Lago

I arrived in Guatemala City at 5 am. I had read some not so flattering stories about crime around the airport so I hoped to hop a bus directly from there up toward Lake Atitlan.

As expected, there were indeed minibuses ready and waiting to zing everyone from the airport and up to Antigua which is on the way to the lake. Unfortunately, I had made some plans with other people on the airplane to share a private car directly to the lake... and I lost them at baggage claim and couldn´t find them. Should I try to find them or hop this minibus that is leaving right now?

I chose the former and it ended up costing me several hours. If I had hopped the first bus, I would have made it to Antigua in time for the 8am bus to the lake. But since I hesitated, the next one wasn´t until 12:30. But I´m so tired!

The layover gave me a good (albeit sleepy) chance to explore Antigua and take some pictures. Antigua is a cute and ancient town circa 1500 or so. It was the original Spanish colonial capital of Guatemala. It is chock full of cool architecture, some still in business, some only ruins. Most of the town is a grid of bumpy cobble stone streets with the colorful fortress like buildings lining them. Each building has its sunny open space in the center of the building, not on the street. So one must enter each building to see the charm hidden inside.

It struck me immediately how sweet, helpful, and generally cool the Guatemalan people are. Such a generally great disposition. I cannot wait to improve my Spanish skills so I can better interact with them.

As poor as my Spanish is, I still felt fairly able to communicate with people, and they seem patient and pleased that I am trying.

After waiting four hours for the next bus, I almost missed it. Although I am normally on top of what time it is, somehow my sleepyness got the better of me and I was two blocks away from where I was to catch the bus fifteen minutes after I was supposed to be there. I ran to the spot and the bus was gone... but they called the bus back to get me and were very kind about it. Whew.

The road to Lake Atitlan goes through a maze of tiny towns and then ascends and descends a mountain range. The road is of fairly good quality but insanely windy and has no guard rails where there are drop offs of hundreds of feet straight down. Not a road I would like to be on regularly.

After arriving in Panajachel, I managed to just make it to the last boat of the day to San Pedro where my friend Sune is a partner in The Freedom Bar, a popular night spot in town. He lives at the lake most of the year with his delightful girlfriend Marianne. I had not really communicated with either of them in weeks so was not sure if they were expecting me or not. I found them both at the bar and surprised them individually. Such a great reunion.

I felt lucky when I learned that they do not normally spend much time there and it was just pure chance that I found them.

They fed me from their tasty restaurant and later we drove back to their home in San Marcos.

All I could think when we arrived there was that Sune was far more loaded than I thought. The grounds are an enormous and meticulously manicured tropical setting that lead down to a sunny lawn directly on the breathtaking blue lake. Their home is small and cozy and fits their style perfectly.

As it turns out, the cost of all of this (including a small staff) is only around half of what many people spend for a studio apartment in San Francisco. Amazing.

The two towns are a major contrast. San Pedro is full of backpackers and has a lively, party town feel... although it is still quite mellow. While San Marcos is a hippy town with barely a real center to it. A maze of paths leads from place to place and services are far fewer.

During my tour of San Marcos, it became clear that Sune knew almost everyone in town, gringos and locals alike. To give a taste of the vibe there, we were immediately invited by a shirtless hippy kid that a trading circle was being arranged by the lake where folks could trade clothing etc. and generally exchange pleasantries... and juggle I guess.

This will be a very nice area to settle down for a month or so. The only question is where to live.. with my friends in their beautiful but quiet house... or whoop it up a bit more in town.

Decisions, decisions...