Traveling is not easy

The Nasman family likes to say that travel "is only glamorous in retrospect." The past 8 days have been anything but glamorous. I suffered through a bad cold, long uncomfortable bus rides, and in general, just plain bad luck.

My bus breaks down in the mountains between Guatemala City and Xela

Being sick is never fun but it is truly tough when traveling alone. I just didn't have the energy you need to enjoy the fun parts and the challenging parts of experiencing a new country.

I believe that good luck played a large part in my first 6 months in Central America. I got off the plane in June with only a vague plan and yet somehow found a terrific language school in Guatemala and an amazing community in Honduras with OYE and my job at Best American School. So perhaps karma is now evening things out a bit.

I lost a $100 bill somewhere on my first day in San Salvador. I wasted hours trying to navigate the convoluted bus system of the city, being sent to one place then another by my out-of-date guidebook and well-meaning people on the street. On Sunday, I planned on going to the beach. But with the El Salvador national elections being held that day, no buses were in service to the coast, a fact I discovered after searching all over town for the correct bus terminal. I then got on a bus whose driver promised to stop close to my hotel but continued to the furthest reaches of the city until I realized I should probably just get off and figure out where I was.

Leaving El Salvador for Guatemala, my bad luck continued. At the border stop, a money changer jipped me for about $20. Then my express bus to Quetzaltenango broke down in the mountains. After waiting half an hour, my fellow passengers and I flagged down a passing bus and I spent the rest of the journey reliving my chicken bus days (three to a seat in a decommissioned school bus)

I admit the past week put some doubts in my abilities as a backpacker. (I thought I was good at this!!) But you learn to take it in stride and remember that at least in retrospect, this will all seem glamorous.