And so to California

My last day in Antigua. I went shopping and was surprisingly restrained.

Textura didn't have a queen size bedcover in the fabric I wanted, nor did they have enough fabric available to make one. Just as well as the fabric by the yard was really expensive ($30 a yard). I thought and thought about it, went away, came back and finally decided to resist buying the three yards they had. I'm still thinking about it though, it was gorgeous.

I had lunch with a couple of people I'd met at my hotel, a mother and daughter in Antigua for a large wedding at the lovely hotel Santo Domingo. After lunch I ran into the two girls I met at Lake Atitlan. They had complained to their tour organiser who apparently had responded by shouting and swearing at them in English. They'd been shocked by his attitude but at least we were able to laugh about it.

Getting up at 3:45am was hard especially as I'd woken every hour to see what the time was. The shuttle was due at 4:30am but I'd been warned to be ready by 4am. Just as well, for the first time ever the driver was early. We sped off in the dark to Guatemala City. It was dark, a faint smell of burning wood, the others slept. I reflected on my time in Guatemala.

Two weeks has seemed like forever in some respects. I feel quite proud as I've accomplished everything I wanted to do and I've had a lot of time to think. I met some fantastic people. I may never see them again or perhaps we'll cross paths in some distant location. I realised that the world is a big place and there's so much more to explore.

Returning to Los Angeles was a dose of reality. I was questioned by the customs officer in English and (after I mentioned I'd been studying) in Spanish and, I can assure you, he wasn't being friendly. The Russian taxi driver rudely announced that there was a minimum charge to get to Westchester ($17.50 which is a huge rip off) and I was just not in the mood.

But all irritation was gone when my little old Pig woke up from her deep sleep and realised I'd come back. Pig has aged a great deal in the last few months and she's not the feisty little dog she used to be but she gave me her best welcome and I gave her a bath in return. She didn't seem to mind too much.

And so the question begs... where to next?

Well, that's a surprise for now but I have some ideas...