Thanksgiving Weekend at Santiago Atitlán

The day after Thanksgiving, Beth and I went to the lake-side town of Santiago Atitlán along with another couple from school, Audrey and Tony. We had reservations at another small and beautiful hotel called Posada Santiago, which was recommended by our neighbors, Matt and Amy (they always have great recommendations!). We stayed through Sunday morning and had a great time taking in the sites of the town, shopping, relaxing at the hotel, and taking 400+ photos! Santiago is now high on our list of places to see if you come to visit. In fact, we've already reserved a cottage at the hotel for two nights the week Beth's parents come to visit over Easter.

Friday, November 23
Tony and Audrey picked us up at 9 a.m. and we made the slow voyage out of the city (it takes a while to get out of the city limits--typically 30 minutes or more) and onto the highway. We decided to take the same route we took the weekend before on our trip to Panajachel with Jennifer in order to bypass all that construction on the main highway. Once again it proved to be a good choice as we were treated to great scenery. The only downside was that we got stopped a few times for road construction, got stuck behind a couple giant, lumbering trucks shipping freshly cut sugar cane, and we went through a number of small towns that have speed bumps along the road, making for a slower average speed. In all, though, it only took a little more than three hours to get to Santiago. A few times we had to stop and ask for directions, but everyone we spoke to was very helpful and friendly. Beth and I are pretty confident we can make this trip ourselves now that we've done it twice.

Nearing Santiago, you can tell it's a pretty large city, whereas most towns along the lake are very small. We learned that the town has 40,000 residents, which definitely makes it a city, although it still feels pretty small (there must be lots of dwellings outside of the main part we never saw). Santiago has a very interesting history concerning the residents' struggle with the military presence during the civil war, but I won't go into that here. (A quick search turned up this article, which I haven't read completely, but looks like a good account.)

It's a very hilly city and there are a good number of multi-storied buildings, which isn't very common. The most striking and charming aspect of the town are its people. The majority of people are still wearing their traditional Mayan clothing and speaking their native language. Best of all, they were by far the most friendly group of people we've encountered. Everywhere we went we were greeted with smiling 'Good morning/afternoon/evening's from adults and boisterous 'hola!'s from the children. We felt very welcome in their town and safe everywhere we walked.

Our hotel was just outside of the city (it was only a short walk away) and was comprised of a main check-in/dining hall/hang-out spot (complete with friendly lap cat!), and a few cottages and individual rooms, as well as a large conference room, which we ended up sleeping in. It was all constructed of the local volcanic rock and the landscaping was unbelievable--just loads and loads of gorgeous plants and flowers we'd never seen before. You could spend hours walking the grounds just looking at it all. There was also a swimming pool and a hot tub which was perched up to look out onto the lake and Volcan San Marcos. It was an upscale place, though still only cost us $40 a night.

Due to an error on the part of the guy who booked our reservation, we ended up staying in the 1,200 square-foot conference room, which wasn't a bad deal at all. It featured large windows, so it was nice and bright, and we had five beds to choose from, two bathrooms with showers, and a kitchen.

The entire top floor was ours!

After we dropped off our bags, we headed back to the dining hall for lunch. We were all extremely impressed with our meals (I had a smoked turkey sandwich, which they smoked the meat on site) and only continued to be so with each meal following. The dining hall was large and spacious, completely constructed of the dark gray volcanic rock, giving it a very sturdy and old world look. It also featured lots of local art, from paintings to textiles, all of which was for sale.

Immediately after lunch we had an appointment with a local woman who gave us a walking tour of the town. She is the ex-wife of a man who came from the U.S. in the early '80s and was adopted into the Mayan culture and made a shaman. It's a very interesting story and I had actually read half of his book when we first arrived in Guatemala (it's called "Secrets of the Talking Jaguar" by Martin Prechtel). She spoke fluent English and gave us lots of interesting history and info on the city.

She first led us to a home where some 400-year-old religious statues were currently residing. These statues are painted annually and are rotated monthly to different homes of people who are deemed worthy by the 13th Brotherhood, a religious leadership group in the city. The home is open to all residents, and people frequently come by to make offerings and say prayers for various reasons. Typically an offering is either money or clothing you've sewn for the statues. If you were to open a new business, you would have to come by and make an offering, and I believe a priest would lead a small ceremony. I think they are also used when blessing babies.

Most interesting of all is the city's main religion--a hybrid religion of Catholicism and Mayan. Our next stop on the tour was to a 500-year-old Catholic church, which was built on the ruins of a Mayan temple. The Spanish who conquered the region forced the indigenous people to tear down their temple and build a church on the site. They left the original steps, however, leading up to the church. There are 19 exactly, which is significant (I believe) because there are 19 months in the Mayan calendar.


This hybrid religion is very common throughout Guatemala. Going into the church was quite an interesting experience. It looked very much like a Catholic church, however, all the statues were garishly decorated and all the wood carvings featured both Christian and Mayan elements.




