Arrival - in good Hans

Hola amigos!

I arrived safely in Guatemala on Wednesday after a painfully early flight, especially given the international demand of being extra early. This meant I was actually early given my usual penchant for pushing the limits of latecomer status. Turbulence prevented proper sleep but I held a comfy haze through Houston and perked up for arrival in Guatemala City, or Guate as folks call it here. With the remarkable sprawl and the airport on the edge of the city proper, it's a scary landing, sure you're going to crush some low lying buildings when the runway appears at the last minute.

I made it smoothly through customs with all my snacks and weapons safely in tow, then wandered out into the controlled fray of the exit. Eager to get a handle on the city, preferably with the help of locals, I'd contacted one such fellow, Hans, via CouchSurfing.org, a cool travel site where you register to find people with which to crash (or to put up at your pad). Hans jumped right in, giving me his cell number and telling me he'd pick me up at the airport. Of course, my cell won't work there and I've only seen a rather bad pic of Hans on the web. In the caged exit area of the airport, there are 50 dudes insisting that you want to go to Antigua (the colonial capital, not the Caribbean island) and no phones. I eyed one guy who I thought looked a lot like Hans but who had so little interest in me, it just didn't fit, then tried to go back inside for a phone. The guard offered to make the call for me. What is that? Then Hans shouted my name, having just arrived and I was safely escorted past the clown who still wanted me to change my destination.

We rumbled off in Hans's old Toyota pickup, complete with peace sign dangling from the rearview and less so for all the missing panels, both interior and exterior. Then we went to work. This is what Hans does:Here he is removing meters that measure the flow of electricity through the pole. We (well, he) took a few of these down, with him nimbly climbing up and sliding down the poles. Then we went back to his place way up in the hills in the last zone of the city. We chatted and hung out for a bit before he had to go back to work and let me rest, still not having slept in a couple days.

I'd expected to meet Hans's wife and their two kids, but apparently she shuffled back to her native Colombia in December with the wee ones, prompting Hans to quote that international adage, "Women, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." The tail of that may offer some explanation for why Hans's Mom now lives with him, something he rather likes and hopes to keep in place. I tend to approve since she played the role nicely, cooking dinner and a couple breakfasts for us all, as well as worrying about me when I was out late in the big bad city.