Our plan for the season was to do some land cruising while in the Rio Dulce. Once we got here in March, we started on some boat projects, and finally got to planning a trip inland. With Rodney and Katrina from Angelina, we left Rio Dulce on Saturday, April 19, taking a 5.5 hour bus ride to Guatemala City, and then another hour to Antigua. We had our Lonely Planet in hand, and notes from cruisers who'd made a similar trip. Our first choice of hotels cost $16 per night but was full by the time we arrived. Two doors down we found bare-bone rooms with private bath for $20/night. We fell into the trap that many tourists do - we were shanghaied by a local tour guide, who talked us into going to the market in Chichicastenango on Sunday (our plan was to do it Thursday); he gave us many (unfounded) reasons why Sunday was a better day to go. Of course, he was more than willing to sell us tickets - and this was before we had a chance to see any of the other hundred travel agents in town! After being sucked in to paying too much for our tickets, we went for a walk and found a great Angus steak house for dinner.
Antigua is the former capital of Guatemala, but was abandoned in the late 1800s because of earthquakes that kept destroying the city. Surrounded by active volcanoes it is located high in the mountains, and unlike the coast, it is cool and comfortable most of the day. Because it was abandoned it remained undeveloped until 1990 when it was rediscovered as a historic site. The streets are still cobblestone and the houses are much the same as they were in the 1800s.
As you can see by the pictures we are in the heart of Mayan country. The women dress beautifully in traditional Mayan clothing. The colors and patterns of their clothes identifies them with one of 31 Mayan tribes in Guatemala.
The next morning a rickety, underpowered van picked us up at 7:00a for a 4-hour ride to Chichi, up and up and up we chugged hoping we would not have to get out to push. A massive highway construction project stopped us several times. The market was overwhelming with sights, sounds and colors! It was great to see the native Mayans in their traditional attire. Hand sewn items of all kinds are on sale. You can buy table linens, bedcovers, purses, T-shirts, masks, and so much more. It's there - in whatever color you can imagine. The women spend days weaving cloths that you can buy for just a few dollars.
At 2:00 we were back
in the van to return to Antigua. It was a very long day. We know how to say "bano break," as one of
the most important Spanish phrases. Back in Antigua one of our biggest
challenges was deciding where to eat - hundreds of wonderful restaurants are
in the city.
Tuesday, back in a van to go to Lake Atitlan, said to be the second most beautiful lake in the world. Wow - is it gorgeous - surrounded by three volcanoes. The ride there was worth the trip - to avoid that road construction, our driver went on a secondary road filled with hairpin curves - we saw a canyons almost as deep as the Grand Canyon, waterfalls, farmers hand tilling the fields, women walking to the public place to hand-wash clothes - walking up steep hills with their laundry in plastic bins on their heads. The whole ride truly awesome. Below is a quick snapshot taken from the van.
We were told that La Casa del Mundo was a hotel not to be missed, so we booked rooms the week before. The only thing is that by the time we made the reservation, just rooms with shared baths were available - one room had the best view, the other was closer to the bathroom. Built on the side of a mountain facing the three volcanoes, we climbed over 250 stone steps to reach the main building. We flipped a coin with Rodney and Katrina for the room selection - they got the best view. We didn't know at the time that you had to walk straight down 150 steps to get to it (and then, back up 150 steps to get to the bathroom). Bio breaks really became painful after a night of drinking beer. Here's their room:
After being content to relax in the hammocks throughout the morning, we decided to walk to a nearby village for lunch. Heck, it was only a 30-minute walk -- we walked (up and up and up, then down) on the mountain path you can see here. See that village way down there - that's where we had lunch, after our hour-and-a-half walk.
Above is La Casa del Mundo from the mountain, and our room on the side of the building.
Fortunately, there's a public launcha service so we purchased a ride back, in an overcrowded boat - we think too many were sitting on the port side! They carried 35 people in this little boat - one good bow wave and it is all over.
On Thursday, we were in Panajachel, waiting for our ride to Antigua - only to find out he wasn't coming. A call, or two or three, to the travel agent, brought a driver. He excitedly talked to us in Espanol, some of which Rodney picked up (the rest of us very puzzled). Rodney thought about what he had said, and then said to him "Senor, are you a new father?" He laughed and shook his hand NO NO NO. Then after he stopped for directions five times, Rodney figured out he was saying that he is from Antigua and he had not been to Pana since he was a little boy. Ah yes, knowing the language is a real plus!
This time, we had reservations at Casa Florencia in Antigua, a nice boutique hotel with free coffee, wi-fi, $1 beer in the refrigerator, for $45/night. We needed to get our bus tickets for return to Rio Dulce and were directed to the bus terminal - crowded with these colorful old school buses that locals use (referred to as chicken buses). There are no codes here - as many people as need to get in, whether that means 3 in one seat and standing so close in the aisle that you feel every curve of the body next to you, and yes, even chickens. Those who ride on chicken buses have nothing good to say about them so we opted for a first-class express bus.
For dinner we went to La Pena de Sol Latino, owned by a cruiser who wanted a place to play in a band. It's fabulous; go there if you're in Antigua.
After the tour Maggie and Katrina spent the afternoon shopping for souvenir gifts in the sprawling handicraft market. The Sunday before we spent eight hours driving to the market at Chichi. If we had only known, right across the street from our hotel was this huge market where you can get the same goods as Chichi, we could have saved ourselves the 8 hour trip.
Guatemala is beautiful, the people friendly and the weather very comfortable (in the mountains). But is not for everyone; poverty is everywhere with 45% of the population under 15 years old. We have seen women and young boys (8 years) carrying 100 pound sacks of sand on their backs, walking up steep hills, to earn just a few dollars to keep their families fed. The average pay is less that $100 per month. Work is scarce and there are 10 people for every job. Half the population is illiterate and unskilled. The government is trying to educate everyone but with 26 Mayan dialects it is a daunting task. It makes us thank your blessings that we were born in US and have all the advantages that come with it.
Early Saturday morning, back in the bus
to go home to our boats in the hot steamy lowlands of the Rio
Dulce.