Guaspitality

 Looking back at Guatemala, Guatemaltecos may be some of the nicest, most hospitable people I have ever met (don’t worry Paisas, you’re still #1 in my book). I can’t tell you how many times people went out of their way to help us out or just chat in a very simple and pleasant manner for the sake of talking to a foreigner.

Only a week later and I'm already wanting to go back. Gracias a Chato, Cristian, Mery and all the other wonderful Guatemalans I met for making it such an enjoyable experience.

Moses and Indian Nose

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“We can start at 5am or 6am, though some people do it as early as 3am to see the sunrise,” our guide Moses suggested for starting our hike up Indian Nose, one of the best views of Atitlan and the surrounding area. Our late night jam session had resulted in a later start, something I was beginning to regret as we cut an aggressive path straight up the steep walls of Indian Nose. Every time the sun shined onto the trail, we would break out in an intense sweat, pausing to rest every 10 minutes or so. After a steady climb of a couple miles, we reached the spine of the mountain range and proceeded to the nose.

Moses was one of the best guides I’ve ever met. We had instinctually shooed him away when he first approached us after landing at the boat dock; an instinct I’ve had anywhere when first arriving to a new locale. He hooked us up with a great hostel and kayaks and we were more than pleased to have him on the Indian Nose trek. Though fluent in English, Maya and several other language, he firmly stuck to Spanish with us, something that is firmly appreciated with anyone who is learning or looking to practice. A former coffee plantation worker, he gave us a rundown of the harvesting process on our ascent and was full of interesting quips and jokes along the way. At a rough point in the trail I requested that he use his powers to part the bushes, to which he responded “only if brother Jeremiah is here to help lead us.”

I’ll let the view speak for itself, but upon arrival, Moses asked us if we wanted to learn some Maya. We surprised him with the basic “Mahk Diosh,” (thank you) and he seemed pretty pleased that we had even gone that far to remember Maya. Afterwards we cruised by the village of Santa Clara and were treated to a spectacular market scene.

Lago del Paraiso

 If Lake Atitlán truly is paradise, then San Pedro is your gateway to it. There are several small pueblos lining the magnificent Lake Atitlán, which is ringed itself by several volcanoes and steep cliffs, owed to its gradual creation by means of volcanic eruptions and collapses. Low prices, friendly locals and a great vibe are what make San Pedro the go-to spot for backpackers.

We intended to go to Zoolah, the largest Israeli-owned hostel which was booked up, so we ended up at Pinnochio, a locally owned hostel/hostel with privates for only $12 a night. The interactions with the locals were a definite highlight. Not only did we learn several words in Maya (schooled by a sassy 10 year old working her parents corner store), but also that there are actually several different Mayan dialects spoken around the lake.The large number of Expats living in San Pedro means great asian-influenced food is available at affordable prices; I had excellent Pad Thai and Green Curry dishes for under $7. The local grocery store boasts the largest variety of Asian spices and sauces I’ve seen in one place anywhere in Latin America. 

We began our first day by renting kayaks and paddling across to San Marcos, an even smaller pueblo famous for its yoga and meditation retreats. There was also a large platform to go cliff diving off of, though Jeremiah pointed out that the drop was much less dramatic, due to the fact that the lake had risen 15 feet this year alone. We finished off the day with beers and a sing-along jam session, already feeling we could stay there an eternity.

Easy Spanish 101

I'm not too surprised at the amount of people here in Antigua studying Spanish. Guatemalan Spanish might just most understandable that I have ever encountered. Their speech cadence is slower than most Latin Americans and they speak clearly and simply. No puzzling colloquialisms, no chopping the ends or beginnings off words (I'm looking at you Chile and El Salvador), no slurring or messing the words about (costeños!), just pure, easy-to-understand Spanish.

Oh, and the going rate for 4-hour lessons, 5 days a week: $90

Kite Stunnaz

--> Our first excursion in Guatemala was to Sumpango, a village famous for its kite festival on All Saints Day. The locals spend hours laboring over massive kites, strung together with bamboo and pasted with layer upon layer of colorful tissue paper. The kites carry messages to the gods for the year to come, reflecting the pains, hopes and desires of their creators. The event starts with the whole crown flying their own kites, leading up to the larger ones, some spanning up to 20 feet in diameter.

The launching and flying of the big kites takes a lot of effort. 4-8 men on the ground race off with a rope, launching the octagonal disk into the sky. Most of the time the kites make a massive crash onto the public below but others remain aloft for a while, fulfilling their purpose of bringing their message closer to god.

My highlight was finally getting my poorly-made (chino) kite assembled and ready to fly. After a while, a young boy came and watched as Jeremiah and I coaxed the bird into the sky. He stared at us for a while before I asked him if he wanted to fly the kite. He quickly grabbed the lead lie while I held the spool. Every time he got the kite more than 10 feet off the ground, he would pass the line off to me and jump up and down as I let the kite race higher into the sky. (This scene reminded me when my brother and I would play Super Nintendo and on a particularly challenging boss, my brother would jump up and down as I came close to winning).

After a while, the kid asked me if I would give him the kite. Now normally, I hate giving things to people who ask for them, it strikes me as disingenuous and a little pushy. However, on this day, with this adorable kite-less kid, I couldn’t say no. I passed the kite off to him and headed off to watch some more larger kite crashes.