Lago de Atitlán

Maybe you know, or maybe you don´t know, but I was driven to return to Guatemala for a lake. My first experience at this lake was an anticipated three or four days, turning into three and a half weeks. I just didn´t want to leave, it felt so good to be there, I couldn´t drag myself away. When I eventually mustered up the willingness to do so, it was only because I swore I was going to do everything in my power to return. Thus the hardest working and most focused summer and fall of my life.

Let me go into a bit more detail. This lake, Lago de Atitlán, is a huge lake in the western highlands of Guatamala in the small state of Solola. Atitlán is rimmed with the most dramatic scenery. There are three huge volcanos, round about 11,000 to 12,000 feet on the southwestern side of the lake. The rest of the lake is surrounded by equally dramatic scenery; cliffs dropping directly into the water, huge rock outcroppings, farmers´ fields that are on mountain sides so steep its a wonder they don´t fall off, etc. The daily temperatures here hover around 73 or 78 and at night it might cool off to about 60 or 55, good stuff. All of this is an environment of highland jungle, meaning it´s totally jungle, but a bit more of a mountainous jungle. If one has ever been to Hawaii or any other volcanicly built landscape, the comparison is unaviodable.

Sure the scenery is stunning, but really it´s just the feeling of this place that is so hard to shake. There´s not really many words to describe this "feeling" except magic. This damn lake is magic, okay I´ve said it. However, I know I´m not crazy, because many other visitors seem to say the same thing. This is Maya country, and the indegenous Maya have a way about themselves. Not only is their physical look so striking, but the culture, the Mayan languages, the traditions. And the tortillas . . . nuff said. This is another world! You don´t hear much spanish on the streets here in San Pedro, when the natives speak to each other, they speak native language, Mayan language. Ancient landscape, ancient culture, what more does a gringa need to escape the rat race of the states?!

I arrived at the lake, to the town of San Pedro La Laguna, on Tuesday afternoon followed shortly by a three hour nap. When I woke up, I started strolling around town and saw, within two minutes, two people whom I had met last time I was here. Being off such a long nap, I felt like I was dreaming, however, this is a dream come true. Everyday I decompress a little more from the hectic day to day of life in that USA. I love it here, like I´ve never loved a place, I am at home here.

I have spent the last few days getting settled, I even rode my bike yesterday. Being that this town is built on a volcano, the riding is either up or down. So basically I ride up the volcano(not the entire way folks, that would take forever), and I ride down the volcano. I am going to need to relearn how to mountain bike because the cobble streets in this town are rough, to say the least. It can get a bit bumpy. The natives look at me like I´m insane, which is true, but they look with a smile because they can obviously see that I´m in heaven.

Next week, I begin another whack at spanish lessons and considering what I learned and built on the first time I took lessons, I should be darn near fluent by the end of another week. yay!

I am looking forward to settling down after a bit of traveling with some family and friends this next month or so. For now, I´m going to drink tea on the roof of my hotel and be blown away at the scenery before me, whilst thinking in the spanish/english hybrid that is taking over my head.