Hola from Guatemala City!
Welcome to a lovely cesspool of heat, angry people packed into far too small of a space, lots of pollution and honking horns and drivers that if you don't watch yourself are all too happy to add you to the ever growing list of casualties left to decay in the gutter. Add to that one of the highest murder and kidnapping rates in the world, "La Leina", the famous district full of prostitutes, criminals and drugs, and you've found yourself a little slice of paradise right here in Central America.
You gotta love a city where they need two guards sporting semi-automatic rifles to guard burger king.
Actually I kinda like it. But not on my first day here.
Seeing as how this past week began, I'm sure glad it took a 180 degree turn, and I've got various exciting developments to report. But first let me explain how things stooped pretty low just a few days ago.
I had a great time in Flores, which is such a beautiful town, and I very much enjoyed exploring the legendary Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tikal was unique compared to the other Mexican ruins I have visited in that it is located entirely in the jungle. Absolutely fantastic, and perhaps my favorite ancient archaeological site to date. I met some new friends from Texas on the ride back, and we had so much fun I decided to stay in Flores for another day to visit. Then I took the bus to Guatemala City...
Believe it or not, I actually usually enjoy long bus rides. I like kicking back and watching the world go by, listening to some music or reading a book while I make progress toward a new destination. It's usually something I look forward to. This bus ride, however, was made extremely unpleasant due to the fact that the seat next to me being occupied by a morbidly obese man who was sweating profusely the entire ride. Or more accurately, next to me and on top of me, since his voluptuous bulk took up the better part of two seats. I must admit that by the time we arrived in the city, I was more than ready for a hot shower and a warm bed.
Funny how things turn out sometimes.
After negotiating with five or six taxi drivers, I finally found someone who would take me to my hotel for less than $20 - a fortune in Guatemala. I won't go into details to describe the experience except to say what should have been 30 minutes took three hours. He couldn't find the place, and ended up ditching me beside a slum outside the city. And at the end of the ride, as I was standing outside the taxi getting ready to pay, my charming host plucked the wad of cash right out of my hand and sped off into the smog, leaving me to shout a few choice words into the void.
I knew I needed to get out of there so I hopped on the next bus passing by and eventually found a place to stay by the airport. It was way too overpriced, but I was more than happy to pay any amount of money for the luxury of sleeping all day, which is exactly what I did.
That evening I met a lovely fellow traveler from Germany, and we had something else in common - she had just had her phone stolen! We shared a few beers and by the end of the night I had forgotten about the past two days entirely. Another day survived...
Anyway, I have since spent the past days working away on writing and sponsorship pursuits, and have some exciting developments to report. First, I've got two new articles that will be published in the upcoming copies of Yachting World Magazine, I cannot give away too many details here except to say one article is on the Ecoliner, a concept for a sailing cargo vessel (an idea that I have been supporting for years) and the other is on Undaunted, a 42 inch sailboat in which Matt Kent is attempting to cross the Atlantic.
Yes, you read that right. 42 inches. Look him up. Here's the two very different vessels:
I am also proud to announce two new supporters of the expedition:
Skeleton Technologies will be supplying a SkelTech Gen which will enable me to start the engine in any kind of conditions even after running the batteries all the way down. Having this backup will be a huge reassurance and it will be a tremendous comfort to know that when I turn the key, the engine will start. Sometimes it can mean the difference between life and death, and I am proud to have the support of Skeleton Tech helping to keep me safe.
And I am also proud to announce the support of getkratom.com. Some people consider kratom a controversial product, considering it was almost banned in the USA by the DEA. Of course that is what happens to any product that happens to be a healthy, natural and affordable alternative to pharmaceutical drugs. Having witnessed how kratom can make a huge positive impact in people's lives, anything from helping with ADD to easing pain to fighting a heroin addiction, I am convinced that when consumed properly and responsibly this leaf from southeast Asia has tremendous potential. Just ask the people in Southeast Asia who have been using it for hundreds of years.
I'll be updating my website this week so keep an eye out for these wonderful new supporters in the days to come. And I'm off on the 2nd of April to the British Virgin Islands to join Brian Caldwell on our 9th delivery together, this time to Florida. Then on to South America, assuming I can make all the necessary preparations and raise adequate funds.
