San Marcos is BEAUTIFUL!! In stark contrast to San Pedro, San Marcos is covered in vegetation. Trees and foliage line all of the cobblestone paths (not roads . . . the gringo part of town is all walking paths, not even room for a tuk-tuk). Connecting the two main paths are dirt trails that navigate around whatever structures are in the way.
Las Piramides (http://www.laspiramidesdelka.com/) is in the middle the gringo village, surrounded by holistic healing centres, hotels and hostels. San Marcos is a healing mecca, with a bit of a new age flavour, but so far, it´s not too woo-woo.
I didn´t make a reservation for a place to stay here, and it turned out to be a more popular destination for new years than I expected. I managed, however, to get the last dorm bed in a place called La Paz, which another traveler had recommended highly. I really like it. The owner is Guatemalan, and definitely a character; dinner is served family style and there are folks hanging around chatting and being. It´s very friendly, and the gardens are STUNNING!!
I think I like San Marcos a lot.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Losing days in San Pedro
It appears that my experience in San Pedro is not uncommon. I came with the intention to stay 2 days, and I stayed 5. Others come for a day, stay for a month, come for a month, stay for a year . . . and many just don´t leave.
It´s not for everyone. It´s not a pretty city, particularly, but it has its own charm. The streets are cobblestone, but one walks through a mixture of those streets and alleys and cut-throughs to make it around town. Although I learned my way around fairly quickly, I never did actually figure out the layout of the town, as it´s really NOT linear. I couldn´t tell you, for the life of me, where north is.
I found San Pedro fascinating in some ways. There are a lot of ex-pats (from all over) that have settled here, short or long term, and you can meet many of them just wandering down the ¨"Gringo Path" . . . the strip where all those restaurants are. Once they have a little bit of spanish, basically enough to serve the occasional Guatemalan that comes in, they can get a job there - as most of the customers are english speaking travelers or other ex-pat residents. There´s also a significant Israeli population, which I hadn´t expected. Signs everywhere are in spanish, english and hebrew.
It is full of restaurants, vendors, spanish schools, more spanish schools, little tiendas, bars, net cafes . . . and did I mention spanish schools? The party scene is definitely strong, and I have a new appreciation for how easy it is to drink regularly here. Happy hours range from the usual 4 - 6 to 9am - midnight. And happy hour means alcohol is almost cheaper than water. Imagine 2 Cuba Libres for 2 dollars. Seriously. So I confess I indulged, but for those that know me, that means that over my 5 days, I had less than 10 drinks. A power drunk, I know.
I also caught the expected cold shortly after my arrival, so I was forced to slow down, take siestas and do a lot of nothing. Although rather resentful of the stuffy nose, I felt renewed justification in the pounds of vitamin c, echinacea and other health remedies that I brought with me. I also recognized that it was an inevitable result of leaving Vancouver tired, and traveling for over 24 hours to get here. Not so terrible really.
I moved after a few days into a room at the front of the hotel, facing the lake, and really enjoyed my two nights there. I got to indulge in a king size bed, with many pillows, a view of the lake and the grand gardens, and the most amazing smell of the flowers as I came and went. One bush of lilacs (I think that´s what they were) was particularly potent in the evening, and I stopped each night under it, just to inhale for a while.
I also spent some quality time reading in a hammock chair surrounded by the flowers, facing the lake. Rough life.
The cold, and enforced rest, provided me with some reflection time. I found myself feeling a real dis-ease, and struggling with the question of "why am I here?" Not the existential question, but, why Guatemala? Why am I traveling? What is that I want out of this trip? How long am I staying? Do I want to learn spanish first, or go to the meditation centre first? What happens if I run out of money before I´m ready to leave? . . . . and so on, and so on. It´s a powerful weapon sometimes, the mind, and amazing the damage it can inflict when I´m not paying attention.
So, as I indulged my screaming mind, I wandered the town, looked at cheap places to live and tried to decide where I wanted to be. I learned a fair bit, I think. Among other things, I learned that a fridge is not a standard piece of equipment in a kitchen . . . one often needs to buy it oneself and bring it with, even in short-term rentals. I gather that a lot of folks just don´t use it. Eating out is so cheap, they do that, or they buy at the market the day of and prepare as needed.
I also re-connected with my privileged existence as a Canadian, who takes clean water and hot water for granted. Both things are commodities here. Agua Pura is everywhere . . .but you pay for it. I may complain about the taste of tap water in Canadian cities, and the chlorine . . . but there´s no risk of parasites or SERIOUS illness from our water, and a hot shower is fairly standard back home. Here the hot water tap is generally disabled, and one gets cold water that comes through this electric heater thing before it lands, low pressure and luke warm on your head. (If you´re lucky . .. many don´t even have that).
I also have a new appreciation for how we handle garbage and recycling, as insufficient as our environmental awareness is at home . . . it´s almost an unknown here. Recycling is VERY minimal - most things can´t be recycled, and garbage and litter are everywhere. I was having the most wonderful breakfast on the beach one morning, only to find myself suddenly inhaling smoke and slowly getting covered in ash from a garbage fire on the beach. Nothing like a little burning plastic to enhance the eating experience.
