Hell yeah, I'm in Guatemala

And it's really hot here. Really really hot.

I feel pretty lame about not having updated in a very long time, but I have been real boring. I was stuck in San Cristobal, waiting for a package that was a week and a half overdue. I wasted a lot of time mindlessly surfing the internet, watching soccer on tv, and reading. Not much to write about.

Then the package finally showed up, and I booked it the hell on out of there (which isn't to say I didn't love the place, it was just way past time to go). I hopped on a bus to Palenque, and stayed in nearby El Panchan.

El Panchan was the jungle home of Don Moises, one of the first anthropologists to study Palenque, and is now a hippy backpacker haven, all hostels and bars and restaurants, live music and smelly people. I got myself a little cabaña (hut), put my feet up, listened to and watched the jungle craziness, and got a few mosquito bites.

The next day I went on a very long and disgustingly sweaty walk to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque. Despite the overwhelming heat and humidity, I had an amazing time crawling all over the 1500 year old stone architecture, looking at bas reliefs, staring out from the top of pyramids, and imagining what this place looked like so long ago, when it was an artistic and scientific mecca, a military powerhouse, a renaissance under the 78 year reign of Pacal the Great. The thick thick green jungle full of howling monkeys and shy birds and tower tall trees crept in wherever it was given the chance, creating a beautiful view from the temples and palaces.

That was Cinco de Mayo, I was expecting a proper fiesta back in El Panchan and was rather disappointed. To make up for it I ate a huge dinner and drank a liter of beer and went to bed with a very good book.

5 30 the next morning saw me up and at 'em, to catch a 6 am ride to Flores, Guatemala. Apparently, very early in the morning in the jungle, these big brown bugs that look like obese cockroaches get very thirsty. There were around ten of them on the floor of the shower. I was sweaty gross enough from the jungle humidity that a shower was rather necessary, especially if I was to be in crowded vans and boats all day. I ripped off a piece of plastic from my toiletries bag to use as a glove, and then chucked each one of those nasty bastards out into the selva. The jungle is kinda gross.

The van ride was beautiful, as would be any ride through Southern Mexico. I always pull out a book and end up reading the road instead. This was followed by a short boat ride down the river that creates the northwestern border of Guatemala, poor Mayan families washing their clothes and themselves on either side. The Guatemalan bus ride went through some real rural territory, poverty and subsistence farming seemed to be the rule. It must be said that the land did appear real healthy, steep hillsides were being successfully cultivated without any obvious signs of erosion, fattened pigs wandered freely through these pueblas, and hilariously floppy eared cattle were out to pasture almost everywhere you looked. I did see what appeared to be a strip mine, cutting an ugly chunk out of the tropical greenery. Already Guatemala presented a confusing picture- rich land with poor people. Judging by all the kids I saw working in the middle of what would be a school day this didn't seem real likely to change soon. Hard to blame the parents, what would you do if you had to choose between feeding your children and educating them?

Anyways, anyways. I'm in Flores now, a tiny island of red-roofed white-walled buildings in the middle of a turquoise lake. Cute, touristy. Tomorrow I plan on walking around, seeing whether or not Guatemalans hate US citizens as much as I would guess. After that, the ruins of the ancient Mayan city-state of Tikal. After that? I don't know. I'm trying to avoid making too many plans.