Check out the cobblestone roads

Remember my experience in El Salvador where I found out that old school buses from the USA are sold to El Salvador and used for transport there? Well, they are all over Guatemala too! In fact, they are called “chicken” buses. Because they often carry livestock on their roof!

There are two types of these “chicken” buses. The green ones are the public buses. The other colorful ones are owned privately. They share one common thing. And that is being incredibly reckless on the roads!!

Found out that now there is a manufacturing facility in Guatemala that is making these buses too!

If not for anything else but for my favorite cotton shirts that are made there.

For most of the portion, we stayed on the Pan American Highway. This would be the 6th country that I have been on the Highway – Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the USA. There are 8 more countries left to cover this massive highway that connects the south of South America all the way to Alaska!

On this Saturday morning, I went out for a walk in downtown Guatemala city. Most of the city was still sleeping. Interestingly enough, virtually every street corner was occupied by a makeshift street food stall! Reminded me of India a lot!

Check out the plane and the cloud layer

Finally came back to my room, a bit tired. Drew the curtains and that dusk view you see hit me. To give you an idea, that volcano – Volcan De Agua, I believe – whose peak is sticking out thru the clouds is almost half the size of Mount Everest. Technically, it is a stratovolcano – which means it has gained its height by many, many eruptions causing many layers of lava and ash to build upon themselves.

The last eruption happened before written history. There was a relatively newer mudslide eruption that wiped out the then capital of Guatemala.

Finished my coffee and crowd watching and hit the road again. I must have been walking for over an hour when I started feeling hungry. Started glancing at restaurants as I kept walking. Suddenly saw a small Indian restaurant. I glanced no further.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen – I came all the way to Guatemala from Atlanta to have an Indian vegetarian thali!!

And if you think your disdain is going to deter me, you have another thing coming at you. I have slyly noticed that their Desayunos (breakfast) menu sported a Chole Batura among other savories!!

Always good to realize that you can rely on some things without fail in most developing countries. That vehicle you see was standing at a traffic light. The signal turned green. Everybody started moving. Excepting this vehicle. His engine stalled.

There was a brief few seconds of honking and then everybody went around him. The driver simply stuck his head out and yelled something in Spanish. From nowhere a few good Samaritans showed up and started pushing the vehicle. Into the parking lot.

I watched while sipping my coffee from the other side of the road. (there is not point being a good Samaritan while enjoying some Guatemalan coffee, I argued with myself; plus that security guy with a double barrel gun was still hanging around 🙂 ).

Getting it out of the road was not enough. The driver yelled something else. Everybody moved to the front and started pushing it back cleanly into a parking spot. One of those guys did not even bother taking his heavy backpack off his back.

The good deed done, they nonchalantly vanished into the crowd like they were born to do this every single day.

The driver, meanwhile seemed to be surprisingly unperturbed by his situation. I now suspect he might have been simply trying to save gas!

In a nod to the high violence and crime rate in the country, even in the very safe zones in the city, you will see all sorts of cops and security folks. That particular security person standing a few yards from where I was having my coffee was carrying a double barrel gun. He can’t possibly have enough energy to hold it up. His wiry legs were thinner than the gun barrels. But he dragged it with him with the mouth of the barrel always pointing down in a very self righteous way.

By the way, if you have been following my blogs – check out that two wheeler. The driver has a helmet on? Yes. The pillion rider? Not so much!! What did I tell you? I do not understand laws!!