HueHue-what?

Well good morning everyone, I am writing you from Antigua, Guatemala. Kevin and I finally left Playa Del Carmen and took a overnight bus to Planck, Mexico where we planned to go over the border, but found that we couldn't and so we moved on to San Cristobal, Mexico, but only after seeing the absolutely incredible ruins in Palenque first. We got there in there at 8 in the morning and saw the morning fog rolling up off the huge temples and into the dense jungle. Afterwards, we took off to San Crisobal, and stayed there for a couple of days, we really liked the town, but there was anything that stood out. From there it was on to Guatemala. After taking a short bus ride to the border, and passing through customs we boarded a bus headed for Huehuetanago (pronounced waywaytanago), and this turned out to be quite the adventure, the bus (as are most busses down here it turns out) was a converted school bus, that by looking at the leg room was probably meant for kindergartners. However, they somehow managed to fit three people to every seat, my seat included, although my legs jutted out into the isle which was also crowded with people standing. If you have a problem with claustrophobia, the busses in Guatemala are not for you. My personal bubble was definitely popped. Also they put your bags on the roof which always has me a bit nervous. The scenery was incredible, at least what I could see of it with everyone's heads in the way. We were in very mountainous area that was covered in jungle it was all very beautiful. The one bad aspect of this area is that they don't seem to invest in guardrails, and as close as the driver liked to drive on the edge this can be very disconcerting. Maybe it just me but I like to be able to see the edge of the road, instead all I saw was trees and houses, 300ft down.

Anyway after a night in Huehuetanago, it was off to Chimaltanago (by the way I feel much smarter writing these name than when I try to say them) Now this bus ride was the most scariest of my life (with one obvious exception). The bus was very full, but the driver drove like he was suicidal. The bus driver look like a reincarnated Indian chief very stoic never showing any emotion except to swear at the drivers in front of him who callously driving in front of him at a safe, reasonable speed. Luckily, there were bumperstickers all over the inside of the bus saying, that god blesses this bus, god blesses this driver etc. I often looked at these stickers while we were passing somebody around a blind corner, with only a 3 or 4 hundred-foot cliff, to escape an oncoming car. I was just hoping and praying that the piousness of these stickers would outweigh my agnostic beliefs. The funny thing is nobody else on the bus seemed worried besides Kevin and I. It certainly didn't stop the couple who were making out in the seat in front of me. After the blood was completely drained out of my knuckles we finally made it to Chimaltanango, and on we went to Antigua.

Antigua is a town that has more foreigners living here than Guatemalans. Everyone comes here to learn Spanish. But we are having fun, and yesterday we climbed an active volcano, which was all right, the hike for the most part was easy, except for the last 600 yards or so which was pretty much straight up climbing in shin deep little magma rocks, which made you slide a step for every two you take, with wind whipping at us at about 70 miles an hour. We also seemed to be in a cloud, which made it hard to see anything, once we finally did get to the top. But it was an experience, and coming down the top incline was a lot like skiing because as you slide the whole mountain seems to move with you. Alrighty that about brings you up to date, please forgive my being so long, but I had a lot to talk about and a morning with nothing to do. Moe