The highlights of my time in San Pedro were really La Piscina, the friends I made there, and the gardens at my hotel. Oh, and the lake. The last three days I was in San Pedro, the lake was SO choppy. The waves were crashing and roaring, it was really like being back on the ocean. I found it so soothing to my spirit, and it also served to keep me in San Pedro that extra couple of days, as I just didn´t think the boat across to San Marcos was such a good idea with the water that rough
One of my new friends, Guyta, is another Canadian from Quebec, in San Pedro studying spanish. I´m not sure how well my spanish is progressing, but I´ve discovered I´m far more conversant in french than I give myself credit for. I´m starting to think I´m going to return home with my french vastly improved and my spanish not so much, as I keep connecting with Francophones. oh well. Guyta is lovely, and I´ve been enjoying her company a lot. She challenges me to use what little spanish I have, and when that fails, we fall into Frenglish. I´m enjoying it a lot. We´ve decided to spend New Years together in San Marcos; since I´m heading there a day ahead of her, I´ll scope us a place to stay, and meet her at the dock there on Thursday afternoon.
Next top, San Marcos La Laguna.
It´s not for everyone. It´s not a pretty city, particularly, but it has its own charm. The streets are cobblestone, but one walks through a mixture of those streets and alleys and cut-throughs to make it around town. Although I learned my way around fairly quickly, I never did actually figure out the layout of the town, as it´s really NOT linear. I couldn´t tell you, for the life of me, where north is.
I found San Pedro fascinating in some ways. There are a lot of ex-pats (from all over) that have settled here, short or long term, and you can meet many of them just wandering down the ¨"Gringo Path" . . . the strip where all those restaurants are. Once they have a little bit of spanish, basically enough to serve the occasional Guatemalan that comes in, they can get a job there - as most of the customers are english speaking travelers or other ex-pat residents. There´s also a significant Israeli population, which I hadn´t expected. Signs everywhere are in spanish, english and hebrew.
It is full of restaurants, vendors, spanish schools, more spanish schools, little tiendas, bars, net cafes . . . and did I mention spanish schools? The party scene is definitely strong, and I have a new appreciation for how easy it is to drink regularly here. Happy hours range from the usual 4 - 6 to 9am - midnight. And happy hour means alcohol is almost cheaper than water. Imagine 2 Cuba Libres for 2 dollars. Seriously. So I confess I indulged, but for those that know me, that means that over my 5 days, I had less than 10 drinks. A power drunk, I know.
I also caught the expected cold shortly after my arrival, so I was forced to slow down, take siestas and do a lot of nothing. Although rather resentful of the stuffy nose, I felt renewed justification in the pounds of vitamin c, echinacea and other health remedies that I brought with me. I also recognized that it was an inevitable result of leaving Vancouver tired, and traveling for over 24 hours to get here. Not so terrible really.
I moved after a few days into a room at the front of the hotel, facing the lake, and really enjoyed my two nights there. I got to indulge in a king size bed, with many pillows, a view of the lake and the grand gardens, and the most amazing smell of the flowers as I came and went. One bush of lilacs (I think that´s what they were) was particularly potent in the evening, and I stopped each night under it, just to inhale for a while.
I also spent some quality time reading in a hammock chair surrounded by the flowers, facing the lake. Rough life.
The cold, and enforced rest, provided me with some reflection time. I found myself feeling a real dis-ease, and struggling with the question of "why am I here?" Not the existential question, but, why Guatemala? Why am I traveling? What is that I want out of this trip? How long am I staying? Do I want to learn spanish first, or go to the meditation centre first? What happens if I run out of money before I´m ready to leave? . . . . and so on, and so on. It´s a powerful weapon sometimes, the mind, and amazing the damage it can inflict when I´m not paying attention.
So, as I indulged my screaming mind, I wandered the town, looked at cheap places to live and tried to decide where I wanted to be. I learned a fair bit, I think. Among other things, I learned that a fridge is not a standard piece of equipment in a kitchen . . . one often needs to buy it oneself and bring it with, even in short-term rentals. I gather that a lot of folks just don´t use it. Eating out is so cheap, they do that, or they buy at the market the day of and prepare as needed.
I also re-connected with my privileged existence as a Canadian, who takes clean water and hot water for granted. Both things are commodities here. Agua Pura is everywhere . . .but you pay for it. I may complain about the taste of tap water in Canadian cities, and the chlorine . . . but there´s no risk of parasites or SERIOUS illness from our water, and a hot shower is fairly standard back home. Here the hot water tap is generally disabled, and one gets cold water that comes through this electric heater thing before it lands, low pressure and luke warm on your head. (If you´re lucky . .. many don´t even have that).
I also have a new appreciation for how we handle garbage and recycling, as insufficient as our environmental awareness is at home . . . it´s almost an unknown here. Recycling is VERY minimal - most things can´t be recycled, and garbage and litter are everywhere. I was having the most wonderful breakfast on the beach one morning, only to find myself suddenly inhaling smoke and slowly getting covered in ash from a garbage fire on the beach. Nothing like a little burning plastic to enhance the eating experience.
