The first day was full of travel. We left the church early to board the plane. It took us from 17 hours to get from Louisville to Rabinal, Guatemala. From the start the trip was different. There were storms, so they had to divert our plane and it took an additional hour to get to Houston. We barely made our flight to Guatemala City. Once we got there, our first stop was the mall to get money exchanged. We had McDonald's for lunch. A little disappointing, but oh well. (Note: they DO NOT serve honey at McDonald's with chicken nuggets. I was very sad.) We also saw volcanic ash all over the ground. It looked like black sand. There were bags filled with it all over the city. The city had also endured a tropical storm over the past few days, so it was also soggy.
We got back on the bus and headed to Rabinal. This is the town where our hotel was located. It was about 10 minutes from Pacux. The bus ride took SEVEN hours. Traffic was really bad. We drove past the sink hole, but couldn't see it due to a wall. There was also an accident. A car hit a motorcyclist!! Unlike the US where the road would be shut down, police and ambulance would come, insurance....etc. Nothing happened. The guy that hit him, helped him move his bike out of the road while the guy was limping off. Then traffic proceeded. Nothing else. No calling the lawyer.
We kept going, but you have to go over the mountains to get to Rabinal. Unlike the states, there are no highways and the roads are not entirely stable. There were many mudslides so we drove through water from time to time. The lines on the road are optional to the drivers and guard rails come at a premium. I was glad it was slightly dark because I really didn't want to see straight down the cliff. We made a stop at an ice cream stand with bathrooms. (Apparently, the sewage system cannot support toilet paper. So, you have to throw it out in a trash can next to the toilet. I am very thankful I can flush toilet paper.) We stopped at an orphanage where one of our interpreters lived t pick up tons of bottled water. The children were sleeping, but the wife offered some cooked mango in syrup. I tried some.
The last 30 minutes of the trip was horrible!! The roads are so curvy that it makes driving through the Appalachian mountains nothing. The other drivers are very reckless. They will pass blindly and practically cause wrecks. I had to sleep to not get car sick. One of the girls thought she was going to get sick so we pulled over. She didn't, but it was bad.
Once we made it, I was relieved. We chose a room and had dinner. It was a shame that they made us an authentic Guatemalan meal but most of us were too tired and full. The room was REALLY hot. I don't think I have ever sweated so much in my life. We had a small fan, but it didn't really help. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking something was crawling down my shirt, only to realize it was SWEAT!
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