Rio Dulce

A little research on TripAdvisor.com convinced me that I was well advised to visit Rio Dulce before hitting Antigua. My bus ticket was for an express trip from Flores to Guatemala City. This is an eight hour ride, leaving at eight at night. This would put me in harms way, arriving at the dangerous capital at four in the morning burdened by seventy pounds of gear and four thousand dollars worth of highly marketable electronics.

The owner of Casablanca assured me that I could stop off in Rio Dulce and continue my trip. Around six o'clock a lovely European woman, about 5'9 and 130 pounds, packed into a tight fitting mini skirt managing to look very sexy without looking slutty asked me if I could change a Q100. I managed to come up with a fifty, a twenty, two tens, a five, three ones, a one coin and a half coin. I smiled and told her that there was an exchange fee and a service charge. She readily accepted being short changed and my offer for coffee. We chatted for an hour and a half; she invited me to stay; I told her I had to go. At 7:30 we walked to the bus stop a 100 meters down the street.

A man sat playing a musical instrument. A bamboo flute was stopped at the top with a 1/2" PVC elbow which was fitted on the other end with a nipple to which was affixed a plastic mouth piece. "¿Come es el nombre de instrumento musica?" Not good Spanish, but enough to convey the concept. He replied, "This is called a saxaphone." Oh, sure. At 8:00 sharp Central American time, (UTC - 6) 2:28 UTC, the bus showed. We said our goodbyes. It was very pleasant; I almost canceled my trip, I can skip a few things and still get to Uvita in time.

From my Facebook posting: Ahh welll. Nice try. I made it as far as Santa Elena, about 2 km from here. They said it is not possible to stop in Rio Dulce this is an express bus. It drives right through the d**n city. Well I guess that is why it is an express. So I leave tomorrow. Now where the hell did that hot European woman go with whom I was getting along spectacularly? My bus now leaves at 10:00 tomorrow morning. At least there is plenty of leg room.

I returned to Casablanca, was greeted like an old friend, my bags were put into my room. I set up my computer and resumed my picture uploads, posted this and set off to find the raven haired beauty. If there is no follow up tomorrow it was a good night. I only blog interesting failures.