The highlights of my time in San Pedro were really La Piscina, the friends I made there, and the gardens at my hotel. Oh, and the lake. The last three days I was in San Pedro, the lake was SO choppy. The waves were crashing and roaring, it was really like being back on the ocean. I found it so soothing to my spirit, and it also served to keep me in San Pedro that extra couple of days, as I just didn´t think the boat across to San Marcos was such a good idea with the water that rough
One of my new friends, Guyta, is another Canadian from Quebec, in San Pedro studying spanish. I´m not sure how well my spanish is progressing, but I´ve discovered I´m far more conversant in french than I give myself credit for. I´m starting to think I´m going to return home with my french vastly improved and my spanish not so much, as I keep connecting with Francophones. oh well. Guyta is lovely, and I´ve been enjoying her company a lot. She challenges me to use what little spanish I have, and when that fails, we fall into Frenglish. I´m enjoying it a lot. We´ve decided to spend New Years together in San Marcos; since I´m heading there a day ahead of her, I´ll scope us a place to stay, and meet her at the dock there on Thursday afternoon.
Next top, San Marcos La Laguna.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas in San Pedro
I arrived in San Pedro on Christmas afternoon, having decided that as lovely as Santa Cruz was, I just wasn´t up for a communal North American Christmas dinner that, of course, I couldn´t really eat. (Gluten-free down here is EASY if I eat traditional Guatemalan food. Where the Gringos converge for their usual fare, generally, I´m screwed.)
I was a little nervous about coming to San Pedro as I have heard such mixed reviews about it. My dear friend Elinor told me how wonderful it was, and connected me with her friend Daniel, owner of the local pool. On the other hand, most of the travelers I ran into said it was a big drug and party town, and that I wouldn´t get 10 feet without being offered every nature of mind-altering substance . . .and that the town itself was (to paraphrase) icky and uninspiring.
On the launcha over, I reconnected with some of the friends I´d made on my eventful bus ride to the lake, and we chatted all the way over. We wandered together in search of a hotel, before they abandoned the search in favour of a hike up the volcano. I figured I was unlikely to see them again. I ended up at what turns out to be the loveliest hotel in town: Sak´Cari. At 100Q a night, it´s considered Muy Caro - too expensive. At a conversion of $13 a night, I decided to indulge for a few days.
My room was a lovely single with a double bed, HOT water with fabulous pressure (a rarity here) and just outside the back gardens. The birds nested in the tree outside my room have the most amazing calls, and the colours are spectacular. There is free agua pura and I´m all set. Once I settled into my room ,I donned by bathing suit and headed for the pool. I´m excited at the prospect of a swim. The weather has been really hot during the day, and chilly at night . . . but with the bloom on the lake, it´s not really safe to swim, at least that´s the perspective I´m going with. That point is of great debate - some say it is, some say it isn´t . . . I put a foot in while in Santa Cruz, and psychosomatic or not, that foot was ITCHY for the next hour. I think I´ll pass on the full-body experience.
So, off to La Piscina I went. What a fabulous place. The pool itself is not large, but the water is clean and inviting. The bar has good music playing and the people are fun. Daniel made me feel very welcome and before long I made friends at the bar. I can see why this has become a regular hang-out/hub for many of the longer term gringos and for short term travelers alike. Daniel is a modern-day, bar-tending Bodhisatva and makes sure a good time is had by all. In my case, he made my Christmas day.
After the sun went down and the pool closed, we went out for dinner at a local place, Ventana Blue, which has officially become my favourite restaurant in San Pedro. The food was SOOO good!! It wasn´t a terribly late evening . . . I was in bed by about 10 for much needed rest, but it was a GOOD Christmas.
PS: Did I mention how much Guatemalans LOVE fireworks and other VERY noisy firecracker type things????
PPS: So far no drug offers or untoward anythings. Folks have been friendly, and while partying appears to be easily available . . .things seem pretty chill. Glad I didn´t let other folks bad press dissuade me from coming.
I was a little nervous about coming to San Pedro as I have heard such mixed reviews about it. My dear friend Elinor told me how wonderful it was, and connected me with her friend Daniel, owner of the local pool. On the other hand, most of the travelers I ran into said it was a big drug and party town, and that I wouldn´t get 10 feet without being offered every nature of mind-altering substance . . .and that the town itself was (to paraphrase) icky and uninspiring.
On the launcha over, I reconnected with some of the friends I´d made on my eventful bus ride to the lake, and we chatted all the way over. We wandered together in search of a hotel, before they abandoned the search in favour of a hike up the volcano. I figured I was unlikely to see them again. I ended up at what turns out to be the loveliest hotel in town: Sak´Cari. At 100Q a night, it´s considered Muy Caro - too expensive. At a conversion of $13 a night, I decided to indulge for a few days.
