Keep the Volcano on Your Right

… or is it your left? No, wait. It’s the other volcano, and it needs to be behind you.

Still, today I did manage to reach most of my intended destinations, circuitously, before they could disappear into the mist. I bought strong bug spray, cold medicines, a Rosca de Reyes (more about that tomorrow, on Three Kings Day), a bus ticket and some lemonade. I also succeeded in my bank errand. Getting money always takes at least an hour of line-waiting.

I had five photos to show you. I even captioned them. Then, apparently, I erased them.

I saw an albino Mayan woman today. I wouldn’t have known her as Mayan save for the traje (traditional clothes) and the baby on her back. I didn’t catch a glimpse of the hue of the baby. I tried to explain the sight to Doí±a Justa, who understood what I said and told me the Spanish term for it: Hija del sol, or child of the sun. Isn’t that beautiful?

As I mentioned, it’s been hard to figure out my next adventure because there are few tours going where I want to go. Those that exist lock you into a rigid itinerary: Get onto the colectivo at 4:00 a.m., arrive at Place One at 10:00, look around for half an hour, go to Place Two, etc… and return at six the next night. So this is what I’ve decided: I’m going to take a (private/safe) bus most of the way across the country and find my way from there. Lots of other tourists go to these places, too. And do you know how much this first bus trip costs? A little less than $15.

The first leg of my journey, to Rio Dulce, takes about 8 or 9 hours, with a change of bus in Guatemala City. It won’t be a fun day, I suspect. On arrival, I’ll go to a humble hotel that the Lonely Planet Guide describes thus:

The whole place is constructed from wood, with thatched roofs, and windows are mosquito-netted. There’s not a pane of glass to be seen. Wildlife is particularly abundant around here, with blue warblers, pelicans, a seven-foot iguana and turtles making the surrounds their home.

It will be muggy and buggy. When I arrive in Rio Dulce it’ll be after dark. First, I  find the restaurant that will radio the hotel. Then someone from the hotel will come pick me up in a lancha (small boat) and take me into the jungle. Ooooh.

After that, this is what I am going to attempt: get a boat downriver to the coastal town of Livingston, stay two or three days, find a boat to Puerto Barrios, bus back to Guatemala City and then Antigua.

Here: I made you a map with my intended route.

Enlarge the map so you can really see.

Pues, this afternoon I bought, in stroke-victim-like Spanish, a bus ticket to number 3 on the map. I said, Pue-bah-quisiera-ir-a-no-por-pwen-liv-no-a-las-diez-buh-sa-dum-wah-manana. Stroke victim language isn’t funny; likewise, I am no longer amused by myself. Heaven only knows where I’ll end up.

I’ll try to say hi to you tomorrow, though this funky Internet connectivity prevents me from promising anything. I may or may not take my computer on my viaje. More important is that I take my cold medicine and bug spray.

Molly or Eleni sent me a link to a cool article:

Is it any solace to sentimental mothers that their babies will always be part of them?

I’m not talking about emotional bonds, which we can only hope will endure. I mean that for any woman that has ever been pregnant, some of her baby’s cells may circulate in her bloodstream for as long as she lives. Those cells often take residence in her lungs, spinal cord, skin, thyroid gland, liver, intestine, cervix, gallbladder, spleen, lymph nodes, and blood vessels. And, yes, the baby’s cells can also live a lifetime in her heart and mind.

[Full article: www.boingboing.net/2012/01/03/cells.html]

Speaking of carií±as (which I’m probably using in the wrong context) I had a brief video-chat with my Emmy. She tried to hand me her blankie, we copied each other’s gestures, and we played peekaboo, just  like in real life.