Crossing the border to Guatemala---Let the adventures begin

We made it to Guatemala and this place is absolutely nuts. It´s Dec 5th and as we drive Mexico into Guatemala (border crossing pics will be posted because it is insane) I start feeling a sense of uneasiness I hadnt yet felt before. In some sense, starting our trip off in Mexico was sort of comfortable. I mean I know tons of close friends of mine who have ventured there(family members also). I was familiar with Mexican food, Mexican music, and pretty much, Mexican culture. This is our close neighbor afterall. So when we finally reached the border to Guatemala- I guess you can say that our REAL trip was just beginning. We are farther away from home now and this place is known to be not just a little, but alot more dangerous. You already know there is imminent danger around you for the mere fact that shuttles run directly to everywhere you want to go in this country. There´s no place or time for the tourists to just simply hangout-unless they really want to of course. As the shuttle entered the country, we were immediately shocked by how beautiful the scenery is. Lushous mountains seem to go on forever and volcanos are visible in the distance. This country has the most breathtaking landscape I have ever seen. (PICS TO COME)
We arrive in Quetzaltenango (Xela "Shell-ah") to the locals. Our hostel, The Black Cat, is surprisingly pretty thought empty. The helpful bartender (who once lived in Canton NY) gets us settled in and let´s us know some information about the city. Our first meal is at a surprisingly delicious french restaurant in town. We have a night cap back at the hostel´s bar (Cabro Xela´s own brewed beer) and go straight to bed-for we know that Spanish lessons will await us this week and it´s best for now to get some rest.

p.s. I have been busy uploading pictures from the trip on to facebook as this website is incredibly slow for doing that. I just finished uploading pics from Tulum-Merida and will be posting more in the days to come. Enjoy!

written by

joshandmary on December 11, 2009 from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

from the travel blog: joshandmary's Travel Blog

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