life @ 13

nobody said it was easy, but nobody said it would be this hard

after delays in waiting for bicycle bags (never happened) and for the amebeas to clear out of my stomach (more on that later) we finally broke free from xela on wednesday. after two tough days of riding (75 and 90k) through the mountains/highlands and an interesting night in a little hotel on the road, we finally made it to the peace and quiet (sic) of guatemala city. joel is holding up pretty well especially considering how little biking he has done, but i'm quite a bit faster than him and the pace is a little slow for me.
so i'm back in guate city now and besides the somewhat seedy atmosphere at night here in the city center i really like this city. maybe i just like cities in general and all they have to offer; this is the biggest one they have around here, save mexico. friday we tromped around looking for bike shoes (still waiting), soaking up the sights and people of the city from a seat on the $0.12 city bus.
yesterday i learned that fighting a parasitic infection is all work and no play, and that alcohol does nothing to improve matters. i bought some nitroimidazoles at a local pharmacy yesterday and am feeling much better, but apparently these kinds of infections can be hard to kick. although as long as i'm feeling strong on the bike, not much else matters.
monday or tuesday, bike shoes and gotta-go-itch depending, we're heading for el salvador.