Tate’s stomach is doing much better so we decided to take a trip to the beach today. Of course it started with its’ usual drama. At first Cora didn’t want to go because she didn’t want to do the two hour bus ride. We got her talked into it and then Tate decided he didn’t want to go because I wouldn’t let him take his DS game system. Good Grief! They did finally thank me profusely for taking them there, but they always have to push my buttons first.
Anyway, we got to the bus depot around 9 and, luckily, our bus left soon after. They still take a while to get out of town, but we didn’t have to sit and wait for a long time. It took us about 45 minutes to get to Ascuintla where we changed buses to go on to San Jose. The bus from Antigua to Ascuintla was very full and everyone rides three to a seat, sometimes more if there are children. That is why they are called Chicken Buses, because everyone is crammed in like chickens. They are old school buses, but with wider seats so the middle aisle is absurdly narrow. They are painted bright colors and a lot of them have lots of chrome and flashy decorations.
Anyway, this huge guy sits down next to Tate. In front of Tate there was a cute baby that was turned on his mothers shoulder so that he was looking at Tate. The baby was chewing on bread, so you can image what his mouth looked like. Finally, the big guy leaves (people get off and on during the entire trip) and another guy, probably in his 70’s, takes his place. This guy keeps trying to talk to us and point things out. Great, but we couldn’t understand him so we just had to nod and say “Si” I did explain to him that we only know a little Spanish and that is why we are in Guatemala but he just goes on talking and talking. Finally, Tate turns to me and say. “I am sure going to have a lot of stories to tell from this ride. First, I sit next to Jabba the Hut, then a baby spews bread all over the place and now some guy keeps telling me things I don’t get.” Ha Ha! That is what I love. That my kids have experienced some alternative things in life and see that sometimes you are uncomfortable, but that you are still OK in the end.
It actually gets funnier because when we changed buses in Ascuintla we were in a small 15 passenger van and as soon as it got on the main road this old lady in the back started preaching in a loud voice. She went on for about 20 minutes, telling us to ask our souls questions, ect. The driver got fed up at some point and turned on the radio, but she just got louder so he gave up after a while and turned it off.
We spent about 4 hours and the beach and I think Cora was in the water every single moment. She complained when I made her come out and eat some lunch. The sand there was black because of all of the volcanos but it was very soft. I rented an umbrella and watched the kids like a hawk because there were some huge waves. They had a great time and it was a good way to fill the day we had to wait for Steve.
The return trip was not so smooth. We spent a lot of time sitting on the bus waiting for more people to get on. The buses don’t run on a schedule, they wait and see how full they can get before they leave. They have a driver and a guy who collects the money and yells the destination out the door. I could spend 30 minutes explaining how the buses here work, but it is (FINALLY) time to go pick Steve up at the airport, so I will have to finish this tomorrow. His plane is late, but that’s ok because he almost missed it entirely so instead of being grumpy that it is late I get to look on the bright side that he will actually be here today!
Anyway, we got to the bus depot around 9 and, luckily, our bus left soon after. They still take a while to get out of town, but we didn’t have to sit and wait for a long time. It took us about 45 minutes to get to Ascuintla where we changed buses to go on to San Jose. The bus from Antigua to Ascuintla was very full and everyone rides three to a seat, sometimes more if there are children. That is why they are called Chicken Buses, because everyone is crammed in like chickens. They are old school buses, but with wider seats so the middle aisle is absurdly narrow. They are painted bright colors and a lot of them have lots of chrome and flashy decorations.
Anyway, this huge guy sits down next to Tate. In front of Tate there was a cute baby that was turned on his mothers shoulder so that he was looking at Tate. The baby was chewing on bread, so you can image what his mouth looked like. Finally, the big guy leaves (people get off and on during the entire trip) and another guy, probably in his 70’s, takes his place. This guy keeps trying to talk to us and point things out. Great, but we couldn’t understand him so we just had to nod and say “Si” I did explain to him that we only know a little Spanish and that is why we are in Guatemala but he just goes on talking and talking. Finally, Tate turns to me and say. “I am sure going to have a lot of stories to tell from this ride. First, I sit next to Jabba the Hut, then a baby spews bread all over the place and now some guy keeps telling me things I don’t get.” Ha Ha! That is what I love. That my kids have experienced some alternative things in life and see that sometimes you are uncomfortable, but that you are still OK in the end.
It actually gets funnier because when we changed buses in Ascuintla we were in a small 15 passenger van and as soon as it got on the main road this old lady in the back started preaching in a loud voice. She went on for about 20 minutes, telling us to ask our souls questions, ect. The driver got fed up at some point and turned on the radio, but she just got louder so he gave up after a while and turned it off.
We spent about 4 hours and the beach and I think Cora was in the water every single moment. She complained when I made her come out and eat some lunch. The sand there was black because of all of the volcanos but it was very soft. I rented an umbrella and watched the kids like a hawk because there were some huge waves. They had a great time and it was a good way to fill the day we had to wait for Steve.
The return trip was not so smooth. We spent a lot of time sitting on the bus waiting for more people to get on. The buses don’t run on a schedule, they wait and see how full they can get before they leave. They have a driver and a guy who collects the money and yells the destination out the door. I could spend 30 minutes explaining how the buses here work, but it is (FINALLY) time to go pick Steve up at the airport, so I will have to finish this tomorrow. His plane is late, but that’s ok because he almost missed it entirely so instead of being grumpy that it is late I get to look on the bright side that he will actually be here today!
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