Guatemala
Lake Atitlan
January 25th
Yet another early start to get a bus at 6:00 a.m. to Panajachel. Øyvind had left even earlier and I said one last goodbye to Francesco. There were only 4 people on the new 'tour', me, Michelle - an Aussie woman who had been on the previous tour and an American couple. Anyway it wasn't really a tour as such. More like prebooked transport, hotel and boat trip (cost = $58). Arrived at Panajachel at about 8:30 without being hijacked (according to some reports that is a danger on the route) and went to the hotel for the night Hotel Utz Jay.
The driver then took us to the boat dock to catch the boat for a tour around Lake Atitlan. The boat was loaded, we set off.
Panajachel Waterfront
View across lake
and then about 20 minutes later the boat stopped. After frantic calls from the captain another boat was dispatched and we did a mid-lake boat transfer and continued on to our first stop San Pedro.
Useless Boat
Walked up the village street, looked at shops, pleasant but nothing too great.
San Pedro
Back to the boat and on to Santiago Atitlan. This was the best of the villages that we visited. If I had had the interest I could have viewed a funeral in the church, but I didn't. I bought a painting of the lake. I had been told (and can now confirm) that this is the best place to but paintings and also wood carvings (but I bought one elsewhere instead for more money).
Santiago Atitlan
More Volcanoes
After leaving this village we headed across the lake to San Antonio Palopo. The earlier boat problems had obviously set us behind schedule since there were no souvenir sellers to meet us at the dock. However they soon appeared. Walked up the church and looked at the old bells next to it (don't know why but the guide book told to me to). Admired the nice ceramics but zero chance of getting that home in one piece.
View from San Antonio
Friendly Turkeys
Boarded the boat one last time to return to Panajachel. All in all an excellent way to spend a day.
Checked into the hotel, went up the road to get some money and then down to the waterfront to watch the sunset which was OK but not spectacular like it is in all the postcards.
Ate in vegetarian place (Bombay Café) that I can't recommend and then to bed because still not 100%
Chichicastenago
January 26th
Had breakfast in the hotel and then into the transport (we have been downgraded from a minibus to an SUV now) for the trip to Chichicastenago which as well as having a beautiful name is the site of a very large market. Arrived there around 9:00 and started to look around.
Quickly meant some people that I had been with on the boat yesterday and then the remainder of the tour that I had left previously. The tour and about half the participants carries on to Mexico City. Decided to but a wood carving which is when I found that they were cheaper and possibly better in Santiago but I am now the proud owner of a wooden parrot on a stump which comes to pieces to reveal hidden drawers and also a Guatemala T-shirt so that I don't smell on the plane tomorrow.
Loading pig onto bus
At 11:30 joined Jessica and some of the tour group for a walk to Pascual Abaj, a Mayan shrine that still used by the local people. We saw parts of two ceremonies, the first involved rolling a small beer can around a person and then throwing it in the fire and waiting for it to explode. The second involved a large sugar cross on the ground that was then lined with small chocolate doughnuts and surrounded with grass. Obviously I am not sure of the meaning of either of these ceremonies.
Cemetery
Leaving the Market
Went back to the markets and bought a model 'chicken bus' and then to the car for the journey back to Antigua.
Antigua again
Back in Antigua, moved hotels yet again to Posada Asjemenou (at Q75 quite a bargain for the area) walked around for a while trying to find a shuttle to the airport in the morning. Most agencies tried to persuade me that I should get the 7:30 shuttle which would get me to the airport 5 hours early. Eventually I found an agency which agreed that it would run the 9:00 shuttle.
I had some problems finding an ATM to give me some money. This was a surprise since I was using a VISA card that usually the most widely accepted. Met up with Bert and after looking at his map went to another bank where I got the all important money to last me the night. We went for a drink in Mono Loco (which has moved from where it is shown in the guidebooks), did not watch the Super Bowl and after a while got cold and thus decided to both elsewhere. Ended up in Fridas which was inside and a great deal warmer. Had a couple of beers and then said goodbye yet again.
January 27th
Had breakfast - including refried beans just what I need in the mornings, walked to the square to buy a couple of postcards and take some photos, checked out of the hotel and waited for the bus to the airport. Don't know why I had so much difficulty getting the agency to agree to run the bus yesterday since there are 7 people on board and we did indeed arrive 31/2 hours early for my flight. Checked in and paid the extortionate $30 airport fee (an I though Vancouver was a rip off). Looked around the souvenir shops, read my book, looked around the shops, ate, waited and generally got bored. Spent my last Quetzales on something worthless and eventually caught the plane to Houston where I had another 41/2 hour wait. So looked around the shops, read my book and ate. Finally got the plane to Vancouver and back to home sweet home.
Another pretty good trip.
