After 5 days at Lake Atitlán, I am back in Antigua. I didn't anticipate staying at the lake for as long as I did but once you see a few photos you'll understand why it was so hard to leave.
My journey started with a 2.5 hour shuttle from Antigua to a town called Panajachel. I didn't have a very solid plan but I figured I would visit a small town called San Marcos. The night before I left for the lake I met a man who referred to himself as Guatemalan Jesus and wouldn't reveal his real name. In my journal he drew a map of the country and identified cities and towns that I shouldn't miss. For each place on the map he gave me the name of a hostel and knew most of their owners. Turns out "Jesus" runs a hostel of his own in Guatemala City and is very well-connected. He told me to go to San Marcos and stay at a hippie dippy place called Del Lago. I was told that at each hostel I visit I should let the owner know that Guatemalan Jesus sent me.
Anyway, in the shuttle I met a French man who has been living at the lake for 20+ years and runs a hotel in San Marcos. When we arrived to Panajachel, I asked if I could follow him to San Marcos. So we got on a boat with as many passengers as it could possibly hold and stopped at towns all around the lake. On the boat were three American kids, two boys with their father & a little girl on her own, all of them returning from school. Instead of a car or a bus, they took a boat. Instead of seat belts, they wore life vests. What a life!
When the boat arrived in San Marcos, the French man pointed me towards Del Lago. I followed the dirt/gravel road until I arrived at the hostel. It was a very simple place but had the most magnificent view. I was given a key to the door of my dorm but there was no need... Of the two window panes in the door, one was missing. My roommates, two girls from Colorado, decided to forgo the door and simply entered through the open window.
While I was down at the lake front writing I met a group of three: Sawy from England, Anne from Brazil & Dahab from Mexico. All of them had come from Vera Cruz, Mexico to explore Guatemala. We became instant friends and I spent the next three days with them laughing uncontrollably and learning how to speak Mexican Spanish. I also practiced a little bit of Portuguese with Anne and Sawy, whose father is from Portugal.
That night we watched an Australian film called Red Dog which I highly recommend. It was a knee slapper and a heart warmer. At one point I took a break from the film to go lay in a hammock by the water. Being surrounded my mountains, the clouds felt so close. I watched the lights twinkle on the adjacent hill and felt the breeze gently rock my hammock. I thought how amazing it would be to watch a storm over the lake and in that very moment a bolt of lightening lit up the other side of the lake! Later that night I was able to capture the distant lightening with my phone.
The next morning I met a local named Pablo who had come to enjoy the view. He asked me if I felt the earthquake at 3AM that morning. What earthquake?! Well, I guess that explains my weird dreams...
In the afternoon I went for a swim. The water was perfect: calm, clear & cool; however, I was really cold when I got out (I left my towel at Earth Lodge... Oops). While I dried off in the sun, a German named Marta sat down next to me. She immediately opened up and told me of her struggles. She also showed me her tattoo, a recycling symbol on her chest. Marta's grandmother passed away while she was in Mexico & on that day she went and got her tattoo. She paid with three beers which she then helped to drink. I went to go buy something from the shop and when I got back she was gone.
Dahab and I chatted by the lake & were soon joined by a man from California. He spoke soft and slow & wore a hat with lots of feathers in it ( did he call it macaroni?). For the past three days he had been on a salt water diet. He planned to continue for two weeks. His belief is that we all came from the water (possibly even different planets) so why not sustain ourselves on just that. Also, he listed off 101 things he is allergic to. It wasn't until he was on his way out that he introduced himself as Gourmet.
A bit later I put on some salsa music and Dahab insisted we dance. He plays in a salsa orchestra and also gives dance lessons so naturally he is a great dancer. We both sang along bits and pieces of the song and I followed his lead. It was the most fun I've ever had dancing salsa!
When my friends left for the store, I heard someone call my name. It was Pablo from earlier that day. He invited me up to the balcony and introduced me to his Japanese friend Taito. Together we took in the view: the lake, mountains, volcanoes & stars. All of a sudden, Pablo began to see red off in the distance... A volcano was erupting! Nothing terribly big but enough for us to see from across the lake. The volcano Fuego (Spanish for fire) spewed out the top as well as out the side. It was so remarkable!
The next day we (Anne, Sawy, Dahab & I) traveled to another town called San Pedro. It is much more developed than San Marcos and therefore has more tourists. I wasn't nearly as enchanted although our hostel offered a really nice view from the roof.
