Riding on one of these is a truely unqiue Guatemalan experience. Everything i read about it was true, except no one brought on any chickens. I was pretty fun, at least until my bum started getting sore from the bumpy 4 hour ride.

I started my journey from the Antigua ´bus termial`- really just a bunch of buses parked on the side of the street or in a row in some lot near the market- where I had to catch a bus to Chimaltenango first and switch to another bus to Xela. All the buses are old US school buses, mostly colourfully painted and decorated over Blue Birds but also some yellow school buses that still says `School Bus`on them. As I approached the buses, some guy who was yelling `Chimal, Chimal, Chimal` takes my backpack and throws it on top of the bus (the buses also have a big rack added on up top). I actually had a seat next to the window cause the bus wasn`t that crowded (most people were at church i reckoned).

The bus pulled out of the lot a few minutes later with the guy who took my bag standing by the opened door, who i assume to be the `conductor`, yelling `Chimal, Chimal, Chimal`at anyone who looks like they are waiting for a bus on the street. Whenever someone does want to get on, the bus stops but never to a complete stop unless it`s some old persong getting on. The Condutor jumps out to help, or should i say, push the passenger on and help take their bags if there were any and takes them up to the rack. The driver would start taking off before the conductor would get back on and often times the conductor would have to run up to catch the bus. The bus stops for anyone anywhere until it`s so packed that there are 3 or 4 or 5 people to one of these two seater seats and when there is no more possible standing room - i was very happy to have a seat even though quite squished.

An hour later, I got off at some intersection, crossed the street where a bunch of people seem to be waiting for the bus. Within 2 minutes, a bus with a guy hanging out the door, yelling `Xela, Xela, Xela` came by, I get on, my bag got thrown up on the rack and off we went. This time we are going up the mountain on winding roads and I still can`t believe how my backpack didn`t fall off the rack. Luckily this bus never got too crowded (having three people to one seat is nothing!) but my legs barely fit in the space between the seats obviously made to accomodate children. I guess it doesn`t really bother them here cause they are short. I must have been one of the tallest people on the bus. So yes, Guatemalans are not too tall.

So, i got to Xela in one piece and have been taking one-on-one spanish classes in the morning and staying with a family and everything has been great. It is the poorest country I have been to so far and perhaps the most interesting. However I haven`t been able to get any volunteer work because most of them want longer term help. I might be able to do some reforestation work or help build some houses or work at a cafe. We`ll see. I suppose the focus has now switched to improving my español and really getting to know Guatemala.

I will dedicate another post to Xela and my upcoming trek up to the tallest mountain/volcano in Central America. But now, it`s time to do some studying!