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112 AN EXILE OF THE MIND A BOXCAR TO PALENQUE 113
Puerto Barrios on the east coast of Guatemala. My travelling gear for Central America.
We were heading south through culty finding a pension. Several girls his entry. He stormed into the street kind of decoy at night to stop them.
central America. In the uninspiring beckoned us from a poorly stocked wearing only a towel and carrying a We slept in cotton fields with the
city of Guatemala a Red Cross soda bar and offered us accommo- bar of soap, going from pension to white blobs swaying in the breeze
ambulance carrying a doctor sped to dation . They were students and two pension for a free hot shower. above our heads. To wake up one
our pension. It caused a bit of a stir as I of them gave up their beds for us. Hitch-hiking through Nicaragua morning to discover cotton workers
writhed in agony from Montezuma’s Continuing our journey south, we brought many curious stares at two looking skywards to see from where
Revenge after eating seafood. Its awoke in someone’s front garden dust-covered hikers carrying heavy we had dropped. That day David
suspicious flavour of heavily spiced to the clatter of an ox cart returning backpacks. One evening, in the caused a commotion in a river where
seasoning was mistaken for a local home. We quickly departed leaving bright glare of headlights of a truck we bathed. He had swum naked
delicacy. Relieved not be carted the owners scratching their heads. we had hitched, a woman was seen round a bend into the shrieks of
away with sirens screaming, I made Our accommodation in Central stretched out horizontal on the cold hysterical women doing the same.
a resolution not to eat at cheap America varied from cold saltwater bitumen of the road. David’s Spanish was learnt from
restaurants ever again. showers to coffin-like rooms. David Our driver shot past with his foot truck drivers who taught him how to
The next morning, after eating a was again in trouble when he took hard on the accelerator. Upset by ‘chat up’ local girls. He tried his hand
hearty breakfast at a cheap restau- a shower in the wrong pension next his callousness we wanted to get out at a fiesta in Managua. The girl fled
rant, we set off towards the sparsely door that had hot water. He blew and help but we were told it was too in horror into the crowds with David
populated central highlands. On his top when a ladder was placed dangerous to stop. Many trucks had staring after her in bewilderment as
reaching San Salvador we had diffi- across the door the next day barring been hijacked by bandits using this nearby revellers laughed hysterically.
