Transporter

Ah... If it were only that easy.. to just beam you from one country to another like in Star Trek. I entered said transporter at 4:30 am yesterday when I boarded a shuttle to Guatemala city airport from Antigua. The machine must have been on the fritz because it took about twenty four hours to get me to Buenos Aires instead of only seconds like on TV.

I flew from Guatemala City to Mexico City to Miami to Buenos Aires. Yes I know, quite a ride.. but it was the cheapest way believe it or not.

Ok so except for the language spoken, Buenoes Aires is about the exact opposite of Lake Atitlan. It is a great big bustling city, it is getting close to winter here, and for some reason, every single person you pass on the street does not say "Buenos Dias" to you.

Don´t get me wrong. Like my friend Jonathan told me after visiting here last June, "This place is legit." It is like no other Central or South American city I have seen. Everyone said it is "the most European" and they are right (although I haven´t made it to Europe yet.. June!). The barrio I landed in first, San Telmo feels like a cross between the Mission District in San Francisco and Greenwich Village. There is a mix of old time business and hipster stores and restaurants. It is clearly in the process of gentrifying. In the mean time, it is still gritty and on the cheap side. I can get a hotel room here for around $20 per night. I am still getting a feel for the power of the dollar here. It seems, for many things, the exchange rate is about accurate. One peso buys you about what you would spend a dollar on in the U.S. such as a bus ride. However, I did buy a 15 peso whopper at Burger King today. (Sorry I just had to). So the jury is still out.. but at first glimpse, it is still fairly cheap here especially considering the quality of the place. The people remind me of folks from Sydney in that they seem to walk around pretty put together most of the time. They have stylish haircuts and clothes and seem quite chipper from what I can tell.

I have to say it is quite nice to have just about any little thing I need available to me for a change. For example... For some reason, I never bought a guide book for Argentina. I never considered it might be difficult to come by in Guatemala. And it was.. and I didn´t have a book at all when I landed here.

Now I have learned that the hotel listings in the Lonely Planet are far from gospel. In fact, I think I have never stayed in a single place listed in there. But there is something comforting about being able to read about currency, culture, weather, and especially transportation. Being fairly clueless and with still only basic Spanish skills, I broke down and just took a cab to town after learning there is no train from the airport. An expensive move, but that´s what I get for being unprepared.

So today a guide book was at the top of my list as was a tour of some barrios and guesthouses that had been suggested to me. I nearly walked my feet straight off today. You see, book stores here have lots of travel books.... only they are in Spanish! Can you believe the nerve?

Well I am on track now.. only quite exhausted after my first day. The next order of business is finding some friends. I don´t know a soul within a thousand miles of here. That is a bit tough coming from a place where I couldn´t walk through town without running into a friend. I do need a bit of a social rest. But that won´t last long. I may try a Craigslist post or something.

So now I also have some time to reflect on my time at the Lake. It was a great experience for me living in a small town. Living in a petri dish with others in the same boat.. every day having only the most basic of responsibilities... knowing each others´ every move... It brought us all close together quickly... far more so than in the city. That said... I am a city boy. I know this. Although I could easily spend a couple of months a year this way, I need more variety.. more restaurants.. more activities to choose from.. and occasionally, some anonymity.

Although I truly felt like a resident of the lake before I left, and will always have great, great memories of that experience, I also know it is not my home. My home is still San Francisco.