¡Los siento!

Sorry I´ve been away, but I´ve, er, really been away. Actually, I´m still away.

I´m in Guatemala. Sorta. I´m working in a small clinic in the backwoods of Guatemala - near Río Hondo for geography buffs. Today I´m actually in Honduras (yes, HONDURAS) visiting the old Mayan city Copán. I´ll go back to the ¿safety? of Guatemala tomorrow. On the bus.

Let´s just talk about the bus. Guatemala (and apparently Honduras) is all about the bus. There are many kinds of bus:

1) The chicken bus. This is an old school bus from the US that has been re-comissioned as a people/cargo/livestock mover. The seats designed for two kiddo-sized buttocks is crammed with three to four adult Mayan sized asses. Needless to say, the fit is tight.

And I swear to God, I saw one that said `North Attleburough (I know I spelled that wrong, but I can´t for the life of me remember how I¨m supposed to spell it!) School District. The school district is outside of Boston. Hand to God.

2) Microbus - small (usually Japanese) vans that have been gutteed and narrow, cramped bench seats stuffed in the back. I was in one with about 12 other people, not including the driver. Cheap and convenient, I think these are the most prevalent.

3) 2nd class bus. A large coach, I¨ve never been on one. Apparently, they aren`t suitable for American doctors. (Although a microbus is? Doesn´t make any sense.)

4) 1rst class bus. A large coach that usually, but not always, has airconditioning. And AC is a big deal here. I have to specifically look for hotels with AC - it´s very much a luxury.

Life is crazy. I never thought I would ever see Honduras. But here I am. I¨m keeping a log on my laptop (yes, I was dumb enough to bring a laptop to a place where I have a hard time finding a phone. Stop laughing.) so I¨ll be able to post all that at a later date.

Wish me luck and talk to ya´ll later.