Me llamo Rafael

We tried to set up an audio recording of our adventures at the border, but there was a technical problem. So it will have to wait until another time. Some things can’t be rushed. Until then…..

Once we are safely inside Guatemala, things are great!

Xela (Quetzaltenango), GUAT

We spend about a week here, I guess. Aside from the abundance of hippie douchebags, a beautiful town. People are friendly. Streets are safe. John mentioned some shooting we do in town. It feels god to get some footage in the can. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back to shoot the “Natural” History Museum. Weird shit. We stay at a kind-of backpacker’s hostel that features a talkative parrot.

And the street food is great here. All kinds of tostada and tortas. When you order a hotdog, you get a free cup of Orange Crush!

There are some beautiful hot springs up the side of one of the many local volcanoes. The ride there is fantastic. From town, we take a “chicken bus”, which is an old American school bus painted and bedazzled like a Vegas showgirl. To get up the hill itself, we catch a “Pickup”, a small Toyota truck with up to 10 Guatemalans and as many Machetes crammed in the bed. This won’t be the last time we travel by either method.

I make a friend at a local bar and she takes me to an after-party at another club. At 3:30am, two cops (who in Guatemala all look like SWAT team members) come in and question the bartender. He takes a license off the wall and walks out side. Five minutes later, the bartender comes back with a scowl on his face, grabs a fistful of cash from the till and goes back outside. The party doesn’t stop, but they do try to up-sell everyone on the larger beers. So to answer your question Doug, yes, there is L&I in Guatemala.

My Spanish is getting just a little better, but also occasionally useless when dealing when indigenous locals who speak Quiche or Tule. So I’ve learned to become very creative with hand gestures.

We also discover the local liquor, an Aguardiente called “Quetzalteca Especial”. Tastes like moonshine and cheap as dirt. And of course it goes well with Guatemalan beer, our regular being Gallo.

We also plan several shoots for the next weeks. Looking forward to it.
Max and Ana Paula meet up with us here in town. I can already tell they’re going to be a blast.

Chichicastenenga, GUAT

We did some great shooting at the outdoor market here, but I’m learning that hamburgers are not a reason why anyone should come to this otherwise great country.

San Pedro, GUAT

So it seems like we’ll be here or nearby for several weeks. There is plenty to discover in this beautiful lakeside town. Firstly, that the lake is actually dangerously polluted by a new bacteria. I’m not sure how, but I am sure this will play into the film. We are somewhat stable in a nice home here and the internet is readily available, so I would like to think there will be more updates to this blog, including pictures.

Hasta Luego-