Los Tres Muskateros Unite

A half-hour into my flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Guatemala City, I have a freak out moment..."Did I get on the wrong flight?!?!" Orbitz told me it should only take 45 minutes to arrive in Guat City and Perla (the half Guat/ half chinese nursing student sitting next to me) lets out a sigh of "ahh two more hours." Two hours? Oh yeah, two hour time difference...Well one lesson learned already and I haven't even gotten off the plane yet! The short-sided extent of my planning begins to ooze from my aura and leaves a little sweat stain of excitement. I laugh to myself through my nose and mutter an oh-too-familiar, "Ohh Tim."

We land, receive a good luck and exchange of information from Perla, grab my bag, and notice that my camel-back is has been snagged already. Oh well, I'll charge it to the Guatemalan game.

I'm greeted by my college undercover brother along with the third leg of our travelling tripod, Honest J. Salutations are short as we are shoved into a taxi to head to Antigua, one of the oldest colonial cities in Central America and a cherished UNESCO annointed site. Everything is moving rapidly in slow-motion as we rip around the ominous volcano splattered horizon towards Antigua. Here is where I am reminded of my strange gift that allows me to filter any and all overwhelming feelings into waves of adrenaline and excitement. My cheeks already hurt from the constant cheshiresque cheeseball of a grin that I have been sporting since I landed and cannot seem to contain. I feel my eyes popping out of their sockets because of sensory stimulation overload, I am as high as a kite, this is where I need to be, I forgot what life tastes like, yummy.

Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America, nestled in between live volcanoes and mountainous green foliage that appears to be a hybrid of tropical fauna and Mendocino Redwoods. Senor cab driver is reminiscent of every other cab captain I have encountered overseas; hang-on for dear life and enjoy the roller coaster ride of rights and lefts around the masses of chicken-toting vendors and wide-eyed Whities.

Wasting not time when we arrive in Antigua, my Peace-Corp companion takes me to "El Centro" that is of course, built around THE church of the city. I take the customary church and fountain

picture to get the touristy stuff out of the way and then have my first Spanish immersion experience, here we go! I get to practice my half-ass espanol with a local shoe-shining "digi" (what the gringos have so graciously dubbed the indigenous folks of the country) and play a game where we point out everything that is white. I should have paid more attention to Senora Engman in 8th grade Spanish one class, oh well I got this; bench, hat, shoe, face...oh yeah, I'm rolling now. My buddy C-Deff rolls his eyes as mine are beaming with glee as this is brand new to me, but annoying as hell to him. I guess being hounded for Quetzales (Guat Currency and mythical bird) for two and a quarter years can wear on you; no harm no foul.

Los Muketeros continue on to El Skybar where I am introduced to a familiar friend I will soon learn to love, Guatemala's national beer, El Gallo (which means rooster, or in USC-Alumni fashion, Gamecock)! Already on the right foot Guatemala. After a few welcome well-tequila shots we raise up our peace-pours to the sun and I radiate with the realization that this is no longer a year in the making wet dream. This moment is a tangible fabrication of everything I hoped it would be; a life changing perception of this wild wilderness of a world I worship. One more round bartender, this is going to be a long night.