100% de Agave

Almuerza

I ate Pulique for lunch. It's chewy and has texture like a strawberry's skin. Pulique is cow stomach. And you know what? It wasn't bad. I liked it.

Sleep

"A nightmare's nightmare is a timeshare in nowhere"

(c) DJR

I wrote this amidst all the chaos occurring in my head last night...

There is a snake under my bed

With one thousand eyes.

The night was long

The morning is black

I'm sinking in my own sweat.

A puddle of fresh squeezed orange juice

With black beans on my breath

A man filled with lies

Might explode one of these days

But the night was long

The morning is black

Will everything be ok?

Stuck inside a nightmare's nightmare

A puzzle

A funnel

A hole

With teeth inside my upper-side lips

My bottom mouth is broken.

Realizing my monster make-up

A woman with big breasts attacks me.

Thinking it's over, I awake in bed

A bed suspended over my head.

Comedic bank robbers with plastic guns

Point their pistols at me.

I throw a fist of quarters and scream

On the water of a giant river

With straw houses floating

Downstream.

Paolo enters my dream.

We sit at a cafe

And I order Tai Chi

She calls me a girl

And it's real

I believe.

My nightmare

Reeks of poison

It's texture is gas on fire.

I open eyes to find

The morning

Darker

Than the night.

Con Ojos Del Tecolote

This place is awesome! The air is black - the sky is blue - and my heart is filled with rainbows!

Today, I drove with Tita to Inguat - a tourist spot where her son-and-law Chato works in the administrative office. I definitely fit the 'tourist' description, and felt extremely uncomfortable around fake indigenous clothes, bags, and artwork. I felt even worse that this was government property. A la gran puta!

We walked to the museums close-by, where, in the modern art building, we marveled at cubist, expressionist, surrealist, realist, and abstract paintings and sculptures. Have you ever heard of Eugenio Fernandez Granell or Efrain Recinos? If not, you should look up their work...now.

I've been keeping a 'libreta' - a notebook, wherever I go. I've been writing my personal journals in Spanish and keeping track of all the new words and verbs I've been learning. It feels like I've been here for weeks, but its only been two days! Wowee!

One thing about Guatemala city: no one cares about car lanes. If you stay in your lane, you are a pussy. Carlos maneuvered the tightest squeeze through three cars onto an off-ramp. With my heart running laps around my chest, I muttered, "Bienvenidos a Guatemala!"

Tonight, I'm going to Antigua (FUCK YEAH!) an old city close to Guatemala City where Jose Carlos and I will hit the disco for 'ladies night'........ADIOS!

Wait! Eat Pollo Campero! It is the best fast food chicken joint in the world, hands down. I know there are a few in downtown LA. http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=pollo+campero+los+angeles&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

That's it. Hasta luego.

Pyramids in the Clouds

The dead (end) streets marked the beginning of (new) life.

Cruising down an eight-lane highway without a single soul in LA on the road, a wave of relief swept through me.
The LACSA terminal was filled with so many Latinos, I thought I already arrived in Guatemala.
Slept the majority of the flight, only to wake up and watch the sun rise. Camera in hands, I whipped up some creamy photos to take in my arrival. Mountains stacked above oceans of clouds. Drop down through butter and discover valleys below.

Before I know it, I'm in Tita's car with Paola on the way to their house. I'm staying with my housekeeper's family here (the lovely lovely Reyna). Solo Espanol. I feel I'm improving a lot and its only been two hours. This English seems pretty hypocritical...

Despues de un gran desayuno con huevos, frijoles, crema, queso, chile picante, y jugo, nosotros desempacamos mi maleta.

Now, I dive off to a warm slumber. The sun is out and I am still in still mode. Time for rest. Hasta luego.

Daveeeed