-28th November- I find myself for the second day in a row in Restaurant 'Rey Sol' a very cosy vegetarian joint in the heart of Zone 1 Guatemala City. All this plus a smoothie for 7 quid. (£7)
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The second picture is what I had today, apparently it is a vegan muffin, it was bloody delicious.
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Yesterday I ended up walking a hefty 13 miles! My legs were destroyed especially as I had only slept 4 1/2 hours in the 'Happy Dreams' hotel the night before.
So far I like the city barring the pollution which can be suffocating. The city displays a mix of economic fortune and classes. There are shoe polishers and fruit and veg sellers amongst the hustle and bustle, not to mention the suited and booted keeping pace with the manic traffic whilst hastily finishing their coffees during lunch break.
One thing that is hard to miss is the presence of the trusty shotty (shotgun) on almost every street I have walked through. They are held in the front of vehicles driving by or in the arms of nonchalant security and police guarding banks, small business, Xmas festivities in the plaza and even McDonalds... McDonalds. This does in some way make me feel safe. But on a subconscious level leaves me feeling uneasy. Ive been told Guatemala City is a dangerous place but what has happened so recently to fuel this hyper necessity for shotguns and assault rifles on each street? Maybe I am uninformed. I wonder if this is a state requirement or do business owners privately hire heavily armed security ? Or both.. probably both.
Moving on, If you feel the need to do something "cultured" head over to the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura Guatemala. It costs 40 Quetzal to get a guided tour of parts of the building. If you like chandeliers and French parque floors be sure to attend. Some of the artwork was eye catching, not to mention the beautiful stained glass windows. To be honest I couldn't help but think about the prisoners and the years of hard labour they must have endured. Would people commit crimes and go to jail if they were then forced to build such buildings in poor conditions? Don't think so.
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Another thing that strikes me as equally worrying is the dense population of western fast food eateries. These restaurants are mindlessly peppered around town and yes, they are always full. Good job America.
On a more positive note, there is a beautiful park situated to the north of the City called 'Parque Minerva'. I caught an Uber due to the pollution but it can be walked in around 30 mins from zone 1. I loved the park, it serves as a delightful urban retreat for when the crazy city is too much to handle.
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The park had a great feeling of community, there were many youths gathered together taking part in what looked like an pre-organised school trip of some sort. Amongst them the people of the park found themselves surrounded by lush vegetation and tropical flowers and birds. I left the park feeling at peace and recharged and ready for the madness of the city once more.
Right now I am heading back to zone one on an old bus probably from the 50's. I paid 1 Quetzal, the equivalent of 10p. The Guatemalan people really are friendly, the rumours were true, a refreshing aspect of travelling on public transport so far is the fact people are not allergic to eye contact and smiling, they also warn you about being alert and how certain areas should not be visited. And yes. There was an armed policeman on the bus, he was bantering with the driver the whole way journey until he was substituted by another cop.
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At a very decent plot in zone 1 that goes by the name of La Discoteca Cafe y Musica. Definitely not your average Guatemalan joint but it had the WiFi sign outside and I fancied a refreshment, this cafe would not be out of place in London's east end, pleasantly surprised! I ordered a tamarind juice after 20 minutes looking at the menu. (Very good menu) The juice was the bomb, I will probably head back again tomorrow!
