A Saturday Adventure

My Saturday adventure started Friday when I was invted to join a trip to a Sauna "Las Cumbres" on Saturday.

We met at 10 am on Saturday morning outside the school. After waiting less than ten miutes the four of us were off.

First, we had to find the Shell Station where we could catch a chicken bus to Zunil. (A chicken bus is the most common form of public transportation in Guatemala. They are mostly old school buses from the US, usually with each seat crammed with at least three Guatemalan adults, plus maybe some chickens). After asking directions three times we found the corner, which was a block from the Shell stationl. There are no signs, of course. Guatemalans just seem to know where to stand or maybe anywhere is a good place. Luckily, the bus we picked had some open benches. The four us slid into two.

In Zunil we had to take a pickup to Las Cumbres. (Where Chicken Buses don't go - pickup trucks do. You simply hail one going your direction and climb in the back). Once again, since there were no signs we asked a police officer where we could get a pickup to Las Cumbres. He said to just wait. The second truck that passed was the right one. We boarded the back ofthe truck, standing with all the Guatemalan women - all of us gringos with our heads sticking a good foot higher in the air.

The truck stopped for us at Las Cumbres. We had succesfully arrived.

Entering the grungy buiding, I was suprised to see what looked like a five star hotel (okay maybe three stars by US standards) in a jungle setting. The plants were so green with the natural volcanic steam creating a tropical feeling.

We were shown to our private steam room. I had never been to a sauna before, so I didn't know what to expect. The room had wooden benches and a small concrete "chimney" on the ground where the steam came out. Once we had changed into our bathing suits we all piled into this room. The attendants were to come back in half an hour to get the others for their massages (I had opted out of this). We had half an hour to relax and enjoy the steamy heat.

The steam and heat and sweat mixed together in an intoxicating way. Every few minutes I had to leave the steam room, just to keep a sense of normalcy. The half hour felt like an eternity. When the knock finally came, I was left alone in the steam.

I stayed for a few more minutes, pondering my good foturne to be alive and in Guatemala. Finally, I finished and took a cold shower.

After meeting the others, we went to try and a find a pickup back to Zunil to get lunch and then a chicken bus back to Xela. The first pickup did not stop. The back was already so full that there was no room for giant gringos.

The second one stopped. We got in, never saying a word to the driver. In the back were five children. Plenty of room for us to sit, under the blue tarp. Luckily, we were on this pickup because shortly it began to pour. As we listened to and felt the rain we realized that we didn't know to make the bus stop. (On the earlier ride the nice police officer had told the driver where to stop for us). We decided to ask the children: ¿De donde? The answer was surprising. Xela. Our plans changed. We decided to take this pickup, in the rain, all the way back to our temporary home. My Saturday adventure came to end when I finally got "home".