I must apologize that I have not posted in such a long time, but in my defense, I have been bedridden for three days with strep throat. After an incredible prayer blessing from the WR’ers (many of whom are far holier than I) and some antibiotics, I was able to muster enough energy to come into town today and update all of you.
Sunday morning we were rudely awakened at 5am with news that our race would begin in a single hour. Anyone who knows me (and the rest of you who are about to learn this crucial fact) should know that there is one and only one thing that can actually make me angry – nay livid: being woken up abruptly. After being required to have our entire team jump in the freezing cold river before packing all of our gear and getting out to the road to hail a truck to our destination, our little campground became utter chaos. We journeyed from Jerusalen, Mexico to La Mesilla which is the border town between Mexico and Guatemala. My team jumped on a chicken bus bound for Huehuetenanago where we could catch a van to our final destination: Antigua, Guatemala. Other than puking out of the back of a pick up truck with a busted exhaust line (thus breathing car fumes for two hours) it was a fairly uneventful trip. I haven’t seen much of Antigua since I’ve been sick, but at first glance there are so many differences between Guatemala and Mexico!
Guatemalans are much friendlier than Mexicans – though crime is a significantly greater issue.
Everyone seems to have had metal work done on their teeth here. Most pearly smiles are littered with gold or silver capping.
The women here tend to wear the more traditional Latin garb of stitched blouses and skirts.
We’ve gone about 7,000 upwards in altitude and are no longer in the jungle but at the base of a volcano. We’ve replaced green foilage with pine trees and more forest-y surroundings.
Albeit we’re in a far more metropolitan area than we were even in Palenque, the Spanish is more educated, the accomodations are of better quality and the opportunities available to the people here are more diverse.
Here are some pictures of what I was able to capture in the last couple days of this beautiful, historical city. We’re seriously nestled right next to a volcano and it’s an absolutely spectacular view.
