Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

We stopped again in Comitan on the way from San Cristobal to the Cuahutemoc-Mesilla border, for an oil change and to buy some bread, cheese and fruit for the road. Once we got to the border we cancelled our temporary vehicle importation permit and got our passports stamped on the Mexican side before crossing into Guatemala. We had heard some horror stories about crossing borders with our own vehicle in Central America, particularly in Guatemala (a Canadian couple we know of recently got stung for $200) but we had no trouble at all. In fact, it was the easiest border crossing we have had so far! They charged us a small fee to “disinfect” the vehicle with some insecticide spray, and another little bit for a tourist card and permit for the vehicle (which was much less than they charged in Mexico) and we were on our way. The guys in the office even gave us a map and some information on good places to visit. It took about 15 minutes, total! Apparently there is this thing called a CA-4 border agreement between Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua which means that we do not need to pay again at any of those borders for tourist permits. We immediately noticed a difference upon crossing the border into Guatemala, and the drive from the border to Lake Atitlan was the most awe-inspiring we have seen so far. All along the highway there are communities in the hills that are only accessible by these hanging footbridges, and every space is used to plant things. It took us a while to figure out what it was, but huge cloths line the road covered in green and brown coffee beans drying in the sun. The scenery gradually changed into larger mountains and pine forests, and we literally lost our breath once a volcano appeared in the distance – I swear we thought it was a mirage! At 3,000 metres we were completely up in the clouds, and the sunset was absolutely spectacular. The only problem were the occasional derrumbe (rock landslide) and the tumulos (speed bumps) which we grew all-too-familiar with in Mexico, where they are called topes and are mostly responsible for our tailpipe hanging by a wire. We arrived at the lake area just after the sunset and decided to break our own rule about driving at night just to meet Eva and Mary. Unfortunately, distances on a map deceive in Guatemala, as the roads are completely twisty, sometimes potholed and steep. So it took us about twice as long as we thought it would to get to a town called San Antonio Palopo (near Panajachel) on the most frightening downhill, hair-pin turn ride we have ever had. On top of it, we had been driving for so long that day up and down the mountains that our brakes eventually overheated and started to fail so we had to stop and let them cool off a bit before continuing without problems. We finally made it to the hotel and were greeted with happy hugs and a dinner under a full moon at a beautiful place called Las Terrazas del Lago. We loved the terrazas, which was run by a local family, but in the end decided to look for a place with a kitchen so that we could cook for ourselves, so we relocated (in a crazy, fast, bumpy and sometimes wet, 45 minute boat ride across the lake) to Santiago Atitlan to a place called Posada de Santiago. The place is exceptionally beautiful, located right beneath at least two volcanoes. We decided to stay for a couple of nights because there is a pool, a solar-heated hot tub, and an amazing home-made (if a bit claustrophobic) wood-heated sauna. We need to build one in Punta del Diablo! In Santiago we went out the first night and wandered in the completely Mayan town. Everyone gets around here either by walking (often with heavy loads balanced on their heads) or by these neat moto-taxis called Tuk-Tuks. The people here are incredibly friendly, but we are having a hard time getting used to the segregated feel of this place. There does not seem to be much of a Guatemalan middle class around here, and there is a real separation between tourists and the local people (in very concrete terms). It seems that almost the entire tourist industry is monopolized by non-Mayans and foreigners. A bit of research about the situation here in Guatemala yields a sobering amount of information about the sad history of this country, not least of which is that in 1999 they held a referendum to seek equal rights for indigenous people that was defeated by the ladino (mixed race) population, who are the minority, and who tend to deny their indigenous roots. What is very clear is that the Mayan people are at the bottom of the totem pole in all areas of society. Yesterday we walked in to the market to see the town in daylight and get some veggies and chicken to make with the mole negro and pipian verde we bought at the Oaxaca market in Palenque: aside from the stunning natural beauty of a deep blue lake surrounded by volcanoes, it is hard to explain how dazzled we were by the sights and sounds of a bustling town, with all the men, women and children dressed in their traditional clothing. Apparently there are 23 different Mayan dialects in Guatemala, and the residents of every town on the lake speak a different one and wear a different pattern of clothing. Many of the older people we tried to talk to didn’t speak any Spanish at all. In a couple of days there is a big market in Chichicastenango that we want to go to, to see them all come together at once to sell their clothing, food and wares. Today we are going back across the lake to Panajachel, where we left the westy in a (hopefully) secure parking lot, and are going to check out a place to camp close to a butterfly preserve there for a couple of days before moving to a different part of Guatemala.
Antes de salir de Mexico, en Comitan, cambiamos el aceite de la combi, y pasamos por un supermercado para comer mientras vijabamos. Un poco de fruta, yogurt, agua. Justo encontramos queso para sandwiches de Uruguay! Llegamos a la frontrra con Guatemala despues de un par de horas y en Cuatemoc (lado mexicano) devolvimos el permiso para conducir mexicano y nos sellaron los pasaportes. La Mesilla (Guatemala) fue la primer ciudad que nos recibio. Despues de leer y escuchar diferentes historias de horror de varias personas que cruzaron esta frontera y les hicieron practicamente la vida imposible, nos sorprendimos con lo rapido y sencillo que fue nuestro cruce.
Se complico un poco cuando comenzaron a venir las montanias. Mucho mas altas, con la carretera un poco mas precaria, con curvas todo el tiempo, y a veces con derrumbes. De todas formas, nuestro asombro crecia cada vez que que veiamos la majestuosidad del paisaje. A lo lejos podiamos observar entre las montanias varios volcanes, y al costado de la carretera los diferentes pueblitos llenos de vida. Sin lugar a duda, aquí resaltamos mucho mas que en Mexico, y muchas veces la gente nos saludaba, o nos senialaban haciendo algun comentario.
Llegar al lago Atitlan nos llevo unas diez horas. Justo antes de llegar a Panajachel,los frenos fallaron un par de veces, asi que paramos para dejarlos enfriar un poco, y seguimos camino hacia San Antonio Palopo sin problemas. Alli nos encontramos con Mary y Eva, que nos estaban esperando con ansias. Comimos a la luz de la luna llena y ya, mas que cansados, nos fuimos a dormir. Las vistas de este lugar son dificiles de explicar con palabras. Es increible ver, y tener enfrente nuestro a dos volcanes gigantes, y el reflejo de estos en el lago nos dejo mas de una vez con la boca abierta.
Hace dos dias,dejamos la camioneta en un estacionamiento, y cruzamos el lago en lancha, y ahora estamos quedandonos en una cabania con cocina y agua caliente! Este lugar tambien tiene piscina, jacussi, y hasta sauna. De mas esta decir que las tias nos estan mas que malcriando. Ayer cocinamos aca unos ricos moles (los habiamos comprado en Palenque) con pollo, y arroz, y muchas verduras frescas que que habiamos comprado en el mercado de aquí.
Hoy nos espera otro dia de aventuras. Vamos a cruzar el lago nuevamente y quedarnos en un camping en la combi (la verdad es que la extraniamos mucho), y las tias rentaran una cabania en el mismo camping.










Don't get too jealous, Eddie!

en el lago atitlan