We also toured the former room of a famous priest to the city. He was an American, but fully adopted into the local culture because he was so respectful of the Mayan beliefs and traditions. Sadly, he was murdered during the civil war. His death sparked rebellion amongst the residents to the local military presence, driving them out, and lead other villages to follow suit. Again, there's lots more to read here and I'd encourage you to if you have the time. It was strange being in the priest's room as that was where he was killed. You could see a spot in the floor where a bullet had hit, as well as his blood on the wall, which was now protected behind glass.

Also in his room was the most odd and cartoony-looking crucifix I have ever seen. I guess the priest had it made this way because he believed Jesus reflected the Mayans in that the people's hands, feet, and heart grew large with so much labor. I really liked it.


Afterwards, we went to another small dwelling, though this time to the Mayan god, Maximón. This is a very interesting deity in that people offer him tobacco, money, and clothing to honor their requests. During Holy Week he is ceremoniously carried to his own special room on the grounds of the large church I mentioned earlier. Each day, though, he is brought down from his bedroom, which sits atop the room he rests in during the day, so people can come by and worship to him. The room is dark and candle-lit, and incense burn so heavily it's hard to stay in there for long. Along one wall, there is a casket-like glass enclosure, featuring a statue of Jesus that is also dressed in outlandish clothing. Adoring the casket are Christmas lights and an odd and annoying device plays Christmas carols, which sound like they're coming from an early and basic cell phone. Strange. But interesting!

Mayan God Maximón

We then went to our guide's home to meet her mother and father, who were hard at work weaving textiles. They had some very impressive weavings and we ended up buying a woven Mayan calendar for ourselves for a Christmas present. The parents were very friendly and we got to watch the mother work a traditional back-strap loom.

Workin' the loom

I guess she's not a fan of this one...

After the tour we headed back to the hotel to relax and watch the sun set and the Mayan men finish up their fishing. Later we had another wonderful meal in the dining hall and then followed it up with a final relaxation in the hot tub. This was a lot of fun because we could really soak up the night view due to the full moon.


Saturday, November 24
Beth and I got up around 7 and each had a cup of coffee in the dining hall before joining Audrey at 8 for a half hour of Yoga she led. I have never done it before, and it was fun stretching and breaking a bit of a sweat to wake up. After we all cleaned up, we met up for breakfast around 9. Then we walked back into town for some sight-seeing and shopping. Along the way into town, the road sits high above the lake and you can see down at the shore a number of women hard at work washing their family's clothes, beating and scrubbing them against flat rocks and rinsing them in the water.

The shopping was a lot of fun. I'm really starting to appreciate the artistry involved in the weavings here. We got to see lots and lots of beautiful pieces and were treated to tons of photo opportunities as the people went about their day. I even got to try on the traditional pants and belt men wear. Beth and I picked up a few more items (Christmas presents) and finished up by mid-afternoon.

Striped pants that fall mid-calf and accompanied with a woven belt are worn by nearly all the men in town. Shirts are typically collared and button up and most likely store-bought. Cowboy hats and usually sandals or leather shoes complete the look. These pants feature embroidery of Mayan images that almost look like hieroglyphics.

And the real deal!

When we got back to the hotel, another group from school had joined us, and we all spent the afternoon at the pool, chatting, reading, swimming, and sunbathing. We ordered some appetizers to tide us over 'til dinner since we skipped lunch.

That night the eight of us had dinner together and I think everyone was more than pleased with their meal. I can't say enough good things about the food here! After dinner we hit the hot tub once more and then Beth and I played a game of Scrabble in our room before going to sleep.

Sunday, November 25
Sunday morning we were all up pretty early to enjoy the sunrise and get an early start on the day. After breakfast we went back into town as it was a market day and thus even more to see. We picked up some produce, snapped a hundred more pictures, and headed back by 10. We got on the road by 10:30 and made it home in three hours.

Santiago Atitlán offers a lot in one spot: culture, natural beauty, history, and friendly people. We'll be returning soon and definitely taking any of you who come to visit!

Note: You can see more pictures from this weekend on our Picasa page!

Quick trip to Pana for Christmas Shopping

Saturday Beth and I went to Panajachel (town on Lake Atitlán) with Jennifer (principal of early elementary) to do some Christmas shopping. We took the normal route there and got stuck in some construction traffic. Thankfully we didn't arrive any earlier, as we would have sat at a standstill for a lot longer. Apparently the road crew shuts down traffic from noon to 2:30! So you just have to wait the entire time before they allow traffic through. All the while big chicken buses and other aggressive drivers speed ahead in the left lane to crowd the front of line (same thing happens on the other side), creating a big traffic jam that takes a while to filter through once the road reopens. The crew also periodically shuts down the road for half hour increments throughout the morning and afternoon, making it a headache to get through no matter what time of day.

Normally it takes two-and-a-half to three hours to get to Pana, but it took us five (that's including a lunch break). We got to town around 4 and got straight to shopping for fear stores would be closing by 6. Luckily for us there was some sort of festival going on that night and places were staying open later.

