"Hola, me llamo Chili..."

Every time I stroll through the central park in Antigua, the greetings I receive from pre-pubescent looking boys get more and more ludicrous. The lastest on takes the cake.

I am in Xela now. It is a surprisingly large city sprawling over the mountainous highlands in western central Guatemala. The ride here was perilous. I decided to be brave and take the chickenbus, which is basically a vividly painted school bus that gets crammed to capacity with passengers. During part of the ride, we were three to one seat, with two little boy stuffed between our knees and the seat in front. Oh yeah, and we almost crashed into a tree. For some reason, the driver thought it would be really good to drive extremely fast on a narrow and winding road with no shoulder. We closely averted hitting a van head on, and the driver lost control of the bus for a few seconds. The bus tilted and swerved and everyone was screaming. After he regained control, the old man sitting next to me commented that taking the chickenbus can be dangerous. I replied that it was my first time on this mode of transportation, and perhaps my last, and everyone giggled nervously.

There were stunning views between Chimaltenango and Xela. We climbed further and further up into the mountains until my ears popped and i saw that we were in the clouds. Everywhere around us, coffee plots. Everything was green, and beautiful.

I met a nice girl on the bus and we split a ride into central Xela. She helped me find a hostel and for 45Q a night (6 dollars) i get my own room - which is spotlessly clean - hot water showers, a breakfast in the morning, and i am lodged a mere 3 blocks away from the central park. i am meeting my new mate for dinner tonight. i forgot until mid-day that today is my 24th birthday. i'll definitely be drinking a Gallo tonight to celebrate being almost 1/2 way through my 20's.

Xela can be pretty dangerous. I am not writing this to alarm anyone, but about a week ago, a foreign couple walking down the street were abducted here. They were pulled into a passing car, taken a house, and the girl was raped. Then at gunpoint, they were taken to an ATM and made to withdraw hundreds or thousands of dollars and hand them over to the assailants. I am now hyper aware that this country isn't safe. Antigua made me forget that I am in Guatemala...it was a bit like Disneyland. Xela feels a lot closer to the reality of the country. Walking around this afternoon, I didn't feel worried at all, but I would never go out into the streets at night here. Especially not now that I have heard this awful, and true, tale. I tell myself that my safety doesnt have much to do with me being alone. Nevertheless, I have really become of aware of the limitations of traveling here. I am getting excited to leave for Nicaragua, which is a much safer country.

My teacher Cristina described the security situation here as a new civil war. Although most of it is confined to Guate City, the violence exists everywhere and the shockwaves rock everyone.

I have pretty much decided 100% on doing the 6 day Nebaj-Todos Santos hike. I am excited and apprehensive at the same time.