Day 4: Rolli's story and the Long Bus to Fronteras

Most of the people in Sumayak have some form of livestock, and the house behind Rogelio’s home has a rooster with an over-developed voice box. It was actually a delightful change from the blaring monotone ‘beep’ of my alarm back home. Rogelio’s wife Reina prepared a fantastic homemade breakfast of eggs and beans, cheese and locally made bread; including the best coffee I’ve probably ever had. Guatemala is known for their incredible coffee exports, and Sumayak has many small coffee plantations nearby. Locally grown, and locally roasted, it was as fresh as fresh could get.
After breakfast, over another cup of coffee in his yard, we filmed Rogelio’s story. A conversation only sporadically interrupted by excitable kids and neighbors, it went very well. Running behind, we filmed the belt maker on the way out of town and headed for a Tuk Tuk to take us to the main highway to catch a bus to Guatemala City.
Three hours later we were thankfully picked up by Borris again and made our way to Yo Cargo to pick up a battery Jim had shipped in for the boat. We had been aiming for the 4:30 bus to Fronteras, which is a six hour bus ride from Guatemala City, but ended up making the 7pm. It was a better bus than the previous buses we’ve had: it had assigned seating and drapes on the windows. Most of the windows weren’t cracked. Once they reached full occupancy they stopped letting people board. Like most buses in Guatemala, however, it still made a dozen or more stops along the way, many to let vendors on to sell their wares. I’ve begun feeling the effects of some sort of virus or infection, and was looking to sleep the ride in. The lights coming on and off every time we stop and the bus driver’s intense affinity for loud polka music said otherwise. Even still it was a better ride than most have been.
We got in to the Rio Dulce at 130 AM and headed straight for the hotel. I’ve heard this place is something special, but currently, its far too dark to tell. Jim showed up to the highway on a golf cart provided by the hotel that was probably running on one battery with only an eighth of a charge left. Every time the cart driver turned on the light, the cart would slow down. At one point Josh actually got out and pushed, with the driver being none-the-wiser. With one of the most important points to our story already in the can, I feel I can breath a little easier tonight, so long as this virus doesn’t have anything to say about it. Today was a long day, and even though I sat for most of it, I am definitely tired. Tomorrow we’ll rent a Tuk Tuk and mount the GoPro’s to it and film some of the streets of Fronteras.