My room was a lovely single with a double bed, HOT water with fabulous pressure (a rarity here) and just outside the back gardens. The birds nested in the tree outside my room have the most amazing calls, and the colours are spectacular. There is free agua pura and I´m all set. Once I settled into my room ,I donned by bathing suit and headed for the pool. I´m excited at the prospect of a swim. The weather has been really hot during the day, and chilly at night . . . but with the bloom on the lake, it´s not really safe to swim, at least that´s the perspective I´m going with. That point is of great debate - some say it is, some say it isn´t . . . I put a foot in while in Santa Cruz, and psychosomatic or not, that foot was ITCHY for the next hour. I think I´ll pass on the full-body experience.
So, off to La Piscina I went. What a fabulous place. The pool itself is not large, but the water is clean and inviting. The bar has good music playing and the people are fun. Daniel made me feel very welcome and before long I made friends at the bar. I can see why this has become a regular hang-out/hub for many of the longer term gringos and for short term travelers alike. Daniel is a modern-day, bar-tending Bodhisatva and makes sure a good time is had by all. In my case, he made my Christmas day.
After the sun went down and the pool closed, we went out for dinner at a local place, Ventana Blue, which has officially become my favourite restaurant in San Pedro. The food was SOOO good!! It wasn´t a terribly late evening . . . I was in bed by about 10 for much needed rest, but it was a GOOD Christmas.
PS: Did I mention how much Guatemalans LOVE fireworks and other VERY noisy firecracker type things????
PPS: So far no drug offers or untoward anythings. Folks have been friendly, and while partying appears to be easily available . . .things seem pretty chill. Glad I didn´t let other folks bad press dissuade me from coming.
Santa Cruz La Laguna
I spent two beautiful days in Santa Cruz La Laguna at La Iguana Perdita. It´s a hotel/hostel with a mix of dorms, private rooms, shared and private bathrooms. It´s right on the lake, which is great, because if I'd had to make it up the hill to the village in order to get there, I probably would have turned right around and back onto the next Launcha.
When I reserved, I was able to get a private room, but no private bathroom. What I didn´t find out until I arrived was that the room was a cabana with no electricity, and the bathroom was outside and across the walkway. It made me think of Cortes . . . and all the places I chose NOT to live because I was unwilling to go outside at night to pee. Oh well. I do miss home.
Other than that little glitch, which I managed just fine with, the place is lovely!!! Dinner is a set-meal, served family style, and most of the guests (and some of the locals too) gather together to eat. After dinner a group of us sat outside around a fire pit. It was beautiful. The gardens and greenery were spectacular, the food was pretty good and the people were lovely.
Our first morning there my roommate, Rita, and I walked up into the village (it´s about a 30+ minute walk up a STEEP grade) to the top of the village, but it was beautiful and totally worth it. We passed a little place about 2 thirds of the way up advertising local food, which excited us both, but we didn´t want to ruin our dinner, so we had popsicles in the village instead. Really, there isn´t much in Santa Cruz except the local village and the hotels. This little cantina was a surprise. Santa Cruz is not a bustling town - but rather an outdoors kind of place for tourists. There are beautiful hikes to be taken in any direction . . . to other villages, to a waterfall, through the forest . . . but no stores or restaurants really.
I was there for Christmas eve, and after a not-so-traditional dinner of tacos, we had another lovely evening by the fire pit. This time a few local kids were there and they got playing with my hoops. It was a riot. They had a blast. I finally toddered off to bed around 11:30, which turned out to be a bit of a strategic error, as the fireworks around the lake started at midnight. They were spectacular. I hopped back out of bed to catch the tail end of them.
The next morning, Rita convinced me to do the hike uphill a second time. She desperately wanted to try that little cantina for authentic guatemalan food. The Iguana has pretty good food, made by local chicas, but it´s really more gringo food. The guests tend to be back-packers who are tired of local food and want a taste of home . . . at least that was the explanation. So up the hill we went. We weren´t terribly optimistic, however, as it was Christmas morning. And not surprisingly, there were no menu signs on the gate - no authentic food for us. Mind you, the walk up and back made us pretty grateful for the food we did eat back at the Iguana.
Shortly after brunch, I packed myself up and headed for the launcha to San Pedro . . .
*Special Note: For the record, Guatemalans LOVE their fireworks . . . and firecracker things . . . black caps . . . whatever they´re called. Whatever they are, they make a lot of noise. The the kids throw them at the pavement and they sound like a gunshot. They go off here all the time. Feliz Navidad!!!
When I reserved, I was able to get a private room, but no private bathroom. What I didn´t find out until I arrived was that the room was a cabana with no electricity, and the bathroom was outside and across the walkway. It made me think of Cortes . . . and all the places I chose NOT to live because I was unwilling to go outside at night to pee. Oh well. I do miss home.
Other than that little glitch, which I managed just fine with, the place is lovely!!! Dinner is a set-meal, served family style, and most of the guests (and some of the locals too) gather together to eat. After dinner a group of us sat outside around a fire pit. It was beautiful. The gardens and greenery were spectacular, the food was pretty good and the people were lovely.
