Danger

FINCA TATIN, Rio Dulce jungle, Guatemala- The below photo is of an unattended money belt left sitting out in the common area of a hotel. Its owner is on the other side of the room, playing ping pong in a place where she does not have a clear view of her valuable possessions.

I stood there looking at the unattended money belt, and had no idea what its owner was thinking. No, I know exactly what she was thinking: nothing.

ANTIGUA, Guatemala- The people of Guatemala’s central region answered the call this morning when they woke up to a bus driver’s strike — one that waxed complete with road blocks — with their own forms of public transportation: personal pickup trucks turned into taxis, vans were crammed full of passengers, and people with cars offered their empty seats to their neighbors who were left stranded by the lack of public buses.

ANTIGUA, Guatemala- “They are shooting each other in San Lucas,” a travel agent spoke to me as she made phone calls trying to reroute tourists on private shuttles around the road blocks.

The bus drivers of Guatemala said Ya Basta — they did not get into their buses this morning, rather they chose to block off major roads around the country. Transportation is grinding to a halt, all of the schools are closed, Guatemala’s gears are grinding.

SANTIAGO AIRPORT, Dominican Republic- “No se acceptan dinero. Ni pesos, ni dollares, ni Euro,” was written on large posters stuck to the front of each immigration booth at the Santiago international airport.

Apparently, these signs are suppose to keep the immigration officials honest. My experience can only attest that these posters do not function as intended.

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti- Haiti is a dangerous country for travel. Haiti is a dangerous country for travel as there is a very likely chance that you will fall through the streets and meet doom below. I mean this literally: there are holes, pits, and open manholes all over the streets and sidewalks. One errant step and you’re a goner — consider yourself lucky if you only break a leg.

SOSUA, Dominican Republic- A golden necked Shanghai strutted about inside of wide open grass lot in Sosua. He pecked at the ground and chased a couple hens as I watched. I have been walking around this city looking for such a sight. Accompanying the rooster were a few chickens, and a couple geese. There was also chicken coop in the corner of this field, which was right near the center of town, and a broken down concrete building on the other side near a main road, and an assortment of sheds scattered about the property. I noticed that there was a nice green lawn, nicely mowed.

A travelogue entry about border jumpers and Chaya’s experience doing relief work on the US/ Mexico frontier — On that side is Naco, Mexico, on this side is is me, America. There is a fence between us. “How long is that fence?” I asked my friend, Al, who traveled be RV for 15 years after [...]

Mexican border of USA not a no man’s land — I was driving west across highway 92 after a quick visit to Bisbee, Arizona, and I spotted a town to my left that I did not remember seeing the first time I passed this way. It looked as if it was sitting in the middle [...]

Petra’s Life Saved for the First Time — Petra had to have her life saved for the first time this morning. Her mother, Chaya, was the saver. Kicking, squealing, farting all through the very early morning, Petra wanted to get up and play. It was around 5AM and mom and dad wanted to sleep a [...]