The next day I debated what to do over coffee. I went with my friends for breakfast and then Dahab & I went to a town called Santiago. It took us awhile to find the dock and when we finally arrived the boat had just left. We walked around for a while and came back an hour later to catch the next ferry. Santiago attracts tourists because of its Mayan saint Maximón (Ma-shee-mon). It is a wooden statue dressed in a cap and dozens of ties to whom locals make offerings of money, clothing, cigarettes & alcohol in exchange for health, crops, love, business, success, etc. Maximón has been around for over 500 years & each October is taken around the lake as part of a Holy Week procession. He changes houses from year to year. Because of his relocation, the locals pointed us in a few different directions.
While we walked we saw a never-ending line of local indigenous people. I made Dahab ask someone what wad going on because he is more personable and assertive than I am. The ice cream man told us that once a year the government comes and gives each person 40 Quetzales ($5). It doesn't matter if someone has 10 children or a disability, everyone gets the same amount. We also came across a second line where the government was giving out one bag of fertilizer to each person.
Eventually a local boy, Adan, showed us the way to Maximón. We went down a tiny alleyway to a private house. There was Maximón in the center of the room and a man lighting candles to start his own ceremony. I was fascinated by the whole idea but felt a little uncomfortable. Dahab snapped a few pictures and we were on our way.
Dahab and I walked back to the dock and said goodbye, promising to stay in touch and hoping to some day visit each other. Dahab got on a boat to go back to San Pedro while I headed to a new town: Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz was even smaller than the first town I visited and had practically the same view. However, it lacked the serenity of San Marcos.
Why? Because a group of 25 people from Kentucky had taken over the hostel. I ate dinner with a group of people my age but failed to find a place on the property where their presence didn't disrupt my peace. Regardless, I enjoyed the clear night sky and the chirping of the bugs. I felt like I was at summer camp although it turned out I was the only guest in my cabin.
In the morning I packed my bag, ate breakfast & headed over to Panajachel to catch my shuttle. I was early so I walked around, bought some trinkets, and chatted with the man at the tourist agency.
The shuttle took a little over two hours and I spent about half of the time playing peek-a-boo and making silly noises with the driver's son.
Tomorrow I go back up to the Earth Lodge for a barbecue and live music. Oh yeah, and to start working. :)
And to end this blog with a fun fact: Guatemala comes from the word cuauhtemallan which means land of the trees. Although Guatemalan Jesus told me it meant land of the captive eagles. Maybe someone needs to check his facts...
My journey started with a 2.5 hour shuttle from Antigua to a town called Panajachel. I didn't have a very solid plan but I figured I would visit a small town called San Marcos. The night before I left for the lake I met a man who referred to himself as Guatemalan Jesus and wouldn't reveal his real name. In my journal he drew a map of the country and identified cities and towns that I shouldn't miss. For each place on the map he gave me the name of a hostel and knew most of their owners. Turns out "Jesus" runs a hostel of his own in Guatemala City and is very well-connected. He told me to go to San Marcos and stay at a hippie dippy place called Del Lago. I was told that at each hostel I visit I should let the owner know that Guatemalan Jesus sent me.
Anyway, in the shuttle I met a French man who has been living at the lake for 20+ years and runs a hotel in San Marcos. When we arrived to Panajachel, I asked if I could follow him to San Marcos. So we got on a boat with as many passengers as it could possibly hold and stopped at towns all around the lake. On the boat were three American kids, two boys with their father & a little girl on her own, all of them returning from school. Instead of a car or a bus, they took a boat. Instead of seat belts, they wore life vests. What a life!
When the boat arrived in San Marcos, the French man pointed me towards Del Lago. I followed the dirt/gravel road until I arrived at the hostel. It was a very simple place but had the most magnificent view. I was given a key to the door of my dorm but there was no need... Of the two window panes in the door, one was missing. My roommates, two girls from Colorado, decided to forgo the door and simply entered through the open window.
While I was down at the lake front writing I met a group of three: Sawy from England, Anne from Brazil & Dahab from Mexico. All of them had come from Vera Cruz, Mexico to explore Guatemala. We became instant friends and I spent the next three days with them laughing uncontrollably and learning how to speak Mexican Spanish. I also practiced a little bit of Portuguese with Anne and Sawy, whose father is from Portugal.
That night we watched an Australian film called Red Dog which I highly recommend. It was a knee slapper and a heart warmer. At one point I took a break from the film to go lay in a hammock by the water. Being surrounded my mountains, the clouds felt so close. I watched the lights twinkle on the adjacent hill and felt the breeze gently rock my hammock. I thought how amazing it would be to watch a storm over the lake and in that very moment a bolt of lightening lit up the other side of the lake! Later that night I was able to capture the distant lightening with my phone.
