My tax dollars at work

As my trip in Guatemala winds down, my attention has turned back toward the States. And a rainy day here in Guate means that I have more time to write a quick column about something back home.

Los Angeles is building better public transportation infrastructure. I rode the Red Line (subway) to/from work for 6 months and loved it. Fantastic way to commute. You can find out more at metro.net. While it is still difficult (or near impossible) to live in many areas of LA without a car, LA is slowly becoming a city with far better public transit options. I think it's unlikely that it will ever rival NYC's subway, London's Tube, or Chicago's L (the main reason I feel that way is insufficient population density to justify the infrastructure investment), but I'm still very happy about the progress on better public transit. Besides, LA has way better weather than those other cities, so maybe it's ok to expect people to walk or ride bikes a bit more? Of course, LA needs more bike lanes as well, but that's not the subject of this blog.

Rather, the subject is the kickass job that the MTA (people who run the LA Metro) is doing with keeping me informed of current projects, specifically the new Expo light rail line. Right now, Phase 1 of the Expo Train is under construction. This section will go from just south of downtown LA (right near the USC campus) all of the way to Culver City (about halfway to the ocean from the start of the line). Phase 2, if completed as currently planned, will continue all of the way out to Santa Monica (the beach).

Check out the website, though: BuildExpo.org. As opposed to burying information on a random page linked only through the city's (or MTA's) website, the government bought and dedicated a separate domain to load up with information about this project. I think it's a very nice illustration of the difference between only making information available and actively trying to educate the public about what the government is doing. I mean, aside from having quarterly updates on construction progress, there has clearly been some attention to graphic design as well:

Pushing information out like this provides a level of transparency and accountability (they claim that Phase 1 will be completed this year) that helps ordinary citizens evaluate the performance of government and get a true sense of value from taxes spent. Imagine if we had similar websites for federal tax dollars. While sometimes tougher to conceptualize for non-infrastructure projects, hopefully we're moving in this direction.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't give a nod to the SF Bay Area's own BayBridgeInfo.org. Right now on the front page is a neat video about how the Self-Anchored Suspension section of the new eastern expanse of the Bay Bridge is being constructed. They also have some neat information and graphics about this project. Of course, the current date for completion is listed as "late 2013," which I think means "hopefully in early 2015," but I'm sure bridges take a bit more time (and involve more potential delays) than light rail. The Bay Bridge website also has this:

The Skyway also features a 15.5-foot-wide bike/pedestrian path which is being built on the south side of the eastbound deck and will extend to Yerba Buena Island along the SAS. The path, which will be slightly higher than the roadway, is the result of a cooperative effort among bicycle and pedestrian groups, and participating agencies. This effort moves the Bay Area closer to completing the proposed 400-mile multi-use Bay Trail.

Niiiiice. But in regards to educating the public about the use of tax dollars in infrastructure, I have to give the nod to LA Metro. Now if we could just get similar websites for all tax dollars spent. Anyone else out there know of good transparency websites that are set up by the government?

The view from my porch right now

I hope you all are doing well.

Semuc Champey

So yesterday I checked out Semuc Champey. Awesomeness. Here are some pics:

Great spot for swimming and just admiring the natural beauty. So very peaceful and relaxing. If you visit Guatemala, I highly recommend coming here.

There are also caves nearby that you can tour. There's still water flowing through the caves and so you can climb waterfalls and swim through some passages (the water is too deep to walk through). Very Indiana Jones. Coolness. No pics, though, as I don't have a waterproof camera.

Now please allow me to geek out a little bit about the fact that this is basically a series of beautiful turquoise pools in limestone with a big river running far underneath. The pools are filled with ancillary streams and then the waters from the pools and the (underground) river meet up again at the end. Here's a sign from the park that explains.

[Dave's translation:

This scenery is impressive but dangerous!

The pools of Semuc Champey form a bridge over the Cahabon River. Under this bridge is a cavern through which the river passes. The location where the river's waters enter or "drain" into the cavern is called the Sink. The river leaves the cave 300 meters later.

