anita

On my last night in Comalapa we ended up singing and eating and playing with hot coals around the fire, when at about 11:00pm a couple of gun shots rang out from behind where we were all sitting. Though this quieted us, we returned to normal festejar-ing when a few minutes later a couple more shots came from further down the road followed by, only minutes later, another shot that whizzed just above our heads. We all picked up our valuables and dashed into the little cabaña where we sat for about 10 minutes in absolute silence. A group decision was made that we would all stay in the volunteering housing downstairs and dogs and all, we snuck down the hill, using only the moonlight to guide us.

It was actually quite exhilarating.

The next day we decided it was probably some bolos (the perpetually drunk that pass out on the side of roads) communicating in their own special way..and scaring a bunch of gringos in the process :)

And so ended my time in Guatemala, summer 2007. Even though I did a lot of exploring around this time and I was busy meeting new and fun people, my time in Guate always leaves me with a stronger desire to return and explore even more things I didn't know even existed. Wishful hopes on my part include plans to return next summer and travel around the north-western area where more of the Mayan culture is preserved and tourist influence has not yet made a huge impact.

...but anyway, so was my adventure-filled 5 weeks in Guatemala. I hope everybody enjoyed my emails, and stay tuned for my hopeful return next summer :D

signing off,

annemary