4/24 - arrival in Coban

 Now it is Sunday morning. I slept in lazily at Zephyr Lodge...until 8pm. Then I wandered into town to inquire about how I might catch a bus to Coban on Easter. Funnily enough, I run into the Israeli army guys again. They told me to ask the reception at the hotel over there. We said repeat byes and I wished them fun on their bat cave explorations in the afternoon. A Mayan woman nursing a baby in front of the locked hotel doors, kindly told me that, yes, there are buses running about every hour to Coban that pick up across the street.

I walked back to the lodge and then down the steep banks to the wide, shallow river below. Cows and boys with sticks moved slowly across the way. A couple cuddled on an overhanging branch. I happily stuck my feet into the cool water. I managed to get 10 or so angry mosquito bites around my ankles while I was sleeping and they itch terribly. Tiger balm can only give so much relief. It can’t be totally perfect in paradise.

In my proceeding shower, I looked out an open-air window to cloud forests and mountains and there were no human beings in this back yard to look back.

The power conveniently shut down 5 minutes into charging my electronics and 1 minute into my skype conversation with my mom. Guess that’s a sign to get moving and try and catch that bus.

The bus from Lanquin to Coban provided another unique Guatemalan experience. The bus pulled up at 2pm, but did not actually get on its way out of town until 3pm – First, it had to traverse the main streets 5-6 times shouting “Coban, Coban” until reaching total capacity. The two “assistants?” had great fun keeping the door wide-open and leaning precariously out around turns or hopping on and off during the slowing over speed bumps. The microbus stopped frequently to let on and off local Mayans, seeming to do so gratis (free). For me, the 2.5 hour trip only costed $3. In Coban, I called a taxi at the bus station who took me 5 minutes down the road to my new school and he charged the same $3. I’m just happy my bags and I made it no worse for wear and Jaime, my new teacher, was waiting for me. He helped walk me the two blocks to my new household and up the 3 flights of stairs to my new 3^rd floor room overlooking rooftops and this beautiful “imperial” city.

I took 15 minutes to walk to the Central Park and I grabbed dinner – papusas and horchata for $2.75 – as the rain turned streets into flashflood rivers. Then, I made my way with care back home to study, write and collapse into slumber