The Sink is where the "river disappears below the land" and this is what Semuc Champey means in the Q'echi language (note: Q'echi is one of the Mayan languages still spoken here in Guatemala).

Observe the powerful strength of nature in the abundant waters of the Cahabon River. In the rainy season, the river can grow so much and gain so much force that it can pass over the top of the pools.

This scenery is impressive, but be very careful approaching since the rocks are slippery and accidents can occur.

A park guard should accompany you at all times when you visit the Sink.]

Random Thought #2

If you were a resident in a country that had endured decades of civil war, including death squads and other forms of massacres, what would be the attraction of fireworks for you? Seriously, Guatemalans love them some fireworks. And the really loud kinds. The ones that make me jump when I hear them. And they set them off at random times throughout the day and night. I'm just surprised that this doesn't set off some people's PTSD. It's interesting to me.

Location:Lanquin, Guatemala

Chichicastenango

Some people say you should try to visit the huge market at Chichicastenango. So I did. While I was underwhelmed with the market, there were some unexpected highlights.

I arrived around 10:30am and the market was already packed. I sat down to grab some brunch after an older British couple who were just finishing their meal recommended the place. The food was alright, but the most interesting part of brunch was when the British couple returned less than 5 minutes after leaving to look for the woman's wallet. It wasn't in the restaurant, so apparently it was stolen from her person in less than 5 minutes after leaving the place. Quite a bummer. Here's a view of the market from the cafe.

After brunch I walked around the market a bit, overpayed (most likely) for a hat because the sun was brutal and the hat fit (hats here are frequently a little on the smaller side), and then made my way to a Mayan sacred stone on a pine-covered hill next to town. On my way up the hill, I noticed all of the undergrowth was burned away. The reason therefore became clear once I reached the top and saw that their rituals there involve setting lots of fires. The monument has been vandalized a lot, rendering it almost impossible to discern any form or significance in it. A little disappointing.

On the walk back down the hill there is a shop where they manufacture wood masks. It seems to be Guatemala's version of Venice. Very nice masks.

On the walk back to town I ran across a very cool institute that teaches kids and young adults about art. This place was really cool and the guys running it were very nice. Here is the website if you want to learn more and here are some pics.

I spent the rest of the day checking out the market and waiting for my bus. In my opinion, it's not worth going much at all out of your way to visit Chichicastenango. Some people say that there are local artisans who go there to sell their wares. Unfortunately, I only ran into one or two people who might have made the items they were selling. So you don't have that connection to the people who are actually fabricating what you're buying. Maybe once upon a time this market was culturally significant, but I think those days have passed. Hopefully the art institution I stumbled across will keep growing and maybe bring a more diverse art scene to Chichicastenango. I'd be happy to return to see something like that.

Location:Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Showers: Now with the cleaning power of ELECTRICITY!

What are the voltage and amperage ratings on your showerhead? What's that? You don't like to have exposed electrical wires in your showerhead? Wimp. What's the matter? Your sensitive skin can't handle the awesome cleaning power of electricity?

The above pic was taken in my bathroom here in Flores, Guatemala last night. These are typical all over the country. On-demand water heating. It leads to mostly lukewarm showers, although I've found two that were able to actually generate a hot shower. Of course, in one of those hot showers, I got mildly shocked when I touched the dial to adjust the water pressure. Just a little shock, though. Helps the shower really wake you up in the morning, I think.

Random Thought About Guatemala #1

So Guatemala's sewage system is unable to handle toilet paper being flushed into it. Therefore, next to all of the flush-toilets (as opposed to outhouses at more rustic resorts), there are little trash cans for used toilet paper. First, it doesn't smell quite as terrible as I would have thought. My random thought, though: I haven't seen one single bidet in the entire country. If you were forced to deal with (be around, dispose of, etc.) used toilet paper, wouldn't that be an incentive to take a simple step to try and ensure that the used toilet paper is a bit cleaner? Maybe they do exist in the nicer places that I have been avoiding on my budget-conscious trip. In poorer areas (read: almost all of the country), it would be a luxury. I wonder if there are any public health concerns that might justify the investment.

