I wrote a long piece yesterday about NGOs and gringos in Guatemala.  The gist?  They have done some good work and the progress is evident.  Especially amongst the Maya.  But I wondered in print whether or not some of that ‘ energy’  might be better spent at home.  It was a piece questioning the ‘white man’s burden’ syndrome.  And it was not fun.

Sal kiboshed it.  “Sweetie, I am not so sure your point is completely right and no one wants to hear about that sort of thing anyway.  Since we don’t have ravens and killer whales, write about some other bird or something.  People like birds.”

I can’t do that.  A man’s gotta do…….ya know………but I will spare you the ‘political’  and socio-political points of view.  I guess that sort of thing is boring unless you happen to be in the middle of it.

Ben has been ill since he got here.  A form of tourista, Montezuma …..debilitating and demanding.  It has been draining.  Literally.  But he is a ‘trooper’ , just like his mom, and he has basically ‘kept up’  and been a good sport.  But, on day five, he is still ill.

I got ill, too.  Two days ago.  The Antigua Amoeba.  Or maybe I contracted B’s disease.  I dunno.  But when it came time to climb the volcano, I stayed home and slept it off.  A lot of sleep and a few cups of Mayan herbal tea and I am good to go.  In fact, this week was my birthday (64) and I feel good.

That Mayan herbal tea is a lot more effective than the Lomotil, Pepto-bismo and antibiotics that B has been trying.  I think he will be switching remedies today.

The Mayan herbal tea is called something like Ajanjo (aah-hinko is what it sounds like) and is, after a Google search, simply wormwood.  And wormwood, it seems, grows everywhere.  I may just plant a patch when I get home.

I really should have started these blogs out differently.  A bit of the actual experience rather than my interpretation.  So, here:

We landed Guatemala City at 5:00 am.  The airport was pretty much deserted as you might expect.  Entry was easy.  Border control, customs….everything easy and friendly and non intimidating. When we were ready to leave we approached the big aluminum sliding doors to the ‘outside’ and they opened automatically just like you’d expect. But, as you stepped out of the airport, you stepped into a cordoned off space about 100 feet by 30 running parallel to the front of the building.  The cordon was made up of half-height metal fences made of thin metal bars like the kind you might see at a concert that would be used to ‘herd’  the crowd in the right direction.  Barriers to be sure but easily breached.

On the other side of the barriers was a crowd of about 150-200 people.  Some were looking for arrivals.  Others were looking for taxi-fares and still others were there hawking various swindles and ‘packages’.  Before 6:00 in the morning, the touts and hawkers were on duty and kept at bay only by spindly barred fences and a few policia.  They screamed their messages at you.  In Spanish, of course.

We were expecting Victor.  He was scheduled to pick us up and, after a few minutes contemplating the horror of his not showing up, he was there.  He was a welcome sight.

‘Veek-Tore’  got us in his van and we promptly headed out.  We wove our way through G-city and drove to Antigua.  45 minutes.  Maybe an houir.  Traffic was heavy at times.  Especially on the outskirts of the city where the country buses were disgorging the daily workforce to the impatient embrace of the city buses.  That wave of humanity would disperse into the urban maelstrom but, at 6:00 ish, they were just amassing at the borders of the city.  I can’t imagine what time these people woke up to get dressed, catch the bus and be on the city fringe by 6:00.  Even Veektore had to have gotten up at 4:30 to hook up with us.

G-city has a bad rep.  Everyone advises tourists to avoid it.  If you must go there, be quick, stay safe and only travel in the day time.  We skipped it entirely.

More later.

Sorry.  So far, no birds of note.  I’ll try harder.