After Pachal, I returned to Xela for a night so that I could do some laundry, get a good WiFi connection for making plans for my next adventure and make connection with people back home, mail some stuff home and other necessary things. I stayed at a hostel recommended by one of the Aussies. It was nice, spartan and clean. It was centrally located and I was able to get everything completed that I needed to.
Why unload some stuff? Well, as you know, my pack was feeling too heavy, so I figured it was time to unload some stuff. I left some things with Armando's family in Pachal. A pair of pants, a shirt, a towel & washcloth and some empty bottles. Claudia was so grateful! Warmed my heart to see the smile on her face. Then there were a few things I decided that I'd hate to just leave behind, but if they never made it home, oh well. I mailed home my hair straightener (gasp!) because I decided that I don't need it (haven't used it since Puerta Vallarta). I also sent home one dress (I have one left) and my hat and gloves. I concluded after some cold nights in Pachal that my gloves and hat weren't doing me much good because they weren't warm enough anyway that it made more sense to buy new ones if I need them later down the road. I sent home some other random stuff, like my small (3.5"x2.5") notebook with enclosed pen, my mini "stove" (decided I'm not going to be roughing it that much) and my compass (like I'm going to go wandering around the woods by myself!). I think I lost about 5 pounds or so from my pack, but the darn thing is STILL too heavy. I'll probably unload some more clothes relatively soon. I'd hate to just leave them around, so hopefully I'll find someone near my size who is in need.
Yesterday morning, I stuffed what I had left into my pack and caught a shuttle bus to Panajachel. It's a somewhat touristy city on Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlán). I had no intention of staying in Pana, as it's nicknamed, because I've heard it's just one big tourist trap. That's not what I'm looking for. Ronnie (one of the Aussies) from Pachal recommend San Pedro instead, which is a smaller village on the other side of the lake. That was my intention as I left Xela. Funnily enough, I didn't make it to San Pedro.
The bus ride to Pana took about 2.5 hours. The shuttle wound through the mountains the entire trip. Up and down, around and back. This would not be a good ride for anyone who gets carsick. I guarantee they'd have to be asking the driver to pull over. For the rest of us though, this is possibly one of the prettier trips to take. The mountains and volcanos, full of greenery, crops, fields, wildflowers and the occasional farm, loomed on the horizon. I've been to the Rocky Mountains and seen huge mountains throughout America, but this is nothing like any of those. The mountains are not snow-capped and they are full of vegetation to the very top. The trees are not only pine, but all sorts of fruit trees, flowering trees and other trees I've never seen.
As we neared Pana, the lake came into view. Oh. My. Gawd. So, I looked at pictures of the place the internet before my arrival and they don't even do the place justice. To be honest, I was thinking of skipping the place. I kinda figured that if you've seen one lake at the base of a mountain, you'd seen them all. I mean, we have Mount Hood with Timothy Lake and other great places back home, right? Uh, no. Lake Atitlán is majestic. Truly awe-inspiring. As I wound down the two-lane road to Pana, the lake sort of just appeared out of nowhere. It is HUGE and it is surrounded by HUGE volcanoes. The seem to soar to the limits of the sky. The water is clear and almost a dark turquoise blue. Small, wispy clouds hung around the tops of the volcanoes the day I arrived, almost like halos or crowns.
My driver took me to the bottom of Pana where the boats wait for passengers. He dropped me off and told me to go to the lake. I felt completely stranded for a few seconds. Here I was, standing in the middle of the street, engulfed by this huge backpack that I could still barely life despite having unloaded about five pounds, staring at the boat docks and wondering who the hell I talk to to get to San Pedro. I found a small family selling food at a stall and asked them what to do (I figured they probably have nothing to gain by sending me one direction or other, so they'd probably lead me in the right direction). They too told me to go to the lake. I did my best to ask them (in Spanish, of course) whether I should talk to the guys at the dock or someone else first. They said to just talk to the guys on the dock. Sure. No problem.
There is a long, gravel portion of the road leading to the docks. It is STEEP. Carrying about 40 pounds on my back and wearing flip-flops probably isn't the easiest way to get down the decline. Fortunately, I made it. I said to the guys lolling about the docks, "Yo quierro ir a San Pedro." I'm not positive that's the right way to say to them "I want to go to San Pedro," but they understood me just fine. I was offered one boat partially full of people and a completely empty boat, one for the round-about-way and the other direct. If I took the round-about boat, I'd stop at several villages on the way to load and unload passengers and it would take about 45 minutes. If I took the direct route, I had to wait at the dock for more people going directly to San Pedro, but it would only take 20 minutes to get there. I opted for the boat full of people, thinking I'd get to see a little more of the lake that way.
