watemala

under those clouds live a volcano

when i arrive Guatemala [pronouced watemala] it rainy and overcast.  i do notice the roads and infrastructure here are much nicer than in Africa - and although there isn't any traffic on the road my driver bitches about both the roads and how bad traffic is most of the time.  

so basically, no matter where in the world you are the traffic is 'bad' and the roads 'falling apart'.

as we leave Guatemala City i can smell the smog and i'm glad not to be living there.  it's an easy 45 minutes to Antigua.  the roads in Antigua are cobblestone which make driving uncomfortable and most everyone gets around on foot which i love.  the cars that are on the road must be burning dirty gas becasue the fumes smell toxic.  also, mufflers seem to be optional here so just a few cars sound like a freight train moving through.

although the cobblestones keep the traffic at a crawl i notice plenty of people limping and suspect it's hazardous to the ankles.  

navigating Antigua is easy compared to Asia or Africa.  it's laid out in an organized grid that would make any civil engineer estatic.  here both the streets and houses are numbered.