Our first morning there my roommate, Rita, and I walked up into the village (it´s about a 30+ minute walk up a STEEP grade) to the top of the village, but it was beautiful and totally worth it. We passed a little place about 2 thirds of the way up advertising local food, which excited us both, but we didn´t want to ruin our dinner, so we had popsicles in the village instead. Really, there isn´t much in Santa Cruz except the local village and the hotels. This little cantina was a surprise. Santa Cruz is not a bustling town - but rather an outdoors kind of place for tourists. There are beautiful hikes to be taken in any direction . . . to other villages, to a waterfall, through the forest . . . but no stores or restaurants really.
I was there for Christmas eve, and after a not-so-traditional dinner of tacos, we had another lovely evening by the fire pit. This time a few local kids were there and they got playing with my hoops. It was a riot. They had a blast. I finally toddered off to bed around 11:30, which turned out to be a bit of a strategic error, as the fireworks around the lake started at midnight. They were spectacular. I hopped back out of bed to catch the tail end of them.
The next morning, Rita convinced me to do the hike uphill a second time. She desperately wanted to try that little cantina for authentic guatemalan food. The Iguana has pretty good food, made by local chicas, but it´s really more gringo food. The guests tend to be back-packers who are tired of local food and want a taste of home . . . at least that was the explanation. So up the hill we went. We weren´t terribly optimistic, however, as it was Christmas morning. And not surprisingly, there were no menu signs on the gate - no authentic food for us. Mind you, the walk up and back made us pretty grateful for the food we did eat back at the Iguana.
Shortly after brunch, I packed myself up and headed for the launcha to San Pedro . . .
*Special Note: For the record, Guatemalans LOVE their fireworks . . . and firecracker things . . . black caps . . . whatever they´re called. Whatever they are, they make a lot of noise. The the kids throw them at the pavement and they sound like a gunshot. They go off here all the time. Feliz Navidad!!!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Journey to Lago Atitlan
After a full two days in Antigua, I was ready to head to Lago Atitlan. Created by the 3 volcanoes surrounding it, it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. So I hustled back to my hotel from my morning of touring with Guy in order to make sure I didn´t miss my 12:30 shuttle.
I needn´t have worried. The shuttle arrived about 10 past 1, and after negotiating my mucho stuff into the back I climbed in, and then held on for dear life. We rattled through the streets in a tin can. It looked ok from the outside, really . . . but I seriously wondered if parts were going to fall off as it squeaked and rattled. It appears I wasn´t too far off. About 20 minutes outside town we broke down. Fortunately, I already had friends in the shuttle to chat with while we waited by the side of the road for a new bus to be sent for us. One of them was Alexandra, who I had met at the airport in Guat City and chatted with into Antigua. It was lovely to see her again. I also got chatting with the couple beside me and the woman behind us - all Gringos from the US.
After about a half hour wait, with children peering in, trying to sell us firewood, (what did they think a shuttle of tourists would do with it???) we were on our way again. The next two hours were a bit harrowing, but absolutely stunning. The grades on the roads are unbelievable. The shuttle we were in looked and sounded much newer when it picked us up, but it was sounding pretty rough a couple of hours later as we laboured up and down hills, and back and forth around hairpin turns. There were more than a few hold-on-and-pray moments . . . but at least this shuttle had seatbelts, for which I was quite grateful!
About 2 hours into the trip (and about 20 minutes from Panajachel, our destination), we blew a flat. So we had another 20 minutes to hang-out while the driver changed the tire. We were all quite pleasantly surprised (and deeply grateful) that he had a spare. Morale boosting was required at this point, so I pulled out my hoops, which had been the subject of some conversation en route, and a bunch of us hung out on the grass and hooped. I was informed that if I ran short on cash this trip, I should consider giving hoop lessons. We´ll see what happens!
After our brief stretch and shimmy break, we resumed our journey to Pana, continuing through hairpin turns, on immense grades, over single lane bridges, above an incredible canyon of trees and rocks and wow. I wish I could have taken pictures of this journey, but it just wasn´t possible through the windows of our little shuttle van. Finally we arrived in Pana and negotiated our way slowly through the market streets. Vendors everywhere . . . beautiful cloths and wares and stuff. I definitely want to go spend a day in Pana just wandering . . . but with my packs, this wasn´t the day.
At the bottom of the street, we were let off just above the docks where we were guided down to the launchas to take us to our respective towns on the lake. Some of the troops were heading for San Marcos, some for San Pedro; I and my new friend Rita headed for Santa Cruz La Laguna to check out the Iguana.
I needn´t have worried. The shuttle arrived about 10 past 1, and after negotiating my mucho stuff into the back I climbed in, and then held on for dear life. We rattled through the streets in a tin can. It looked ok from the outside, really . . . but I seriously wondered if parts were going to fall off as it squeaked and rattled. It appears I wasn´t too far off. About 20 minutes outside town we broke down. Fortunately, I already had friends in the shuttle to chat with while we waited by the side of the road for a new bus to be sent for us. One of them was Alexandra, who I had met at the airport in Guat City and chatted with into Antigua. It was lovely to see her again. I also got chatting with the couple beside me and the woman behind us - all Gringos from the US.
