Volcanos at Atitlan: Pretty active place

A volcano burped in our presence yesterday morning.

Crossing the lake to Panajachel, a 30 minute ride by narrow launcha, the entirety of Lake Atitlan comes into view. The mountains ringing the lake are only the first line with many more mountains visible beyond. Some great number of these mountains are volcanos.

Zipping across the lake I wondered, what happens to this place if/when a volcano blows. And at that very moment Olivier's hand taps my shoulder and points into the distance.

A small puff of smoke was just developing from the pointed peak of a volcano. We watched it grow, rising higher and higher, taking on a mushroom shape until the wind spread it across the sky.

The camera came back

Good news!! My friends Olivier and Manue rode back with Lilian and I from Nebaj. They are brining my camera with them to San Juan!! I'm soooooo psyched. I'm so dependant on that thing now I can't tell you.

Lago de Atitlan

First full day on Lake Atitlan in San Pedro. Arriving by boat from Panajachel in the rain makes this sunny day really nice. Staying in San Juan, the little town 1 km away from San Pedro. San Pedro is a major travelers town. Lots of gringos wandering around. Lots of support for travelers.

Soon as I set my pack down at little way up the hill from the dock a gringo in black got up from the table a few buildings down. He clearly had me pegged for something. He got up a little too quickly, his face showing a mixture of greed and desparation. He had to wait his turn to approach me as another tout was already working me for a ride up the hill to the town center or to a good hotel or any number of other attractions of the town.

Once the way was clear the man in black approached. Long, unwashed hair dangling, head hanging, he looked at me sideways asking for a cigarette. He then launched into the traditional greeting of the tout: Where are you from? I know a great hotel. I can walk you there.

I told him I was from Guatemala, that I had a place to stay and walked away.

I dread coming to places like this. I actually feared landing at the dock. Heavily traveled areas always feel more dangerous. The travelers are mostly who scare me. This gringo for example seemed more desparate and prone to thievery or deception than the touts striking up business.

And so I made my way to the language school, on foot, and then to San Juan, in the back of a pickup, where the pace of life and presence of tourists is slower.

Pictures of Atitlan may be in short supply as I left my camera in Lilian's car yesterday. I'm really, really bummed.

Geometry of Ixil

Traveling in the Ixil met all my best travel criteria. Off the beaten track due to remoteness and little tourism infrastructure(compared to other areas) few people come here. Many of the gringos we saw were probably development people. Even if there were many other gringos the feeling is very distant from the developed tourist areas.

Nebaj, Chajul, Cotzal, the three main towns of the Ixil triangle, are still very traditional, tradition seriously modified by the Spanish conquest for sure but tradition nevertheless. A majority of the women wear traditional dress. Some of the men still do as well, though most wear western dress of button down shirts or t-shirts and pants. mud brick and spanish tile dominate architecture in Chajul and Cotzal instead of cinder block and concrete.

And the area is stunningly beautiful! The towns sit in deep valleys surrounded on all sides by high forested mountains. Saturday Lilian, Jason and I walked out of Nebaj over a pass into the small town of Acul. Coming into view the Acul valley had all the pastoral beauty of Europe with the wildness of steep mountains. We were stunned and stood just looking for a few minutes.

A few more minutes walking brought us into Acul. Acul is a model village created by the government during the war to control the Maya. Two groups of Maya live here, about 400 families, thrown togehter. The fields and streets were very clean, well kempt, though pigs, chickens and turkeys wandering around or tied to fences don't match our criteria of clean.

Walking through town some children started talking with his, jumping from Spanish with us to Maya with each other. They wanted us to take pictures of them. Mom came out and we fully expected her to shoo us away. And an amazing thing happened. She approved and disappeared into the house only to return in her best dress, her finest wuipil and corte, shirt and skirt.

A frenzy of photography ensued. They loved seeing themselves in the digital cameras, laughing and poking each other at every image. Soon they were taking our pictures, quickly grasping how to use the cameras. We tried looking as serious as they do when having their picture taken but couldn't quite get there.

This experience touched all of us, the family too I think. Many Maya disapprove of pictures of themselves, some ask for money. This family only wanted copies. We have their address and will send the pictures.

Oh geez, and then there is the dairy and cheese! Great cheese. I'm bringing some home with me.

There is much, much more to tell about these three days in the Ixil but they must wait for the slide show.

PS: My connection here is too slow to upload pictures. Look for them later.