a weekend spent on chicken buses

This weekend was spent traveling!

On Saturday I was determined to go to the beach. The fact that no one wanted to go with me and that my guidebook said the beach was not that great were no deterents! I was going to the beach. On Friday night I talked with my hostmother about my plans. She told me that the closest beach was only one hour away. She also suggested that my host sister and her friend go with me. Which she readily accepted. Great - I was going to the beach with two Guatemaltecas and it was only an hour away. Then Saturday came around. It turned out that neither of the girls could go and that the beach was really 2 1/2 to 3 hours away! I was still determined. I finally got on the bus about 11 am. (Remember these are old US school buses, but they insist on three people to a seat). On the second bus I was squished between an old lady and a woman with her baby in her arms. I was in the aisle near the front as people were still boarding. I tried not to elbow either the old lady or the baby. More standing and trying, unsuccessfully, to make myself guatemala sized. Then I got a tap on the shoulder "¿Do you want a seat back here?" Obviously I went with the man. This man and his wife were nice enough to give me a seat (of course all three of us were sharing one bench - but at least I was in the middle!). They had lived in Los Angeles for 18 years, so of course they spoke English. They saw a Gringa Americana as a good opportunity to practice English. My eyes teared up because they were so kind to me. I finally arrived in Champerico - a small industrial town on the beach that has black sand. Yes, beaches here in Guatemala have black sand due to the volcanoes here. I had finally arrived and found the beach. I went to the restaruant my friends from the bus recommended and I had some delicious, but over-priced, shrimp. I went and played in the water for fifteen minutes then headed back to the bus terminal. I had to be back home before dark, which is usually 6ish here. Somehow the busride back took even longer than the one there! I watched the sky darken from the bus window knowing that I was doing all the things I had been told not to do in Guatemala. I was on a Chicken bus after dark by myself. I finally arrived at about 7 pm. I decided to take a taxi, just for safety's sake. When I walked in the door to my house I felt so relieved. Yet, I had accomplished my goal. I had gone to the beach.

Sunday I went to some ruins pre-hispanic rule. They had both Olmec and Mayan relics! However, that is for another day's story....