No me lo pidan

So I have just finished up two weeks of 1-on-1 Spanish tutoring (45 hours in 2 weeks). This built on 10 hours I had received the first week here in Guate and some sporadic attempts to keep my Spanish alive since my days in high school. Last week, my teacher (Lety) gave me a poem by Pablo Neruda. We spent 30 minutes talking about it and translated it a bit. I'm not huge into poetry, but this particular poem really resonated with me. An excerpt from it is included on the "diploma" awarded to every student when they leave PLQ here in Xela (Quetzaltenango). I wanted to share the poem with anyone reading this blog just in case it might resonate with you as well. I'm going to try and translate it myself, with a nod to Lety who helped me understand it. You can probably find another translation somewhere on the internet.

No me lo pidan

Piden algunos que este asunto humano
con nombres, apellidos y lamentos
no lo trate en las hojas de mis libros,
no le dé la escritura de mis versos:
dicen que aquí murió la poesía,
dicen algunos que no debo hacerlo:
la verdad es que siento no agradarles,
los saludo y les saco mi sombrero
y los dejo viajando en el Parnaso
como ratas alegres en el queso.
Yo pertenezco a otra categoría
y sólo un hombre soy de carne y hueso,
por eso si apalean a mi hermano
con lo que tengo a mano lo defiendo
y cada una de mis líneas lleva
un peligro de pólvora o de hierro,
que caerá sobre los inhumanos,
sobre los crueles, sobre los soberbios.
Pero el castigo de mi paz furiosa
no amenaza a los pobres ni a los buenos:
con mi lámpara busco a los que caen,
alivio sus heridas y las cierro:
y éstos son los oficios del poeta
del aviador y del picapedrero:
debemos hacer algo en esta tierra
porque en este planeta nos parieron
y hay que arreglar las cosas de los hombres
porque no somos pájaros ni perros.
Y bien, si cuando ataco lo que odio,
o cuando canto a todos los que quiero,
la poesía quiere abandonar
las esperanzas de mi manifiesto
yo sigo con las tablas de mi ley
acumulando estrellas y armamentos
y en el duro deber americano
no me importa una rosa más o menos:
tengo un pacto de amor con la hermosura:
tengo un pacto de sangre con mi pueblo.

-Pablo Neruda (1960)



Here's my translation. If any of you have suggestions for how to improve the translation, please feel free to leave them in the comments:

Do Not Ask Me That

Some ask that this human theme
with names, last names, and laments
is not included in the pages of my books
is not written of in my verses:
some say that here poetry died,
some say that I shouldn't do it:
the truth is that I'm sorry to not please them,
I salute them and tip my hat
and I leave them traveling on the Parnassus
like happy mice in the cheese.
I belong to another category
and I'm only a man of flesh and bone,
and for that reason if they try to strike my brother
with whatever I have in hand I will defend him
and every one of my lines carries
a peril of gunpowder or iron
that will fall upon the inhumane,
the cruel, the arrogant.
But the punishment of my furious peace
does not menace the poor, nor the good,
with my lamp I look for those who have fallen,
I tend their wounds and heal them.
And these are the duties of the poet,
the pilot and the stonemason:
We are obligated to do something on this Earth
because on this planet we were birthed
and we must fix the things of man
because we are not birds nor dogs.
Moreover, if when I attack what I hate
or when I sing to those I love
the poetry wants to abandon
the hopes of my manifesto,
I continue with the commandments of my law
accumulating stars and weapons
and in the unyielding duty of the those living in the Americas,
a rose does not matter much:
I have a pact of love with beauty,
I have a pact of blood with my people.

Chicken Bus!

