PANAJACHEL, LAGO DE ATITLAN, GUATEMALA
Upon arriving in Panajachel after a red-eye flight that ended a really hectic (equal parts fun and stress) last week in Seattle, I got to my perfect little hotel room and crashed without even venturing out for dinner. Woke up 12 hours later, ready for the day. I walked into town to the ´parada de buses´to catch a ´chicken-bus´, former US schoolbuses repurposed, repainted and renamed. In this case, ´Maria Luisa´. The operators stand outside the bus hollering the destination city´s nickname...´Paná!´´Solá!´until it fills up with passengers. On a row that would fit 2 US school children, there were typically 3 or 4 people. And there were people in the aisles. Once all aboard, the bus hurtled up the winding mountain roads to Solola to drop us off at the spectacular tuesday Mercado. Wow, Bustle. Anything and everything can be purchased here; produce, live baby chickens, used dolls, pvc pipe, gizzards-livers blend by the kilo, watch batteries, egg-fried green beans (yum), spices, etc.
Sololá is a very traditional Guatemalan town with a strong Mayan cultural influence, most obviously observed in the traditional, colorful, striped woven clothes of almost everyone at the market. Outfit complete with bundle on head for women and light straw colored cowboy-style hat for the men. I stood out for many obvious reasons. I´ve never felt so tall in my life, on average most people were about a foot to a foot and a half shorter than me. I believe it might have been the tiniest woman in the world that tried to sell me a handmade doll.
It was a sunny morning at the market and as things started to close down around 2.00, the rain clouds started to roll in, as they do everyday this time of year during the rainy season. It happens almost instantly, the day splits in two. Thanks to gravity, the chicken bus trip down the mountain was even more thrilling than the ride up (in that roller-coaster sort of way).
I filled the afternoon with a walk to the old part of Panajachel and checked out the beautiful old church. On the walk back I was drawn (by forces beyond my control) into a chocolate shop and purchased a bar of handmade dark guatemalan chocolate with chile. While I was in there a sweet old hippy man offered me a taste of his cardamom chocolate combo. His won. I ventured out for dinner at a restaurant a few steps from my hotel with outdoor seating with a view of the entire lake. Dinner brought new meaning to the term ´party of one´as I was the only patron in the place. I guess because it´s low season for tourists and it was a litte off the beaten path? It certainly wasn´t for anything lacking in the food. After a couple of weeks of not really having an apetite (see aforementioned stress) my tastebuds suddenly turned back on. I celebrated their return with a piping hot bowl of caldo pescado (head included) and arroz con frijoles y tortillas. ¡Que rico! While paying my bill I realized I hadn´t spoken in English all day...
Upon arriving in Panajachel after a red-eye flight that ended a really hectic (equal parts fun and stress) last week in Seattle, I got to my perfect little hotel room and crashed without even venturing out for dinner. Woke up 12 hours later, ready for the day. I walked into town to the ´parada de buses´to catch a ´chicken-bus´, former US schoolbuses repurposed, repainted and renamed. In this case, ´Maria Luisa´. The operators stand outside the bus hollering the destination city´s nickname...´Paná!´´Solá!´until it fills up with passengers. On a row that would fit 2 US school children, there were typically 3 or 4 people. And there were people in the aisles. Once all aboard, the bus hurtled up the winding mountain roads to Solola to drop us off at the spectacular tuesday Mercado. Wow, Bustle. Anything and everything can be purchased here; produce, live baby chickens, used dolls, pvc pipe, gizzards-livers blend by the kilo, watch batteries, egg-fried green beans (yum), spices, etc.
Sololá is a very traditional Guatemalan town with a strong Mayan cultural influence, most obviously observed in the traditional, colorful, striped woven clothes of almost everyone at the market. Outfit complete with bundle on head for women and light straw colored cowboy-style hat for the men. I stood out for many obvious reasons. I´ve never felt so tall in my life, on average most people were about a foot to a foot and a half shorter than me. I believe it might have been the tiniest woman in the world that tried to sell me a handmade doll.
It was a sunny morning at the market and as things started to close down around 2.00, the rain clouds started to roll in, as they do everyday this time of year during the rainy season. It happens almost instantly, the day splits in two. Thanks to gravity, the chicken bus trip down the mountain was even more thrilling than the ride up (in that roller-coaster sort of way).
I filled the afternoon with a walk to the old part of Panajachel and checked out the beautiful old church. On the walk back I was drawn (by forces beyond my control) into a chocolate shop and purchased a bar of handmade dark guatemalan chocolate with chile. While I was in there a sweet old hippy man offered me a taste of his cardamom chocolate combo. His won. I ventured out for dinner at a restaurant a few steps from my hotel with outdoor seating with a view of the entire lake. Dinner brought new meaning to the term ´party of one´as I was the only patron in the place. I guess because it´s low season for tourists and it was a litte off the beaten path? It certainly wasn´t for anything lacking in the food. After a couple of weeks of not really having an apetite (see aforementioned stress) my tastebuds suddenly turned back on. I celebrated their return with a piping hot bowl of caldo pescado (head included) and arroz con frijoles y tortillas. ¡Que rico! While paying my bill I realized I hadn´t spoken in English all day...
Dude, I'm freaking and doing internal backflips for you right now. So exciting! Juli and I went to the tattoo parlor tonight and I got text inked on me which made me think of you. Love.
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