Bus Ride

I almost had to take the second class bus due to traffic and road closures in Guatemala City. However, our driver had some mad skills. He cut through parking lots and laid on his horn the whole way there (Does that sound like anyone? Joe). The first class bus was very nice, it was like riding in a Greyhound and it was non-stop, the only destination was Xela. We had two drivers that shared the five hour drive from Guatemala City to Xela. The second class buses are very bright in color and are over packed. However, they do drive really fast and I may have made it in much earlier.

As we got out of the city and started climbing the mountains, it was breath taking. I´ve never seen a place that was so beautiful. You could see the crops that were planted on top of the mountians with the clouds barely covering them, the natives were carrying baskets on their heads with food that they made to sell and in some places I saw cows and goats tied up in the front yards. Life is really different around here however, not in a bad way. It seems more laid back.

After witnessing that, I just assumed that my bus ride would be uneventful. Boy was I ever wrong. One of the passangers got up to use the restroom and she got locked in. After about five minutes of her pounding on the door a few of the male passengers tired to test their strenght in helping with opening the door. However, they failed. While they were trying the woman locked in the bathroom grew even more excited and started to hit and kick the door much harder. The bus driver finally pulled off the side of the road and found a screw driver to try and pry open the door. The woman in the bathroom could not stand it any more and kicked out the window and tried to crawl out of it. All of us on the bus were in total shock. We didn´t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for her. She didn´t make it out the window because by then the bus driver got the door open. As she exited the restroom her once nicely combed hair and outfit became disheveled.

While we waited for the bus drivers to pick up the window and put it some where safe two of the male passengers decided that they would climb down the hill a ways to use the restroom. They both forgot to tell the bus drivers. Well, the bus driver started to drive away and the two men quickly started running up the hill chasing after us. We had to yell at the driver to stop. By this time all 20 of us on the bus were laughing.

We stopped in a small town and had 15 minutes to use the restroom and to get something to eat or drink. I think all of us did use the restroom because we were afraid to use the one on the bus. While we were there, a soccer team from San Marcos also stopped to use the facilities. Some of the passengers knew who the players were however, they would not allow anyone to take pictures of them.

We arrived safely in Xela a little late due to the excitement that took place on the bus. I gathered my belongings and caught a taxi to the place that I will be staying for the next couple of weeks.

I am renting a room that has a bed that is as hard as rock but has a awesome view of the city of Xela. I am now ready to begin my long awaited adventure.