Day 21: Stuck in Antigua (Semuc Champey to San Pedro)

This morning started out at 6am again. I repacked my bags, drank a cup of coffee, ate breakfast, and returned to Lanquin with a 45min standing ride in the back of a pickup. It was time to continue on to Lake Atitlan, where I'll be staying in San Pedro for the next four days. However, it's about a 10 to 12 hour journey I heard and we did not leave until 9am; so we'll see if I make it. The shuttle bus took us back to Coban where I got a sandwich and water for lunch. Then we continued on. I passed the time with a combination of reading, writing, listening to music, eating, and sleeping. I hadn't paid much attention to the drive, but the next time I looked out the window, the change in environment was evident. The hillsides were covered in low brown shrubs and dead trees as opposed to the jungle it was before. The air also got warmer.

Later on, I saw a large brown flume of smoke rising into the air. Unfortunately, we drove right towards it, and then through it. It made me wonder what it was; garbage is my only guess. Then this got me thinking. What is the solution to garbage? What is the problem of garbage? How can countries (especially third world countries with fewer resources) be more environmentally friendly? Food for thought... Anyways, we continued driving, then stopped randomly three times in Guatemala City. We weren't sure what the driver was doing, or why we were stopping, so it seemed pretty sketchy. Then, a lady translated from Spanish to English from the driver that we had a flat tire. The third place we stopped was able to fix it. It was really interesting to watch the guy change it. First he used a large crow bar to pull it the rim, then removed the inner frame. Next he pulled out the popped inflated tire tube, and replaced it with a new one. Afterwards he repeated the process in reverse to put it all back on. In about fifteen minutes, we were on the road again.

Driving through Guatemala city there were people selling roses and balloons for valentine's day, the nicest (and cleanest) cars I have yet to see in Guatemala, buses packed with people, and brightly colored concrete houses stacked on top of each other along the hillsides with laundry drying outside.

A few hours later we arrived in Antigua. This is the old colonial capital of Guatemala before it was moved to Guatemala city.

Finally we arrived in Antigua around 5pm. A beautiful colonial town that was the old capital of Guatemala before it was relocated to Guatemala city. There are low brightly colored buildings, cobble stone streets, and a central square. Upon arrival, the bus driver asks who is continuing on to Panajachel, which I respond that I am. The lady in the front seat is translating again, saying that I must call the travel agency to inform them that I am here and ready to be picked up. She's wondering where and when I need to meet them. However, all of this, is news to me. I knew that I had to transfer vans in Antigua, but I was under the impression that it would be like the other van transfers that I have had where they are there waiting for you. This apparently was not the case. The lady who had been translating offered to stay with me so that I could get myself sorted out.

I have no phone service on my trip, so after asking four or five people if they would please let me borrow their phone, a nice elderly gentleman on a park bench finally said yes. I called the travel agency and they said that my van had been late, and I have missed the last one to Antigua. He promised to reimburse me the cost of the trip, but let's see if that actually happens.

Now, I'm stuck in Antigua for the night and need to buy a new bus ticket to Panajachel for the morning. Another man from the bus I had came in on was also around. He was wondering what happened, and when I told him, he said he knew of a hostel; so I followed him there. We ended up at Jungle Party Hostel... which was quite empty (a very bad sign for a hostel.) But it was only 50Q a night, and something cheap was all I needed.

After we checked in, I walked up to the cross with a few others from the hostel to catch the sunset. We missed it, arriving right as dusk set in, but the view of the volcanoes were still impressive. Plus, I learned a bit about what to see and do when I return to Antigua. The rest of the night didn't amount to much. I grabbed some food and bought my ticket for the next morning.