writing from san pedro, a small town off lake atitlan. it’s harder to get to than panajachel…but apparently much calmer and less touristy (note: all the lake towns seem to survive off tourism).
pondering guatemala so far, i’m reminded of bruno’s (sacha baron cohen) interview of a fashion designer…do you believe in consistency?…no. the country seems to be made up of opposites:
-most of the roads are great…BUT they periodically will have huge rocks in the middle.
-most people don’t own cars…BUT i always seem to be stuck behind a truck and the roads always smell like vehicle exhaust (there are no smog checks here….i’ll post another picture later)
-from the road, the houses look simple and with small farms…BUT a large percentage of the population is landless (or so i hear)
-the woman at the hotel at antigua told me business is fine (even after i had negotiated the room price)…BUT the mechanic who fixed my exhaust says that business is way down because of the economy (the choice is simple: bread or a quiet car).
-the countryside is beautiful…BUT the cities seem to be crazy, and polluted with smog and noise.
-every morning is beautiful…BUT every afternoon thus far, it has rained.
-the country seems to be poorer than Mexico…BUT most items are equal to or more expensive (such as gas & some food).