Ah, the big yellow school bus. A staple of American childhood. Ever wonder where all of the old Blue Bird buses go when the states are done using them? Well, a large number of them have ended up in Guatemala as Chicken Buses. The name comes from the common occurrence of riders transporting live chickens on these buses. The buses are the most common form of public transportation here in Guatemala and a vast network of these buses allows you to get just about anywhere you want for a very cheap price. For example, a one hour and fifteen minute ride cost me less than $2 US.

How does a ride on the Chicken Bus (pronounced "cheekeen boose" by Guatemalans) differ from the ride I may have taken on the very same bus 20 years ago? Glad you asked! Here's my how-to-make-your-own-chicken-bus guide:

So you just bought yourself an old America schoolbus and you want to turn it into a badass chicken bus? Good on you! Here's how: First, take that old school bus and PIMP THAT RIDE! Start with a very bright new paintjob. Red dominates, but green, blue, white, and even the original yellow are also used liberally. You want your bus to have some personality to stand out from the competition. Paint some flames on there. Give your ride a cool name and paint it on the sides. How about a nice new chrome grill from a semi-truck on that Blue Bird? Claro que si! And put some siding on the bus that reframes the windows so that they are angled forward a bit. Because now your chicken bus looks fast even when that ride is standing still, yo! I'm sure that someone will put spinning hubcaps on one of these buses soon. It should be you!

Next, throw some luggage racks hanging from the ceiling and some railing all around the roof so you can put bags up there as well. Remember, you're going to have people traveling with all sorts of luggage as some are artisans traveling to sell their goods, people simply traveling to and from work with a backpack, tourists traveling with luggage, and even the namesakes of your bus bringing chickens with them.

Of course, if you want to be able to travel as fast as possible, you can't have the driver taking fare from people as they get on. You need to allow people to get in from the front and the back as fast as possible and then you'll have your passenger manager handle the rest. His job is to make sure you get as many people on the bus as possible and collect the proper fare from each. If luggage needs to go on the roof, he handles it. The guy is fast and can carry 50lbs. suitcases on his head as he climbs the ladder to put the suitcase on the roof.

That same guy will also ensure that you never have to turn away a single customer. These buses might have been designed to hold 4 kids across (2 kids per seat in each row), but that isn't the law! You need to get at least 6 full-grown adults in each row before you can acknowledge it as full. Sure, the last two people will only have one asscheek on the seat and the other hanging in midair, but they can lean against each other in the middle of the aisle so that they won't fall. Of course, then your passenger manager still needs to be able to squeeze between them all to go collect the fares after people get loaded in. If people can't get in the front, put them in from the back. Sure it was designed as an "Emergency" exit, but ensuring that your bus is full IS an emergency! There are rumors of some passenger managers having superhuman abilities, like being able to open the front door, climb up onto the roof, walk to the back of the bus and then reenter through the back door, all WHILE THE BUS IS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. These rumors are unconfirmed, but very interesting.

Your driver needs to be a machine. He must be able to drive for hours on end, navigating roads that vary from winding mountain highways to narrow cobblestone roads in colonial towns. He must spot the people on the side of the road who might want a ride. When they do, he must stop quickly to allow them to get on. It's best if he doesn't even wait until they are all on before he starts pulling away. The last couple passenger can jump on a moving bus. If they can't, he'll slow down a little bit... maybe.

Congrats, you are now ready to have a chicken bus in Guatemala. But I will not be riding it for any trip longer than 30 min. As of yet, I've had 2 such trips and they've been ridiculous. Seriously, on the most recent trip, I was sitting in the middle of a row (read: one butt-cheek on the seat and the other hanging in the aisle) that had 6 full-grown adults and two children. As if this wasn't enough, we then ran into another chicken bus that had broken down and proceeded to pick up at least 20 new passengers. No joke, a bus that was designed to hold around 40 kids was carrying around 80 adults and probably 10 kids. I think I'll pay the premium for a shuttle (newer bus or van with more room) from now on. But the chicken bus is definitely a fun experience to try out or for shorter trips that seem to be less crowded.