After about a half hour wait, with children peering in, trying to sell us firewood, (what did they think a shuttle of tourists would do with it???) we were on our way again. The next two hours were a bit harrowing, but absolutely stunning. The grades on the roads are unbelievable. The shuttle we were in looked and sounded much newer when it picked us up, but it was sounding pretty rough a couple of hours later as we laboured up and down hills, and back and forth around hairpin turns. There were more than a few hold-on-and-pray moments . . . but at least this shuttle had seatbelts, for which I was quite grateful!
About 2 hours into the trip (and about 20 minutes from Panajachel, our destination), we blew a flat. So we had another 20 minutes to hang-out while the driver changed the tire. We were all quite pleasantly surprised (and deeply grateful) that he had a spare. Morale boosting was required at this point, so I pulled out my hoops, which had been the subject of some conversation en route, and a bunch of us hung out on the grass and hooped. I was informed that if I ran short on cash this trip, I should consider giving hoop lessons. We´ll see what happens!
After our brief stretch and shimmy break, we resumed our journey to Pana, continuing through hairpin turns, on immense grades, over single lane bridges, above an incredible canyon of trees and rocks and wow. I wish I could have taken pictures of this journey, but it just wasn´t possible through the windows of our little shuttle van. Finally we arrived in Pana and negotiated our way slowly through the market streets. Vendors everywhere . . . beautiful cloths and wares and stuff. I definitely want to go spend a day in Pana just wandering . . . but with my packs, this wasn´t the day.
At the bottom of the street, we were let off just above the docks where we were guided down to the launchas to take us to our respective towns on the lake. Some of the troops were heading for San Marcos, some for San Pedro; I and my new friend Rita headed for Santa Cruz La Laguna to check out the Iguana.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Antigua
Antigua is a beautiful town. I spent just under two days here and have a bunch of beautiful pictures and some great memories.
Things that stand out:
The Parc Central in the middle of town in beautiful. A big fountain in the centre, surrounded by treas and flowers and other greenery, and lots of benches for people to just sit and enjoy . . . .and they do. Peddlars come past constantly offering to sell their wares, provide a shoe-shine, juice, whatever. Children tag along behind their parents, often peddling their own stash of wares.
The streets are all cobblestone and there are no traffic signs (no lights, no stop signs), just the occasional one-way marker which is observed unless it´s inconvenient. There are a ton of motorcycles and mopeds here - people ride them double, triple, with children, babies . . . . usually without helmets. The traffic here is a wonder to me. And those intersections provide me with endess fascination. I can stand for quite a while just watching how traffic zips through and I haven't seen any accidents. You can't see around the corners - one only hopes no one else is racing through at the same time - and yet, somehow it seems to work. Somehow words feel like they fail to really illustrate the process.
My favourite moment, however, is clear and I wish I could have caught it on camera. A woman zipped by me on a motorcycle, and as she approached the intersection, without slowing down, she crossed herself and kept going. I stood and laughed for a full 3 minutes.
Later in the afternoon I went to explore the market. What an experience. I rarely get lost, as I have a really good sense of direction, but at some point, I realized I might actually be lost inside the endless corridors of this mammoth market. You can buy ANYTHING here. Shoes, chickens, veggies, tortillas, cds . . . . seriously, ANYTHING. I walked through with an unstoppable grin, just enjoying the show. Once I finally emerged, I found a woman making these amazing tortillas, with cheese inside, guac, cabbage and salsa on top. 5 Q. (That´s about 60 cents) . . . OH MY GODDESS!! SO GOOD.
As I was walking back towards the Parc Central from the market, I met my first traveler-friend in Antigua, Guy. He was wearing a polo shirt with a Canada flag, so I asked him where he was from. Turns out he´s from France, but loves Canada. I laughed. We wandered and chatted and ended up having dinner together . . . it was lovely to have company. I think, mind you, that I improved my french far more than my spanish. We hung out again the next morning and continued to explore Antigua. It was great. We got a tour of the old Cathedral, which was just amazing. It was originally built around 1545 and has been destroyed and rebuilt (at least partially) twice. The front part of the Cathedral has been mostly re-constructed, but the ruins of the former palace, the rest of the Cathedral and the catacombs underneath remain mostly as ruins, with a few reenforcement points. We got the tour from a ´helpful' local, who of course expected a tip at the end (my pleasure!) but had a much larger amount in mind than we expected - and he had neglected to mention that upfront. I was glad to have Guy with me (who speaks spanish quite well) to guide the transaction.
After the Cathedral, we wandered through the streets, stopping in little artisan shops to admire their wares, as we made our way to the big hotel. The name escapes me right now - but it´s the biggest, most expensive and most beautiful hotel in Antigua. It´s not a historical site, but it feels like one, and I think it was built over some ruins - because I think you can tour some inside. The courtyard is full of beautiful vegetation and birds. Wow! The birds!
