(Enroute to Coban, Guatemala)

My next trip was to cross the highlands to reach Coban on the other side of Guatemala. The journey takes me from Xela to Huehue, onwards to Aguacantan, then to Sacapulas down to Uspantan and finally to Coban. Half the time, I had no idea where I was going except that a helpful soul at the bus station would point me towards the right van, which I would gladly and blindly clamber on.

(Enroute to Coban, Guatemala)

The view was spectacular and most importantly, I got to do the village-hopping I enjoy. My favorite village-hopping experiences were in China. Some villages were artifacts from the past. For one of my classes at Yale on the construct and statistical analysis of public opinion surveys in China, a pioneer in the field recalls how Chinese villagers would congregate around the surveyor and offer helpful advice to the surveyed individual on filling out the survey. Villages are fun in that way.

(Enroute to Coban, Guatemala)

On the collectivo, I shared my music with the guy next to me. He said to me, “Ahh…you speak Spanish!” No. I just like trashy Reggaeton music (and Dancehall too but more on that next time). Shortly after that, we came across a seemingly flattened mountain. A landslide here killed 3000 people some years back. The road was missing and we snaked around the area.