Wednesday, April 06, 2011—Panajachel to Santiago Atitlan

It was clear and bright this morning.  The volcanoes surrounding the lake could easily be seen.  After a brief trip down to the water front to be sure of the location of the ferry to Santiago, I returned to my room and read until time to go.

I caught the 11:00 ferry.  It had mostly locals on it.  Santiago Atitlan, our destination was directly across the lake between two perfect cone-shaped volcanoes.  It took 30 minutes to cross.

There was a rush of people to help when we docked.  I had already planned to walk, because I knew it was only 1.5 km (less than a mile) to Posada de Santiago where I would be staying.  They bugged me about half a block before giving up and letting me go on my own.

My cottage is probably the nicest place I will stay on the entire trip (and probably the most expensive at $50 per night).  It is built of stone.  Outside, there are winding steps lined with blossoming flowers.  To the left is a stone bench and a hammock.  Inside, it is one large room plus a bath.  There is a single bed in a nook beside the bath.  A large queen size?) bed, lamp tables, desk, chest, and fireplace take up the rest of the room.  The interior walls are stone.  Wood is in the fireplace, and guests are expected to use it.  The ceiling is cathedral-type, and there is a large skylight which has been covered on the inside with handmade art paper.  There are native sculptures, paintings, and weavings decorating the room.

After leaving my things, I headed back into town.  I stopped to take photos of the women doing their laundry and washing their hair at the lakeside.  Along the way, everyone was friendly—smiling, waving, and saying, “Buenos tardes.” 

I was already running low on money, and this town has a 5B ATM.  So far, I have only encountered two kinds of ATMs in this country—5B and BI.  The BI charges a fee for making a cash withdrawal with a credit card (which is supposed to be against the rules of VISA when it’s a credit card being used and not a debit card).  So I took advantage of the opportunity to withdraw more money.  Unfortunately, this ATM has a low withdrawal limit equivalent to about $130.  But that with the money I still have from the previous withdrawal should get me through to Antigua early next week when I can find another 5B terminal.

Santiago is not as attractive as Panajachel was.  It seems much more remote because the people seem more like they are from the country.  Many of the women wear native style dresses.  And most of the older men were shorts that are either white with black stripes or have native-style embroidery on them.  They also all were white straw hats.  The town also has fewer services for tourists.  I was trying to eat at 14:00, and most of the handful of restaurants had closed for siesta!  I found a taco place, however, and had 3 chicken tacos and a glass of tamarind juice.

I toured the old church here.  It is a simple building, but it was first constructed about 500 years ago.  It has been damaged several times by earthquakes, but it has been rebuilt each time.  The alter has special carvings that can be traced to Mayan beliefs.  And there is a shrine to an American missionary who was killed here during the civil war in the 1980s.  Santiago was the first town in the nation to stand up to the military and to throw them out of their city during that civil war. 

I spent most of the afternoon back at my cottage lying in the hammock and reading.  There is a pool and a Jacuzzi across the street at the lake front, but I had no interest in going there. Eventually, I went to the large reception area to use the computer, since the wifi will not reach into the cabins.