrived at Guatemala City Airport, Nico and I were hustled into catching a taxi to Antigua instead of taking the bus as planned. It was an extra $10, but after seeing the extremely overcrowded and filthy buses that crawl through the city, we decided that the taxi was where it's at.

The Taxi ride was like a scene out of a movie. I swear this place was set up for a montage. The first thing that I thought when we pulled out and began crossing the city is "Wow, that's a lot of barbed wire." The stuff is everywhere. Pretty much every store front or business was garnished with coils of barbed wire. I wonder if it is a theft deterrent or a relic from the years of anarchy the city suffered though 10 years ago.

Also, there are no smog laws here, use your imagination. Think black clouds. Especially buses like the one we were considering spending 2 hours on before the taxi idea came about.

Other interesting things that I saw on on the way to Antigua:

A rusty pickup truck with 6 battle-ready militia sitting in the back, cruising down the highway.
A billboard painted into a dirt cliff by the road. Yes, painted on dirt.
A whole 4-person family on a motorcycle. (No helmets, of course, tearing down the road)

So 45 minutes and $20 later, Nico and I arrived, sleepless, at Antigua. A Beautiful city with cobble stone streets and crumbling buildings and churches that must date back to at least the 1700s. We lumbered around at 9 am until we found somewhere to have breakfast. After breakfast, we agreed that we couldn't hack it any longer and took a nap. 3 hours and 2 showers later, we're updating blogs and getting ready to take in Antigua again. (Oh and about the shower; I don't want to use the word "freezing", but definition of luxury is quite different here)

Anyway, I'm out of time, so I'll wrap this up for now. We leave tomorrow morning at 4 am for Copan. I'll update then! Bye