Fair winds Everybody! Here's a few new pics:
Welcome to a lovely cesspool of heat, angry people packed into far too small of a space, lots of pollution and honking horns and drivers that if you don't watch yourself are all too happy to add you to the ever growing list of casualties left to decay in the gutter. Add to that one of the highest murder and kidnapping rates in the world, "La Leina", the famous district full of prostitutes, criminals and drugs, and you've found yourself a little slice of paradise right here in Central America.
You gotta love a city where they need two guards sporting semi-automatic rifles to guard burger king.
Actually I kinda like it. But not on my first day here.
Seeing as how this past week began, I'm sure glad it took a 180 degree turn, and I've got various exciting developments to report. But first let me explain how things stooped pretty low just a few days ago.
I had a great time in Flores, which is such a beautiful town, and I very much enjoyed exploring the legendary Mayan ruins of Tikal. Tikal was unique compared to the other Mexican ruins I have visited in that it is located entirely in the jungle. Absolutely fantastic, and perhaps my favorite ancient archaeological site to date. I met some new friends from Texas on the ride back, and we had so much fun I decided to stay in Flores for another day to visit. Then I took the bus to Guatemala City...
Believe it or not, I actually usually enjoy long bus rides. I like kicking back and watching the world go by, listening to some music or reading a book while I make progress toward a new destination. It's usually something I look forward to. This bus ride, however, was made extremely unpleasant due to the fact that the seat next to me being occupied by a morbidly obese man who was sweating profusely the entire ride. Or more accurately, next to me and on top of me, since his voluptuous bulk took up the better part of two seats. I must admit that by the time we arrived in the city, I was more than ready for a hot shower and a warm bed.
Funny how things turn out sometimes.
After negotiating with five or six taxi drivers, I finally found someone who would take me to my hotel for less than $20 - a fortune in Guatemala. I won't go into details to describe the experience except to say what should have been 30 minutes took three hours. He couldn't find the place, and ended up ditching me beside a slum outside the city. And at the end of the ride, as I was standing outside the taxi getting ready to pay, my charming host plucked the wad of cash right out of my hand and sped off into the smog, leaving me to shout a few choice words into the void.
I knew I needed to get out of there so I hopped on the next bus passing by and eventually found a place to stay by the airport. It was way too overpriced, but I was more than happy to pay any amount of money for the luxury of sleeping all day, which is exactly what I did.
That evening I met a lovely fellow traveler from Germany, and we had something else in common - she had just had her phone stolen! We shared a few beers and by the end of the night I had forgotten about the past two days entirely. Another day survived...
Anyway, I have since spent the past days working away on writing and sponsorship pursuits, and have some exciting developments to report. First, I've got two new articles that will be published in the upcoming copies of Yachting World Magazine, I cannot give away too many details here except to say one article is on the Ecoliner, a concept for a sailing cargo vessel (an idea that I have been supporting for years) and the other is on Undaunted, a 42 inch sailboat in which Matt Kent is attempting to cross the Atlantic.
Yes, you read that right. 42 inches. Look him up. Here's the two very different vessels:
I am also proud to announce two new supporters of the expedition:
Skeleton Technologies will be supplying a SkelTech Gen which will enable me to start the engine in any kind of conditions even after running the batteries all the way down. Having this backup will be a huge reassurance and it will be a tremendous comfort to know that when I turn the key, the engine will start. Sometimes it can mean the difference between life and death, and I am proud to have the support of Skeleton Tech helping to keep me safe.
And I am also proud to announce the support of getkratom.com. Some people consider kratom a controversial product, considering it was almost banned in the USA by the DEA. Of course that is what happens to any product that happens to be a healthy, natural and affordable alternative to pharmaceutical drugs. Having witnessed how kratom can make a huge positive impact in people's lives, anything from helping with ADD to easing pain to fighting a heroin addiction, I am convinced that when consumed properly and responsibly this leaf from southeast Asia has tremendous potential. Just ask the people in Southeast Asia who have been using it for hundreds of years.
I'll be updating my website this week so keep an eye out for these wonderful new supporters in the days to come. And I'm off on the 2nd of April to the British Virgin Islands to join Brian Caldwell on our 9th delivery together, this time to Florida. Then on to South America, assuming I can make all the necessary preparations and raise adequate funds.
Fair winds Everybody! Here's a few new pics:
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