Sadly, Lake Atitlan was beautiful but not good for a longstay as we were hoping. Our room looked over the volcanoes and lake. And the best meal in town was C$4 1/4 chicken plate at this ex-Italians' 3-rickety-table hole-in-the-wall. But we had to pack up and catch a 6am boat back to Pana in the eerie calm under the cones (one was still smoking...). The grind was about to begin.
A lurching and packed minivan took us up and over the ancient lava fields to Xela --- but not quite! We had to wait in the heat and transfer to a smaller van for the last km's. Which dropped us off at an interesting square that featured Greek columns and Roman arches, but no onward connection. This is not a regular backpacker route, so no English, no direct shuttles, no taxis, and oddly no street dogs. We walked a few blocks, asked around, and jumped a sardine-packed local bus to the market area. Then the maze of Mayan everything-for-sale-dead-or-alive. But we found an onward bus with 5 minutes to spare. First food of the day?---corn tortilla wrapped around a piece of chicken the size of a USB stick! But thanks, angels, at least we're moving on.
Heat, thirst, and more bus-to-van-to-pedaltricycle transfers and Hola! here's the border into Mexico. Lots of back-and-forth paperwork and $ because gringos don't usually arrive by land. More walking, bad advice, find a slow van to Tapachula. A pleasant square but we're too exhausted to hang out. After handy but heavy Chinese combos, we crash at this Hospedaje. Cold shower doesn't even register...
We had to wait 11 hours in the bus station because the only bus is overnight, leaving at 22:45. Past our bedtime! A very groggy and butt-aching 14 hours later, arrived at the Pacific ocean shores of good old Puerto Escondido, surfing capital of Mexico. We think we have found a place with a kitchen for a couple of weeks --- we'll see.
But we're recovering from a grueling grind to get here, complete with sleeplessness/dry skin/bad food along the way. Pat counted 9 vehicles and 14 Good Samaritans to get us here. A land of beach and bouganvillea...
A lurching and packed minivan took us up and over the ancient lava fields to Xela --- but not quite! We had to wait in the heat and transfer to a smaller van for the last km's. Which dropped us off at an interesting square that featured Greek columns and Roman arches, but no onward connection. This is not a regular backpacker route, so no English, no direct shuttles, no taxis, and oddly no street dogs. We walked a few blocks, asked around, and jumped a sardine-packed local bus to the market area. Then the maze of Mayan everything-for-sale-dead-or-alive. But we found an onward bus with 5 minutes to spare. First food of the day?---corn tortilla wrapped around a piece of chicken the size of a USB stick! But thanks, angels, at least we're moving on.
Heat, thirst, and more bus-to-van-to-pedaltricycle transfers and Hola! here's the border into Mexico. Lots of back-and-forth paperwork and $ because gringos don't usually arrive by land. More walking, bad advice, find a slow van to Tapachula. A pleasant square but we're too exhausted to hang out. After handy but heavy Chinese combos, we crash at this Hospedaje. Cold shower doesn't even register...
We had to wait 11 hours in the bus station because the only bus is overnight, leaving at 22:45. Past our bedtime! A very groggy and butt-aching 14 hours later, arrived at the Pacific ocean shores of good old Puerto Escondido, surfing capital of Mexico. We think we have found a place with a kitchen for a couple of weeks --- we'll see.
But we're recovering from a grueling grind to get here, complete with sleeplessness/dry skin/bad food along the way. Pat counted 9 vehicles and 14 Good Samaritans to get us here. A land of beach and bouganvillea...
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