So we asked around to get an idea of what to expect on the road ahead. We were told that it would take us about eight hours to get to Guatemala City. It took us four days - thats how slow we go. The drive through the foothills of the Maya mountains was beautiful. It was hilly, twisty, green and so lush. It was a really nice drive but it didn't stay that way.
After a couple of days we arrived in Rio Dulce with high hopes. Our guide book and other travellers had really talked it up. It wasn't to be for us. Our hotel was expensive and gross. The power and water kept going out all day, which normally isn't a huge deal but we were already hot and cranky so everything was bothering us. The night was from hell. A pack of drug dealers moved in next door and proceeded to be unbelievably loud all night. After getting drunk on our shared patio, they left for awhile, came back and turned on the t.v. and flipped channels all night long. Sometimes they would find music and start singing along to the likes of Katy Perry and old spanish love songs. I know what you're thinking, what drug dealer sings along to Katy Perry. These guys were one of a kind. When we first saw them they immediately tried to sell us drugs, as well there was knocks on their door all night long - ours too. At about three in the morning Justin decided to go out to the truck to get some water and was immediately questioned by the security guard as to what he was doing. Justin replied, "What are you doing?" while pointing to the building, as the sing along gang serenaded each other. The security guard shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Finally morning came and the last straw was when a man arrived and in english gave them their instructions of where to deliver their drugs in Livingston and on what streets they could sell on. Our plan was to spend the first day at the hotel and start seeing the sights the next day. We left.
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| worst hotel experience of the trip - the hovel |
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| the balcony we shared with the singing drug dealers |
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| Rio Dulce |
The drive going west from Rio Dulce was like no other and not in a good way. It is the major trucking route from the port to Guatemala City. I thought we were going to die - for real. Narrow, twisty roads loaded with semis, all proceeding to pass each other. They would pull out, even if they could see us and expect us to get out of the way, often we had two tires off the road. I know this isn't explaining it but imagine three semi trucks in your lane coming at you head on and only the first one sees you and theres no room to move over. We pulled over numerous times so Justin could stop shaking. Somehow, miraculously we lived. It felt like we stole some of Annas nine lives. This stretch of highway is the scariest drive so far, we can't imagine anything worse than this. At the end of the day it was time for a drink.
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| this is the only time we saw them on their side of the road |
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| thats a blind corner ahead |
After our crazy drive, we arrived in Rio Hondo - we think, we're not quite sure where we were. Yet again, another hotel room full of surprises. At night when we were about to go to bed, we heard scurrying and saw flexing ceiling tiles above our heads. "What the hell was that," we said to each other. We kept hearing it moving and tried to figure out what it was. We went outside with a flashlight to investigate but couldn't see anything. We ended up sleeping with the light on afraid that our unwanted neighbour was going to fall through the ceiling. Our best guess is that it was a big lizard. So we were about to go to sleep again when the bed started rocking - and not in that way. "What the hell was that," we said to each other for the second time that night. We had just felt our first tremor of the trip.
The last leg of our drive would take us through Guatemala City to Antigua. This is the part we were dreading the most - one wrong turn and we'd never find our way out. So we armed ourselves with a map of the city and ended up driving straight through. No wrong turns, no nothing - how did that happen? To leave the city we had to drive up a radiator boiling hill and down a brake fluid boiling hill. But we made it - Nadine with a fever and Justin happy to turn the ignition key off.
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| Guatemala City |
As we finished our long drive across Guatemala and arrived into Antigua we were worn out but we were happy. The town was gorgeous and the weather was cooler. At first we planned to stay for a week but then opted to stay for a month.
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| volcan Agua in Antigua |