The next morning I met a local named Pablo who had come to enjoy the view. He asked me if I felt the earthquake at 3AM that morning. What earthquake?! Well, I guess that explains my weird dreams...
In the afternoon I went for a swim. The water was perfect: calm, clear & cool; however, I was really cold when I got out (I left my towel at Earth Lodge... Oops). While I dried off in the sun, a German named Marta sat down next to me. She immediately opened up and told me of her struggles. She also showed me her tattoo, a recycling symbol on her chest. Marta's grandmother passed away while she was in Mexico & on that day she went and got her tattoo. She paid with three beers which she then helped to drink. I went to go buy something from the shop and when I got back she was gone.
Dahab and I chatted by the lake & were soon joined by a man from California. He spoke soft and slow & wore a hat with lots of feathers in it ( did he call it macaroni?). For the past three days he had been on a salt water diet. He planned to continue for two weeks. His belief is that we all came from the water (possibly even different planets) so why not sustain ourselves on just that. Also, he listed off 101 things he is allergic to. It wasn't until he was on his way out that he introduced himself as Gourmet.
A bit later I put on some salsa music and Dahab insisted we dance. He plays in a salsa orchestra and also gives dance lessons so naturally he is a great dancer. We both sang along bits and pieces of the song and I followed his lead. It was the most fun I've ever had dancing salsa!
When my friends left for the store, I heard someone call my name. It was Pablo from earlier that day. He invited me up to the balcony and introduced me to his Japanese friend Taito. Together we took in the view: the lake, mountains, volcanoes & stars. All of a sudden, Pablo began to see red off in the distance... A volcano was erupting! Nothing terribly big but enough for us to see from across the lake. The volcano Fuego (Spanish for fire) spewed out the top as well as out the side. It was so remarkable!
The next day we (Anne, Sawy, Dahab & I) traveled to another town called San Pedro. It is much more developed than San Marcos and therefore has more tourists. I wasn't nearly as enchanted although our hostel offered a really nice view from the roof.
The next day I debated what to do over coffee. I went with my friends for breakfast and then Dahab & I went to a town called Santiago. It took us awhile to find the dock and when we finally arrived the boat had just left. We walked around for a while and came back an hour later to catch the next ferry. Santiago attracts tourists because of its Mayan saint Maximón (Ma-shee-mon). It is a wooden statue dressed in a cap and dozens of ties to whom locals make offerings of money, clothing, cigarettes & alcohol in exchange for health, crops, love, business, success, etc. Maximón has been around for over 500 years & each October is taken around the lake as part of a Holy Week procession. He changes houses from year to year. Because of his relocation, the locals pointed us in a few different directions.
While we walked we saw a never-ending line of local indigenous people. I made Dahab ask someone what wad going on because he is more personable and assertive than I am. The ice cream man told us that once a year the government comes and gives each person 40 Quetzales ($5). It doesn't matter if someone has 10 children or a disability, everyone gets the same amount. We also came across a second line where the government was giving out one bag of fertilizer to each person.
Eventually a local boy, Adan, showed us the way to Maximón. We went down a tiny alleyway to a private house. There was Maximón in the center of the room and a man lighting candles to start his own ceremony. I was fascinated by the whole idea but felt a little uncomfortable. Dahab snapped a few pictures and we were on our way.
Dahab and I walked back to the dock and said goodbye, promising to stay in touch and hoping to some day visit each other. Dahab got on a boat to go back to San Pedro while I headed to a new town: Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz was even smaller than the first town I visited and had practically the same view. However, it lacked the serenity of San Marcos.
Why? Because a group of 25 people from Kentucky had taken over the hostel. I ate dinner with a group of people my age but failed to find a place on the property where their presence didn't disrupt my peace. Regardless, I enjoyed the clear night sky and the chirping of the bugs. I felt like I was at summer camp although it turned out I was the only guest in my cabin.
In the morning I packed my bag, ate breakfast & headed over to Panajachel to catch my shuttle. I was early so I walked around, bought some trinkets, and chatted with the man at the tourist agency.
The shuttle took a little over two hours and I spent about half of the time playing peek-a-boo and making silly noises with the driver's son.
Tomorrow I go back up to the Earth Lodge for a barbecue and live music. Oh yeah, and to start working. :)
And to end this blog with a fun fact: Guatemala comes from the word cuauhtemallan which means land of the trees. Although Guatemalan Jesus told me it meant land of the captive eagles. Maybe someone needs to check his facts...
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