Guatemala: Day 42

July 02, 2018

Guatemala: Day 42

I have had a great time these past few weeks and I promise I have done more than just watch the World Cup (although I have done a lot of that).

This past weekend I went to a town called Panajachel (Pana for short) that is located by lake Atitlán in the west part of Guatemala. On Saturday we went on a boat ride to see the surrounding towns and mountains near Pana. It was absolutely beautiful being surrounded by volcanos and mountains! At times I felt like I was at the bottom of a bowl because the lake is surrounded by high walls of nature at every side. All of it looked gorgeous and I started imagining what it would be like to be in one of the houses on the hills with direct access to the lake, being able to have breakfast on the patio, go for an afternoon dip and then look at the sunset in the evening from your bedroom. But reality wasn't that much worse. After the boat ride we walked around the market on the main street of Pana and had pupusas (the Salvadorian food I have been hyping constantly). All these activities were clearly planned around the World Cup matches that we refused to miss. On the streets I noticed more tourists than in Guatemala City (because there isn't that much to see) or Antigua and I noticed that even some of the vendors on the market were clearly from North America or Europe. My friends explained that a lot of them have come here at first as backpackers and have liked the laidback attitude of the town so much that they stayed to sell art or crafts.

On Sunday morning we returned to the lake and the weather was much clearer so we had an even more impressive view of our surroundings. I could not wait to get in the lake for a swim! The water was not very warm but not cold either so after perhaps a minute I was completely used to it. I find lake water the best to swim in and Atitlán was no exception. The water felt so soft and was so clear you could see the little fish swimming around and plants growing in the bottom. Afterwards we walked along the lake and its piers. There I saw two women with shirts that said Canada on them and wished them a happy Canada Day. That was my little celebration of the holiday. By the mere three other people in the water with me earlier, I could see that swimming in the lake was not that popular among locals or tourists. So before leaving we spent some time by the pool where everyone else was swimming (including my travel companions). Altogether I would say that the views of the lake were the most beautiful I have seen in Guatemala (although I hope to challenge that soon with some other trips).

The journey to Pana and back was relatively calm but because the highway goes through towns there aren't that many spectacular views. More importantly, because the road passes through so many communities, there are are a lot of dead street animals (mostly dogs) on the side of the road. This for me has been the hardest part about travelling between towns or cities in Central America. Not only do you see stray dogs everywhere but I am constantly on edge in case one decides to cross the road at the wrong time. I also feel a little bit helpless because I don't know how to help. I can offer some food and water to a few dogs but I wish there was something more permanent I could do. But I know that the most impactful way to accomplish a better quality life for animals (at least pets) is to have happy and healthy people. It is only natural that if people have barely enough food for themselves they aren't able to take care of animals. I am sure countries like Estonia or Canada, where I have lived, had to go through the same process before becoming conscious about animal well-being (and still have work to do). I find comfort interning for an organization that directly works to alleviate hunger and has development projects that aim to increase the quality of life of the Guatemalan people.

This week I am going to Jalapa and Chiquimula, departments in the south east part of Guatemala (close to the Honduran border), to learn more about the projects that the organization has in that area and to have a better understanding of the impact it has on the local communities.

Food of the day: dobladas de loroco. They are patties with the edible flower loroco in it. Right now it is loroco season so they use it in a lot of foods, including pupusas (yes, I'm talking about them again). Below is a picture of the meal I had.

Spanish lesson of the day: fíjate. In direct translation it means notice or look but in reality it is very common to use it in Guatemala to catch someone's attention before you give them a juicy piece of gossip or most commonly, an excuse. I have heard it many times when asking about my work computer for example (I still don't have it).