Manifestación destino (Destiny of protest)

Estela in front

Manifest Destiny is the belief that the westward bound trail naturally belongs to those with the will to take it. Today was a bitch slap to our plans for a quick and speedy journey to Huehuetenango.

We packed our bags and said our goodbyes to our gracious host Estela in the bonita city of Antigua to make our way to Huehuetenano.  She sent us off with hearty breakfast of frijoles and pan.  Our two amigos Henry and Josue David from PCI came with two trucks for what we thought would be a 3-4 hr journey.  Winding roads with beautiful views greeted us on the drive into the cool mountains.  We stopped to stretch our legs and caught the stunning view of lago Atitlán.  An hour or so into the journey we came to a stop, only to learn a manifestación (protest/demonstration) was happening up ahead. Ironically the cause being protested was for better rural roads.  

The manifestación

Josh and Melissa, who are allergic to sitting, gathered the group to explore and journey to the barricade.  Unsure of what was ahead we walked with friendly greetings from our stuck comrades.  Unsure of how far the barricade was or for how long it would occur we chatted with various people along the way.  Our impatient and questioning behavior was juxtaposed with the tranquila nature of the Guatemalans who laughed and calmly responded with maybe 2 hrs maybe 6.  There is a lovely idiom in Guatemala, “saber” which means “who knows?” The nearly 2 mile journey uphill to the manifestación was breezy with pockets of sun.  It was a peaceful protest with groups of people huddled at the barricade.  Along our walk we ran into no other gringos. We found a nice little restaurant (conveniently placed at the barricade) to enjoy some comida típica, and then we headed back down to our appreciative PCI amigos trailed by Chula, Rosalicia’s adopted dog.

Once we arrived back to the trucks, we still had plenty of time to chill out, sitting on the curb, in the truck, or lying in the median. All of the inconvenience of the unplanned travel time was made up for when we finally arrived, 12 hours after departure, to our host’s home. Abesaida and Arnoldo along with their family, greeted us with steaming bowls of cocido, a traditional Guatemalan vegetable and ground beef stew, and warmed our hearts with their welcome.  

Our welcoming sign. David (on couch) has other concerns