Gas Crisis in Guate

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Yesterday around mid-morning I took a break from work to step out on the balcony for some fresh air. I looked over at the gas station to see long lines of cars, coming from both streets it sits along, as well as traffic cops directing traffic around the congested area. I wasn't sure what to think at the time--my best guess was that gas prices went up all over town and this place still had the best deal.

Well, apparently, this was one of the only places that had gas period! And as I write this now, it appears the pumps have gone dry as there are no more lines. But cars were continuously filing in all day yesterday, well into the night.

Living in our little bubble, Beth and I were completely unaware of the situation in Guatemala City until our Spanish tutor informed us during our class last night. It seems gas workers/truck drivers are on strike due to some recent restrictions imposed that prohibit them from entering the city during peak traffic hours.

From what I can gather reading the online Guatemalan newspaper, many gas stations were limiting customers yesterday to only 3 gallons! It also sounds like bus services will be cut way back after Saturday, creating a transportation nightmare for thousands of commuters.

We're down to just a quarter tank and we were planning on spending the weekend outside of the City. But if we cannot get gas by tomorrow afternoon, it looks like we will be stuck here! Hopefully the situation will be resolved very soon and this won't be a problem for us.

Update: thankfully gas was back by Friday morning and it was just a short-lived crisis.