If you’re REALLY lucky, it’s possible to do the trip to Antigua from our site in one day, if you leave at 6am when the sun comes up, and are OK with getting in when the sun is on the other side of the horizon and the thieves are getting ready for their night’s work. But that only works if everything goes right and you catch all the buses right when they leave, a statistical improbability. We always budget two days for the trip; it’s a lot less stressful and tiring that way, too.

When I took Devin to the airport, the two-day plan really paid off. About three hours into the trip, the bus started making funny noises, and before we knew it, we were standing by the side of the road with 20 other pedestrians looking at a broken bus. We were in the middle of nowhere in the Cumbre, but there is only one road through that part of Guatemala, so we waited a bit and eventually another bus came along. Always allow extra time in Guatemala.

Despite the setback, Devin and I still had enough time to visit the Mayan ruins at Zacaleu, just outside of Huehuetenango. Zacaleu was the regional Mayan capitol from about 400AD to 1525AD, when the Spanish conquistadores showed up with their steel and horses and guns. They put an end to all things Maya after about a month of Euro-style seige, and the weeds grew to cover the bones and stones. In the 30s, the site was rediscovered and excavated, and the pyramids and temples were preserved under a protective coating of plaster, with a grant from the United Fruit Company (perhaps they felt bad about enslaving the Mayans after the Spanish got tired of it?)

Here we have Devin posing on the ruins, first in the ancient ball court, then atop the main temple.

The only other interesting thing we did was visit Pastores, the town where Emily did her training. My host-dad’s brother (Victor) owns one of the many fine boot shops there. Pastores is world-famous for producing custom boots, ranging from the simple to the extravagant. The excellent workmanship combined with low cost (due to the weak quetzal) means that just about every PCV eventually gets a pair during their service. The bootmakers trace your foot for a custom fit, will stitch your initials into the sides, whatever you want. They will even make boots from a sketch, as one of our volunteers who is a also a fashion designer discovered! Devin, being a clothes horse, couldn’t resist. The hardest decision for him was whether to get them in ostrich skin or water moccasin.