I was attacked yesterday. They surrounded me, shouting and grabbing at me. I yelled for them to stop but it was no use... there were so many of them. They didn't want my money or my credit cards; they wanted to put me on their bus.

Somebody must have thought it would be a good idea to put two competing bus companies running to the same places right next to each other in the middle of Guatemala City. As a result their employees almost literally fight over each potential customer who stumbles into their street.

"Four big guys began yelling and grabbing at me."
As I walked toward the bus stations I ran into one of said employees who I'd talked with the day before to confirm the schedules. He began rather excitedly hustling me toward his bus. Then like four big guys from the other company intercepted us and began yelling and grabbing at me. They said the other guy was lying... that his bus didn't go to where I was going. At one point the four guys were pulling one of my arms and a couple from the other company were pulling the other. Unable to figure out the Spanish for "Get your fucking hands off me," I just yelled "Manos! Manos!" They got the message and released me just long enough for me to dash for the original bus, which took off a half hour later.

Then the bus caught on fire. At least that's how it appeared at first as we were about ten minutes from our destination. I was in a dazed sort of state in the intense heat and the first thing I notice is people in the back yelling something I don't understand. Then I see and smell smoke and notice that there's a stampede for the door. Now, I've seen such stampedes before. Usually they're to get on a bus or pickup that's about to fill up and if you don't jump right in you're going to be left out. Not wanting to be left out on a burning bus, I jumped up and fought my way into the aisle... ignoring the fact that I could have gone right out the window. I'm not saying it was like George Castanza in that Seinfeld episode pushing the women and children out of the way... but it was somewhat spirited.

"The engine had just blown up... that's all."
The driver, though, quickly calmed everyone down and said something I didn't understand. The engine had just blown up... that's all. So I go sit on the side of the road and meet a fellow passenger who said he had family in Miami (just like Jimmy Buffett said). Another bus passed a few minutes later to take us the final ten minutes into Chiquimula, a town near the border with Honduras where I spent a terribly hot night. Here's a hint: if it's so hot you can't sleep, a wet towel wrapped around your neck will help. Promise. Also I discovered that my malfunctioning CD player wasn't broken. I'd put one of the batteries in backward. And to think I'd nearly thrown it against the wall.

Today brought my much-delayed departure from Guatemala and a whole new country... Honduras. Looks pretty much the same, as you might expect. I met a terribly annoying German guy on the bus who I seem to be sharing a hotel room with. He chain smokes and litters. Even extinguishes his cigarettes in the fresh-water basin of the large sink-like thing used to wash clothes. Then there's the sweating issue. Lovely. I'm off tomorrow (without German guy) to the ruins at Copan, the last ruins until South America... I think.