Border Crossing #12½

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The road eventually hooked up with the 'Pacific Highway'. It is so named because it crosses the south of the country and there are a number of roads that run from it down to the Pacific Coast, but it is still some 50 km or so from the coast along this section of it. This road took us almost to the border at Tecun Uman but, since this is the border for most of the truck traffic between Mexico and Guatemala, we turned north and drove to El Carmen. By the time we arrived it was late enough to be looking for somewhere to sleep rather than going through the process of getting a car permit. We spent quite some time driving around in the nearby area of Malacatán looking for possibilities and in the end we drove into a very expensive looking hotel on the outskirts of the town. The Real Pacifico Hotel is fairly new and it did prove to be expensive - 400 Quetzales per night for a room, but we were pleasantly surprised when they eventually called in an English speaking manager who explained that they had a place behind the hotel down by the river where they were happy for campers to stay. It was still 100 Quetzales, but it was quiet with only the sound of the river to lull us to sleep.
The next morning we were at the border reasonably early - and it was totally chaotic. It is very confusing at these borders if you are crossing them, but even more so if you want to stay on one side and go through the bureaucracy! It took an hour and a half to get the new permit - we crossed from Belize into Guatemala in about 40 minutes altogether! This border seemed to be mostly free of truck traffic, but there was an endless stream of used cars being towed through. We were very happy to be on our way again by almost midday and drove directly toward Xela. We had planned to do some sight-seeing in this area near the Mexican border, but my cold was progressing quickly from the scratchy throat of the day before to a fever, and we decided to get back to Pana as quickly as possible, whilst still doing the things which were necessary on the way.
We were heading for the Fuentes Georginas - some hot springs just south of Xela, near Zunil, where we had read that it is possible to stay overnight in the parking lot. They are up in the mountains and supposed to give an incredible view. The road up from Zunil is very narrow, and winds through vegetable gardens that come right to the edge of the road and stretch up the steep sides of the mountains. I am sometimes stunned by what an easy life we have compared to these people, working long days on steep slopes in what must be physically exhausting positions for the human body.
It was quite cold and overcast when we arrived late in the afternoon, so it was not possible to see any amazing views, except the top of the clouds. My cold was getting worse and it was late in the day so we didn't go in the pools. It seemed like it would be a nice place to spend some time if the weather were nice - they even have small units for rent. It appeared as though it should be a quiet place, but just on dusk they turned on a generator which kept going until the early hours of the morning - we think it ran out of fuel! We couldn't work out why it was running as we were the only people staying there.
The next morning was much clearer and we drove back down the mountain to Xela in sunshine. We stopped in Xela to get some work done on the truck - oil change and brake check - and to do some shopping, and then headed back to Pana. There was quite a bit of rain on the way (our share of the weather brought by hurricane Dean which wreaked such havoc in the Yucatan) which made it very muddy in places due to the ongoing extensive roadworks on this stretch of road. We had experienced quite lengthy hold-ups the first time we had visited Xela, but this time it wasn't so bad and we were pleased to arrive back in Pana at our lakeside campsite at a reasonable hour - we just got the camper set up in position and the rain arrived. I then spent the next two days in bed, reading and sleeping.
The flu was the first major illness I had suffered on this trip and I must say that I resented the intrusion! Juergen eventually succumbed too - almost impossible to keep it to oneself in such a small living space. We tried to keep going to Spanish school, but finally had to give up and take a few days off. Other than that, the stay here has been quite pleasant. We haven't had a lot of time to spare, with 4 hours of Spanish per day and homework as well, but we have the satisfaction of being able to communicate our needs more clearly all the time.
We did take the time to visit the market in Sololá, which is a larger town up a steep hill from Pana. The first time we jumped in the back of a "picop" - Spanish for pickup truck. They operate as collectivos to transport people, and almost anything else that will fit in the back or can be tied on the sides! It was quite exhilarating standing in the back, squeezed in with all the locals, travelling up this winding hill that gave us the most amazing views of the lake.
The market is a cacophony of colour, sounds and confusion. It seems that everyone from miles around is present, shoving their way through the narrow aisles between the stalls to be first for the bargains on offer, or just collecting in the central plaza to socialise and eat. One thing I noticed in this melee, was that the older and smaller the person (usually a woman) the more they pushed their way through the crowd with no concern for whose toes were being trodden on or whose ribs were being elbowed! And if you stop moving to let someone pass, you will rapidly be stranded in that spot as people from both directions hurry past you. It is not to be recommended for those who value their personal space or have any tendency towards claustrophobia. Juergen loved photographing this gathering so much that I think he took countless photos of the chaos and the interesting faces of the people. After deleting all but the best we still have a collection of some 150 photos from our two visits to the market.
We were pleased to find that most of the vegetables on offer were of an exceptionally good quality and, even though the range is somewhat limited, we have been eating quite healthily here. The market here in Pana is a lot smaller, but also has a plentiful supply of good quality produce, so we tended to do our regular shopping there rather than take the picop or chicken bus up the hill.
The weather has been fairly typical rain season weather - usually it is clear in the mornings and the lake looks really stunning, ringed by the volcanos and other mountains. The rain comes most afternoons - sometimes as early as midday and sometimes as late as 5.00. Sometimes it comes and goes quite quickly, and at other times in continues on into the night. We have had the after effect this weekend of hurricane Felix which wreaked havoc in Nicaragua earlier in the week, but we have been lucky that we are far enough from the Atlantic coast not to be directly in the path of these devastating storms...

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