Many people who visit Guatemala and want to see Tikal skip the long ground trip, pay the extra money, and fly from Guatemala City to Flores, sometimes completing the visit to the ruins and the flights in the same day. We decided to take the slower route so we could stop at Semuc Champey and Lanquin Cave in the middle, to save money, and to see more of the Guatemalan countryside.
While we stayed in cities with good tourist support, we also wanted some exposure to how the vast majority of people live in this, one of the poorest countries in the Americas. As we hoped, it raised opportunities for conversations with the kids, and I think the views they saw of both simple, subsistance living, and of poverty, will stay with them forever, despite the fact that asking them about it fails to bring out any evidence of profound insights!
These long shuttle rides also yielded fantastic conversations with other travelers. There was the retired man who spent his career starting and rescuing orchestras around the world - got good scoop on Gerard Schwartz, the Seattle Symphony, and many of the famous conductors. There was the French woman interning in the French embassy in Guatemala City. There was the German electronics technician, making a career change, studying environmental engineering in the U.S.
There was the Japanese guy who's traveled to 63 countries, carries a tablet PC with GPS, a really miniaturized Sony camera, and a variety of self-defence weaponry, from stun gun to pepper spray. Watching him prepare to exit the shuttle in Belize City was like watching Rambo getting ready to go into battle - every bag and fanny pack double-strapped to his body in some way, meticulously clipped in, each one booby-trapped to set off a piercing siren (accidentally went off in the shuttle) or an electrical stun. I asked him why he carries all that gear, and he said he always does when entering 'black' countries. Great. Creepy AND rascist.
There were many young backpackers - I met ones from England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and others. With the exception of the young Israelis, both of whom had just spent 5 years on an Israeli submarine, all of these travelers were excited about the possibility of an Obama presidency, hoping he would lead the U.S. in a fresh direction as part of the family of nations, rather than against it.
Despite the good things we got out of these drives, we're all relieved that there are no more day-long shuttle van rides!