After that, we headed back towards my hotel, stopping at my favourite little place for lunch, and then hustling back so I could make my shuttle to Panahachel on Lago Atitlan.
And that will be my next post . . . .
Things that stand out:
The Parc Central in the middle of town in beautiful. A big fountain in the centre, surrounded by treas and flowers and other greenery, and lots of benches for people to just sit and enjoy . . . .and they do. Peddlars come past constantly offering to sell their wares, provide a shoe-shine, juice, whatever. Children tag along behind their parents, often peddling their own stash of wares.
The streets are all cobblestone and there are no traffic signs (no lights, no stop signs), just the occasional one-way marker which is observed unless it´s inconvenient. There are a ton of motorcycles and mopeds here - people ride them double, triple, with children, babies . . . . usually without helmets. The traffic here is a wonder to me. And those intersections provide me with endess fascination. I can stand for quite a while just watching how traffic zips through and I haven't seen any accidents. You can't see around the corners - one only hopes no one else is racing through at the same time - and yet, somehow it seems to work. Somehow words feel like they fail to really illustrate the process.
My favourite moment, however, is clear and I wish I could have caught it on camera. A woman zipped by me on a motorcycle, and as she approached the intersection, without slowing down, she crossed herself and kept going. I stood and laughed for a full 3 minutes.
Later in the afternoon I went to explore the market. What an experience. I rarely get lost, as I have a really good sense of direction, but at some point, I realized I might actually be lost inside the endless corridors of this mammoth market. You can buy ANYTHING here. Shoes, chickens, veggies, tortillas, cds . . . . seriously, ANYTHING. I walked through with an unstoppable grin, just enjoying the show. Once I finally emerged, I found a woman making these amazing tortillas, with cheese inside, guac, cabbage and salsa on top. 5 Q. (That´s about 60 cents) . . . OH MY GODDESS!! SO GOOD.
As I was walking back towards the Parc Central from the market, I met my first traveler-friend in Antigua, Guy. He was wearing a polo shirt with a Canada flag, so I asked him where he was from. Turns out he´s from France, but loves Canada. I laughed. We wandered and chatted and ended up having dinner together . . . it was lovely to have company. I think, mind you, that I improved my french far more than my spanish. We hung out again the next morning and continued to explore Antigua. It was great. We got a tour of the old Cathedral, which was just amazing. It was originally built around 1545 and has been destroyed and rebuilt (at least partially) twice. The front part of the Cathedral has been mostly re-constructed, but the ruins of the former palace, the rest of the Cathedral and the catacombs underneath remain mostly as ruins, with a few reenforcement points. We got the tour from a ´helpful' local, who of course expected a tip at the end (my pleasure!) but had a much larger amount in mind than we expected - and he had neglected to mention that upfront. I was glad to have Guy with me (who speaks spanish quite well) to guide the transaction.
After the Cathedral, we wandered through the streets, stopping in little artisan shops to admire their wares, as we made our way to the big hotel. The name escapes me right now - but it´s the biggest, most expensive and most beautiful hotel in Antigua. It´s not a historical site, but it feels like one, and I think it was built over some ruins - because I think you can tour some inside. The courtyard is full of beautiful vegetation and birds. Wow! The birds!
After that, we headed back towards my hotel, stopping at my favourite little place for lunch, and then hustling back so I could make my shuttle to Panahachel on Lago Atitlan.
And that will be my next post . . . .
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Arriving in Guatemala
I arrived in Guatemala yesterday. It is hard, in this moment to believe that it was only yesterday!
After 24+ hours in transit, not surprisingly, I arrived exhausted. I navigated through customs and immigration . . . except that I was so tired, I didn´t even realize that I had made it through immigration. I had to ask at information - and the nice man there pointed out the stamp in my passport.
When I emerged from the airport, as I was told to predict, there was a fenced area beyond which throng of people crowded. The promised, easily-identifiable, shuttle drivers were not so easy to spot, and definitely not within the fenced boundaries. I managed, however, to safely secure myself a shuttle, and after waiting for the driver to find two more souls (they won't leave without at least 3 people), we were on our way to Antigua about 45 minutes later.
The drive from Guatemala City to Antigua was fascinating. The scenery is the constant paradox: lush, verdant green, garbage in the street, shanties, brand- new paved roads, luxury cars, black-smoke puffing chicken buses. Children, dogs and vendors everywhere. The colours of the people and the landscape are amazing - and in stark contrast to the almost gray of some of the buildings.
The other two travelers in the shuttle were also English-speakers, but and far more experienced travelers and both reasonably conversant in Spanish. I got my first immersion experience, with some occasional translation, and some coaching to try some myself. I was pleased at how much I was able to follow - even if I can't yet speak a word.
As we approached Antigua, the driver provided a bit of a tour as he drove through the cobbled streets dropping each of us off. I was last, which was great - because it gave me the most thorough tour and a chance to scope out some places to see and some alternate places to stay. He pointed out a great place for 'authentic' local food, which I was able to find back later that evening for dinner - and WOW was it good.
