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| GuatemalaThe most colorful Country on our Expedition so far...After our trip across Canada to Alaska, down through Canada, the
United States, Mexico and Belize, entering Guatemala was truly impressive. The
"Highway" on which we entered coming from Belize turned into a very
bad dirtroad with potholes all over the place, which left us with our first flat
tire after some 15 km's after the border. The lack of other cars on the road,
the missing electricity and telephone poles instantly reveal the poverty of the
country that we just entered. Here we are - in the heart of the Mayan world - with
its famous and everlasting struggles between the forces left and right, the sad
war that just ended 6 years ago and its first "peacetime elections"
for 40 years that took place in november 1999. These brought Alfonso Portillo to
power who is an admitted murderer of the FRG (Frente Republicano Guatemalteco),
while his advisor Rios Montt (executor of the so called "scorched"
earth massacres) became the leader of congress. 40 years of war with an estimated 200'000 people killed, a million left homeless and untold thousands that disappeared. We're reading about the incredible history of Guatemala to be able to understand sad phenomenons like people running away from us, 5 year old children being fully involved in the working process - or better: survival process - the ruins of old collapsed former industries, the devastated dschungle, the dump & rubbish sites along the roads, the many fenced shops with "prison style" windows to order offered goods, the hundreds of armed guards in front of all possible institutions, privately owned properties, fuel stations - even armed coca cola transports! .... - They all tell their own story. It took us more than two weeks to get over this striking feeling of being at the wrong place and finding ways and possibilities to break the ice of the culture clash of which we were responsible for by entering this poor world with our strange vehicle. For our Story in German ("in Gedanken, 20. März 2003) click here....
After leaving the remote northern villages who are not used to turism at all we were finally rewarded with meeting incredibly nice and friendly people close to the volcanoes we were visiting. And in this region our ability to explore the many small villages and the feeling of being welcome was a great experience which left us with hundreds of great moments of meeting nice and interested people, children and enjoying the incredible colours of Guatemalas people and cities: Really sad for us was to understand that most of these children miss a future as many of them cannot get a school education and mostly get involved in the families survival process in farming and taking care of chicken, cows & pigs at the age of 5-6 years. We carry a map of the world and we have hardly ever found anyone who has ever seen where Guatemala is - .....not to talk about Switzerland. ..more Input to come... :) Marius & Franziska |
Volcano Expeditions / Vulkan Expeditionen / Hints & Tips / Trails to
active volcanoes
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