We got quite a bit done that afternoon and made it to our hotel, Posada Los Encuentros, by 8 or so that night. Beth found this place online and it turned out to be a great find. It was off the main road, so it was nice and quiet (although you can't escape the ever-howling packs of feral dogs).

On Sunday we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed back out for some more shopping. We wrapped up by 11 and then headed back a different route. This route was a little longer, but much more scenic. It actually ended up taking just three hours, so it wasn't much different time-wise to the regular route, but we were treated to some spectacular views of the lake and volcanoes. It was a gorgeous day, so we stopped along the way and took some pictures and this video. I'm always amazed by how incredibly large the volcanoes are and how beautiful the lake is. You really have to see it in person!

Scuba Diving in Honduras...Coming Soon!

Beth and I just finalized plans for our first week of Christmas vacation before we come home to the U.S. We will be spending it on the Caribbean island or Roatan, which is off of Honduras and home to the second largest natural reef in the world, making it a big destination spot for scuba divers.

We'll be staying at this lovely looking place. And to further entice us, there's actually a craft brewery on the island! www.roatanbrewery.com I didn't think there were any in Central America.

Neither of us have ever scuba dived before, so we will be spending the week getting certified and doing dives towards that certification. There will also be another couple from school joining us which will be fun. I really hope to see a whale shark!


As if we weren't excited enough about coming home for break, now we have this to look forward to as well!

A First: Good Beer in Guate!

A good friend of ours, Adam, recently sent us a fantastic care package in the form of delicious American beers. For those of you who know us well, you know Beth and I (me especially) really enjoy a good, craft beer, particularly a pale ale or IPA. We got spoiled living in Lawrence with Free State Brewing Co., in addition to the town having a good selection of beers. So, since living in Guatemala, we've really missed full-bodied and flavorful beer. There are maybe six Guatemalan types of beer, but all are extremely watered down and flavorless, like Bud Light (sorry to any fans of Bud Light...but it's true!).

Adam sent us three we requested and tossed in an additional to surprise us. Sadly, the surprise addition broke in transit. : ( All of the bottles were 22 ounces. The three that made it were all from the Great Divide Brewing Co., one of my all-time favorite breweries. We received an imperial IPA, an imperial stout, and a barley wine, all of which are extremely aromatic and flavorful.

We opened up the imperial IPA, which the brewery has named, Hercules Double IPA, two Fridays ago. As soon as I popped the top, we could smell the strong and inviting aroma of hops. (Hops are used to add bitterness and aroma to beer, as well as work as a preservative.) Hoppiness is the biggest component of this style of beer and it gives it a citrus/pine/floral flavor. Yum!

We savored our shared beer (11 oz. each) for more than an hour. It was soooo good!




Beth's not a fan of dark beers, so I will be splitting the imperial stout with Randy. But we will be sharing the barley wine at some point before coming home for Christmas break. We're just waiting for the perfect night or until we can't hold out any longer!

Sight-seeing in Zona Uno

Tuesday morning I was taken on a tour of Zona Uno (Zone 1) of the city with the school's director's husband, Jacob, as well as Randy and Jen (the other two 'trailing spouses' that are new this year). Up 'til then, I had been somewhat intimidated by Zone 1 since it can be dangerous and is definitely not a place you should be after dark. However, it's the oldest part of the city and there are some really beautiful buildings to see, including the Palacio Nacional. As well, you really get a sense of the people and city with so much going on there during the day.

Jacob first took us to a gigantic Chinese import shop. It was a really nice place with tons and tons of Chinese goods, from fresh produce to drums of soy sauce, hand-carved furniture to lucky waving cats, to saki and swords. We had fun browsing the aisles and seeing such uncommon items. I bought some cans of cocount milk since it was half the price I had been paying at the grocery store, as well as some chili garlic sauce (sometimes called rooster sauce).

Next we went to a tiny, nearly-hidden Arab import shop. The entrance to the store was just a door between two stores on a busy street that led to staircase and up to a small open room. Once again we enjoyed browsing the uncommon goods. There I bought some apricot paste (you just cut it up and eat it; it's very tasty!) and figs.

We then headed to the big market, which is located just behind the main square where the national palace is located. You could spend a lot of time in the market, perusing the hundreds of stalls which sell all kinds of things. We've been to a few markets before and this one seemed to be about the same, just bigger. Beth and I will probably pick up some Christmas gifts there. Here I bought a small bag of delicious macadamia nuts, a pound of GIANT blackberries for less than $1 (!), and some strange fruit I've never tasted before (can't remember what it's called, but it looks like a small apricot). We will probably take everyone who comes to visit us there as it's a neat experience.

Last we went to a restaurant that served typical Guatemalan food. It was a fairly upscale restaurant for the zone it was in. There was even a live marimba band playing, which added to the ambiance. I had some sort of vegetable soup, steak with mushrooms, refried beans, guacamole, and tortillas. It was very good.

Now that I've gotten to see a lot more of Zone 1 and understand its layout a little better it's not so intimidating. It was a fun outing and very nice of Jacob to take us around like that.