Oh yeah, time to let loose...It's great to be back with family for the holidays - I had the pleasure (none of my usual sarcasm intended) to go straight from customs and immigration to my cousin Ben's bar mitzvah. Over the past few years, I haven't been around too much, and have missed a lot while my cousins have been growing up (and growing taller than me). It was great to see everyone first thing, and to catch a bit with that side of the fam...
It's also great to be back in the States with all of its comforts. I've brushed my teeth with tap water 3 times so far, and it's f'ing fantastic.
But, it's also a bit bittersweet. Stacy and I have spent a lot of time together over the past few months - at times too much, and at times in too-close quarters - and it's strange to be apart, particularly around the holidays...anyway, enough sappyness.
Back to the title. Stacy and I have a saying that pretty frequently comes up in our lives, forgive the crassness: "Guatemala, it's a b_tch." We're not talking about a batch of cookies, either. Saying it is a bit of a reminder to calm down when life gets frustrating, and this trip was at times a barrage of frustration.
Guatemala's an amazing country. Its landscape, flora and fauna are mind-blowing, its culture and traditional artwork are beautiful and rich, and its people can be incredibly warm and inviting when you get to know them on a personal level. But it's also a hellishly difficult place, and at times that difficulty supersedes the beauty.
I think we've gone over the dirt, the spiders, and the lack of amenities, but those are small frustrations. What truly wears is the almost-ever-present chinga, which is a very unpolite way of saying "getting screwed over," with additional, but at this time unintended, screwing-related definitions.
I think we get the rough end of the stick, since we're gringos and a bit of an easy target, but it's not just extranjeros who get screwed in Guatemala. It seems like Guatemalans are constantly trying to screw everyone over. Running a business in the country, from chicken buses to stores to inter-family lending, seems like a license to try to swindle any client out of an additional quetzal or several at every opportunity.
I know that cheating happens in the U.S., too, and that there are certainly some profound anthropological reasons for this culture of crooked business stemming from U.S.-owned corporations screwing the hell out of Guatemalans. But at least here in the states there's a veil of honesty I can cling to.
On the chicken bus: shuffling one of my bills to the bottom of the pile and saying we owed another 20 quetzales. Got out of that one by just refusing to pay more.
Travel agency in San Pedro: assured us that the second leg of our journey to Flores would be on a top-of-the-line Linea Dorada bus. Nope, beat to hell old Greyhound from the eighties, which wouldn't have been too bad, if that's what we paid for.
Streetside shop: Told eggs were 5Q for 6, but after I had picked out a half dozen, the price was 6Q because I had picked out nice eggs. Put the eggs back, thanked the woman for letting me keep my 5Q.
Travel agency in Flores, bringing us to Tikal: Told there was no 10:00 shuttle to the ruins, so we had to take the 9:00 (we arrived at around 7 am after an overnight bus ride, and woke up from a nap at around 8:50). Rushed to get ready in 10 minutes, then after picking up the other passengers, waited in the shuttle for 45 minutes, literally doing nothing. Finally left at about 10:30.
Shuttle to Mexico: Told we can't stop for bathroom breaks, and rushed to get back on at the Belizean border, because there isn't enough time. But when the driver's stomach starts acting up, we stop 3 times in about 15 minutes.
None of these things are the end of the world, but they add up to create a lot of stress, particularly on a long journey that, even without chinga, would be stressful. By the time we got to Playa del Carmen, Stacy and I were burned out, and I was a cantankerous bastard on Thursday night.
And the trip was great when we weren't in transport, or fuming about getting ripped off. Tikal, an ancient Mayan city and one of the biggest sites in Central America, was one of the most spectacular places I've visited, both for the awe-inspiring pyramids and for the rainforest of 400 hundred year-old trees teeming with tropical birds and spider monkeys. Pics below.
Tikal's Templo VI don't want to come off sounding too bitter though. It's been a great journey so far, and making the decision to live in Guatemala with Stacy was one of the best leaps of faith I've ever made. And while I'm bracing for the stress and the chinga, part of me is already looking forward to being back for a few more months.
Happy holidays to all, and Mazel Tov to Ben. Now check them pictures.
Templo I and the Gran Plaza.
Sitting on some ancient steps. btw, skirts are not made for climbing pyramids.
White nosed coati in the Tikal Gran Plaza.
Making some drinks at FEDEPMA's anniversary party. Check the awesome coffee rag. Next year's time to get the espresso machine out in the open, running on a regular basis.
Not my best work, but I'll take it after not making drinks since August.
Pork tacos in Playa del Carmen. Stacy's trying really hard to be a vegetarian.
Hasta luego... 
