I was boarding a plane in Sacramento, and in the blink of an
eye I found myself in Guadalajara, Mexico, craving a good breakfast. After a
quick assessment of my options I decided that a “Torta Ahogada” was exactly the
thing. This dish, very typical of Guadalajara, consists of a “torta” (a
sandwich made with a small loaf of crusty French bread, beans, and slow cooked
pork) “ahogada” (drowned) in an abundant red sauce. On the side you get some
pickled onions and a couple of thin, deep-fried tacos filled with refried
beans. Naturally it is messy to eat, but that is half the fun.
So I ordered a torta
ahogada and when the lady handed it to me she asked if I wanted some sauce.
“But it is drowned in sauce!” I protested, to which she simply answered “Esa
salsa no pica”. OK, I took her word for it and took an extra container of
sauce. Big mistake. Never believe a Mexican who says that “la salsa no pica”.
As soon as I took the first bite I felt my tongue go on fire, but sweating and
sucking air I made my way to the end, enjoying every fiery morsel of my torta.
Unfortunately it is also true that spicy food “pica dos veces”, for that very
night I had to suffer the effects of indulging in the local cuisine.
Another blink of an eye and I was at the airport in
Guatemala City. The immigration formalities were over in a second, and I
breezed my way pass customs because I am travelling light, with just one
medium-size backpack. Once I stepped out of customs, however, I found myself
immersed in pandemonium. A big crush of families, street vendors, anxious
lovers, mendicants, and taxi drivers completely blocked the exit, so the new
comer is forced to elbow his/her way through. I was looking around for my friend
Tom, who at 5’ 10” is a veritable giant compared with the average 5-foot
Guatemalan, but he was nowhere to be seen. So I settled down for what turned
out to be a 45 minute wait. Now and then my hopes would soar when a hand
started waving from a tinted-windows car, but everytime I was embarrassed to
find out that it was some other lucky traveler who was the object of the
waving. All good things come to those who wait, however, and pretty soon I was
able to embrace my old friend Tom Olson, who I had not seen for a good five
years.
It took us a while to get out of the city, which has a
pretty heavy traffic, but all was time well spent, exchanging news of the
family and the last few years. Finally, around 3 pm, we arrived to the town of
Antigua, where Tom and his wife Alma have made their home for the last 20
years. I hardly recognized the house, which has been completely reconstructed
in the most delightful Colonial style. It is a modern and supercomfortable
version of the houses that were built all over the city in the 17th
century, which were generally built around a lovely courtyard. Alma has done a
great job decorating it, and Tom has made sure it has all modern conveniences,
so it is a home in the best sense of the word.
Faby first met Alma as her 3rd grade teacher, I
helped with math in her classroom, and pretty soon we all became friends. Faby
and their daughter Margarita soon became best friends, and Tom and I engaged on
many crazy adventures together (many involving taking their young son Thomas in
crazy hikes). Margarita now lives in Florida, but Thomas lives in Antigua, in a
small apartment within the same house, so I also had the chance of giving him a
big hug.
We had a late lunch/early dinner, after which we went for a
walk to see the historic plaza and prominent municipal buildings, walked
through the central park, fended off a few street vendors, and ended the walk
at the restaurant of one of Tom’s friends, Juan Antonio. We were treated to
cups of Guatemalan cocoa, and had an easy and very interesting conversation
about the best types of coffee, the art of roasting, the effects of the recent
eruption of Volcan de Fuego, and the importance of potable water to the small
indigenous communities. Good man Juan Antonio.
We finished a long day by taking a “swim” in the oversized
hot tub Tom brought from China. The house, being a sprawling complex, has a gym
and a pool room, both enabled with enormous wide-screen TV’s, so we all caught
up with the second episode of the remake of “Lost in Space”. Not bad for the
first day.
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