Go, go Mo!
 Back from Lake Atitlan! Hey everyone! I'm back from Lake Atitlan and owe you guys a blog in a big way. There was Internet in the hotels i stayed in, but it didn't reach my room and there was no good place to blog from. The first hotel cost 30Q (just unde $4) and the second was just over $6 (50Q). It's really cheap up there and totally worth going. San Pedro was so amazing, I wish I stayed more than one night, and Panajachel was... pretty touristy. I took a boat shuttle between the two towns and the ride took about 1/2 hour in a motorboat. It was absolutely beautiful, a lake surrounded by 3 towering volcanoes and mountains on all sides. If you get the chance, check out pictures online, mine didn't even come close to doing it justice. It's in the highlands an the people are amazing to look at. The women still dress in their traditional outfits and carry their babies on their backs and their goods in baskets on their heads. They go out to fetch firewood in the morning and eat fresh tortillas. Fresh tortillas are completely unlike anything you could buy in a store. They're smaller and thicker and something between corn and flour even though I'm pretty sure they're all corn. They're pretty good but I'm not in love or anything. Pana was FULL of people trying to get you to buy they bracelets, tapestries, head wraps, purses, shirts and knick knacks. It was pretty annoying. San Pedro had a few but t wasn't do aggressive. I got a cool mask in San Pedro, marked at 150Q and I got it for 70Q. Good prices. I'd totally go back to the highlands but I think next time I'd go from town to town and take a week to explore them. The drive there and back in the shuttle was crazy. It's a lot of hairpin turns in really high mountains. Lots of zigging and zagging and so so sooooo happy I don't get car sick. I would have barfed my face off if I was. Anyways, it was really pretty to look at and seeig the villagers doing the things that villagers do was cool. We got stick in a traffic jam on our way in that was worse than any I'd ever seen.... Even though it only involved about 15-30 cars. The town shut down the road for a bicycle race and we just had to sit there ad watch as bike after bike sped past. It was a circular track of some sort so they go by, then nothing, then here they come again, then nothing. Everyone got out of their cars and stood around and chatted while they waited like it was the most normal thing in the world. Then, just as it hit the one hour mark, they all got in their cars and started honking, like enough was enough. It was funny to watch because the honking didn't do anything except cause noise... Which was alright by me because by then I'd gotten pretty bored of sitting then all of a sudden the race was over and everyone drove away. Good stuff. Oh, one thing about lake Atitlan... At least in San Pedro (I didn't notice this in Pana) - in the morning, all kinda of people descend into the water to bathe, was clothes, swim. It's like a community thing. One spot is full of (fully clothed) women, waist high in the water, beating their clothes against the rocks, and over in another spit is a bunch of dudes in underwear bathing and laughing. I wanted to take pictures but that would have been a real rude thing to do... So you gotta just picture it. Also, in San Pedro, I met a group of wandering guys beating on some percussion thing. I talked and walked witht them awhile and they gave me two really cool bracelets as I said goodbye. That was really sweet of them. I've had a few people outwardly hate me just because I'm from the US and it was nice to be liked for a change. So now I'm in Antigua tonight and tomorrow night and then I'm taking the 4am shuttle to the airport on Friday. I'm bummed to go home but happy to get to see my mommy and my cats and friends again. This month flew by so fast, I could easily stay another. :) this is a fascinaing world down here. I'm going to spend tomorrow doing some light shopping and some heavy hammock swinging. It's going to be a wonderful day. I'll write another blog tomorrow though, so stay tuned!! Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who stuck with me and kept me company while I traveled. I'm so lucky to have you all rooting me on and supporting me. :)
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Diary Photos
| 27th Jun 2012 Lake Atitlan with a storm rolling in over the mountains |
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| 27th Jun 2012 Lake Atitlan from San Pedro looking at one of te neighbor towns |
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Diary Movies
 View of Lake Atitlan with British dude talking in the background |
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