Day One. Antigua, Guatemala. Arrived dazed and confused early this morning after flying from SFO via LAX (where I engaged in a bit of recreational glass-breaking in the airport wine bar) to GUA -- thankfully the hotel let me check in at 6am for a little nap! I´ve also been reading V S Naipaul´s first book on his travels through the Islamic world (thank you Andre) so when I got up at noon I wasn´t quite sure if I was in Iran or Guatemala. Certainly enough Americanos wandering about the place to confuse you.

Antigua has been a delight to walk around with lots of ruins to take pictures of, quiet gardens to write the journal in (thank you Susan) and charming courtyard cafes to sip cappuccinos in, though it´s obviously very touristy and the scale of the invasion makes me feel constantly apologetic as I pass local residents on the street. That will get better as I get the hang of this, I´m sure.

OK my friends... time for me to get out of this internet cafe!