We were in Xela, also known as Quetzaltenango, a highland town in northern Guatemala. The air was cold at 2335 meters. Finding the local bus station that really was busses packed in rows at the edge of a rather large market, we found the bus to Momostenago. Momo as it is locally known is another mountain town that is located in a remote valley in the central highlands and is known for its production of wool products. This was our destination to try and purchase a blanket and hopefully catch the end of the local fiesta that was winding down in the area.

We finally found the right bus and began watching a local ladino man selling what must have seemed like magic to the local mayans. Ladinos are the direct decedents of the spanish conquerers who now make up over half of the population. They tend to live a much wealthier life than the indigenous Mayans who endured the brute of the long civil war. The man had what looked to be the basic chemicals that any 7 year old would have in their chemistry set. You all know the trick where you pour one chemical into a glass of water and it turns pink and then when you pour in a second chemical it turns the water clear again. Basic you might be saying, but to the local Mayans it must have seen impressive. We watched while he peddled the wonders of his little bottles over a lage megaphone that was plugged into a large battery sitting in the dirt. He even managed to sell quite a few of the bottles while our buss was waiting to leave.

Flights:
My wife and I were on an indirect United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Myanmar, formally known as Burma. We arrived at Bangkok airport at 1:30 AM and had a seven hour layover before our flight to the capital city Yangon. With no where to sleep we found a small secluded corner next to an unused conveyer belt where some of the airport workers were taking a nap and called it a night. Early the next morning we grabbed a snack and headed to our departure gate for mystical Myanmar, the land of the golden pagodas.

Upon arrival to Yangon, we decided to take a short flight up to Sittwe , historically known as Akyab and the capital city of Rhakine State. We decided to go there as it is one of the least visited areas of Myanmar. SIttwe, at one time, was one of the largest ports used by the British when they occupied the country in 1826. This was also the area where fights were instigated by the Burmese government between the buddhist and muslim communities in order to create unrest. This upheaval started in 1978 and flared up again in 1988.

We had just arrived at the Nizwa Hotel in the arid interior of central Oman. We had been driving our rented Nissan Pathfinder for an entire day from the seaside city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Nizwa is known for its magnificent mud fort that was the last stronghold of the powerful Imams who ruled the interior for many years during the British occupation. It is also the largest fort on the entire Arab peninsula. This strategic position was important as a major crossroads for caravans of the dessert destined with goods for the many regional empires of the area.

Besides the impressive fort I was on a mission to purchase an antique Khan-jar which is a large curved knife worn on the belt as a sign of power and tribal loyalties. In ancient times the handles were carved from Rhino or Giraffe horns from Africa which hint at some of the regional influences of this major trading hub. Settling into our hotel I discovered that there is rather large bar connected to the hotel that is popular with the locals. With alcohol being frowned upon in Oman, this is one of the few places that the local men can partake in drink without the local community frowning upon them. Here I would try and meet some of the residents and see if they could help me track down one of these magnificent daggers.

This is really cool. Check out all the countires that Gulum and I have travelled to in the past few years!!!

My Visited Countries

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