We bought baby clothes!
Trip Start
May 30, 2008
1
9
10
Trip End
Jun 09, 2009
Santiago Atitlan, Western Highlands, Guatemala
Saturday, June 7, 2008
We got an early start this morning - left the hotel by 10:30am! We had such good luck with our boat commute. We walked down several flights of stairs at La Casa just as the lancha was arriving at the dock below. From there, we took the boat to San Pedro (stopping along the way at several towns, including San Marcos La Laguna). In San Pedro, we departed and were told we needed to take a different boat to Santiago Atitlan from the other side of town! So, we started doing a little negotiating and finally jumped in a tuk tuk. By this time it was 11:15am and the boat from San Pedro to Santiago Atitlan was supposed to be leaving at 11:45am. Plenty of time! We drove along the cobblestone lanes of San Pedro for about five minutes before descending down the other side right as the boat to Santiago Atitlan was departing
Anna
. The tuk tuk driver started honking and whistling. The boat kept going...The tuk tuk driver continued to honk, and got the attention of someone on the dock who started waving a stick with a long piece of white cloth attached. At that point, the boat (a ferry sized boat - not a typical lancha), turned completely around and returned to the dock so we could jump on. Perfect timing!The ride from San Pedro to Santiago Atitlan is really beautiful...Santiago sits in the very Southwest corner of the lake - almost exactly opposite of Panajachel. It's built up right at the base of the San Pedro volcano. Upon exiting the boat, we were greeted by many indigenous women selling their woven goods...Santiago Atitlan is particularly well known for their huipol design which signifies the region. The people of Santiago are Tz'utujils and are known as a very independent people group. They were actually one of the first villages in Guatemala to organize against the paramilitary and military forces. Unfortunately, this village was severely damaged by Hurricane Stan in October of 2005 and more than 70 people were killed...
It was really interesting listening to people talk in Santiago - Tony couldn't understand many of them and several of them didn't speak Spanish, only their native indigenous language (which I believe is also called Tz'utujil)
Banks of Santiago Atitlan
. We walked into town down a road surrounded by little shops selling local goods - woven pieces, beaded jewelery, paintings of Atitlan, etc. Most of the shops are quite typical, with typical ladies selling their goods. But, we were really taken with a young girl who was all smiles and wanted to sell us her woven goods. She was selling in the courtyard of her home. She actually took us into her house to show us the machine she weaves on. She couldn't say a word without a huge smile. Her name was Anna, and she was adorable. She was wearing a traditional hat which her mother made. But she makes mainly baby clothes. So, we bought a little girls dress and a little pair of overalls for a little boy. Tony wasn't stoked about the outfit for the boy and all of it's rainbow colors. But, Anna was so cute and such a hard negotiator! We got both little outfits for 37 Quetzals ($5), and she threw in a little coin purse as well! Anyhow, this isn't to announce anything...the baby clothes will be put in storage!
We had also heard that Santiago Atitlan had an amazing old cemetary, so we took a tuk tuk up the hill and walked around the brightly colored mausoleums for a few minutes. They were actually burying someone, so we didn't stay long. However, the view coming down the hill back into the village was amazing! The sun was out, and it was probably 75 degrees or more! The clouds had cleared and we had a gorgeous view of the San Pedro volcano! At the bottom of the hillside at the banks of the lake were women washing their clothes...Tons of women washing along the rows of boats....Also on the side of the San Pedro volcano was Chuitnamit - an archeological site where Mayan ruins are preserved. We inquired about visiting, but unfortunately, it required another boat ride and some extensive hiking
Cemetary in Santiago Atitlan
. Unfortunately, we're not really hiking people... ;-(We also thought about seeing Maximon, but in the end, decided against it. Maximon is a mix between the Catholic Saint Simon and the Mayan god Maam. When Catholocism came to Guatemala the indigenous people were forced to adhere to the religion, but found a way to keep their own native religion. So, in Guatemala (much like the rest of Latin America), you will see Catholic/Christan symbols blended with indigenous beliefs in other gods. In any case, Maximon is the most famous of these "saints" in Guatemala. He is known as a saint to gamblers and drunkards. Despite the Catholics efforts to demonize him, he is still found in churches, stores and homes across Guatemala, but particularly in this region. There are several kids walking the streets asking for 5 Quetzals in order to take you to see Maximon (now represented as a mustached man wearing a black suit, red tie, and hat). You are asked to give liquor or tobacco as an "offering" when you visit. Yeah, as famous as this all is (the village of Santiago Atitlan and the story of Maximon is featured in this month's National Geographic Traveler), we really weren't into it. It's all a bit creepy, and we didn't want to pay to see this AND give an offering. I visited some temples in Cambodia a couple of years ago where people had given offerings of raw meat and eggs and it totally freaked me out...So, no Maximon for us..
Cemetary with San Pedro Volcano in the background
.We returned to the boat dock of Santiago Atitlan and negotiated very hard for a private boat. We realized that having to take two boats (with the stop in San Pedro), it would probably be the same price as a private boat. So, we bargained and got a private boat for 70 Quetzals + $1. It was such a fun ride! The driver had his son at the front of the boat, helping to tout people and tie it up at different docks. He made one stop at their house, and piled in the mom, two more kids, and a cousin. They were the cutest family and very friendly! They spoke to each other in Tz'utujil but also spoke some Spanish...
Upon arriving back at La Casa Del Mundo, we were greeted by sunshine and a full view of the two volcanos - it was beautiful! Tony and I took our books down to the one of the lower decks and just sat there reading and relaxing.
Some new guests arrived today and we enjoyed chatting with them over our candlelit dinner of chicken kiev, avocado and tomato salad, garbanzo bean soup, and sweet potato pie! Afterwards, we sat on the candlelit patio chatting...We turning in early since most of us are headed to Chichicastenango tomorrow for market day!!! Chichi is one of the most famous markets in the world, and I'm stoked about it! More to come tomorrow....
