B.J. Murrey - World Orphans, Central America

So here I sit, at Cafe Barista again. I am awaiting an approval phone call from a local internet service provider to see if they will give me service or not. They are running a credit check... which kind of makes me laugh. I haven't had a problem with that since I was about 18 years old. I feel like I have gone back in time a little bit. Since I am a "foreigner" everything is more difficult to get. They ask for a NIT# and I have to give them a Passport#. They want a Guatemalan bank account and I have only US Bank accounts. Driving anywhere downtown takes hours due to the maze of narrow one-way streets and the throngs of people and vendors that overflow into the maze from the sidewalks. The other day what I planned to take only an hour took four or more, and I still was unable to complete my task. It just so happened there wa a few thousand people demonstrating that day, so driving 3 blocks took me 30 minutes.I can't pay the import taxes on my truck with a credit card - it has to be cash - because they don't have any card reader machines at most govornment banks. Go fiigure.

Whenever I get stressed out here, there are only a couple of options that help me unwind sufficiently: 1: A long hot shower, or 2) a big latte at Cafe Barista. From where I sit right now, out on the patio, there is a pretty sweet view. There is a lot of sun and no clouds, so visibility is incredible.It's rare to have such a clear day here. Guatemala boasts an absolutely incredible landscape. Few countries in my opinion, have such a rich natural beaty. From cave systems, to waterfalls, beaches to rain forests, Volcanoes to gold mines. I figured that i would share these two pictures with you so that maybe you might begin to sens how amazingly diverse my host country is at a deeper level...