El viaje

It took me a while to get around posting this because i was constantly about.

After waking up yesterday. Lu and i went for our traditional walkabout to get a feel for the new city. We are staying in Zone 10 which is a rather good zone. There is certain zones or quarters where even in the daytime , you should should not go. Guatemala has the reputation to be one of the most dangerous cities in Central America but i think all of them are, if you behave like an idiot and you go to places were you simply should not. Having said that, there was a couple of streets here where we did not feel all too safe. So we mainly stuck to the big streets and more central areas.

Like in most or every middle or central american city there is huge markets. We were lucky enough to stumble into one of them.

I instantly had to buy one of those monster carrots! They were as thick and long as my lower arm….I also got some Cobáneros, Habaneros from Cobán , so Cobáneros.

And a Piña. Snack time! Good shit!

Followed by very good but slightly sour coffee.

Some more walking

All the way up to Palacio National de la Cultura.

On the way we noticed a lot of people wearing Stars of David. We then also saw a couple of Israel flags. And when you pay attention you can see both everywhere.

And since Guatemala City is Hugos turf, you just ask Hugo. Hugo is the guy who got us the first mechanic back in El Chal when the compressor died on us. The guy is funny , interesting, has a good face, loves all kind of minerals and i have the feeling that he knows everyone in Guatemala. There he is.

I obviously called him to help me find the compressor but when we met we first had to chat about his passion for emeralds, his kids, the voyage, lets call Steve, my kid, lets make some coffee, if we liked his recommendations, where we will go next and bla bla . We talked so much that suddenly we realized we needed to go to the mechanic since everything closes at 5pm here and we were late already. He talks a lot and i like it, since it all makes sense also !

EVERYBODY is in Toyotas here in Guatemala but if you know Hugo he takes you these kind of places:

Finding an ac compressor for a particular jeep model that no one even drives in this country is no problem for these guys and after 5 minutes they extracted it out of this mess.

So off to the mechanic to put it in. Uff , unfortunately it wasn’t exactly the right one so back to the part shop. They did not have another but could get it for the next day.

Having failed to fix the car but feeling good about ourselves and having lots to talk about, Hugo took me for Shucos and beers. I wont tell you what Shucos are (because you have to come here and try them) but Shuco means dirty and they are AMAZING!

And since after the Shucos and some beers and a joint we still felt good about ourselves and still had lots to talk about we went to pick up Lu and went to a very good Japanese restaurant.

Hugo had the idea to ask the guys to fry our freshly bought Cobáneros and put them in some soy sauce. Extremely yummy and just the right amount of spicy! Check the sauce and check the man 🤟

So i drove him home, mezcalitos and more chatter. He was nice enough to gift me some Palo Santo, white sage and a Pyrite to protect us on our travels. Gracias hermano!

Pyrite has a connection to the solar plexus chakra and is used to increase strength, energy, willpower, and confidence. Beautiful and powerful stone!

For thousands of years, the wood, resin, and oil of the „holy wood“ have been used for medicinal purposes. It’s also said to clear negative energy and protection against evil spirits and ghosts.

White sage is burned for meditation, smudging and cleansing of spirit. In some beliefs, white sage smoke is believed to provide a barrier that prevents negative spirits from entering the room.

I slept very well knowing i have a new friend.