Amatitlan

20 June

We left Antigua at 0615 to drive 40 miles to Amatitlan.  We left early because there was less heavy vehicle traffic and we had several steep curvy climbs and descents to make.  Both Roger and Sandra used their engines in lower gears to help with the braking.  Sandra’s GPS listed one top at 6100+ ft with a 10.5% grade.  We took our time and let people with more oomph pass us both going up and coming down.

We are now at a water park “resort”.  The park was built by a German and uses no chlorine for any of the pools.  The water comes from hot springs, so it is warm and unlimited.  Therefore all of the pools get drained every night.  I’m thinking it will be like swimming in a lake.  There’s also a wet sauna for each sex, with eucalyptus leaves added for health benefits.  I don’t think either of us will be using the sauna, because I don’t think my blood pressure will tolerate it and Roger’s just not a sauna kind of guy.

There are several day groups here at the park.  One group is from a school and the other two used chicken buses to get here.  The school bus originally came from Dinwiddie County Schools.  I talked with the driver and he told me that the first thing they do with buses from the US is change the transmission from automatic to manual at a cost of about $2000 USD.  Buses for schools can be kept the standard yellow.  If the bus is going to be used as a public transit route bus or charter bus, then it has to be painted and converted into a “chicken bus.”  A fully tricked out chicken bus can cost  $31,000 with a complete chrome package.  Drivers of both types of buses are very skilled, have no fear in passing us, and apply the law of gross tonnage to get their way on all roads.

We (R, S, T) went to the shopping center on a chicken bus today.  The cost one way was 5 quetzal, which is about $.75.  It was easy getting to the shopping center, a straight shot down the road for about 4km.  The bus was not crowded.  Sandra had a spare phone, so we were in search of a micro Simcard to use in her phone, for strictly internet access.  The first kiosk didn’t have a micro Simcard, so Brenda suggested two other places to check.  The second place wanted to sell me a long term plan complete with phone service, which we didn’t need.  The third place had a micro Simcard, but kept telling me that the phone needed to be unlocked.  Sandra was adamant that the phone was unlocked.  So I decided to go see Brenda at the first kiosk to see if she could make it work.  In the meantime, Sandra went to the grocery store and Roger went to the hardware store.  They found me back at the first kiosk working with Brenda.  My brain is tired from all the technical Spanish.  We (Brenda and I) got the phone set up with internet only.  Roger got his tablet to work at the shopping center.  (In the RV he spent over an hour to get the laptop to work with the hotspot.)  Now he’s a happy camper and I can post until we leave Guatemala for El Salvador in a couple of days.