Death Squads

Hi - how you all diddling out there? I seem to flying through Central America so there's not to many more of these reports for you to wade through so bare with me for a while and get your teeth into this one.

After a Salsa lesson and a late night out in Antigua, I left the "Bad Boy" behind and jumped on another chicken bus for a three hour drive to Lake Atitlan stopping off at Solola on the way to check out the market.

The first thing you notice when you arrive in Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan is the three volcanoes that dominate the skyline and I decided there and then that I was definitely not going to climb any of them unless I was told about some special feature that could not be found anywhere else. Guess what! ................ I wasn't, so I didn't and I bet you are all so pleased that you don't have to live through yet another Volcano report. One of the main attractions here and my reason for coming, is the Indigenous people who live here and the market goods they produce and sell. Markets are fast becoming one of my favourite attractions of my travels; the colours, the diversity of handicrafts produced and the local vendors who are so engaging and entrepreneurial, all make for fascinating people watching opportunities.

Bacon and eggs with a cup of Liptons tea for breakfast in a local cafe, was a special treat that I certainly didn't expect to find in a little off the beat place like Panajachel, but boy will I remember it for a long time to come. With a happy tum and a spring in my step like a Peacock strutting it's funky stuff in front of a female, I boarded a little boat with a few friends, and sailed off to a remote beach for a spot of sunbathing and snorkeling - just for a change. By midday the sun gets far too hot to lie around in, so it was the perfect time to set off and visit an Indigenous village community. The Indigenous people who live here are direct descendants of the Mayans and the only English they seem to speak is "one Quetzal please" whilst holding out their hands with palms upturned and a cheesy grin on their little faces, as they strike up a pose for the cameras - bless their cotton socks. Being descendants of the Mayan people is very evident when you visit these lovely warm people and see the patterns in the fabulously colourful textiles they weave. The Mayans worshipped the sun and the moon amongst other things and had many ways to symbolise them, all of which can be seen intricately woven into their textiles, and seeing these wonderfully crafted fabrics on the market stalls was a timely reminder for me that I was now in a part of the World where Mayan city ruins can be seen in many of the jungles here. Perhaps it was now time to forget the Volcanoes, or at least put them on the back burner for a while, don my Indiana Jones outfit complete with whip, hat and shoulder bag ( don't laugh ) and start making plans for my favourite type of adventure. Firstly though, I have to go back to Antigua as I received an email from Nancy giving me a contact number of a Street Children project in Guatemala City. On the way back to Antigua the chicken bus stopped at Chchicasenango for what is reputedly Central America's largest market, and by gum from what I've seen I couldn't argue with that, it's absolutely enormous. I was a bit saddened though when I saw the amount of musical instruments on sale made out of the armoured shell of Armadillo, there must have been hundreds of them. I don't know whether or not they eat Armadillo, if they do I suppose it is justifiable not to waste any of it but if they kill it solely to make ornate gifts for tourists, I find that repulsive. You can buy just about anything on this market from dried Iguanas to a new wife but even I have standards to maintain and besides, it was hard to tell which was which!

Back in Antigua I was about to experience one of the biggest frustrations of my life and in facing these frustrations I inadvertently put myself into what could have been the greatest danger of my travels so far.

In a society where the poorest have little or no chance of escaping the chains of poverty, Guatemalan street kids face even greater hardships than most and as if that isn't enough they even have to dodge Death Squads just for being homeless. Merely trying to survive, the Street Kids of Guatemala sell bananas, Scavenge through garbage dumps, sleep in doorways or beside an abandoned railway station and very often turn to sniffing industrial solvents to alleviate the pangs of hunger. Bad enough you may think, but as I mentioned these kids also have to contend with Death Squads. The organisers and sponsors of the Death Squads call it "Social Cleansing" to justify the kidnapping, torture and murder of these helpless children that they call vermin, Didn't Hitler use similar terminology to justify his actions? In one case I heard about, a young boy of eleven was found in a sack, ......... he had been severely beaten then shot through the head before being dumped. These death squads are made up of privately funded Security forces who believe that their actions will send a message to other children to get off the streets; but where can they go? The Guatemalan government do not supply one single hostel for homeless children and openly concede that prosecutions against Police officers and Private Security guards for crimes against children, are extremely rare. Trying to get information about Guatemalan street kids resulted in me being asked to leave Libraries, being totally ignored and even being pointed at on the streets. Even when I tried to talk to the Charity whose phone number Nancy had emailed me, I was met with suspicion making it abundantly clear that they were uncomfortable about talking to me. Maybe I was getting a bit paranoid, but on one day, everywhere I went and every time I turned around or saw a reflection in a shop window, the same two armed security guards were there, looking in my direction. I knew that I couldn't stay forever so I took this as an indication that my welcome had expired and it was time to leave Antigua City and head off in search Mayan ruins and some jungle adventures - it's a lot safer.