Howdy!The fun part about traveling on the local buses is that you’re almost never quite sure where you´ll get dropped off. I don´t mean that it´s likely to be kicked off the bus; left to defend yourself on some desolate country road. I mean that sometimes the bus stations are unclear. Sure, sometimes the guide books will give you a little map with symbols on it that indicate bus stations, but good luck if you can figure out which one you’re actually at. In some cities it’s easy, and all of the buses come and go from the same spot. In some of the larger cities things get much more confusing and buses for different destinations leave from different spots.
I arrived in Quetzaltenango (a.k.a.Xela--pronounced Shay-la) on the chicken bus and realized I had no idea where I was. Of course, I was immediately accosted by several taxi drivers who wanted to help me figure out where I was and to offer their services in to town. It turns out that I was at the Terminal Minerva, which is also a large market on the edge of town. Even though I turned down the offers to be taken to my hostel for the “low price of $7,” the cab drivers were still nice enough to tell me that the buses into town were just on the other side of the market. I looked out at the chaotic market, with its single narrow lane, and thought how hard can it be? I was so wrong. Trying to roll my backpack through the market while people squeezed past me in both directions, while also circumnavigating the large push carts loaded down with goods, was more than I bargained for. (BTW, you read correctly; I roll my backpack. I used to be one of those poor suckers with sore shoulders, lugging around a giant backpack on my back. Not anymore. For this trip I bought a backpack with wheels. So far, there have only been one or two instances where I actually needed to wear it like a backpack, the rest of the time I’ve been able to roll it. Maybe having a rolling backpack is a sell-out move, but it’s allowed me to bring a nicer camera backpack, and to avoid the dreaded pregnant turtle look [wearing the big pack on the back, and a little daypack in front].)I thought I would never see the light of day, but eventually the market spat me out into the bright sunshine, just as lost as ever. I didn’t see any buses and I had no idea which direction I should go in. Once again my lost tourist look betrayed me, and I was approached by taxi drivers. The price they were offering was a little bit lower, about $5. Internally I was debating whether or not I should just take the taxi. On one hand, I was tired and confused. On the other hand, I had just paid less than half that price to travel a much greater distance. I just hate feeling like I’m getting ripped off. I took the taxi.
My impression of Xela as a city is a good one. It had the big city feeling that I’ve been craving, without the constant feeling of immediate danger that you get in many major cities. It was the first time in a while where I felt like I was witnessing the real lives of the people of Guatemala, and not just some touristy version of it. What I saw was normality. The lives of most Xelans do not revolve around getting a piece of the tourism pie. Of course, Xela is not without some tourist trappings. In Xela, there seem to be a fair number of restaurants either owned by expats or catering to tourists, but the lack of hostels appears to be a real indication that this is not just another stop on the Gringo Trail. For most backpackers Xela´s main draw is its bounty of affordable Spanish schools. My week long homestay with a Guatemalan family, which included three meals a day and my own bedroom, plus five four-hour one-on-one sessions with a Spanish tutor was only $120.
In general, Xela appears to be a much more affordable city in comparison to many places I had been in Guatemala. On my first day there I had a huge bowl of chunky delicious chicken soup, complete with rice, tortillas, and a drink for about $2.50. The internet was about $.50 an hour, or less. Beer was a tad bit cheaper than in other cities. (BTW, Xela is where they brew Cabra beer, which is, according to many backpackers, Guatemala´s best beer.) Xela is also home to Bab´s Bakery, which is owned by a Canadian woman, who makes some of the best chocolate chip cookies I´ve had in a while. Some of her other confections are a miss, but the chocolate chip cookies are a must try. She has a version which is labelled ¨Canadian Chocolate Chip Cookie,¨ which is basically like the normal version except almond extract has been used instead of vanilla extract. I don´t know if Canadians really make cookies like that, but it´s surprisingly tasty. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. All that talk about cookies, makes me want to go find some.Next Time: More Xela!
xx,
gwen
Xela is cold, but apparently not cold enough.
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