Guatemala - 2012

Day 06 - Mon, July 2
Lake Atitlan

Fixing a road in Antigua.

 

Just out of Antigua is Jocotenango. "Tenango" means "place of". Land of the "Jocote", a type of fruit, which ripens in November. Size of a plum, red, yellow and green color, has a large pit, and is very sweet. Very typical here in Guatemala, but it came from Australia..

About a half hour or hour the bus came to a very large city. It seemed to me the same size as Guatemala City (Guate). It is Chimaltenango, second biggest city in Guatemala. This picture is on the outskits of Chimaltenango (place of the crest [like family crest]) because there was nothing but buildings to show and because I was impressed by the very nice, new, concrete highway. Hugo says this is a part of the "Carretera Interamericana" the Trans-American Highway: from Alaska to Chile. Some parts of Nicaragua are still dirt, he thinks.

Driving always seems like a free-for-all here. At one point we had to stop because of construction. Another time because there was a semi and trailer just turning around in the middle of the highway.

Look at the speed at which they take the curves. Wow!

Many farms all along the way. I missed a photo of a family working their fields: even kids in early elementary.

Thought these were melons, since they look like a mix between watermelon and cateloupe, but Hugo later told me that they must be cooked and eventually I figured out that they are a type of squash: Chilacayote ("cayote" = "squash").

A woman carrying "lena": fire wood.

Traditional outfit for this part of Guatemala.

Solola, just up the hill from the lake.

Hugo says that Atitlan was formed when a huge volcano exploded thousands of years ago. The center later collapsed, forming the lake. The two peaks are the only two volcanos around the lake (they are extinct). There is another that looks like a volcano, but is just a hill.

The lake is surrounded by several volcanos.

I have lots of partial photos of the lake when we started to get close and descended into the valley of the lake. We, the tourists in the bus, asked a few times to stop and take pictures, but the driver said no because it was a "linea directa": straight there.

A "lancha" a small boat. It is actually a ferry. This is how most people, tourists and locals alike, get from town to town. It is the fastest way.

The tourist bus (microbus, or van) left Antigua at 8 am, arrived at 11 am and leaves back for Antigua at 4 pm, so time is precious.

I forgot to mention that I was offered a private boat and tour of different villages for $80. As is normal, I probably would have seen more, but I didn't bring and didn't expect to pay $80 this day. O - and they don't take credit cards.

This is how they make the stone walls. The wood is a kind of form for the rocks.

This gentleman was very helpful. He suggested which towns to visit, etc. He also told me that we were paying more than him. Later I found out that locals always pay Q15 and tourists pay Q25. I figured it was just he "Gringo price", which happens often. I later found out that it is the same for even Guatemalans that aren't locals.

Views of the trip across the lake. Notice the little town up on the side.

I think this is the hill of San Pedro. Hugo said it is not actually a volcano, but one of the locals said it is just extinct.

San Pedro. The gentleman said to stay on and go to...

...San Juan, which is smaller.

A local girl on the ferry said her brother could give a tuk-tuk tour of the village and that it would be faster. Cost Q100, or about $12.50

Obviously, this place is well kept and tourist supported.

The church. The grey part is new because they needed more space.

On the side of the church children were at recess. I was impressed that they were using their time to hone soccer skills. Notice the cones.

Near the center of town (I think).

On the side of the central square. This is my guide: Bryan.

On the other side of the street is this "Cofradia". Kind of a Mayan temple??? to San Simon and Maximon (ma shee moan)

The caretaker. Cost to enter is Q5. He explained that San Simon (in the center) is a good god. Maximon, laying on the right, is more powerful, but capricious: sometimes good; sometimes bad. The indigenous bring offerings here for help.

Then Bryan took me to a place to show medicinal plants. But it was really a shop that sells soap and stuff.

And right across the street was another shop for textiles. These dress are VERY beautiful, but really expensive. It is normal for tour guides to always take tourists to shops to buy stuff.

Later Bryan came across this gentleman (can't remember the name) who is an actual guide. He told us that San Juan is comprised of cooperatives. At first it was only the woman and the textiles. If I understood him right, now it is the whole town. The money I paid Bryan (driver) will go to the whole town.

Note the cover of the the tuk-tuk: Disney princesses. You can clearly see the Little Mermaid. Looks like a recycled blanket.

And here is the most important cooperative: coffee. I think the gentleman, who is also a coffee plantation owner, said they now even grind the coffee here. By having a cooperative they get better prices.

A coffee bean.

After the textile shop I was starting to think it was the end of the trip, which was VERY short (like 20 min), and I was thinking I had gotten ripped off. Then he proceeded down this road which turns out to be the way to San Pedro. I had paid for both cities. Not bad at all.

Looking back at San Juan. Notice the face in the mountain.

The forehead is on the left. The nose is very easy to see, since it is the tallest.

Looking down on San Pedro from a Mirador: a lookout. It is on the side of the road at a good view point and two stories high. It cost Q5 to use. One of the farmers had to come down from the fields to take our money and open the simple gate.

Church of San Pedro. Notice the statue on the left. Being non-Catholic I first thought it was Jesus.

 

Can you figure out who it is? There are two clues: one is in his right hand and the other is the bird next to him. Click here for the answer.

San Pedro is much more touristy. You can even take a horse ride.

From the restaurant.

At the back of the restaurant was a work site. The worker said it is an old "poso" (well) for the restaurant.

Needed to be back at my starting point, near Panajachel, by 4 p.m. I got back to the ferry at 2:45 pm for a half hour ride. What I DID'NT know was that there is no set schedule. They go when they have 12 people. 45 minutes later and with my cushion of time wittled away we finally launched.

People bathing and cleaning clothes in the lake. Hugo comment was of the obvious (at least to us): this is very bad for the lake. It contaminates it.

Trip back to Panajachel.

A large hotel. Seems VERY out of place here. I'm sure the prices are very high, too. When our van first arrived I saw a helicopter circling the hotel. Maybe I can hitch a ride back to Antigua.

One of the commuters on the ferry. After some calculation I figured out that she spends Q800 ($100) just on transportation each month. When I told this to Hugo and Conchita they were floored. For Conchita that would be 1/3 her salary.

It is hard to see, but on her blouse it says "Microloans", which were first started in Asia. They consist of $5 or $10 loans for people (first women) to buy things like chickens or water filters that then save them enough money to pay off the loan and then save money over time. Turns out the repaying rate is better for microloans than larger loans. This company is out of Mexico.

The chaffeur told all of us that we could wait at the launch site and not have to walk to the hotel in town. But waiting in a foreign place not knowing if that was correct is not fun. Fortunately I had the cell # of the travel agency and she called the driver.