"Later on my trip I would dream of this bed and cozy house."

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The First Night

The main reason I declined their invitation was because I wanted to see how far I could go on the first day. My time was limited on this trip and there was still some daylight left so I took advantage of this and continued to walk up the path. I knew it was time to turn in for the night when I started tripping on plants and stones. Navigating my way on an unfamiliar path through the dark would not be wise. One misstep and I could end up at the bottom of a ravine somewhere. So, I set down my backpack and “made camp.” I was prepared to sleep outside and the night was warm so I expected to have a good night’s sleep. I lit a candle and was just starting to relax a little bit when it started to rain. I had a good rain jacket with me and also a way to protect my belongings but it was a flash of light in the sky that sent me scrambling. I didn’t want to risk becoming target practice for a bolt of lightning on the side of a mountain. I quickly gathered my belongings and headed for the nearest light. There were a few houses scattered here and there throughout the area and I had seen a light up above me about 200 meters. When I reached the front yard, I was greeted by a barking dog and then the door opened and to my surprise I saw the family that I had met earlier looking out at me. They quickly pulled me in and I could tell by the looks on their faces that they were thrilled to host me. I was just thrilled to be somewhere dry. The wife sat be down by the stove and immediately gave me coffee to drink. They also gave me bread to eat. We all sat there for the next two hours talking to each other about many things. I was surprised to learn that I was now in Guatemala. No one had bothered to tell me that this trip would take me out of Mexico. I was worried about this because my passport said that I was still in Mexico but they laughed and told me not to worry. Apparently, I was in “no man’s land” and my chances of encountering police or government officials were slim to none. We also talked about our families a lot as well. It was easy for me to see that this family, like mine, had a very strong bond. It also wasn’t hard to see that these people had very little yet they seemed content. Because Catholicism seems to have a strong hold on southeastern Mexico and Guatemala, I was surprised to learn that these people were Evangelical Christians

At 9:30, the man asked me if I was tired and wanted to go to bed. I had no idea what time people went to bed around there but I said that this was up to them. If they were ready to go to bed then so was I. They all stood up suddenly which made it apparent to me that they were in fact ready to go to bed. I had expected that I would sleep on the floor which would have been no problem for me. On my trip to Panama a few months earlier, I had slept outside on the borders of countries and on soccer bleachers. It was just nice to have a roof over my head. Imagine my surprise then when they showed me into a room with a big warm soft bed and lots of blankets. I tried to protest saying that I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the floor. They wouldn’t hear of it. The lady told me that no one used that bed so there was no reason for me not to use it. I don’t think she was telling the truth but I appreciated her hospitality and soon I was lying under the warm covers. Then entire family disappeared into another room and the door shut behind them. Before falling asleep, I sent some messages via my cell phone back to friends in Tapachula (to tell them where I was) and I set two alarm clocks for the next morning. The bed was too warm and comfortable for me to stay awake for very long. Later on my trip I would dream of this bed and cozy house on the side of the mountain.

I had nobly aspired to awaken at 5 am and continue my journey up the mountain but when my alarm clock went off I just couldn’t get up. At 6:30, I heard a voice from the other room call out to me “Don Roberto, es la hora” (It’s time). I quickly got up, packed my things and stepped outside. The rest of the family got up to wish me a good journey. Before I left, I offered the man 30 pesos (just under 3 US Dollars at the time). At first he wouldn’t accept it and told me that “we don’t charge here.” However, when I insisted and informed him that I might come back in a few days, he finally accepted the money. The look on his face showed me that he was very grateful and later I found out that 30 pesos was a lot of money up there on the volcano. As I was leaving, I marked the location of their house on my Global Positioning System.

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