Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
guatemala
august 22
The border crossing yesterday went smoothly, and for the next 10 kilo-
metres, until we reached our resting destination, the streets were
lined with people clapping and cheering as I ran past. I have not seen
anything like this before. I hope I can justify their support in me by
finishing this run.
We slept high on a mountaintop and woke this morning envel-
oped in a blanket of cloud that extended to cover the jungle valley
below. I thought we had all died and were in heaven.
Guatemala has many volcanoes, and I will be running over a
number of them throughout the week that we will be here. I will need
legs of steel and a heart as big as Phar Lap's to get through this, but the
scenery will make it easier.
The Red Cross is going to chaperone me through this country as
well, an official in a van watching my every step. Tonight, we'll be stay-
ing in a nice hotel arranged for us by the police, who prefer us to be
in lodgings rather than the vans because they can stay there too and
keep an eye on us. Just like the Mexicans, nobody in Guatemala wants
an international incident, and the government is aware that my run
is being observed by the world's media. The government has assigned
a policeman named Anghill to be my minder-bodyguard. He is with
the tourist branch of the police and studied self-defence in Israel
on a government scholarship. Anghill confided to me that there is a
huge castle on the hill opposite tonight's hotel, and that it belonged
to a drug baron before he was locked away. His family now lives there.
There's obviously
big
money in drugs here.
