Using local transportation

This week I had the chance to be in Guatemala City for a couple of days. We arrived by public shuttle from Antigua to the international airport ( dropping off one of the team members heading home). Public shuttles are a very common form of transportation for gringos and there are numerous companies providing shuttle service any any town where gringos visit. We were able to book a shuttle around the corner from our hotel (Casa Cristina www.casa-cristina.com) for $5 US. We were told we had to be ready 15 minutes before the 8:30 departure and it could be as late as 8:45 before we were picked up. We were picked up within this 30 minute window, went to a few other hotels picking up others and were at the Guatemala Airport within 90 minutes. Of course one of the benefits of these shuttles is the conversations with other travellers; learning what they have been doing, what companies are good to do business with, what adventures are worth having.

In Gaute City we used local taxis to get around. We stayed in Zona Vida (the tourist zone which offers travellers and foreigners the comfort of a high police presence. This is important as Guate City is not a safe place right now) and enjoyed the great meals available at local and international restaurants. We had time to do two "tourist" trips; one to the Botanical Gardens of Juan Carlos University and the second to the Parque Central where we were the centre of attention at a mirimba concert ( being the only non Guatemalan faces in a crowd of 300). The taxi was recommended by our hotel and Rudi became our tour guide, available to take us back to the hotel and then pick us up early in the morning for the trip to the bus station ( outside Zona Vida and not a place to be unless you are getting on a bus out of the City).

All our information said that our bus to Santiago would leave at 8 am but like some many situations when you are travelling, that was not the case. The bus did not leave til 10 so we had a quick conference to explore options and decided to take the non direct route. We hopped on a bus heading in the general direction we wanted to go knowing we would have to make two other connections to get back to Santiago. The bus ( we often here them call them Chicken buses but I have learned that people here do not like that designation so I have been calling them the intercity bus or the autobus) took 2+ hours to travel what I think was about 100 km stopping regularly at posted signs and when it was waved down to pick up or drop off passengers. The money collector would come down the row at intervals collecting fairs - always in cash. At a number of the larger stops 6 - 10 different vendors would walk through the bus selling water, juices, hot and cold food and snacks. Some even just walked along the bus on either side and sold through the windows ( which are always open because of the heat)!

We jumped off the bus (literally as the stops are often very short) and waited about an hour for a connecting bus. This one was smaller and less crowded, at least to start with. As the bus progressed it picked up more passengers and before long there was three people per seat and in some situations some larger people had one cheek on one seat and the other cheek on the seat across! When they shouted our spot we all began to get up and collect our knapsacks. I must have had a brain blip to think I could do that without hanging on ( as we are still moving at about 60 km per hour around winding roads) and I landed in the lap of the man sitting across from me. This provided enormous amounts of laughter for all those sitting at the back of the bus. And in addition to then having to haul myself up I had to shinny my way through the others standing in the aisles even more quickly to the front of the bus. Off I hopped and the bus was gone when I turned around.

So now we are about 30 minutes from Santiago and the next bus will stop on the other side of town. So off we go, walking in to town with the thought we might catch a bus, a van or even hop on a pickup. Turns out the pick up was the best option and we joined about 6 others in their tipico clothing all catching a ride to Santiago. ( Riding a pickup is a routine form of transportation here. Men make some of their living driving back and forth between towns; their trucks having a bar that runs down the middle of the pick up bed for people to hang on to as the truck whizzes around the winding highways at 60 - 80 km/hr). We tapped the truck roof twice as we got close to our desired drop off point. The truck stopped, we hopped out and walked to the driver's side to find out how many Q he wanted for the trip. With that sorted out, we walked to our hotel in the jungle (Paul's Posada I mentioned earlier)

I had to make it over to Panajachel so I quickly repacked my bags so I could carry everything and took a tuc- tuc ( a three wheeled vehicle with a driver in front and room for up to three people or two people and bags of groceries or one person and a very large backpack) to the launcha site.

Here I heard the now familiar Pana Pana Pana call letting me know there was a boat heading for Pana soon. Now soon is any where from now to 45 minutes from now. I was the first on the boat so I knew it was not now. I had to negotiate my fair. The launcha captains charge different prices depending on whether you are tourist or not. I have learned that if I tell them I am a volunteer I can get a slightly better rate than the tourists. On this occasion I needed to pay Q25 but I only had a 100 bill. I gave him my 100 and then enjoyed the process of the other passengers arriving and getting settled. Just before we left one of his helpers handed me my Q75 change. Nice! Of course no life jackets as we headed across the Lake but this particular captain took it easy and so the trip across was smooth.

My day's travel for taxi, autobus, pickup, tuc tuc and launcha cost a total of Q70 including tip! A total of about $11.50. A deal by any standard for that amount of travel.

Once again a great adventure!

Adios par la dia
Colina