Quetzaltenango (AKA- Xela) 6-16

Getting up to this town which is considerably like Estes Park has been a relief from the heat! It is about 7400' high and much cooler then anywhere I have been so far. It is a well visited destination, but nothing compared to the track that I have followed going from one popular attraction to the next. I decided to come up here to check the town out and to climb Volcan Tejumulco which is the highest peak in Central America at just short of 14,000 ft. In getting here, the shuttle that I scheduled canceled me saying they were too full after I sat there waiting to catch it for 5 hours. They then told me that I could just catch the Chicken bus to Guatemala City and they have buses that run there 3 times a day. One thing that is really frustrating is the way they work directions is really different, second they don't really have street signs very often, and third when you get on a bus (School) with 100 locals...None who understand ONE BIT OF ENGLISH and really know their own city it is hard to get somewhere! After a few frustrating hours I found my way to the bus station to find out that it was all locals that take this bus too. Lucky for me we didn't have people packed in like in all the school buses they have for shuttles, and it was a regular bus that was just really far out of date. It was amazing to me that if your willing to travel like a local you can get there for 1/4 of the cost. One thing I really got a kick out of was as we go along, there are people that stand on the side of the road with food. When the bus sees them they pick them up and take off again. The people get on and sell food and when they are done they pull over, let them off and they catch a ride back going the other way.......I'm guessing on a different bus. Quetzaltenango is a very quaint town that seems very laid back and has a great scenery. The hostel that I am staying at is decent, and for $7.50 a night it includes the most amazing breakfast EVER!