I squeezed onto a bench and looked around. There was a group of women and children that clearly all came from either the same family or tribe, because they were all wearing the traditional Guatemalan garb in the same colors and patterns. There were also several Americans on board. A married couple from Connecticut had been living in Santa Cruz (a village on the lake) for about 6 years. A man from New Mexico had been in San Marcos (another village on the lake) for a month and was considering moving there. Some other men were on their way to San Pedro and were just visiting on vacation. I struck up a conversation with the man in San Marcos. His name is Bo. I explained that I was on my way to San Pedro and was looking for some peace and quiet to write and relax for a little while. I really felt like I needed some alone time. He recommended San Marcos instead of San Pedro, and the couple from Connecticut quickly seconded his opinion. So, San Marcos it was.
I got off the boat in San Marcos with no idea where I would go, but Bo offered to show me around and help me make sure I found a hostel to stay in for at least a night. I checked with Hotel El Unicornio, but they only had dorm-style rooms available. I prefer private rooms. You pay more, but the silence and personal space is worth it to me. Maybe later in my journey I will feel like saving the money and staying in dorm-style rooms, but not quite yet. The next place I checked was Posada del Bosque Encantado. They had a private room with a private bath available. Perfect. The cost is Q125 for the night, which is roughly $12.50 USD. Not bad. Bosque Encantado has only three rooms, each of which offer large rooms with private baths. There's room for four people or more in each room (a twin bed, a double bed and a loft), but fortunately you don't pay more for the unused beds. It felt like a little slice of heaven after Armando's house, where the toilet was in an outhouse (a hole in the dirt covered by a freezing cold metal "chair" of sorts) and my "showers" were infrequent and accomplished by washing myself with water heated on the stove. Bosque Encantado has a beautiful courtyard filled with tropical plants and hammocks, and a café serving breakfast. I figured it would at least do for the night.
After dropping off my bag, Bo showed me around San Marcos and told me a little of what San Marcos is all about. It is a sort of spiritual enclave. There are lots of opportunities for massage, yoga and meditation, which seems to be THE reason to come to San Marcos. I still haven't decided if I will partake in some of the meditation or yoga classes, but I have a little time. My plan was to be in San Pedro for a few days, but I might stay in San Marcos for a little longer than that because it is so peaceful.
One thing I learned after my arrival in San Marcos and after paying the Q125 for Bosque Encantado is that there are no ATMs or banks anywhere in the village. Oops! I didn't bring enough Quetzals for this! Yikes. After the Q125, I had only Q30 left! Bo agreed to change a $20 for me so I at least had a little money to eat for the day. I could take the boat to San Pedro the next day for some more money. Bo and I met the owner of Bosque Encantado who showed us her house and property. Wow! Her house is like a child's fantasy -- it looks like a treehouse! Such beautiful property. Bo and I had lunch at a local restaurant that grows all their own vegetables. It was delightful. Bo told me about his travels over lunch and recommended some great places for me to see along the way, as well as some people to contact when I get to those places.
After lunch, I took a Tuk-tuk to another part of the village with incredible lakeshore homes and views.
I met some of Bo's friends, expats from England, Bulgaria and the US. I visited the local community center where children were playing soccer and basketball. Every person I met was so nice, locals and visitors alike. San Marcos is really a beautiful place. The buildings are connected by cobblestone paths wide enough for about 1-2 people. The paths wind through the vegetation and buildings in a seemingly haphazard fashion, but it's not too hard to find your way.
After my afternoon with Bo, I found a place with some WiFi and settled in to write and check in on the people back home. Well, I didn't get too far on that plan. I ended up meeting more people. Shocking, I know. I talked with the two people running the place, both of whom are from the US and just had the job land in their laps about a month ago. Eventually they plan to travel south too, but for now they are happy in San Marcos. They are also running one of the local hostels for now, and I plan to check it out. It's only Q50 a night, which includes breakfast the next day. That would be a great savings, but the rooms don't have private bathrooms so we shall see. At the WiFi spot I also met a wonderful German man who chatted with me about his travels and his time of meditation in San Marcos. He gave me some pointers of places in Panama and Colombia that I will have to see when I get there.
That about sums up my time for the last couple days. I have some exploring to do and might just take a dip in the lake!
*** Oh, and I decided to move to the other hostel. Saving money is a good thing!
No comments:
Post a Comment