My hotel the first night was nondescript. My room had a window into the hallway, but not to the outside - so it felt a little like a prison cell, but the bed was reasonably comfortable and there were extra blankets. Thank goodness, because the evenings are surprisingly cool.
Despite my exhaustion, I managed a little wander through town to go find dinner, visited the most amazing crafts market, and checked out a Spanish school. I was impressed by the school, and the lady I talked to. I think I tripped over a good one. However, despite her strong encouragement for me to return this morning, I didn't. I really want to start learning the language - I feel so disrespectful by not speaking it - but I'm hesitant to make any commitments yet. I'm still not sure how long I want to stay in Antigua, and how soon I want to head for Lago Atitlan. I've already switched to the hotel next door (much nicer), but I know I can only stay here for one night, so I'll be shifting again tomorrow. I'm just not sure where.
And I have already discovered how painfully I over-packed. Changing locations is just not easy or appealing with the amount of stuff I'm carrying. It seems I am already nose-to-nose with my attachment to 'stuff' and the very real impact of that.
Time to go explore . . . more later.
When I emerged from the airport, as I was told to predict, there was a fenced area beyond which throng of people crowded. The promised, easily-identifiable, shuttle drivers were not so easy to spot, and definitely not within the fenced boundaries. I managed, however, to safely secure myself a shuttle, and after waiting for the driver to find two more souls (they won't leave without at least 3 people), we were on our way to Antigua about 45 minutes later.
The drive from Guatemala City to Antigua was fascinating. The scenery is the constant paradox: lush, verdant green, garbage in the street, shanties, brand- new paved roads, luxury cars, black-smoke puffing chicken buses. Children, dogs and vendors everywhere. The colours of the people and the landscape are amazing - and in stark contrast to the almost gray of some of the buildings.
The other two travelers in the shuttle were also English-speakers, but and far more experienced travelers and both reasonably conversant in Spanish. I got my first immersion experience, with some occasional translation, and some coaching to try some myself. I was pleased at how much I was able to follow - even if I can't yet speak a word.
As we approached Antigua, the driver provided a bit of a tour as he drove through the cobbled streets dropping each of us off. I was last, which was great - because it gave me the most thorough tour and a chance to scope out some places to see and some alternate places to stay. He pointed out a great place for 'authentic' local food, which I was able to find back later that evening for dinner - and WOW was it good.
My hotel the first night was nondescript. My room had a window into the hallway, but not to the outside - so it felt a little like a prison cell, but the bed was reasonably comfortable and there were extra blankets. Thank goodness, because the evenings are surprisingly cool.
Despite my exhaustion, I managed a little wander through town to go find dinner, visited the most amazing crafts market, and checked out a Spanish school. I was impressed by the school, and the lady I talked to. I think I tripped over a good one. However, despite her strong encouragement for me to return this morning, I didn't. I really want to start learning the language - I feel so disrespectful by not speaking it - but I'm hesitant to make any commitments yet. I'm still not sure how long I want to stay in Antigua, and how soon I want to head for Lago Atitlan. I've already switched to the hotel next door (much nicer), but I know I can only stay here for one night, so I'll be shifting again tomorrow. I'm just not sure where.
And I have already discovered how painfully I over-packed. Changing locations is just not easy or appealing with the amount of stuff I'm carrying. It seems I am already nose-to-nose with my attachment to 'stuff' and the very real impact of that.
Time to go explore . . . more later.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Getting ready to travel
I was told to journal my pre-trip process, as well as the journey itself. Most of that happened in a little book - but it is worth reflecting some on it here.
I left packing until the last minute. I panicked about what to pack. I left flight-bookings pretty late too, and they cost me a pretty penny. I did, however, get everything done that needed to be done and then some perhaps. I shopped until I dropped - and marveled at how much it cost me just to leave the country - never mind what I might spend once I was gone. I agonized over what to take - and whether I was taking too much, and what I might find I'd forgotten.
I have been laughingly assured by many that, yes - I would pack too much . . . and that was part of the journey. Next time I go traveling I will pack lighter and laugh at how heavy I made the first trip - literally and figuratively speaking.
Despite the doubts and concerns, mind you, I have received a ton of support - some from very unexpected sources. I have received help moving, help booking my tickets, short and long term places to crash over the last two months, a ton of wisdom, guidance, advice and a lot of love. I have been blessed with support and friendships that I am immensely grateful for. I have been both wished blessings on my journey and had angels sent with me to ensure I return.
Many times I was asked why I was going - at least half of those times, the question was posed by me. I still don´t fully know the answer, though I hope to soon. Or not. I do know that this journey is as much about letting go and trusting the process as it is anything else. I also know that that is the hardest combination in the world, and what has made this such a terrifying journey to embark upon - and what will potentially make it so rewarding. I do know that even as I wondered why I was going, and even as I experienced the longing for home, and the pain of missing my friends before I even left . . . I knew that I had to go. I knew that this was my journey to be on, and that it was time.
And so the journey begins . . . .
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