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May 20, 2005The Baaaaad Streets of GuatemalaJust when I thought it was safe to return to the office... The ground has stopped shaking. The wind has stopped blowing. But the danger always remains. The streets of Guatemala city aren't for the weak-hearted. Or the unaware. Peril awaits the inattentive pedestrian. This morning, for example. I was one block away from my office. About to cross Fifth Avenue. Carefully taking note of the oncoming traffic before stepping off the sidewalk. When I was nearly run over... by a renegade, runaway goat. Yes, goat. A goat that evidently had escaped from his herder. (It might have been a female goat, but saying "her herder" just sounds wrong.) The horned menace nearly blindsided me as it ran (the wrong way, I must add) down the avenue, followed frantically by a middle-aged couple in hot goat-pursuit. For those of you who have not yet been to Guatemala City, I should stress that this is not a common occurrence. The city is painfully urban, and goats are -- on any given day -- relatively scarce in the downtown area. Nor does the city celebrate a goat-version of the "Running of the Bulls" festival in Pamplona. This was just one of those special Guatemala moments (kinda like a Kodak moment, but far more bizarre.) Some people might find living in the midst of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fugitive livestock to be too harrowing, too stressful. Me, I try to accept life as it comes. After all, you can't let these things get your goat. (Ha, tell me you didn't see that one coming!) Posted by elcanche at May 20, 2005 08:38 PMComments
SAD After all the current events you have lived through, this event takes the cake!! I have to agree with Vicki, that is too funny! Thanks for the morning laughs. Ciao. M.M. Posted by: Two A's & an M at May 21, 2005 06:47 AMGoat Journal Entry: Dear Friends and Family, Today was another adventure in this weird place with many humans, things that make a lot of noise and very little grass. When they weren't looking, I managed to chew through my rope and ease away from the humans. As I rounded the corner, I broke into a gallop, like a stallion! Free! Free at last!!! I had just made my escape from my captor and was doing quite well when I saw the strangest sight I have seen since being inprisoned. Stepping out in front of me was a tall human with cream colored skin and hair like milk chocolate (which is really good, by the way, if you haven't tried it, chocolate...not hair). He was a giant, I tell you. I almost ran into him and then almost ran into one of those noisy things while trying to take in this oddly large and light colored human. Unfortunately, with my concentration broken, alas, I was recaptured and I am back in confinement. Now, all I see in my dreams is a vision of the white giant and it is consuming me. I think it might have been a god. Love, Susan, the modern age as it is, my office is now a cube; and when I start laughing until the tears come, and people ask me what's so funny....how can I explain? You and Rob made my day! Posted by: carol at May 23, 2005 07:26 AMOK, Susan, If you're going to start writing journal entries that are funnier than mine, I'm going to have to ask you to get your own website! Oh, and by the way, how sad is that the only time I've been called a "god" is by a chocolate-eating goat with delusions of emancipation? Posted by: Rob at May 23, 2005 07:52 PMCarol, I am so glad to add to your Monday laugh! I have to admit... I never, ever imagined that one day someone would say to me: "you have inspired my inner-goat". It's nice to know that as strange as my life gets, my friends and family are capable of being just as strange! ... and yes, that's a good thing! :) Posted by: Rob at May 23, 2005 08:38 PMHey Slagmeister I shall never complain again(ever) about you not writing. It used to be once in a blue moon; now it's GuatSpam.com. Nice one about the goat I didn't see that coming (please inset an obvious joke here...)but I'm sure there are languages that pronounce Guatemala as Goatemala...honest....and not just the Governer of California.(oh dear) Your friends who got in touch with their 'inner goat' demonstrated a refereshing empathy that's sadly lacking in modern society; but clearly the company you keep has become a lot stranger than the last time I saw you....which is reassuring!. Glad to see you missed the hurricane anyway... Damian Muy estimado Damian, Yeah, sorry about the torrent of "Rob's page has been updated" email, but it seems that this was the only way to provoke a journal commentary from certain "across the pond" types whose absence still provokes bittersweet moments of melancholy. O, sea: good to hear from you, mate! As far as the goat is concerned, now that you mention it, the couple I assumed to be the "goat herders" did look suspiciously like the owners of a taco shop on Sixth Avenue. Hmmmm.... Posted by: Rob at May 24, 2005 11:47 AMI just want to take this opportunity to say hi to Damian: "Hi, Damian." OK, that's it. Hello Rob and Carol Glad to see you're well Carol (excuse me Rob while I use your website to catch up with your Mum). Blessings, Damian Posted by: Damian at May 25, 2005 07:57 AMDamian, so good to hear from you. To "start spreading the news...Rob will be in New York, New York" (wait, I'm getting carried away by Old Blue Eyes) mid-June sometime. I'm not exactly sure of the date yet. Also he comes home around Christmas too. So...you have a choice! "Talk (or sing) to you soon! Carol Posted by: Carol at May 26, 2005 11:57 AMI would love to see you running away from the goat!!! Jajaja! That's Guatemala, it's always full of surprises... Posted by: Chicken at May 27, 2005 03:37 PMHello Chicken! "Guatemala, it's always full of surprises..." should be the official tourism motto, don't you think? I guess the only thing that bothered me about the goat is that he didn't even say "perdón" as he rushed by! Posted by: Rob at May 27, 2005 03:46 PM |
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