Guatemala baby!!

From: Ronald van der Linden
Date: 30-May-2006 13:32
Subject: Guatemala baby!!

To all dear & beloved friends,

I left Mexico, after spending exactly 180days, for Guatemala. From the ruines of Palenque I travelled together with Iris to Guatemala, by first taking a 4th class bus, a wooden boat with outboard engine for 30mins, crossing the river that divides Mexico and Guatemala, arrived in some backyard of a Guatemaltec family, saying hello and getting yet another entrance stamp from the very friendly Guatemaltec customs police. Waiting 3 hours in the middle of nowhere, well actually a small town and then ¨hoppa¨ 4 hours in an old schoolbus (USA type), also called chicken bus, over unpaved roads (boem-de-de-boem-de-de-boem.... Dutch for extremely shaky) to Flores, which is a small island in the Lake of Peten. Took a taxi and arrived in a superdooper hostel, named Los Amigos, which is run by 2 Dutchies and a Guatemalteca.

But as usual, all is well & now I am off to some markets to get some jummy fruits, like papaya, mango, bananas.... Life is slow, people talk slower than in Mexico, service is even more slower, but all is friendly. Tranquilo is the word.

Which I wish you all... tranquilidad. As together with friends on the beach of Mazunte, Oaxaca invented the following toast: salud, suerte, felicidad, libertad y amor (health, luck, happiness, liberty and love)

With these words I end this short email.
From Flores, Guatemala I bid you all adios.
Ronaldiño