Lago Atitlan, Chichi, back to Antigua

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Hola (again!) No photos this time, but I´ll try to keep it short! Then again, you know me!

7th Jan 06
Travelled by four chicken buses (one of them really with chickens) to Panajachel (¨Panahashel¨), which is a town right on Lago Atitlan. I am so glad we went the hard way and not by private transport. It was really interesting and fun.

Further from Antigua, both the men and women increasingly dress in traditional Mayan dress and not for the tourists either. The indigenous population is generally extremely beautiful and graceful. They also tend to be unbelievably short (often less than 5ft) and I kept mistaking adults for children and then double taking when I noticed wrinkles. The young mothers carry their offspring in makeshift sacks of vivid colours, sometimes while balancing heavy packages on their heads. The women wear long colourful skirts and tops with a belt. The men wear cowboy hats and colourful shorts or pants.. During one of the bus trips a little girl had nowhere to sit (or stand for that matter) and so with a careful eye on her Mum´s reaction I offered her my lap. She quickly fell asleep. She was just the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Arriving at Pana, a whole bunch of the group went on a boat ride but I just wanted to look around. For one thing the lake is breathtaking and I can´t wait to get some pics on here. Lago Atitlan is surrounded by either 3 or 4 volcanoes (I have heard both but have only counted three) and I really just don´t have the words to describe how amazing it is.

Our hotel room stank of sulfur and Andrew and I both have headaches and watery eyes and are really, really lethargic with no appetite. I also seemed to re-get the chest infection I was over. Lesson of the day, don´t stay in a hotel that smells of sulfur.

8th Jan 06
Three more chicken buses to Chichi, or Chichicastenango, a market town. The whole experience was really interesting. For one thing, it wasn´t particularly touristy. We did a lot of bargaining although I am very weary of pushing too hard on the prices even though I know I could. What we earn in an hour might take them a day or even more and a few cents to us could be dinner for them tonight.

Andrew also turned out to be a good bargainer, which kind of surprised even me. I think this is the side I keep hearing about that comes out at work but not at home. “I won´t have enough money to get home if I spend that much” he´d say as he´d start walking away, and then suddenly the price was lowered.

By the way, there are sooo many Australians here. Met yet more on one of the buses.

Don´t go hunting for the middle class in Guatemala: I don´t think it exists and there is a huge gap between the haves and have-nots, which generally is the same as saying the Spanish descendants and the indigenous people. What I find really interesting about Guatemala is that the Spanish and indigenous people have stayed separate, whereas in CR, Nica and Hond the vast majority of the population are Mestizos, or mixed Spanish and indigenous blood. Why the difference?

9th Jan 06
Morning, took a boat trip to Casa del Mundo which I suggested because it was recommended to me by yet more Aussies we met. It was astonishing - set high up in the hills and looking out over the lake and volcanoes. Every picture I took looks like it has been photoshopped.

Then on to Santiago - the boat driver´s name was also Santiago. The group went off to see a statue but Andrew and I explored all the art galleries and the church and school. No sign of bloody civil war in the paintings. Not a single one.

I loved Santiago (another town on the lake) and I bought some delicious banana bread for 8 quetzales, or about a dollar US. We just sat and watched at one point and you don´t get bored for a second. I just wish more of the school age children were in school (which I know for a fact has gone back) rather than selling things. Ok maybe this is Maddy on her high horse, but children are a responsibility and not a commodity and the two most crucial things they have to do are learn and play. It is so heartbreaking, honestly, when your twelve year old waiter takes your order, with a black bow tie on and crisp white shirt. Or when a four year old is folding slippers into neat piles. Or a six year old is carrying a load of wood so heavy on his back his face is nearly touching the ground. I keep deluding myself he´s home sick or she´s not really at school age yet etc but you sort of know it´s not true.

Now I am back in Antigua and my appetite still hasn´t come back. Will write more soon, I´m sure you can´t wait! hee hee, sorry I am so long winded. Bye for now!

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Comments

[Kelly]

wahoo!
Cool Madeleine, can't wait to see you, hope I can show you just as good a time. I've only been to Panama and Ecuador, but I saw the quetzales! beautiful. the naughty horse comment cracked me up. The volcano lava flow sounded spectacular also. hasta luego, kelly